Meeting an Acquaintance Again

"Whoosh—"

The Frigid Wind howled, biting and piercing.

The snowflakes whipped up by the gale were not soft; the ice shards swirled and poured down, like an invisible plow rake recklessly scraping the earth, carving out countless furrows and ravines into the vast expanse of white snow.

Cheng Shi shuddered.

Before he could regain consciousness, his body began to react. The unexpectedly low temperature made him shiver all over, and his muscles contracted involuntarily. He woke up shortly afterward.

There was no smell, no sound, only the swirling snow, howling and roaring as it welcomed the players.

Cheng Shi opened his eyes, but then closed them again.

No other reason than it's too bright.

The sun was still in the sky, but it was like a giant sun phantom that Hu Xuan had transformed into, with brightness but no warmth. Cheng Shi was stunned and thought that the harsh environment had forced Hu Xuan to reveal her true form.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that Hu Xuan was not among the five figures that flashed by just now.

Didn't get a turn in line?

No, it's more accurate to say that it's impossible to get a spot!

Cheng Shi frowned, braved the wind and snow, took out a fur coat, covered himself with it, and squinted as he opened his eyes. Because the fur coat blocked his view in front of him, he could only see two figures beside him.

These two people were clearly not among the teammates who had just made the prayer together, but Cheng Shi was not surprised at all. In this situation, it would be truly strange to encounter the teammates who had just made the prayer together.

On the left is a man with a somewhat arrogant and strange expression. His clothes are very gorgeous, with bright colors and many patterns. He has a high collar, a belted waist, and a long robe with wide sleeves. With the skirt being blown open by the wind, at first glance, he looks like he is cosplaying a medieval nobleman.

On the right was also a man, with fair skin, curly hair, and a high nose. He looked very refined and dressed very conservatively. His old-fashioned suit made him look like a scholar, but unexpectedly, his behavior was somewhat unconventional.

The reason Cheng Shi said this was because he saw that Cheng Shi had climbed to the roof of a low-rise building next to him and broken off a lightning rod-like object about half a person's length from the snow-covered height.

Cheng Shi frowned and looked around with scrutinizing eyes. After seeing a vast expanse of snow and a group of buildings of varying heights, he realized that he had actually landed in a square, a square amidst the wind and snow.

So what was that broken lightning rod just now?

Cheng Shi couldn't see the details on the roof, but he instinctively felt that it wasn't a lightning rod, but rather a gnomon used for Civilization in many ancient civilizations.

But he wasn't sure. Soon, his teammate on the right came back, leaning on a long stick and laughing as he braved the wind and snow.

"Even if you don't use a gnomon for telling time... oops, I mean, it's excellent as a walking stick... oops, sorry, it's too windy..."

It seems we've arrived in the northern part of the Isle of Hope. Hopefully, this will be a less difficult Trials, except for the snowstorm, of course.

How should I address my friend?

It really is a gnomon!

So, could this teammate be...?

Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened as he looked at his cheerful teammate. His left hand, which was supporting the windproof fur coat, instantly pulled out a Pocket Watch from under the coat. He glanced at the time on it; it was just past noon.

At noon, with the sun high in the sky, there was still such a heavy snowfall. The weather was very strange, so it's no wonder that this teammate had found a trekking pole in advance for self-defense.

This cheerful teammate was still walking towards Cheng Shi. He took two quick steps and reached out his hand to Cheng Shi with a bright smile.

Cheng Shi returned a bright smile, but did not shake hands with the man. Instead, he raised the fur coat in his hand to indicate that he was busy at the moment.

"Cheng Shi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The cheerful teammate was taken aback for a moment, then blinked and said:

"Your name is the same as a friend of mine. What a coincidence. I wonder if you know him? He's a Fate Weaver, a very famous one."

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh? How exactly are you famous?"

"It seems you don't know. Hmm, where should I begin?"

To explain this clearly, you first need to know a con artist named Zhen Yi.

Oh? Judging from your expression, you've probably heard of her. Great, then we can continue our conversation.

The Zhen Yi you know has a... that kind of relationship with my friend. Yes, your expression is good, it's the kind of relationship you're thinking of!

Ha, shocked, right? My expression was even more exaggerated than yours when I first found out about this.

As he spoke, this cheerful teammate actually moved closer to Cheng Shi, seemingly wanting to squeeze in under the large fur coat Cheng Shi avoid the wind together.

"..."

Cheng Shi looked at his overly familiar teammate with a strange expression, speechless.

How come I didn't know I had a friend like you?

When did we meet?

Who are you?

Just as his teammate was about to get close to him, Cheng Shi suddenly took a large step back to make room and then smiled politely:

"If nothing unexpected happens, I Am You mentioned."

So, what should I call you, my 'old friend'?

"..." Now it was the cheerful teammate's turn to fall silent.

He looked up in surprise, blinked in bewilderment, and exclaimed in shock, "It really is you?"

Cheng Shi's tone became even more sarcastic. "What, has it been so long since we last saw each other that you don't even recognize me?"

"..."

The cheerful teammate's smile froze on his face. He awkwardly tapped the ground with his gnomon and muttered under his breath amidst the howling wind and snow, "He's not bad looking, but why does he look just like Chen Shu?"

Of course, Cheng Shi didn't hear these words. He only saw the other person mutter something and then stand there with a dry laugh.

Seeing that the other party meant no harm, Cheng Shi smiled casually and turned the page. He slightly lowered his fur coat and looked ahead again, braving the wind and snow.

There were three teammates upwind of the square. They stood far apart and didn't seem to want to get closer to each other. They stood there in the wind and snow like statues. If it weren't for their eyes looking around, you would have thought that several human-shaped statues had been built in the square.

The wind was fierce and the snow was heavy, making it very difficult to see. Cheng Shi could only vaguely make out the physical features of the three people, but he couldn't make out their faces at all. However, just by looking at their appearances, he realized that there were actually some familiar faces among the three people!

And it wasn't just one, it was two!

An "old acquaintance," and a "new friend"!

The man standing to his left front, directly in front of the medieval nobleman, was none other than the burly [war] Assassin, Xi Guang Tie Ci, Da Yi, who had just prayed with Cheng Shi the Grand Marshal's camp!