"I can help you defeat the snowman!"
The crowd was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter. The laughter was initially soft, but it became contagious after seeing that the woman sitting in the head seat did not object. More and more people laughed, and the sound gradually grew louder until it became loud laughter.
They were mocking a young, naive child who, despite looking tiny, boasted that he could solve the snowman problem.
"Tsk tsk, you little brat, who sent you here?"
"Go back now, this is not a place for you."
"If you weren't so cute, what you said would have been enough for us to throw you out. If you can even solve a snowman problem, then what are we?"
The members of the Frostguard surrounded Nunu, who had barged in, and began to speak.
Surrounded by adults—a group of tall, dark-skinned men in armor— Nunu's heart raced, but he stubbornly held his head high and said, "I can do it!"
"I have Sefirsa's Song!"
He took out his flute and shook it at the adults.
But the adults didn't care. No one believed that a child like that could become a hero, especially since he was carrying a broken flute that he'd found somewhere. There was no such thing in the story of Freljord Sefirsa's Song.
It's not hard to imagine that this is probably something the little guy imagined.
This is not surprising. In the Village of the Abandoned, many children become isolated after being separated from their parents for a long time, and gradually fall into fantasy. In the words of the elders of the tribe, this is a self-protection mechanism for young children. They fantasize about becoming heroes in ancient times and great figures in legendary stories. They yearn to have power and change their current situation.
Therefore, the soldiers of the Frostguard did not reject this.
In the stories of Freljord, they are always the masterminds, the destroyers, and the inhuman beings. But in reality, the Frostguard is not like that. They have humanity and a sense of self. They act ruthlessly because of their lord. They firmly believe that their lord is always right. For this reason, they can be cruel and merciless when they go on missions, not even sparing children.
But in the Village of the Abandoned, their humanity and warmth have been preserved.
Just now, seeing that neither Lord Lissandra nor Lady Flara had spoken, an elderly clan squad leader couldn't help but say, "Go back now, child. This isn't something a little guy like you can get involved in. Before we lose our temper, go back to sleep."
No! I don't want to!
Nunu shouted loudly, "I must prove my worth to Lissandra so that I can gain the help of Lissandra and the Frostguard!"
Nunu is a little kid, but under Layka's guidance, Nunu is not a naughty, impolite child who only knows how to reach out for things.
His mother taught him a lesson: before asking someone to do something for you, you must first gain their favor.
Seeing that Nunu refused to leave, Frostguard reached out and tried to grab Nunu.
After all, if the child continues to cause trouble and displeases Lord Lissandra, he will face being thrown out of the Village of the Abandoned. A young child without the protection of adults cannot survive.
So, Nunu was picked up by an adult, who shook his head and tried to drag Nunu away.
But then, a voice rang out.
"How did you know about the Yeti?" The voice was hoarse and deep, as if squeezed from the coldest ice, carrying a cruel and chilling quality, piercing to the bone, like a sharp sword piercing the heart.
All the Frostguard stopped immediately, turned around instantly, and bowed to the woman sitting in the head seat.
Nunu was put down, and the adults made way for him, allowing Nunu to see the tall Lissandra sitting in her seat.
After a moment of surprise, Nunu mustered her courage and said, "My mom told me. She's the smartest and most beautiful person in the world, and she sang me the Snowman Song!"
"What is that?" Lissandra asked Nunu.
"Yes, it's the Snowman Song!" Nunu exclaimed.
What could a child possibly understand? How could he possibly explain to Lissandra what that was?
"You say you can help me get rid of the snowman? Do you even know what a snowman looks like?"
"I look like this!" Nunu said, grabbing the animal ears from the edge of his hat, pulling it up, and putting the hat on. He jumped up, turned his back to Lissandra, wiggled his little bottom, and explained, "I am a little snowman."
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"Go back, this isn't something you can handle," Lissandra said after a long silence.
These words were passed on to her by Li Ke; otherwise, Lissandra would have simply had Nunu give it a try.
But whatever Li Ke said, she had to play the role of a bad person in Lissandra's mind. Children's world is simple; sometimes, if you don't let them do something, they will think you are a bad person.
"I really can do it! I'll help you defeat the monster, and you help me find my mom!" Nunu persisted, raising her voice as Lissandra rejected her offer.
However, the adults of the Frostguard, having received Lissandra's orders, had already taken Nunu away.
They neatly tossed the little one onto the snow, then looked at Nunu and whispered, "Go back quickly, before anything happens. If you barge in again, the adults won't be so lenient."
"No, we'll be watching you. Don't even think about barging in again."
"I really can do it, I need your help," Nunu said, her eyes reddening.
In return, they were ignored by the adults.
Time passed little by little, and before long, Nunu had been in the Village of the Abandoned for quite some time.
He went from interacting with other children at the beginning to quietly being alone later on. It wasn't that Nunu was withdrawn, but rather that he was gradually ostracized by the other children.
They said he always spouts empty rhetoric, always fantasizes about being a hero, and constantly talks about his mother. It's really, really annoying!
Nunu was very sad, but he didn't hate them because of it. Instead, he spent more and more time alone and became more immersed in the songs his mother sang to him. He escaped into the world of ancient heroes and legends, wanting to prove himself.
So one night, while the children were fast asleep and the adults weren't paying attention, Nunu secretly slipped out of the stone house.
He had found out the snowman's location in the past few days, and he could get there.
Walking in the snowy night, Nunu didn't notice that there were several eyes watching her from behind.
Several members of the Frostguard stood on the watchtower, watching the little dumpling's figure walking in the night, their faces filled with worry.
In Freljord, it's natural for older people to protect their young. The continuation of tradition is more important than anything else, and naturally, adorable and sensible cubs like Nunu, who are devoted to their mothers, are even more beloved by them.
"Is Lady Lissandra really right?"
"Shut your mouth! Marlan, how dare you question that person's decision?"
"I... I'm not questioning him, I just think it's too dangerous. Nunu is a good boy. Actually, we can help him find his mother, right? The situation is different now. Don't we have connections with Avarosa? Ask them, they can definitely find Nunu's mother easily."
The captain who had reprimanded Marlan fell silent, but after a long pause, he simply shook his head. "It's her decision; we just need to carry it out."
He watched the small figure almost disappear into the night, his lips moving slightly as he murmured, "May winter protect you."
Marlan sighed, closed his eyes, and said aloud, "May winter protect you."
Clutching the flute tightly, Nunu climbed to the top of the hill, and as dawn broke, she finally arrived at her destination.
"The adults say the snowman is right here."
Nunu looked around and realized that this place looked like a ruin!
Nunu opened his mouth and looked around with a "wah!" Shields, longswords, armor—all sorts of weapons came into Nunu's view, making him extremely excited.
He went up to pull out the sword, then went to the other side to touch the large wooden stick.
In an instant, Nunu's childlike nature made her forget her mission, and instead she started rolling around and playing.
The commotion carried into the deep valley, and in the dark cave, a pair of fierce and savage eyes gleamed.
Its unwavering vigilance over countless years caused it to stand upright in anger. Sensing the approach of humans, it prepared to tear their bodies apart and end their lives.
Clutching a radiant gem, this creature with a blue face and fangs, larger than a deer, a boar, or a bear, emerged from its cave. Its body was covered in wounds, and beneath its black and gray fur lay thick, powerful muscles. Standing upright, it looked like a human, but its face, as ugly as a demon and comparable to a troll, betrayed it all.
The snowman left his territory and came to a high cliff. When he saw the human frolicking and rolling around in his territory, he roared angrily.
"Roar!"
The wind pressure stirred up the accumulated snow, and under the violent roar, the small, pitiful human almost lost his footing and was nearly blown off the cliff by his roar.
The human imp stood up, drew his flute from his waist as if it were a sword, and pointed it at himself.
Standing before the other, the snowman was filled with rage.
Adults are one thing, but have even human children become so greedy?
He stretched out his large hand and grabbed the other person.
But the next moment, a small snowball hit him right in the face, leaving him stunned.
Blinking its ugly, Big Eyes, the snowman looked dazedly at the human cub, only to see him hiding behind a rock, grabbing snowballs from the ground, rolling them into balls, and then poking them out of the rock to throw at him.
"Hey, big, furry guy!"
The human brat yelled at him.
Then, another snowball hit him in the face.
Anger turned to astonishment. The snowman saw within the gem he had guarded for countless years not a scene of killing him, seizing the treasure, or yearning to use the gem's power to become a king and enslave others, but rather a scene of heroes slaying dragons and warriors beheading ancient serpents.
The snowman knew this was a vision in the little boy's mind; he was fantasizing about being a hero.
He became immersed in this fantastical story, and the violent aura around him gradually dissipated.
"Pfft--"
Another snowball hit the surface, and the scene inside the gem changed once more.
This time, the warriors who slayed the ancient serpent and the dragon were gone. Instead, a human child wearing a hat and a large, chubby, cute creature with blue and white fur and four arms appeared. They were playing with snowballs!
Surprise turned to joy as the guardian who had protected this place for countless years joined the "war"!
Four arms kneaded snowballs, and snowballs the size of a little boy's head rained down on him one after another.
His appearance also changed. It wasn't the fear humans have of snowmen, but the innocent imagination of a child. He became more and more furry, and his face became more and more friendly. His original terrifying roar turned into a silly laugh.
Excitement and joy filled him; it had been countless years since anyone had played like this. The "battle" grew increasingly fierce, and they drew closer and closer. At first, they were just throwing snowballs at each other from a distance, but later, the little guy started circling around him to avoid the snowballs and playfully hugged his leg.
This little guy looks like he's trying to trip him!
"Guhaha!"
The snowman's laughter echoed through the deep valley.
The children's laughter followed closely behind; they were having a wonderful time.
But a change soon occurred, because the snowman accidentally broke a small twig off the little guy's body.
This stunned the little boy who had been excitedly playing with him, and the next moment he burst into tears, clutching the flute.
The snowman was startled. He circled around the little guy blankly, speaking in a language the little guy couldn't understand. He was apologizing.
But it didn't help; he kept crying.
As the snowman soothed the child, he also noticed that the gem he had always guarded in his hand was displaying a different image—a gentle, black-haired human woman and a group of smiling humans.
Crying brings sadness, and the snowman sensed his sorrow, but unlike others, he also felt something different within that sadness.
Some of the things the Yeti have never experienced with humans, and even things that the Three Sisters didn't have in ancient times.
It is something that, despite being filled with despair and sorrow, still resists negative emotions; it is love that resists despair.
Although it was clearly crying, what appeared in the gemstone was only sunlight and hope.
The snowman understood. The little guy wasn't crying because he had broken the flute; he wasn't blaming him. He was only crying because his flute was broken, and he was sad that he hadn't protected it.
He didn't hate the snowman, nor did he harbor resentment towards those who had hurt or bullied him. He simply wanted to become stronger and then become everyone's friend.
Gradually, the little guy's voice softened; he cried himself to sleep and fell asleep in the snowman's arms.
The emotions within the gemstone were transmitted to the snowman, and the snowman felt saddened by the longing for family and friends.
He had been waiting for someone, the one who would keep him alive through hardship and vigilance.
Now, the snowman believes he has finally met his match.
This led him to make a decision, a decision he wasn't sure was right or wrong.
But he really couldn't wait any longer; even with his strong will, this was taking far too long.
So he made that decision anyway, and with a gesture, he pointed the gem he had always guarded toward the little guy's chest.
The next moment, the gem emitted a dazzling white light, and he faintly heard a clear yet gentle bird song. The gem then melted into the little boy's heart.
Then, the snowman saw the little boy open his eyes.
His imagination came true; the broken flute flew into the sky, and in a flash of light, it was repaired and returned to the little guy's hands.
Just as the snowman was staring blankly at the little boy, the little boy suddenly hugged his big belly.
"My name is Nunu!"
"You are Willump, you are my best friend!"
The snowman Willump tilted his head, staring blankly at the little thing in his arms.
In an instant, countless pure and sincere emotions flooded his mind, and the boy used the power of the gemstone to do two things.
The first thing was to repair my mother's flute.
The second thing is to make a snowman his best friend.
"Goo-ah!"
Four arms were spread out, and then the little one was tightly embraced in their arms.
From today onwards, he will no longer be called the Dangerous Snowman; his name will be Willump.
"That's all?"
In the sky, the figure watching all this twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth.
Lissandra was speechless at what was happening before her eyes, a scene that resembled children playing around.
"Waaah, so touching." Unlike Lissandra's speechlessness, Nilah was moved. She was touched by Nunu's courage. In a sense, Nilah and Nunu's thought processes were quite similar.
They both love hero stories and want to become great heroes... wait, wait a minute, could Lux join them too?
Doesn't Labo want to use lasers to shoot down the rock golem every day?
Layka was the same; when she saw Nunu crying her heart out, she almost couldn't help but step in to comfort Nunu several times.
You should know that Nunu never cried like this when she was in the Village of the Abandoned.
Li Ke looked at Lissandra, wanting to criticize Lissandra, but he didn't dare to say anything.
The old Lissandra wouldn't have cared about anything Li Ke said, because back then, Lissandra only possessed divinity, not humanity. In order to resolve the Void, she didn't care about anything around her.
But the current Lissandra is different; the current Lissandra has become more human and she can genuinely get angry.
"Then let Willump and Nunu spend some time together first. After a while, we can officially set off. In the meantime, we need to make some preparations."
"Prepare? Prepare what?"
"I'm preparing an adventure plan to help Nunu grow up, but the problem is, Volibear is gone," Li Ke thought, stroking his chin.
Following the original plan, Nunu will next embark on the Windwing Mountain, the former ruins of Anivia, guided by his mother. During this journey, he will encounter Braum, Ornn, Volibear, and the forgotten Demigod.
But right now, the fates of Braum, Volibear, and the forgotten Demigod are all questionable.
Therefore, someone needs to fill the corresponding role.
Thinking of this, Li Ke chuckled mischievously and then told everyone about his plan.
After hearing this, Lissandra's eyes lit up, and she looked at Li Ke with a hint of excitement, asking, "How much of my strength will I be able to contribute then?"
Here, Lissandra refers to part of the plan, in which Li Ke plays a role similar to Braum, providing help to Nunu. However, he encounters difficulties, and Lissandra catches up with him and slaps Li Ke away.
The thought of being able to openly and legitimately beat up Li Ke made Lissandra smile.
Looking at Lissandra's stunning smile, Li Ke slowly gave a:
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