Heading to the Dungeon

The firewood in the fireplace was still burning, occasionally throwing off tiny sparks.

Flora lay on her side, her blanket pulled up to her chin, but her eyes were still open.

The room was very quiet. Loviki was fast asleep, her breathing even, a lingering smile still playing on the corners of her lips. She had drunk quite a lot of fruit wine tonight.

His makeshift bed on the floor was set up against the wall at the foot of the bed. Mr. Chen Mian lay there with a thin blanket draped over his chest, one arm pillowed behind his head, his breathing steady.

The flickering firelight cast shifting shadows across his face, making his usually calm, unperturbed features look remarkably peaceful. Mr. Chen Mian was very handsome, in a way that perfectly matched his gentle nature.

She knew very little about Mr. Chen Mian's past because he almost never spoke of it. Flora always felt there was a lot hidden behind his quiet exterior. What had Mr. Chen Mian been like before? She was deeply curious.

To her, today had been the happiest day of her life. She had experienced the bustling Ice and Fire Festival, tasted delicious fruit wine, launched a blessing boat with her best friends, and learned that her parents were safe and still quietly watching over her.

She had also celebrated her first birthday since her parents left with her companions, and tasted a cake made by Mr. Chen Mian for the first time.

Even now, she felt as if the entire day had been a dream.

The firewood in the fireplace finally seemed to burn out. The last ember flared briefly, then died.

The room fell into darkness, illuminated only by the moonlight filtering through the window and the faint glow of distant ice crystal lamps.

Guided by the dim light from the window, she stole another glance at the peaceful figure sleeping on the floor.

The corners of Flora's mouth slowly curved upward.

She felt incredibly safe.

She couldn't quite pinpoint when this feeling had started.

Perhaps it was back in the Fluorescent Forest, when he promised to help lift her curse.

Perhaps it was the first time they rode a griffin, and he sat right behind her.

Or perhaps it was tonight, when he had spoken so earnestly, promising to protect her.

She had sensed yesterday that Mr. Chen Mian and Loviki were acting a bit strange, but she never would have guessed they were quietly preparing a birthday celebration for her.

In fact, she had forgotten it was her birthday too. During her days in the secret realm, though she counted the passing time day by day, no one else was there to remember her birthday. Even she had felt that simply surviving another year wasn't really anything to celebrate.

At this thought, Flora shifted slightly toward the edge of the bed, gazing intently in Chen Mian's direction.

In the dark, she could only make out his vague silhouette.

She slipped her hand out from under the blanket and rested it on the edge of the bed. It was very close to his pillow, though she didn't stretch it any further.

Just this was more than enough.

Flora gently closed her eyes. Her breathing gradually grew even, the soft smile never leaving her face.

Outside the window, the snow continued to fall.

The embers in the fireplace had completely died out, yet the room remained warm.

...

On their fourth morning in Wigtan,

Chen Mian and the other two packed their gear and headed downstairs.

The inn's lobby had grown rather quiet. After the Ice and Fire Festival, the adventurers had left one after another, leaving behind only the festival decorations that had yet to be taken down.

Chen Mian pushed open the inn's front door, its hinges letting out a low creak.

Loviki and Flora followed behind him, carrying their luggage. A thin layer of fresh snow had accumulated on the streets, crunching softly under their boots.

“Leaving so early?” a voice called out from behind. The elderly dwarf woman walked out of the kitchen with a rag in her hand, the frost-steel brooch still pinned to her collar.

“Yes. We've rested for a few days, so it's time to head out,” Chen Mian replied, turning around.

The old woman set down her rag and fished out three small cloth pouches from beneath the counter. They were made of coarse burlap, tied with red strings, and looked quite stuffed. “Frost-pistil honey candy. Little Loviki likes these.”

Chen Mian didn't refuse. He walked over and stored the three pouches in his storage space.

Loviki stood to the side, a bright smile on her face. “Thank you, innkeeper!”

Flora pulled a small jar from her backpack and handed it to the old woman. “Innkeeper, this is some fruit jam I made myself.”

The old woman took the jar, opened it slightly to catch a sniff, and without any polite pleasantries, carefully tucked it into her apron pocket.

“Safe travels.”

“Goodbye, innkeeper!”

The three of them stepped out of the inn and headed toward the northern gate of Wigtan.

The streets no longer looked as they had during the Ice and Fire Festival.

Though the ice crystal lamps still hung beneath the eaves, the festive crowds had vanished, replaced by a different kind of bustle.

Most of the adventurers had already departed for the dungeon yesterday, and Griff's team had left the inn early yesterday morning as well.

Still, there were plenty of armed adventurers walking in small groups toward the northern gate. There were demi-human mage girls carrying backpacks, dwarven warriors leading short-legged pack beasts laden with luggage, human adventurers bearing massive shields, and teams of young adventurers laughing and playing as they walked... Most of them shared the same destination: the new dungeon of the North—the Frost-Steel Corridor.

Wigtan's northern gate loomed indistinctly through the morning mist.

Following the scattered crowd, the three passed through the northern gate and stepped onto a vast, white snowfield. The snow was deep, but a well-worn path had already been packed down.

They followed the footprints for a long time, eventually crossing the wide snowfield and entering a woodland blanketed in ice and snow.

The path grew increasingly crowded, and they occasionally spotted injured adventurers heading back.

As they ventured deeper into the snowy woods, scattered tents and adventurers taking brief rests began to appear along the wayside.

“We're here. The entrance to the dungeon.”

Beneath an icy cliff ahead, a massive stone archway was embedded directly into the glacier, its frame encrusted with frost-blue ice crystals that looked as though they had been frozen for ages.

The clearing in front of the gate had been packed down into hard snow. Dozens of temporary tents were scattered around, the air filled with a mixture of campfire smoke, the shouting of adventurers, and a faint, bone-chilling ripple of mana.

Beyond the massive archway lay a flight of stairs descending into the earth—countless stone steps that eventually vanished into pitch darkness.

“Newcomers? Do you need a map of the dungeon?” The speaker was a middle-aged man wrapped in a thick fur coat, squatting in front of a tent and pointing to several crumpled pieces of parchment laid out on the ground.

“How much for one?” Loviki asked.

“One silver coin. It marks the known danger zones and monster distributions for the first three floors.” The man picked up a folded piece of parchment from the animal hide and waved it. “Guaranteed accurate. We compiled the information and drew it ourselves.”

“We'll take one.”

The man smiled and handed over a neatly folded map. “Since you three look like new faces, here's a friendly tip. Although most of the golems on the first floor have been cleared out, someone recently found a new hidden passage leading to a secret area. I've marked it on the map. That area is extremely dangerous; several people have already lost their lives there. Right now, the powerful adventurers aren't hanging around the first three floors anyway, so I wouldn't recommend rookies go there.”

Chen Mian took the map and nodded. “Thanks.”

He walked over to the other two and unfolded the map. It only covered the first three floors and wasn't particularly detailed, but the main forks and areas were clearly marked. “Do you have maps of the deeper floors?”

“No,” the middle-aged man shook his head. “Not much news comes out from the deeper areas, and I don't feel like risking my life to find out.”

“Let's go take a look,” Chen Mian said, folding the map and putting it in his pocket before walking toward the entrance.

The three of them descended the long stone steps, their figures enveloped by the darkness as they vanished past the stone gate.