"Huh?" Stelle looked at Jiang Yu and let out a brief sound, but that was enough to convey her surprise and confusion.
"J-Jiang Yu! You... how did you..." March 7th covered her mouth in shock, then cried out anxiously, "Y-you, put that thing down! It's too dangerous!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Dan Heng stepped forward, appearing before Jiang Yu in an instant to take away the thing he was holding.
But Jiang Yu hopped backward, the wind carrying his body out of reach of Dan Heng's hand.
When Jiang Yu turned around, they saw a red, birdlike elemental crystal cradled in his arms.
-A Blazing Glory Creation.
Like a Frostspawn, it was a Fragmentum creature and a basic elemental crystal. The difference was that their attributes were opposites.
Frostspawn radiated cold into their surroundings, while Blazing Glory Creations gave off heat.
The power of the wind enveloped the Blazing Glory Creation, restraining the elemental crystal, which possessed only rudimentary intelligence. Unable to struggle, it could only sit there quietly and serve as a hand warmer.
Jiang Yu raised a hand and waved it at his three worried companions. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe! Look!"
As he spoke, Jiang Yu lifted the restrained Blazing Glory Creation in his arms to show Dan Heng.
"I've already got it under control, so there's nothing to worry about!"
Dan Heng narrowed his eyes at the boy's face, which was gradually taking on a contented expression thanks to the heat from the Blazing Glory Creation, then shifted his gaze to the creature in his arms.
He carefully examined the Blazing Glory Creation's condition and the winds restraining it. The bindings formed by those winds were secure and flawless, keeping it completely under control.
Dan Heng looked back at Jiang Yu. A flicker of admiration passed through his eyes as he gazed at that sun-bright face.
The force of the wind restraining the Blazing Glory Creation had been arranged and distributed with remarkable finesse. Even he was surprised by that degree of control.
Still... for now, confirming that the restrained Blazing Glory Creation posed no danger was enough.
Dan Heng nodded lightly, then told March 7th and Stelle behind him, "It's fine. It's perfectly safe."
With Dan Heng's reassurance, March 7th and Stelle came bounding over.
Stelle craned her head forward curiously, her golden eyes fixed on the Blazing Glory Creation in Jiang Yu's arms.
March 7th, meanwhile, frowned and began scolding him. "How could you just pick up a Fragmentum Monster like that? It's so dangerous!"
But once she felt the warmth coming from the Blazing Glory Creation, March 7th brightened again.
"This thing really is great, though! It makes you feel so much warmer out here! That's our little Jiang Yu!"
The pretty girl's mercurial mind produced a change of expression so swift it left them speechless.
Jiang Yu did not particularly mind. He simply smiled and said, "Right? It's nice and warm!"
Stelle reached out curiously and poked the Blazing Glory Creation with a finger.
Restrained by Jiang Yu, the Blazing Glory Creation could not react at all.
"That's amazing... it's basically a hand warmer now!"
"Hehe... from now on, it'll be our Trailblazer team's portable heater! We can use it wherever we go, and it doesn't even consume any resources!"
Jiang Yu was genuinely delighted. March 7th and Stelle were pleased too, and even the usually quiet Dan Heng smiled.
The four of them cheerfully set off once more.
This time, they no longer had to endure the bitter cold of the ice and snow.
Only the poor, lonely Blazing Glory Creation had no way to resist, and not a single person spoke up for it...
The real world.
Siberian Duck's livestream.
The game screen changed to a snowy plain. The protagonist and her companions had arrived on Jarilo-VI.
The opening featured some amusing dialogue options that repeated the same lines, along with Jiang Yu looking miserable in the cold.
"Haha, even March 7th's fed up with those repeated dialogue options!" Siberian Duck giggled. "Hey! Guys, look at this corner in the back. Little Fish really seems to hate the cold. He's still shivering even after changing into Dan Heng's clothes!"
As Siberian Duck spoke, the mouse cursor moved over to Jiang Yu in the corner of the screen.
[Tang Seng Washes His Hair with Rejoice: Looks like the tech's improved again since the Closed Beta. You can see Little Fish's face has gone red from the cold.]
[I Am Little Bug: Little Fish really can't handle the cold.]
[Wind Boy Solo Fan: Haha, hurry up and go. He can't stay here another second... stop chatting, guys! Little Fish is freezing to death!]
[Little Fish Is My Childhood Betrothed: Stop shivering, Little Fish! Come into my arms and you'll be warm!]
[A Youth Is Wasted If Not Perverted: Little Fish's hands and feet must be freezing, but I'm nice and warm. My insides are even hotter than my outside. Quick, put them in my mouth!]
[Emanator of Aha: You really live up to your name, bro!]
"So March 7th broke the snowmobile, huh? Are you seriously not going to check on Little Fish?"
Watching Dan Heng leave March 7th speechless, Siberian Duck burst into another round of hearty laughter.
"Seriously, do you only notice Little Fish when you're trying to change the subject?"
[I Eat Thirty Flatbreads in One Sitting: Hey, March 7th, what are you doing? Your hands are freezing! You can't put them on someone's face!]
[Autumn Sunset Glow: I'm dying. Little Fish nearly jumped out of his skin from the cold.]
[Danxin Hengjiu: Hahahaha! Little Fish is still keeping a straight face here.]
Then came the part where March 7th listed the strengths of each member of their little Trailblazer team.
"Pfft! Why did it all fall apart as soon as she got to Professor Dan Heng?"
This string of jokes hit Siberian Duck right in the weak spot, given how easily and uproariously they laughed.
All that could be heard from the livestream was a string of "HA!!! HA!!! HA!!!"
[Danxin Hengjiu: Dan Heng: March 7th, so that's how you see me, huh?]
[Girl in the Ice: March 7th, be honest with me. Are you sure you're not secretly getting back at Professor Dan Heng?]
[Blazing Blade in the Snow: All I can say is, judging by March 7th's eyes, which are just as clear and innocent as mine as a college student, she genuinely couldn't think of anything.]
[Milk-Flavored Barbecue: How rude.]
[Le HOOHO: Little Fish is so cold he's started stamping his little feet. Oh, come on, I can't take this!]
With a rallying cry from March 7th, the Trailblazer team officially set off across the snowy plain.
Siberian Duck followed the quest directions and soon encountered a Frostspawn with a golden exclamation mark above its head. The story triggered, and the game went straight into a cutscene.
The group began discussing the Frostspawn before them. Naturally, their first response to a problem was to turn to the all-knowing Professor Dan Heng.
Professor Dan Heng did not disappoint, providing them with information about Frostspawn.
They then began discussing whether to take a detour, and during that conversation, Jiang Yu slipped out of the frame.
Neither Siberian Duck nor the viewers noticed this detail at first... until Jiang Yu's reluctant voice came from off-screen.
"Huh? We have to take a detour too? How much longer does that mean we'll be stuck out here in all this ice and snow?"
Before you continue