Winter's Claw
After Sejuani came out of the house, she breathed on her palms. Under the white mist, the warm breath condensed into water vapor on her palms. When she rubbed her hands together, Sejuani felt a tingling sensation in her palms.
That was water vapor that had condensed into ice shavings, which were then rubbed into the palm of the hand.
The weather is getting colder.
Winter has finally arrived in Freljord. Last night, a heavy snowfall turned Freljord into a white wonderland. Mountains, trees, and valleys were all covered in snow, and the accumulated snow made it difficult for both humans and animals to move around.
Interestingly, Sejuani slept surprisingly well last night, unlike usual when she was sleepless and worried about the approaching winter.
She slept very well last night, and even lingered in bed a little this morning. The reason was simple: she no longer had to worry about anyone dying in the Winter's Claw this winter.
The warehouse was already overflowing with food, and Sejuani even had the tribe's soldiers build new houses to store it because there wasn't enough room.
As she was thinking, Sejuani suddenly smelled a fragrance, looked up, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and she shook her head.
Then they saw the man standing in front of them speaking.
"The weather is great today. After the heavy snow, it's perfect for an outdoor hot pot meal!"
Half a leg of lamb was laid out on a cloth, along with various frozen vegetables and fruits. Li Ke, the outsider, was wearing a pink apron and huddled together with the Winter's Claw.
Beside him, on his left was his girlfriend, the somewhat crazy Jinx, and on his right was a white-haired, dark-skinned boy from Zaun.
Ashe sat down next to Jinx, with Hild next to her, and Donna next to Hild.
To Sejuani's surprise, Udyr also joined in the fun.
"Come here quickly!"
Upon seeing Sejuani emerge, the blue-haired girl who had been sitting around her stood up and waved vigorously at Sejuani.
Her face was beaming with a bright smile, and she was dressed like a little wild animal, exuding cuteness.
Sejuani found it hard to describe Jinx. After much thought, she could only say that Freljord couldn't produce someone like Jinx.
Innocent, cheerful, generous, and adorable, with a fiery temper but also a strong sense of responsibility, Sejuani has to admit that she doesn't dislike this kind of girl.
As she stepped forward, Sejuani looked at the group of people gathered around a large pot, which was about half a meter in size. She then glanced at Ashe in the crowd and saw her swallowing hard while looking at the pot.
It's not surprising that Sejuani drooled when she first tasted this thing called hot pot. After all, Freljord doesn't have that many seasonings. How could the locals have ever seen clear broth, sweet and sour broth, or spicy broth?
The cuisine of Zaun is nothing short of a game-changer for Freljord!
"Excuse me."
Sejuani walked over to Hild and spoke.
Hild gave a speechless look, then moved aside, Sejuani sat down next to Ashe.
"Did Li Ke give you all this food?" Ashe whispered to Sejuani as soon as she sat down.
Sejuani hummed in agreement, picked up the chopsticks that had been placed in front of her, and while waiting for the soup in the pot to boil, she said, "What, are you envious?"
Ashe fell silent upon hearing this. It was impossible for her not to be envious; how could she not be?!
Avarosa is indeed much wealthier than Winter's Claw, but vegetables are something you won't even see at the festivals in Avarosa!
How many times a year does Ashe eat vegetables?
She could eat fruit often, but she had hardly ever eaten leafy vegetables.
But the Winter's Claw people can now eat vegetables freely!
Thinking of this, Ashe couldn't help but look at Li Ke.
Li Ke overheard Ashe and Sejuani's conversation, smiled, and looked at Ashe, saying, "Don't worry, I'll have some live sheep and pigs brought here. Doesn't Avarosa have livestock? You can decide for yourselves whether to slaughter them for food or keep them."
"You can try growing vegetables, but you'll need to assess the environment first. With the technology we have, you should be able to grow them after improvements."
Upon hearing this, Ashe's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, saying, "Thank you so much, Li Ke. Please let us Avarosa know if there's anything we can do for you."
"I won't hold back then." Li Ke nodded, then said, "Alright everyone, you can start cooking the meat!"
Donna was the first to pick up a slice of lamb from in front of her, then placed the meat on her spoon and began to cook it in the broth.
Ashe tried to imitate Donna's movements, but it looked somewhat awkward. Seeing this, Sejuani hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed Ashe's hand. "I'll do it. You just watch. Tell me what you want to eat."
"."
"Oh." Ashe nodded, watching Sejuani cook the meat for her, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Li Ke returned to Jinx's side and started putting meat into the pot.
Having hot pot on a snowy day feels like snuggling under a blanket in an air-conditioned room in summer, or taking a nap in bed on a rainy day—it brings an indescribable sense of happiness.
As he put down the meat, Li Ke said with a smile, "Wait a minute, whoever grabs it first gets to keep it."
The weather in Freljord is like a freezer; meat can be stored without worrying about spoiling. Large pieces of meat are put into the boiling pot and change color in no time.
Just as Li Ke was about to grab the food with his chopsticks, a voice suddenly rang out from not far behind him.
"Ah!"
You guys are eating hot pot!
Everyone turned around and saw three people. The one who spoke was Relna, who was looking at Li Ke with a happy expression.
Beside her stood a woman with red marks on her face, her features disfigured, and another woman with a sweet appearance but an aura of coldness that kept strangers at bay.
Her white hair was piled up at the back of her head, and she wore a white long dress. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that her feet were off the ground, and she was floating in the air.
When Sejuani and Ashe saw Relna, they instinctively looked at the woman with red marks on her face, but after a moment, they both looked away and instead looked at the woman next to them who had a sweet appearance and a cold demeanor.
Li Ke's voice rang out beside them.
"Oh, you've come at just the right time."
"Lissandra, would you like something to eat?" Li Ke asked, standing up.
He had expected Lissandra to come in person, but he never imagined Lissandra would come in this form.
Sejuani and Ashe are going crazy.
What?
Is that woman Lissandra?
The Frostguard, whose presence dates back thousands of years, is mentioned in the bards' verses as Lissandra, alongside Anivia, the Ice Phoenix; Ornn, the God of Lava; and Volibear, the Storm Thunder.
"."
Li Ke's response to Lissandra was silence, but after a moment, she nodded.
She didn't look at Sejuani and Ashe even once throughout the entire event.
"Give me some sauce."
Relna's voice broke the silence. She skillfully filled a small bowl with sesame paste and handed it to Lissandra, whispering, "My lady, this is best eaten with the sauce."
"If you find it too salty or cloying, then add some broth to dilute it."
"You know quite a lot, Relna." Lissandra sat down next to Li Ke, and after she sat down, no one spoke except for Li Ke, Jinx, Relna, and herself.
Sejuani narrowed her eyes, picked up the bowl in front of her, and drank the wine in it in large gulps. As she wiped her mouth, a hint of provocation appeared in her eyes as she looked at Lissandra.
But soon, this provocation turned into discouragement and helplessness.
Because Lissandra didn't look at her even once from beginning to end.
She didn't care about Sejuani or Ashe at all.
"Why are you staring at me?" Suddenly, the woman with red marks on her face next to Lissandra spoke up.
She looked at Jinx, frowning.
From the moment she appeared, Flara noticed the other person's gaze, but because the other person was with Lady Lissandra's guest, Flara did not react.
But... you're still watching it now?!
Flara knew, of course, how obvious and noticeable the marks on her face were.
Hundreds of years ago, when Flara was born, she almost died because of this mark. The reason was that a priest in the clan believed that the mark on Flara's face was an ominous sign, that she was the child of a demon, because Flara was abandoned in the snow right after she was born.
If Flara hadn't been taken in by the people of the Village of the Abandoned, she wouldn't be where she is today.
Along her journey of growing up, this scar also brought Flara a lot of trouble. To be honest, she hated the scar. She knew she didn't look good in it, but that wasn't the reason why the other person was staring at her so intently.
With that thought in mind, Flara finally couldn't help but ask.
She looked at the blue-haired girl in front of her, her eyes full of questioning.
Beside Flara, Lissandra paused for a moment, then closed her eyes, pretending not to have heard anything.
Li Ke was somewhat embarrassed by this. The marks on Flara's face were quite large, covering a quarter of her face with red marks. At first glance, it was somewhat frightening, but because Flara was beautiful, upon closer inspection, it possessed a strange kind of beauty?
Because the marks on Flara's face did not affect her skin texture; unlike burns that leave the skin wrinkled, they were marks, like they were drawn on.
"Jin" Li Ke intended to stop Jinx, as staring at her like that was indeed impolite.
But the next second, Jinx spoke up:
"Your face has the glow of sunset."
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Flara was stunned when Jinx spoke.
"It looks really good. Did you draw that on yourself, or is it a birthmark?" Jinx asked seriously.
Flara looked into Jinx's eyes, and after a moment, stammered, "It's a birthmark."
"That's so cool! You look just like Vi. Vi's tattoos are nothing compared to this birthmark on your face!" Jinx exclaimed excitedly.
"Jinx!" Li Ke called out, then took Jinx's hand and said earnestly, "Eat properly and talk less while we're eating."
"I didn't say anything. That mark on her face really looks like a sunset, don't you guys think it's beautiful?" Jinx muttered, a hint of displeasure in her voice.
She wasn't making things up!
As for Flara, she looked at Jinx, deep in thought.
Is it pretty?
Is this birthmark pretty?
This was the first time Flara had heard such a question in centuries. She looked at Jinx, and after a moment, asked in a serious tone, "What's your name?"
"Jinx, didn't Li Ke just call my name? Didn't you hear me?" Jinx looked at Flara suspiciously.
Flara shook her head, then looked at Jinx and said, "I want to hear what you have to say."
Lissandra sipped the warmed milk without saying a word.
After eating for a while, the atmosphere became lifeless again after Li Ke stopped Jinx from speaking.
Seeing this, Li Ke simply put down his chopsticks.
"We've eaten enough. Well, everyone, let's get down to business."
Sejuani was the first to put down her bowl and look at Lissandra.
Lissandra slowly put down the bowl and gently waved her hand.
The next moment, Li Ke, Sejuani, and Ashe felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, and when the light returned, they found themselves in a completely different place.
"What did you do?" Sejuani suddenly stood up and looked at Lissandra.
Lissandra, who was sitting on an ice crystal bench, said, "Just creating a suitable place for us to talk."
"Don't worry, you're still in Winter's Claw, but I've separated them," Lissandra said quietly.
"Alright, alright, calm down, she meant no harm," Li Ke said from the side.
"If she meant no harm, who in Freljord would?" Sejuani scoffed dismissively. "Li Ke, I don't know how you managed to get her to actually move on, but let me tell you, you're playing with fire."
Ashe wanted to say something, but in the end she just looked at Lissandra in silence.
Lissandra noticed Ashe's gaze, her pale pupils meeting Ashe's. A smirk played on her lips as she spoke, "You claim to be the reincarnation of Avarosa, but are you truly her reincarnation?"
Ashe took a deep breath and was about to speak when Sejuani appeared in front of her, confronting Lissandra.
"She can wield the sacred Ice Bow; she's not Avarosa reincarnated, so who is?" Sejuani said coldly.
Li Ke, watching from the side, felt a bit overwhelmed.
It's not appropriate to get involved, since this is a conversation between the Three Sisters.
But if she doesn't get involved, Sejuani and Ashe clearly harbor hostility towards Lissandra.
Upon hearing Sejuani's words, Lissandra simply smiled and said, "Over the years, there have been at least fifty, if not a hundred, people who claim to be the reincarnation of Avarosa and Serylda, but none of them have survived to this day."
Do you think you can do it?
Why did you say "them"?
"Aren't you Serylda?" Lissandra asked.
Sejuani replied, "To hell with Serylda, I am who I am, Sejuani."
"."
Lissandra suddenly fell silent, but after a moment, only Li Ke heard her whisper.
"That temper... it's exactly the same as my second sister's."
"Alright everyone!"
"Sejuani, calm down. Don't forget what you promised me." Li Ke finally stepped in.
"And Ashe, don't be nervous, everything will be alright."
"Lissandra, you didn't come here to provoke Sejuani and Ashe, did you?"
The Three Sisters all looked at Li Ke.
A moment later, Sejuani gave in.
"Okay, let's talk."