The Snezhnaya train station is not far from the shopping plaza; it's only a ten-minute walk.
She bought two window seats and two hot drinks from a stall on the platform, handing one to Bai You to warm her hands.
Before long, the train slowly pulled into the station, its whistle blaring.
The two found their seats in the carriage; it was a double seat by the window. Varesa let Bai You sit inside by the window, while she sat on the outside.
The carriage was heated, the leather seats were soft, and outside the window was a vast snowfield. The train swayed gently and started moving.
Bai You pressed her forehead against the cool car window, watching the snow scene outside recede little by little.
The snow-covered fields, pine forests, and distant, snow-covered, pointed-roofed wooden houses all receded slowly, like a long scroll slowly unfolding.
"Does it look good?" Varesa pulled her coat collar up even tighter.
"It looks nice." Bai You exhaled a breath of warm air, creating a small mist on the glass. She then stretched out her finger and drew a crooked little cat on the mist.
Varesa leaned closer to take a look and laughed, "A drawing of yourself?"
"No, that's not true."
"It is clearly true."
The two bickered intermittently. The train swayed rhythmically, "Clang, clang."
The heating pipes made a faint hissing sound, and the carriage was quiet. Perhaps because she was not used to traveling by train, Bai You's drowsiness gradually crept in like a rising tide.
She first gave a small yawn.
"Tired?" Varesa looked down at her, her voice very soft.
"... Not sleepy." Bai You stubbornly insisted, but before she could finish speaking, she yawned again.
"Stubborn." Varesa chuckled, patted her own shoulder, and then, worried that Voyanisa might be uncomfortable leaning on her, simply opened her arms.
He gently pulled Bai You into his arms, letting her lie on her side on his lap. "Come on, lie down properly. I'll call you when we get there."
Bai You struggled symbolically for a moment, then obediently nestled into her arms.
Varesa's embrace was warm, and she had a faint fragrance mixed with her own scent.
Varesa placed one hand under Bai You's neck, while the other hand gently stroked her hair, the movements as light as if she were coaxing a rare treasure.
The swaying of the train and the warmth of her body together pulled Bai You deeper into sleep.
"Go to sleep," she leaned down and whispered a tuneless melody in Bai You's ear, then gently said, "I'm here."
Bai You mumbled a sleepy "Mmm," her small hands clutching the front of her dress, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.
Just a second before she was about to drift off to sleep—
[bite!!!]
A sharp, almost piercing alarm exploded in the depths of her mind without warning!
[WARNING! WARNING! A highly dangerous source has been detected approaching!]
Bai You's drowsiness was instantly shattered.
She remained nestled in Varesa's arms.
"Holy crap, that scared me to death! System, what are you doing?"
Bai You suddenly became fully awake, her heart leaping into her throat.
"System?!" she exclaimed inwardly, "What on earth is going on?!"
[Assessing threat level... Assessment complete.] The system's voice had never been so fast before.
[Danger Located: Second Harbinger of the Fatui, " The Doctor " Dottore. Threat Rating: Extremely High.]
[Calculating the probability of the host winning a direct confrontation... Calculation complete.]
[Probability of victory: less than 1%]
[Conclusion: In the host's current state, victory is impossible.]
Upon hearing the system's cold voice, Bai You's back instantly broke out in a thin layer of sweat.
Less than 1%?
Before she could think it through, the system's voice rang out again, too fast for her to speak.
[The assessment result has triggered emergency procedures.]
[Emergency procedures activated: The "Tomorrow's Check-in" has been automatically pre-allocated and completed for the host, and tomorrow's regular rewards have been forcibly converted into emergency rewards for the current risk scenario.]
[Transformation complete. Host acquires skills--]
[Primal Annihilation Strike ]
[Skill Description: This skill ignites and unleashes all the host's current power, concentrating it into a single strike; this strike ignores all forms of defense, shields, and distance from the target, and once locked on, it will inevitably hit and track to the end, with no possibility of missing.]
[Cost Description: Upon skill activation, the host will immediately fall into a deep coma lasting two full days (48 hours); during the coma, the host will have no awareness or response to the outside world and will be unable to awaken on their own.]
[Cooldown: One week]
Bai You lay motionless in Varesa's arms, but her heart was in turmoil.
"Wait, wait, slow down!" she thought anxiously.
"What does 'danger approaching' mean? And what's this 'sign in advance' thing? I'm perfectly fine on the train, is someone going to attack me?!"
[The emergency procedure is triggered automatically; this is a life-saving mechanism.] The system spoke rapidly.
[Otherwise, you'd probably be stuck in that cold lab all afternoon.]
"But... but what happened? Why is the Doctor causing me trouble?" Bai You's mind was in complete chaos.
The image of the Doctor, a figure wearing a half-mask and exuding an aura of madness, came to mind.
[The process is a bit complicated to explain, I'll tell you after it's all over.]
"Don't I have the talent of the Primordial Physique '? How come my win rate is practically zero?" Bai You argued inwardly.
The system was silent for a moment, and when it spoke again, it poured cold water on the system without any mercy.
[This is a comprehensive evaluation; this talent is considerable.]
[Furthermore, your current strength is only about the same as a " Scaramouche," and you're not skilled in combat, nor can you fully utilize all seven Elemental Power. If you could, it would be more than enough.]
Bai You:...
[Don't worry, this isn't just giving you a top-tier skill, allowing you to fully unleash the power within you. It could open a piece of the False Sky, let alone the Doctor.]
[The downside is that you need to sleep for two days after using it.]
[Perhaps you could spar with him a couple of times first, and see if you can beat him.]
"Is this [ Annihilation Strike ] really that strong?"
It's said that anything produced by the system is guaranteed to be of high quality.
[Having only this skill isn't a good thing; it seems I'll have to give you more power-enhancing items in the future.]
[Alright, I'm going back to sleep now. The problem is simple, figure it out yourself.]
(It's not that simple.)
Bai You:...
Bai You thought of Varesa holding her, and Bai You heart suddenly calmed down. She couldn't panic.
She snuggled closer to Varesa, burying her face in the warmth, closing her eyes, but her little hands secretly clenched the front of Voyanisa's clothes.
The train continued its clattering journey, and outside the window, the snow-covered plain stretched endlessly under the perfect sunlight.
An unseen storm was quietly waiting along the railway tracks somewhere ahead of them.
The Tide Song Cavern is getting closer and closer.
A special thank you to a little coriander and clover for the expert certification!
And thank you everyone for the gifts and support. They will all be released during the day. I will post Shenhe at night, and there will be two or three more chapters during the day.
つ♡⊂