A River of Lost Souls

A long night's sleep was so satisfying that I even woke up before dawn.🐤💝 ❻9ŜυЖ.ℂㄖм ♤♟

We didn't Frosthold, and we felt much more at ease back beside our oxcart.

Several dark figures were watching us from a distance; they appeared to be the dwarves. Seeing us preparing to leave, they cautiously approached and said, "Thank you, sirs, for rescuing our Queen."

"No need to thank us, we're just doing our own thing."

I saw a plump, white creature behind the dwarves; although its color had changed, it still resembled their Queen.

"Thank you, sirs. My name is Stori, and I am the Queen of the Dwarves."

"So you can talk too? Why do you look different now?"

"I was previously controlled by Guna and his gang..."

It turns out that the dwarf Queen did not agree to their involvement in this conspiracy, so she was controlled by Guna and the other "radicals" and turned black.

I don't understand their strange characteristics, but Stori looks much better after turning white.

"You are innocent too. From now on, don't even think about eating meat. Just try to survive."

"We will heed your teachings. We are just a group of weak creatures. Fortunately, there is no danger here, which is why we can survive. We will definitely not have any unrealistic ambitions in the future."

Upon learning that we were to continue north, Stori warned us to be careful, as the dwarf tribe had a legend about a "Unfreezing River."

As its name suggests, the river never freezes, even in the frigid far north.

"Is it because of a volcano? Or some kind of powerful magic?"

"I don't know either. We didn't have the courage to explore, and we never thought about living on the other side."

There are no markings for the Unfreezing River on the map, and north of the Frosthold lies a vast snowfield, suggesting that the mapmaker did not venture further in.

In that case, we'll need to prepare a boat. If there really is a river, the two of us can manage, but the Ironhorn Bull won't be able to cross.

The dwarves told us to wait a moment, saying they had seen a ship in the fortress, and soon a group of people brought one over.

Goodness, this ship is huge! Luckily it's on snow, otherwise we wouldn't be able to take it with us.

This ship looks old; the metal parts are all rusted, and I'm even worried it might leak.

However, we can't experiment here because the water will freeze instantly if splashed on it. Let's wait until we find a river.

Before leaving, Stori expressed her gratitude once again and had many plants brought to feed the Ironhorn Bull.

Seeing her sincere gratitude, I did not refuse, but I only accepted half, because it was also precious food for them.

Leaving the mountains where Frosthold is located, there is a snowfield. After several days of trekking, we finally saw the Unfreezing River that Stori had mentioned.

I initially thought this river would be very dangerous, but now it seems that's not the case at all.

The river is not wide, and the water is crystal clear, with no living creatures in sight. Strangely enough, the surface of the water remains completely still even in the face of howling, cold winds.

It's a beautiful river, but it's also very eerie.

"Why are we going north? Why don't we change direction?" Riven didn't want to continue.

Don't you think expanding the map is something to be proud of?

"I just feel that continuing north will lead to danger. The people we've met along the way have all been so weak, which is strange."

"Indeed, we haven't encountered any powerful opponents since leaving the Avarosa tribe, but that's a good thing. Don't forget, Tam gave us two life-saving boxes that are still useless."

"Alright, we'll do as you say and keep going! But you have to promise me you'll turn back as soon as we run out of boxes."

"Okay, it's decided then!"

I know Riven isn't worried about her own safety, but rather about losing me. The events at Watchpost of the Dead and Frosthold both indicate that someone is watching us!

The same goes for me; my relentless pursuit wasn't just to satisfy my adventurous spirit, but more importantly, to protect Riven.

Ever since I dreamt of her death at the Watchpost of the Dead, I've had this knot in my heart that I can't untie until I find the mastermind behind it all!

I walked to the riverbank and scooped up a handful of water. It was cool, but not cold. "Come on, let's get started."

We untied the ropes and pushed the boat toward the water's edge. After a lot of effort, we finally pushed it in, only to find that the boat was slowly sinking!

The ship sank in a strange way, because there were no leaks, and the cabins were dry until the water submerged the side planks.

"That's strange. I can't see where the leak is, so why did it sink?" Riven hung the rope on the oxcart, preparing to pull the boat out.

"That's really strange, it's like the water has no buoyancy. Don't pull it out yet, try something else."

We searched our luggage for many lightweight items, and after throwing them into the water, they all sank without exception.

This is interesting. Is it the legendary Weak Water?

If we use the Wind Riding Technique, flying across this river, which is about a hundred paces across, shouldn't be a problem. The only problem is that we won't be able to transport the oxen and carts across.

"You wait here, I'll give it a try!"

"Let me go first!" Riven at my clothes, not wanting me to go first.

"Don't worry, if I sense anything amiss, I'll turn back. The water doesn't look deep; there shouldn't be any creatures lurking there."

I slowly gathered the Wind Force in my feet, took a few steps back, and then suddenly leaped forward, using the backs of my feet to push myself forward. Soon I reached the middle of the river.

At that moment, I suddenly felt the Wind Force around my feet disappear, then re-condense, only to disappear again very quickly.

Inevitably, I slowly fell down!

Because the water was calm and clear, it was hard to tell how deep it was. But I was prepared to use a strong wind to blow me away if I couldn't swim!

I soon couldn't hold on any longer. As the Wind Force from my feet disappeared again, I fell into the water, and at the same time, I heard Riven's shout:

"Use the box!"

The river water was more comfortable than I had imagined; its refreshing and slightly cool touch opened up all my pores, allowing me to feel the moisturizing nourishment.

However, the water really has no buoyancy, and no matter how hard I try, I can't swim.

Then, something truly despairing happened: the gale I had gathered with all my might dissolved into the water just as quickly as the Wind Force itself!

At the same time, the more I tried, the more I felt my body being dissolved by the river water. I couldn't hold on any longer, so I quickly took out the box that Tam had given me. But before I could open it, a blue light suddenly appeared beside me, and when I came to my senses, I was already back on the shore.

"Are you alright, Yasuo!" Riven quickly came over and hugged me.

"It's nothing, just a little sore skin. This water is strange; it has no buoyancy, and I can't even generate Wind Force. It seems to be able to dissolve everything."

"You're right, this river is called the Laos River by the northern tribes, meaning the River of Vanishing."

I heard a weathered voice, turned around and saw a familiar face— Ryze.