Storm Reappears

Two days later, Riven's complexion finally improved, and I was relieved. 💝✋ ♜🎯

We were traveling along a trade route when we saw people dressed in strange clothes and all sorts of odd animals pulling carts, including an elephant.

This elephant was brown and its size was comparable to the fire dragon we had seen before; its enormous tusks were even comparable to Dragon Horn.

"How were such large creatures tamed?" I wondered, hoping Lili could give me an answer.

"The Freljord people have extraordinary animal taming skills; they can tame not only docile camels and elephants, but also ferocious Giant Bear and Flame Sheep."

"Giant Bear? Is it Man-eating Bear?"

"Hmm... they look similar, but their sizes are vastly different. Man-eating Bear is just a cub next to Giant Bear."

Good heavens, a bear bigger than Man-eating Bear? That's a monster! It seems the Flame Sheep Lili mentioned isn't any better.

If the map is accurate, we have reached the central area of western Freljord.

The local customs are very authentic, and there are very few settled villages anymore. Most of the people we encountered were nomadic tribes, hunting for prey.

No wonder conflicts easily arise among the Freljord people. When food is scarce, they are likely to meet in one place while chasing prey, and how to distribute it is not so easy to discuss.

I've heard that Ashe has been promoting agriculture in recent years, but it's difficult to change long-standing traditions overnight, just like the changes Demacia is undergoing now.

We've encountered two large hunts in the past two days. The fierce Freljord warriors are all tall and strong; compared to them, we seem to come from Lilliput.

The hunt was thrilling, with each warrior fighting individually yet in a unified and orderly fashion, much like a wolf pack where each individual was vibrant and dynamic, making the whole event even more captivating.

We have no conflict of interest, and we even help each other out occasionally, so no one makes things difficult for us.

The traders on the trade routes mostly transported furs and grains. They didn't just sell them in villages and towns; if the price was reasonable, they could trade anytime, anywhere. Therefore, there were many temporary stalls on both sides of the trade routes.

We replenished our food supplies along the way, and didn't need anything else. Riven bought a lot of jewelry, which was like sparkling, colorful gemstones.

"I remember you didn't like these things."

"Let's buy some now, just in case we run into Queen Ashe, whom everyone here reveres, so we won't be left without a presentable gift."

I didn't expect her to be so thoughtful, but would Ashe even consider someone like that?

Lili wasn't interested in any of these things. She didn't eat, drink, or sleep; she just liked to chat, but she always talked to herself and never listened to what others were saying.

"Look at the sky over there!" Riven suddenly pointed behind me. I turned around and saw a dark cloud rapidly enveloping the area—another blizzard!

The merchants on the trade route panicked. They didn't have time to pack up their goods and fled in all directions, hoping to find a place to escape the disaster.

"It's not you again, is it?" The sky was clear just a moment ago, and now the weather has suddenly turned like this. Naturally, I suspected Lili.

"I'm not that bored. Do you think summoning a blizzard is easy? Enough said, let's get our defenses ready. This storm is much stronger than the last one."

We were fully focused, facing the unavoidable disaster. This time was obviously much better than last time; we weren't blown away, and Riven also took the opportunity to master the Wind Force that she hadn't been able to grasp last time.

After a while, I realized something was wrong, because a blizzard should be all white, but it was getting darker and darker around us!

It's midday, and even with overcast skies, it shouldn't look like this; it's not a blizzard, but a sandstorm!

"I smell magic. I wonder who's behind this. Come closer to me."

Lili noticed something amiss and alerted us. Riven and I quickly went over, about to thank her for her concern, when we heard her continue, "So that if there's any danger later, no one will be there to shield me."

She's always someone you both love and hate, but strong people always have their own little quirks, which is understandable.

As it grew darker, we could barely see anything more than a few meters away; the scene was similar to the appearance of monsters in Journey to the West.

But which of us is Tang Sanzang?

"Do you have a way to stop this storm? We're suffocating like this."

"I don't have that kind of power. Forcibly dispelling it might attract their attention. Where's your Minor Storm? Use it to ease the situation."

"This is a strong wind, not some small storm."

I gathered a gust of wind and barely managed to clear a space large enough for the three of us to fit in, finally making it easier to breathe.

Suddenly, someone crept up, startling us! Riven, wielding the broken sword, pressed forward, and he quickly raised his hands:

"Friends, don't misunderstand, I meant no harm. I just saw you guys were able to withstand the storm and came to take shelter. I'm almost at my limit."

"He's a decent warrior, but he doesn't have that much strength." Riven was initially skeptical, but after hearing Lili's words, she let him hide in the gale.

The big man briefly introduced himself; it turned out he was a member of a barbarian tribe named Dick.

Because the barbarians were going to have a marriage alliance with the Avarosa tribe, he and several of his tribesmen went out to buy betrothal gifts, but they never expected to encounter such a thing.

The other tribesmen were not as strong as him and were blown away when the storm first came. Only he managed to withstand it. Later, when he heard people talking on our side, he struggled to get closer and was pleasantly surprised to find that we were able to fight off the storm.

"You mean Ashe is going to get married?" Lili asked Dick.

"Yes, Queen Ashe is going to marry our leader Tryndamere. This is a momentous event in Freljord, didn't you know?"

"As you can see, we're not locals. Do you have any idea what this storm is all about? Why is it black?"

"I've never seen anything like this before. This trade route has never experienced such a severe disaster. In fact, the nearby shelters haven't been used for a long time."

Lili fell into deep thought, occasionally stretching her hand out of the gale. I wasn't worried about her getting hurt, even though the gale was just as sharp as a sword.

After trying several times, Lili looked puzzled. "Why does the magical aura in the storm feel so familiar?"

"It's not someone you know, is it?"

"No way, you guys see!"

Following Lili's gaze, we spotted a building faintly visible in the storm, its shadow indistinct and swaying in the wind.

"Come on, let's go! Can you still hold on, Yasuo?"

"No problem!"