Bai Shi rode Torrent across the desolate snowfield.
Across the lonely expanse, the wind and snow howled.
The fierce blizzard turned the entire world into a blur of white, obscuring the view of the distance. Only the thin, hollow silhouettes of the mountains were visible.
The surroundings were eternally of a single color—an endless white.
Aside from the occasional tree by the roadside, there were no other landmarks in this snowfield.
The only thing that could provide Bai Shi with a sense of direction in this vast, snowy plain was the faint golden light drifting in the air above.
That somewhat ethereal golden light was the guidance of grace.
No map, no landmarks, no destination. He couldn't even see the cave he had just left behind him.
It was only because of the guidance of grace that Bai Shi could press onward in this wasteland.
Ever since arriving in the Lands Between, Bai Shi had only relied on the guidance of grace for the very first part of his journey.
That was the period after he left the Fringefolk Hero's Grave and officially set foot in Limgrave.
At the time, by following the guidance of grace, Bai Shi had found his way, successfully arriving at the Gatefront Ruins and meeting Melina.
After meeting Melina and charting his first map, Bai Shi had never relied on the guidance of grace again.
After all, compared to the faint hint from grace, the route planned in his mind was far more reliable.
Bai Shi only needed a map to obtain a "guidance" far clearer and more precise than that of grace.
Most people would call it a walkthrough.
That was why Bai Shi collected maps whenever possible.
Whether it was by digging them out from under steles, buying them from merchants, or obtaining them from others.
Because as long as he had a map, Bai Shi could match the relevant information for that region from his memory.
And now, returning to a situation without a map, Bai Shi felt a bit frustrated.
Fortunately, however, he didn't need to do any exploring this time.
This trip was simply to activate a Site of Grace in this snowfield for easier teleportation.
He probably wouldn't be coming back here for a long time.
It would be even better if he could find a landmark near the Site of Grace to pinpoint his location.
The Mountaintops of the Giants would be ideal.
That way, the next time he came, he could have Erlisa guide him.
It would also be a good opportunity for Erlisa to return and visit her family, to see how the Zamor people were faring on the snowy mountains.
If they weren't doing well, he could bring them back to Stormveil. At the very least, the environment there was much better than the mountains.
If this was the Consecrated Snowfield, that would also be fine. In the future, he could travel to the Haligtree or the Mohgwyn Dynasty.
In the short time he had been pondering, a thick layer of snow had already piled up on Bai Shi.
Bai Shi came back to his senses and blew all the snow off his body.
The snowfall was heavy. If he didn't clear it off periodically, a new layer would quickly accumulate.
Just a moment ago, Bai Shi had been using gusts of wind to clean himself off every so often.
After a moment's thought, Bai Shi began to form a suit of constantly flowing wind armor around his body with a storm.
This way, the snow couldn't accumulate. For origınal chapters go to 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
Being covered by snow for a while just now had indeed made him feel a bit cold.
Although the armor Bai Shi wore had a cape and plenty of cloth, it offered almost no protection from the cold.
After all, keeping warm wasn't a consideration when it was forged.
If he had known he was coming to a snowy region, he could have prepared some hot drinks to ward off the cold.
But thankfully, his physical constitution was solid.
Even if Bai Shi ran naked across the snowfield, he would only freeze stiff, not to death.
Torrent, on the other hand, was completely unaffected by the wind and snow.
Such cold seemed to be no problem for the creature with its thick fur.
However, the deep snow did present an obstacle for Torrent.
Each time, its hooves would sink deep into the snow, which made Torrent a little irritable.
Unable to run freely, the greatly slowed Torrent also began to slack off.
While maintaining its current speed, it took the opportunity to nibble on a few raw Rowa Fruits by the roadside.
Bai Shi had tasted these Rowa Fruits that grew on the snowy mountains before.
How should he put it? As expected, the texture was not great.
Like other Rowa Fruits, it was too fibrous to swallow.
The taste wasn't terrible, like a sugar-free mint chewing gum, but the extra-strong kind. It was very cool in the mouth, with icy flecks.
In any case, having tasted his way through the journey, Bai Shi felt that the best casual snack was still the Golden Rowa Fruit raisins.
They were very sweet and tasted just like chewing gum. The flavor was simply divine.
There was a reason they say the folks in Leyndell are the real deal; at least their fruits were genuinely sweet.
As for regular Rowa Fruit and their raisins... that was just garbage.
Since the journey was exceedingly boring, Bai Shi could only let his mind wander to alleviate the fatigue.
How long had he been walking? He had no idea.
The scenery around him hadn't changed at all; it was just an endless repetition.
A journey inflicted an unimaginable mental toll.
If the grace wasn't still pointing forward, Bai Shi would have started to suspect he was just walking in circles.
Bai Shi suddenly felt a pang of regret. Why hadn't he learned any of the fire incantations back then?
Otherwise, he could light a fire to play with now and warm himself up at the same time.
A regular torch in this kind of blizzard would be blown out the moment it was lit.
After trading with Ranni, he had received the basic fire incantation prayerbooks.
It was just that he didn't have time to go to Master Miriel to learn them, as that would have been a detour.
And while the storm could block the wind and snow from directly touching his body, it couldn't magically change the ambient temperature. If the environment was hot, the wind would be hot; if it was cold, the wind would be cold.
Just as he was considering whether to take out the Sword of Night and Flame and use it as a torch, Bai Shi suddenly felt a wave of warmth from his back.
Bai Shi knew this feeling well. It wasn't real warmth, but the sensation produced when Melina's spirit touched him.
Melina was helpless against the cold environment Bai Shi was in, so she could only gently embrace him from behind.
She knew this gesture couldn't actually make Bai Shi warm, but at least he would feel a faint, illusory warmth.
Melina rested her head on Bai Shi's back, turning to look at the unchanging, desolate snowfield beside them.
"...Let's find the Site of Grace and go back soon."
"The armor you're wearing isn't warm at all."
Bai Shi chuckled softly.
"It's alright. It's not so cold that I can't bear it."
"Don't worry. If it were an environment I couldn't handle, I wouldn't have come out of the cave in the first place."
Melina nodded. Bai Shi was indeed like that; he never did things unprepared. Although this teleportation was an unexpected emergency, Bai Shi hadn't rushed out on a whim.
"Once I find the Site of Grace, I'll go back immediately. It's really too cold here."
Bai Shi glanced up at the grace in the sky, which pointed to an unknown destination, and sighed.
"But, I don't know how far that Site of Grace is..."
"And even Torrent's speed has been affected by the snow. It seems like it's going to take some time."
Melina knew this was something that couldn't be helped.
After all, when arriving in a new area, finding a Site of Grace and leaving a teleportation coordinate was essential.
If they teleported to the Four Belfries and then used a waygate to travel, the time and energy spent traversing the caves would be immense.
Melina said nothing more, just held on a little tighter.
Bai Shi felt Melina's movement, and in this boundless, lonely snowfield, he truly found a warmth that came from within.
The pale, faded world seemed to regain its color in Bai Shi's eyes. The thin and hollow silhouettes of the distant mountains suddenly became like beacons guiding his way forward.
Because he truly felt that he was not alone.
Behind him was the girl for whom he strived.
"I feel much better now."
"It's so good to have you by my side."
On such a lonely road, how fortunate was it to have someone's company?
"Yes, I'll always be with you."
"After I get my body back, I want to always be by your side, too."
Melina whispered her promise.
Bai Shi took a deep breath and responded earnestly:
"The honor is all mine."
And so, Bai Shi and the girl he loved crossed the long snowfield together.
Underground, a massive, slumbering creature sensed a slight disturbance above.
Before it fully awoke from its deep sleep, its body had already begun to move as if programmed, capturing its prey.
Dozens of fingers shot out from the ground, forming a cage that blocked the path of Bai Shi and Torrent.
It was completely unexpected; even the nimble Torrent hadn't noticed.
For the first time, Torrent let out a surprised whinny.
Before the creature attacked, there had been no sign of life, and its tracks were covered by the thick snow.
By the time they realized it, even Torrent's double jump couldn't escape the grasp of this giant Fingercreeper.
Melina was also startled.
But she quickly composed herself. When it came to combat, and only combat, she didn't need to worry about Bai Shi.
The Fingercreeper's large hand had already firmly enveloped Bai Shi and Torrent, its fingers rubbing back and forth, trying to crush them.
This was a primal Fingercreeper from the mountains. It had no contact with humans and thus wore no magic rings.
It relied solely on its massive size and strength.
Those weak, devolved descendants of Fingercreepers would never understand what true purity was.
Mere magic rings, how could they compare to a naturally powerful body!
But as the giant Fingercreeper rubbed for a while, it felt that something wasn't right. Not only was it very hard, but it also seemed to be growing larger in its hand?
Bai Shi used the power of his Great Rune, enlarging his body to an unprecedented size and forcing open the prison of the Fingercreeper's digits.
He placed his hands on the base of the creature's fingers and tore its flesh. Blood immediately gushed out, drenching Bai Shi.
As the blood splattered onto him, it was instantly frozen by the cold wind. With a slight movement, it all shattered and fell away.
The enlarged Bai Shi stood up from the bloody Fingercreeper's body and continued to rip it apart.
The Fingercreeper was so enormous that even at this size, Bai Shi was still much smaller than it, but his strength was far greater.
Bai Shi tore the Fingercreeper in two uneven halves and tossed them aside.
Bai Shi blew the frozen blood off his body, thoroughly annoyed.
Honestly, he had just been talking with Melina about where he would take her after she got her body back, only to be ambushed.
The two severed hands scrambled up from the ground,竟然able to act independently. Who knew what kind of anatomy it had?
Bai Shi rushed to the larger half, bringing down a fist wreathed in a wild gale.
The Fingercreeper's bones shattered instantly, shards piercing through its flesh. The force of the wind also pressed a huge crater into the snowy ground.
Bai Shi grabbed two of the Fingercreeper's fingers, ripped them from its body, and, clasping them together, brought them down like a great hammer, smashing its torso into a pulp.
The other half of the Fingercreeper saw that things were going badly and was already trying to sneak away.
Bai Shi retrieved the Dragonslayer's Swordspear from his spatial disk.
Although the Sword of Night and Flame was stronger, in his enlarged state, it was like a toy in his hands.
In the end, it was still a weapon made by sorcerers.
When you're big, you need a colossal weapon.
The swordspear also grew to its limit, and a raging black flame ignited upon it.
Bai Shi aimed at the half-Fingercreeper and threw the swordspear with all his might.
The raging black flame melted the flying snow. The swordspear cut a clear path through the blizzard and accurately struck the fleeing half-Fingercreeper.
That half of the creature was pinned to the ground, twitching erratically as the black flame consumed it.
Bai Shi leaped up and landed on the Fingercreeper's body.
He pulled out the swordspear as lightning struck down from the sky onto its blade, then swept it horizontally across the creature.
The power of the lightning didn't just course through the Fingercreeper; fueled by Bai Shi's anger, it spread across the snowy ground, melting the ice and leaving deep scars in the earth.
Bai Shi continued to electrocute the Fingercreeper until it was charred black, crumbling like charcoal at a touch. Only then did he return to his normal size, summon Torrent once more, and ride past the creature's corpse.
Torrent had turned into a spirit earlier, dodging the ambush, and was now completely unscathed.
Melina embraced Bai Shi from behind again.
After that small interruption, Bai Shi was back on the road.
The guidance of grace finally came to an end, leading Bai Shi to a ruined shack.
The shack was in a hollow of a mountainside, offering some shelter from the blizzard, but it was still covered in knee-high snow inside.
Within it was a freeze-dried corpse that had been dead for who knows how long.
It still tightly clutched a sheepskin scroll in its hand.
Bai Shi first lit the Site of Grace, then went into the weather-beaten shack and took the map from its hand.
It was a simple map. At the map's end was a drawing of a tree with a giant flower in bloom.
You wouldn't find the Erdtree here, so it could only be Miquella's Haligtree.
In that case, the location of this place was self-evident—the Consecrated Snowfield.
Looking into the distance, from this position, he could just make out a faint silhouette—a tree that, though not as large as the Erdtree, shone with a lonely brilliance in the snowfield.