Chapter 498 Photos and Clues (4k)
Miss Rancy’s casual remark plunged Su Jiu into thought. Old Master Herb’s sighting of the Fen Shuangluan was different from the image seen by the travelers along the road…
This sounded somewhat paradoxical?
“How could it be an Ice Giant?”
His words were interrupted by his granddaughter. Old Master Herb glared at her, then lowered his head, his gaze falling on the feather and feeling the warmth it brought. His slightly cloudy eyes were filled with reminiscence as he continued softly,
“At that time, flames dyed the sky red, and the chill brought by the cold current was instantly dispelled, as if entering a realm of magma. The surrounding snow was illuminated, but the temperature wasn’t hot. I felt warm even wearing a single layer.”
“I was about your age then, on school holiday returning home. I was with your grandmother…”
Old Master Herb paused at this point, his gaunt face stiffening slightly. He sighed and said no more.
Listening to Old Master Herb, Su Jiu felt a sense of absurdity. Flames illuminated the entire snowfield, yet others who encountered it saw a giant cold creature…
If she didn’t know his character, she would have thought he had eaten mushrooms, the brightly colored kind.
“Grandpa, you must have misremembered. Ever since Grandma passed away, you’ve always idealized things related to her… And when people are about to freeze to death, they will feel warmth.”
While Su Jiu was lost in her thoughts, Miss Rancy immediately retorted, and her words were logical and well-founded. This “paradoxical stripping phenomenon” was not uncommon in the frigid northern regions.
Old Master Herb frowned, unsure how to object. His cultivation at the time was indeed not high; he was also at the Warrior Class…
Seeing her grandfather fall silent, Miss Rancy left for a short while but soon returned. She pulled out a yellowed photograph from some obscure corner, and with a helpless expression, placed it before everyone. She said,
“To verify your words, Father directly sought out the travelers from that year. However, as they were only at the Initial Stage Warrior level, they passed away early. Their descendants treasured the photos as heirlooms, and I bought this one for the price of a few Magic Crystals.”
The photograph showed a young woman making a “V” sign towards the camera. She wore a beige sweater and a knitted hat, with a down jacket tied around her waist. About a hundred meters behind her, a colossal figure could be vaguely seen, enveloped in wind and snow, rushing towards the sky.
“This photo seems very normal, and there’s nothing out of place. Wearing a thick sweater and warm clothes in this weather is the norm.”
Looking at the color photograph taken by the alchemical equipment, Su Jiu squinted her eyes, looked at it several times, and finally shook her head. She couldn’t help but doubt the authenticity of the story, which sounded more and more like…
The Duke ate mushrooms, and after eating, he took the Earls to eat with him. Everyone saw something different.
“Miss, don’t you find it strange? This girl is only wearing a sweater.”
As Su Jiu was lost in her own thoughts, Bairnis stepped forward a few steps. She gently pointed a finger at the woman and tilted her head to look at everyone.
Bairnis was one of the Eastern Expedition members back then. She had some knowledge of Bear Language and Dragon Country Language, so communication was not a problem.
The crowd exchanged glances but found nothing unusual. Su Jiu blinked, asking confusedly,
“Isn’t this normal attire? In winter, this kind of dress should be normal, right? I saw many people dressed like this at the station.”
“It’s not normal.”
Shaking her head, Bairnis chuckled lightly. She reached out and, with lightning speed, flipped up Su Jiu’s scarf and tucked it into her neck. Then, tilting her head, she asked,
“Miss, do you feel cold?”
“A little? But it’s normal to feel cold in winter, isn’t it? As for you, you should use your External Qi more on your hands. Getting frostbite will affect your body.”
Feeling a chill on her neck, Su Jiu didn’t react much, merely confused about what the other person was trying to convey.
After receiving her answer, Bairnis pursed her lips and smiled slightly. She used her External Qi, warming her entire hand. Then, she slowly said,
“We high-level martial artists have natural resistance to this kind of cold. In cold weather, we don’t feel cold, and we can even wear summer clothes. But ordinary people without External Qi cannot. After all, the cold current means temperatures below zero degrees Celsius…”
Listening to Bairnis, Su Jiu fell into thought. The other person’s meaning was certainly not about hiding the traveler’s strength, but rather…
She suddenly thought of something and raised her head abruptly, looking at Old Master Herb. She asked very seriously, “Old sir, you didn’t feel cold at that time either, right?”
Old Master Herb was taken aback by Su Jiu’s question but then nodded with a smile. “Didn’t I say before? It was warm, and the entire sky was glowing red, as if I had fallen into magma.”
He paused and asked curiously, “Did you discover something?”
“Bairnis’s words reminded me.”
Su Jiu glanced at Bairnis, who had adjusted her scarf, and replied. Her gaze fell on the photograph, and she said word by word, “If the photo is real, what Old Sir saw must also be real.”
Old Master Herb was stunned, clearly not understanding the principle. Miss Rancy also looked at the photo for a long time without any clue. She finally asked directly,
“But both the man’s photo and the appearance of the colossal creature are reasonable, all proving that the creature is a type of ice-attribute monster. Miss Su Jiu, do you think something is wrong?”
Su Jiu looked up at the two and chuckled as she explained, “We don’t find anything wrong because we are viewing it from the perspective of high-level martial artists. But in reality, that traveler was only at the Warrior Class. In such extreme cold weather, a Warrior Class should be particularly afraid of the cold.”
It was the same with Bai Zhi back then; she had curled up into a ball. For ordinary people, the cold current was not something they could easily resist.
Having said that, she changed the subject and pointed at the situation in the photo, saying very seriously, “But the performance here is not. The woman in the photo has her down jacket tied around her waist and is smiling, which indicates… she doesn’t feel cold.”
Su Jiu’s words made the two fall into thought. After a moment, Miss Rancy took the photo and examined it, also puzzled, and said, “Then why doesn’t the entire photo show the scene Grandpa described?”
Miss Rancy’s question made Su Jiu ponder again. Indeed, why did the photo depict a snowy scene? As silence fell in the room, Bairnis chuckled again,
“What you see in a photo isn’t always real. After all, the Fen Shuangluan is described as a monstrous demon far more powerful than an ordinary War God. Its Traveler-level laws are mature, and it instinctively masters the complete law chain of its own bloodline. Reversing natural phenomena isn’t too strange…”
Listening to Bairnis, everyone seemed to be awakened from a dream. Old Master Herb, in particular, looked up at Bairnis, his attitude showing more respect. He didn’t believe that someone who could explain laws so clearly would be simple. He then cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, young lady, for clarifying.”
“Heh heh, you’re too kind, Old Sir. Didn’t we meet when we were in Aers?”
Upon hearing this, Bairnis chuckled, waved her hand, and took two steps back, standing behind Su Jiu like a well-behaved little girl.
“We met?”
Old Master Herb looked at her appearance again. She did look familiar, but he couldn’t recall where they had met. Wait…
As if struck by a thought, he was suddenly startled. The thin little girl who was always by Su Jiu’s side back then… that girl’s appearance seemed to be eighty percent similar to Bairnis in front of him!
Do humans really change that quickly?
If she were a human-shaped monster, what kind of powerful being would she be!?
Su Jiu, on the other hand, was caught in another dilemma: why was only this old Earl able to see the true appearance? Was there something special about him?
“Count, the banquet is ready. The local specialty vodka has been placed on the table.”
A servant’s voice announced.
Quickly calming his mind, Old Master Herb told himself that even if it were a monster, it was contracted by Miss Su Jiu. He then smiled gently at the servant, “Prepare your own bowls and chopsticks, and let’s eat together. It’s to celebrate Miss Rancy’s breakthrough to Battle King.”
“Thank you, Count.”
The servant grinned, as if this situation was not uncommon, and left for the dining room.
Watching the servant’s retreating back, Old Master Herb turned to Su Jiu and the two beside him, smiling, “Let’s go together. There are no other outsiders there; it’s a family dinner within the family.”
“Okay.”
Su Jiu returned his smile. She found such trivial matters annoying, and a quiet family dinner was truly practical.
Soon, the few of them left the hall and arrived at the eaves. Looking at the heavy snow falling outside, the interior was protected by a formation. The formation was transparent, and the design of the open corridor made it warm with a hint of exquisite beauty.
Looking at the snowy landscape, Su Jiu asked as they walked, “Old Sir, about when will Duchess Catherine return to her territory? I want to ask her some things about the Fen Shuangluan.”
Since she knew it was real, it was only right to meet the Duchess now.
Old Master Herb continued walking, but his gaze fell on the increasingly heavy frost and snow outside. He sighed, “I don’t know. The Duchess and Rancy’s father formed a knight order and entered the deep mountains together to investigate the truth… It’s unlikely they’ll be back in a few days. If you need to look for her, there are contact alchemical items at the Duke’s mansion.”
“Thank you for your guidance, Old Sir.”
Hearing Old Master Herb’s words, Su Jiu had a plan. In a few days, she would go looking for the singer from back then, Catherine, to see if she could obtain information from her.
Soon, led by Old Master Herb, the group took several detours before arriving at the impressively large hall. As he had said, there were only workers, a butler, and servants inside. When they saw him, they all politely stood up to respond.
“Count, I told you Miss would definitely succeed! Now she directly becomes the city’s number one genius…”
“Damn, Miss is definitely the number one genius, do you need to say that?”
Some old workers, tipsy, held small white wine bottles and congratulated Old Master Herb, looking very pleased.
It seemed these people highly respected this old Earl. Although they were boasting, the joy in their eyes was undeniable. They were genuinely happy for their young lady.
Amidst the congratulations, the group took their seats at the main table. Su Jiu looked at the blue-purple liquid floating in the wine glass, feeling a craving for alcohol surge in her stomach.
“Thank you all for coming to help despite your busy schedules. This is my toast to all of you. I hope the banquet will satisfy everyone.”
She then looked up slightly at Old Master Herb, who stood up to toast. She felt a sense of jianghu-like camaraderie from him, a feeling of valuing loyalty, and his treatment of every worker was just like when he was with the band…
The banquet slowly began with the well wishes from various servants and workers. Su Jiu slowly tasted the slightly sweet and sour mixed vodka, her small face flushing, giving her a unique charm that was both cute and alluring.
Slightly tipsy, Su Jiu didn’t notice Bairnis beside her subconsciously licking her red lips as if trying to suppress something…
As the feast progressed, after three rounds of drinks, everyone started chatting casually. A middle-aged man dressed as a worker suddenly took a gulp of wine, looked around, and said as if sharing a secret:
“Hey, have you guys heard? The out-of-towners the Count took in went hunting in the mountains yesterday and encountered a very special monster!”
The people at his table were all burly men. Intrigued, they immediately chided him with a laugh,
“Old Joseph, don’t be so mysterious, tell us what it was!”
Someone tentatively asked, “Was it a powerful creature like the Snow-liking Beast?”
For them, creatures like the Snow-liking Beast could only be found in deep snow forests.
“It wasn’t a Snow-liking Beast. Its appearance, tsk tsk, it’s said to be very similar to the legendary Man-faced Bear. Its fangs were thicker than my thumb.”
Old Joseph chuckled and made a scary pose, touching his face, drawing everyone’s attention.
Su Jiu was also drawn to their conversation, finding such amusing stories a good way to relax and have fun.
“Man-faced Bear?”
The others were clearly startled, but soon a young man dressed as a guard, after listening, crossed his arms and said disdainfully, “Old Joseph, your storytelling ability isn’t good. There are no bear-like monsters around here. I’m the one responsible for driving away monsters near the city.”
“What bear-like monster? Its skin was dark. From a distance, it looked like a Black person. I remember those out-of-towners called it…”
Old Joseph quickly corrected himself, nervously unable to recall the name.
Listening to his explanation, the guard’s eyes revealed suspicion, while the others waited curiously for the rest, as such strange and unusual events were quite interesting.
“I can’t help it, they spoke English, and I couldn’t remember…”
At this moment, Old Joseph looked at the guard’s disbelieving expression and became anxious…
“Frost Ghost.”
Just then, a faint female voice spoke. He quickly slapped his forehead and said with a smile, “Right! That’s the name!”
