Xu Xiaoyou turned off the television and sighed softly.
Back on that beach, she had considered agreeing to the other's request. But the reality of their differing statuses meant that such a thing could only exist in unrealistic fantasies.
In the end, their paths had reached a fork in destiny.
Anya, lying beside her, was woken by the movement. After mumbling incoherently for a few moments, she opened her eyes.
Upon seeing that Xu Xiaoyou was alright, Anya’s eyes brightened slightly. She lunged directly onto Xu Xiaoyou, burying her head in the girl’s embrace.
Xu Xiaoyou said nothing, gently wrapping her arms around Anya and stroking the girl’s hair.
Watching the girl’s fuzzy, twitching ears, she thought that Anya seemed a bit too dependent on her.
Every time she faced danger, Anya would act as if she had lost her sanity, disregarding everything to stand in front of her, even if it meant getting injured.
This was not a good thing for a snow-field wolf.
Snow-field wolves were pack animals—resilient, brave, loyal, and unyielding. Every snow-field wolf possessed beautiful, smooth fur that shimmered like the morning clouds under the winter sun. They were beautiful creatures, but because of this, they were coveted by hunters.
Every winter, hunters would gather in small groups to conduct a three-month hunt on the snowy plains. They would set up outposts and build campfires across the vast expanse, using hunting bows and hunting guns to constantly shrink the wolves' territory until the pack was driven to places where food was scarce and the environment was harsh.
During this period, any snow-field wolf that was weak-willed, elderly, or diseased would be captured by the hunters for failing to keep up with the pack.
Often, the fur of a single snow-field wolf could fetch a high price in the upper society of the hive city, crafted into rugs, clothing, and various decorations.
The world often harbored malice toward beautiful things.
Snow-field wolves had to endure trials from a young age. Mother wolves would leave them over a thousand meters away from the pack. Before the blizzards arrived, they had to learn to run, to recognize hunters' traps, to avoid danger, and to obtain food in harsh conditions. Only after surviving this series of trials and returning to their mother's side would they be considered part of the pack.
Nearly ninety percent of wolf pups were weeded out during this process, freezing to death on the plains or dying during the hunters' encirclement.
The ice and snow tempered their iron will, while hunting guns and bows made their hot blood flow.
This Trial of Iron and Blood would shatter all their beautiful illusions about the world, forcing them to recognize the cruelty of fate.
It branded the world's malice into their hearts.
Because they were beautiful creatures, they reflected a moving radiance from birth.
Xu Xiaoyou thought.
They were meant to be creatures that lived in the freezing cold. Warmth and dependency would only cause their sharpened claws to degenerate, their resilient characters to become indecisive, and their judgment to fail.
If this continued, this dependency would slowly turn into a poison. If there came a day when she was no longer by the other’s side, would Anya even have the ability to survive on her own?
【Character Anya's favorability has reached MAX dependency.】
【Favorability Story: Trial of Iron and Blood prerequisite condition 1 completed.】
【Favorability Story: Trial of Iron and Blood prerequisite condition 2: Obtain 'Heart's Desire' ticket pending.】
【Once prerequisites are completed, the favorability story: Trial of Iron and Blood will be unlocked.】
【Through the favorability story, character Anya will gain base attribute enhancements, break attribute locks, and surpass genetic limits. Unlock advanced resonance: Endless Longing. Unlock mimicry: Abyssal White Flower. Awaken as the up character White Spider Lily of the Other Shore—Angelina.】
Looking at the notification box before her, Xu Xiaoyou’s heart skipped a beat.
An indescribable emotion, like thick ink dripping into her heart, began to bloom and spread.
In other words...
She hadn't missed the character pull from the very beginning; she had just obtained the character card in its childhood phase?
To be precise, Xu Xiaoyou looked at the new featured up character, that blue-haired girl on the stage.
It was the growth phase.
This explained everything.
It explained why a hard pity didn't follow the soft pity, and why the pull count didn't reset after ninety pulls.
Because she had owned this character from the start.
No wonder Angelina’s splash art also featured white hair and wolf ears. The lance she held had left a deep impression on her.
At the time, she had found it strange that Anya was a lancer. Having been with her for so long, Anya had barely used any spear-related abilities, mostly relying on those sharp claws to tear through enemies.
At the thought that the mature older sister who had perfectly hit her aesthetic was actually the little girl she had spent every day with for the past month—the same girl she had once looked down on for her combat strength—Xu Xiaoyou felt a surge of complex emotions.
Anya hugged her, the tear tracks on her face not yet dry.
【Reminder: If character Anya fails to unlock the Trial of Iron and Blood, or fails during the trial, she will permanently gain the 'Secret Malice Poison' effect.】
【Secret Malice Poison: All attribute caps limited to 65. Genetic lock engaged. Mimicry shattered, losing the ability to awaken.】
The way Xu Xiaoyou looked at Anya changed.
"The Trial of Iron and Blood?"
....
Early the next morning.
Lush green moss grew on the steps, and the peeling walls were covered in graffiti and various slogans.
Some opposed the government or condemned Universal Heavy Industries, but most were curses directed at this world.
After the rain, dewdrops flowed along the greenish eaves, gathering into a small stream that fell onto an iron plate with a rhythmic clanging. Occasionally, water droplets would brush past the girl's legs like cheerful spirits.
"Hee hee hee, come and catch me!"
"Run faster, run faster! Whoever gets caught is the ghost!"
Cheerful shouts from children echoed at the mouth of the alley. Several small children scattered in all directions, their light footsteps splashing in the puddles, the spray reflecting their innocent faces. Their laughter carried far through the long, deep alleyway.
A white-haired little girl was left covering her face against a wall, counting down out loud.
Once the countdown ended, the white-haired girl turned around and sniffed the air. Moments later, she found the first girl behind a crate.
That girl was wearing a cute floral dress, looking like an exquisite doll or a little flower, even though her hands were covered in small scars and calluses.
Anya, like a wolf pup catching her first prey, grabbed the girl's hand and flashed a grin.
Her smile...
Well, it was a daisy-like smile.
Whether she was hurt from being grabbed or frightened by Anya’s daisy-like smile, the girl’s face turned slightly pale. Her lips trembled for a few moments before she burst into tears with a loud 'waah'.
The other children emerged from their hiding spots, casting strange looks. Anya was at a loss, afraid of being treated as a monster by the other children, and unsure of how to comfort the girl.
Finally, she plucked up her courage, stepped forward, and gently hugged the crying girl.
"My ears..."
"I'll let you touch them."
Rate on N.U.
