【The Heroic Spirit’s Wish】…?

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi curiously.

Shuixi said, “After all, this isn’t a special achievement; it’s a stage reward that most players will unlock. So it’s pretty common.”

Basically, Jian Xingyi would randomly encounter a Spirit Hero, who would request an item. Once Jian Xingyi handed it over, he would receive a reward.

Both the requested items and the rewards were random, meaning it was essentially a gacha opportunity for players. However, the rewards were generally decent, and there was a chance to win a super jackpot.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

So it’s the familiar “luck-of-the-draw” segment after all.

Jian Xingyi immediately lost all enthusiasm.

It seems there’s nothing for him to do here; rewards based on luck have nothing to do with him.

Jian Xingyi received a Wish Token. After clicking “Summon,” a faint apparition appeared before him.

The apparition whispered, “I want… a bite… to eat…”

Generally speaking, the conditions set by Spirit Beings aren’t too harsh—for example, asking for food without specifying what kind, so anything goes.

Jian Xingyi wondered if perhaps higher-tier food might yield better rewards?

So Jian Xingyi handed over the milk that wasn’t currently listed for sale.

【Congratulations to player 【Xinghe】 for obtaining 2 apples!】

The Spirit vanished.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

Just as expected, but still… Damn it!!!!

Jian Xingyi said dejectedly, “Random rewards have nothing to do with me.”

Jian Xingyi handed one of the apples to Shuixi. They each took one and ate as they walked.

Huh… wait a minute?

Jian Xingyi asked, “Isn’t this Wish Trade a one-time thing?”

“Yeah.”

Jian Xingyi was puzzled. Then why was his Wish Token still in his backpack?

Jian Xingyi clicked Summon again.

【Summoning function for Wish Token still buffering: 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes】

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Could it be that because he obtained the Battle Token for summoning spirits, this item—which is also related to summoning spirits—got stuck in a glitch, turning it into a refreshable item just like the Battle Token?

Wow, isn’t that just my luck?

Jian Xingyi put the item away with a mix of laughter and tears. He’d keep it as a memento—even though he’ll probably get scammed by himself once a week, what if…?

Maybe the item took pity on him and would even bring back that previous feature that forced SSR fusions?

The two continued on their way.

Soon, they left the Flag-Raising Mountain area and began to feel the temperature drop sharply around them.

Sure enough, there was a small cabin just before entering the Thousand Bells Snow Mountains. The two went inside to buy some essentials. Since the lighter and campfire had already been gifted to him—and were higher-tier, longer-lasting special items—Jian Xingyi didn’t buy them.

What he did buy was a light brown winter coat. Since it was a game, the coat was quite thin, but it provided special insulation.

After paying, Jian Xingyi was about to leave when Shuixi pulled him back.

“You forgot these.” Shuixi placed a white knit hat on Jian Xingyi’s head and carefully helped him put on his gloves.

“Thanks…” Actually, Jian Xingyi hadn’t forgotten them; he just felt the winter coat was already expensive enough—the whole set cost a whopping 100,000—so he couldn’t bring himself to buy anything else.

The gloves and hat each cost 50,000…

It just goes to show that the Thousand Bells Snow Mountain is definitely not a map for the average person.

But…

Jian Xingyi touched his hat and chuckled, “What style did you buy?”

Why are there two little floppy rabbit ears on it!

Shuixi: “If you don’t like it, you can always exchange it.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it…” Jian Xingyi was actually quite laid-back about it. Since it was a gift from Shuixi, he figured he should decide the style.

Jian Xingyi sighed, “I originally just wanted to find a spot in Thousand Bells Snow Mountain, farm some seeds, and leave. After all, isn’t this map supposed to be super hard? But with the 200,000 on me, I just feel like… I can stay a little longer.”

Shuixi gently reminded him, “Don’t stay too long. Just do your best—you can always come back later.”

This map really is freezing.

No wonder the leading guild here is named 【It’s Really Cold】; after staying here for a while, that’s the only thought you have left.

But the resources here… are truly bountiful.

Spanning the entire map are eight mountains, or eight major regions. The westernmost is Peace Mountain, followed by Lava Volcano and Flag-Raising Mountain—the difficulty gradually increases, and the resources become increasingly abundant.

Beyond Flag-Raising Mountain lies the map’s center. The northernmost Thousand Bells Snow Mountain and the southernmost Rainforest Mountain in the center are the two most difficult—and also the most resource-rich—regions on the map.

Moving eastward from Rainforest Mountain, the difficulty gradually decreases, leading to Wave Mountain, Rock Mountain, and Peaceful Mountain at the far east.

Peace Mountain in the far west and Peaceful Mountain in the far east are both starting zones and the easiest areas on the map.

Therefore, the difficulty curve from Peace Mountain to Peace Mountain actually forms an inverted V-shape.

For Jian Xingyi and others from the Peace Mountain region, Peaceful Mountain is practically another world. After all, to reach Peaceful Mountain, Jian Xingyi must traverse seven maps, passing through the extremely difficult Thousand Bells Snow Mountain and Rainforest Mountain.

“How cold is it?” Jian Xingyi touched his clothes. “Will the winter clothes we bought be enough to keep us warm?”

“It depends on the area; some spots will still feel cold,” Shuixi said. “But the rewards for dungeons and map quests here are high, and there are plenty of medicines, food, bullets, and items in the woods.”

“Oh, okay!”

After buying clothes from the NPCs, the two looked ahead and could see the outline of the snow-capped mountains and the pristine white snow.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the sky, which was just as dark as before, and reached out to catch two snowflakes.

They had entered the snowy region.

Upon entering the snow-capped mountains, Jian Xingyi was somewhat awestruck.

As far as the eye could see was endless white; the undulating mountain ranges looked as if draped in a white veil. The coniferous forests were now sparse, now dense, and at regular intervals all around, colorful flags hung from the trees, along with numerous massive bronze bells.

Shuixi led Jian Xingyi along the main path for a while before they spotted a lama statue by the roadside.

Shuixi said, “You can hand in the two colored flags you obtained earlier to any of the lama statues in the Snow Mountains.”

Jian Xingyi obediently followed his instructions.

【Player 【Xinghe】 has obtained “Auspicious White” and “Earth Yellow” in the Snow Mountain map quest 【Five Wisdoms】. Color flag progress: 2/5. Keep up the good work!】

There are five colors of color flags in total, each obtained from different regions of the Snow Mountain; some require completing special quests.

Jian Xingyi had obtained one from a criminal who defected from 【It’s Really Cold】, and Houyi had given him another; now he only needed three more.

After completing the task, Shuixi patted the massive bronze bell next to the lama statue: “Come ring the bell.”

Jian Xingyi stood up and hugged the bamboo tube tied to the bell stand, asking curiously, “What’s this for? Is there a quest?”

Shuixi: “No, it’s just for the ceremonial feel. Legend has it that players who come here always ring the bell to pray for blessings.”

“Oh…!”

So it’s all about mysticism? Then I absolutely have to do it!

Jian Xingyi swung the bamboo tube toward the bronze bell with all his might.

“Boom—”

“Dong————”

The deep, resonant toll of the bell echoed across nearly the entire snow-capped mountain.

【Welcome, Player 【Xinghe】, to 【Thousand Bells Snow Mountain】! May the sacred spirits of the snow mountain bless you with a safe journey!】

Jian Xingyi felt as if a cold wind were blowing across his cheeks.

Jian Xingyi remarked, “This feels like a very solemn map.”

The Thousand Bells Snow Mountain and the Lava Volcano were a stark contrast—not just in temperature, but also in their strong religious overtones. However, the Lava Volcano gave Jian Xingyi the impression of a cult, whereas here, after striking the bell and gazing at the smiling statue of the lama, he felt a deep sense of peace.

Not only that, but while the surface of the Lava Volcano was sparsely vegetated and had high soil pollution levels, the vegetation here was quite lush. Moreover, Jian Xingyi took a quick look and found that the soil quality was very high, making it ideal for him to slowly search for a plot of land he liked.

Jian Xingyi scanned the surroundings and gathered quite a bit of essence.

Although the essence value of the plants here couldn’t match that of the Fire God’s Belly or certain special areas in dungeons, it was already higher than on the surface of maps like Peace Mountain!

After walking for a while, he had already accumulated 88 points of essence.

“Great!” Jian Xingyi clapped his hands. “I’ve finally officially arrived on this map!”

“My main goals from here on out are: first, collect all the colored flags if possible; second, give my seeds a good soak; and third, find a plot of land worth buying!”

Along the way, he could also collect essence and seeds, as well as… animals!

The Snow Mountain’s abundance of resources naturally included wild beasts. Previously, Flag Mountain had been too crowded for Jian Xingyi to encounter any beasts, but now was the perfect opportunity to hunt and gather livestock—otherwise, his inventory wouldn’t keep up with the constantly upgrading breeding area.

The two chatted as they walked forward, leaving deep and shallow footprints in the snow.

Along the way, Jian Xingyi gathered quite a few hazelnuts, bullets, and wood needed to build fences. He also spotted some animal tracks and drew his bow and arrows, staying on guard.

Jian Xingyi asked, “Where should we go first? Should we follow the main road up the mountain?”

Shuixi replied, “Let’s go find one of the guilds to borrow a vehicle first. It’ll be easier to get around with a car.”

Otherwise, walking through the cold, snowy terrain would be too exhausting.

“Oh, okay,” Jian Xingyi mused. “I’m about to unlock Merchant Level 4 anyway, so I can reach out to the guilds here and see what they need. I was also thinking of listing ginger for sale—I wonder if that’ll work.”

Shuixi said, “Because of the harsh environment, there are only three guilds here in total.”

Jian Xingyi: “Huh???”

So few people??

Jian Xingyi scratched his head. “Does that mean I’ll have to reduce the quantity of food I list here?”

Shuixi: “Though there are few, they’re a gathering of elites. You can reach out to them first and see how it goes.”

Jian Xingyi began to feel nervous. “A gathering of elites, huh? Then… are they all very serious?”

For example, out of the server’s 11 players at full combat power, 3 are on Grapevine Peak, 3 are right here, and most of the other members are T1 or T2, with a few T3s.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to survive.

Jian Xingyi looked around. This map was solemn, peaceful, yet harbored hidden dangers. He couldn’t help but feel that the people here must all be aloof, high-ranking figures.

“They won’t be hard to get along with, will they?”

“Hmm…” Shuixi’s expression was a bit ambiguous. “Not serious.”

How should I put this…

Shuixi chose not to say anything, letting Jian Xingyi figure it out for herself.

The two had already walked up to the base of one of the guilds. This guild’s base was situated at the foot of the mountain and controlled the transportation routes up the snow-capped peak.

Before Jian Xingyi even got close, he saw a crowd gathered in front of the guild’s entrance; it seemed something had happened.

Jian Xingyi froze. Could it be that he’d stumbled into some kind of trouble by chance?

Sure enough, as soon as he approached, he heard voices arguing.

Jian Xingyi saw two tall men wrestling with each other, surrounded by onlookers.

“It was me! I was here first! I clearly got here first… Meimei and I knew each other in the real world, and I fell in love with Meimei years ago. Who do you think you are?? I’m telling you, I can’t take this anymore. You’re not allowed to step through the guild gates to see Meimei today!”

“Love doesn’t follow first-come, first-served rules. The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel!!”

Ah, so it’s a battle for…

A battle for…

Wait a minute?!

Jian Xingyi looked at Shuixi with a puzzled expression.

Isn’t it a battle for resources??

Shuixi nodded solemnly.

Jian Xingyi noticed that the onlookers all had expressions of pure schadenfreude; it was as if they were practically shouting, “Fight! Fight!”

Then another man suddenly appeared. He ran out of the guild’s entrance and barked, “What are you arguing about?! It’s freezing out here—why aren’t you coming inside to warm up?!”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, Is he here to break it up?

The man snapped, “What’s all the fuss about? Meimei doesn’t belong to any of you—Meimei belongs to me! I’m the one closest to Meimei!”

Jian Xingyi: “????”

Then the three of them started fighting.

Wait, even though it’s a bit rude, Jian Xingyi started wondering just how good-looking this “Meimei” they were talking about really was.

Surely she must be a hundred times prettier than Sisi?

“Meimei’s back…!”

“Damn it, looks like this farce is about to end.”

With the roar of an engine, Jian Xingyi saw a car pulling up nearby. The onlookers looked visibly disappointed.

Jian Xingyi craned his neck and stood on tiptoe to get a better look.

Then a… man??! emerged from the car.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

A tall, slender man—the legendary Meimei—stared speechlessly at the three men already fighting in front of him and said irritably, “I’ll count to three. If you don’t break it up by then, I’ll get angry. One…”

Then the three men reluctantly entered the guild hall.

Meimei let out a sigh of relief, then noticed Jian Xingyi and Shuixi.

He walked over with a young girl.

The girl smiled brightly and said, “Hello there! You’re the players from outside, right? Did you come to borrow our car? Oh, right—my name is Xiao Rong.”

Xiao Rong pointed to the person beside her, “This is our Guild President, Meimei!”

Meimei: “Hello!”

Meimei had exquisite features; his jet-black hair falling past his ears framed his delicate, oval face. He was indeed… beautiful!

Jian Xingyi was mesmerized.

He was certainly a handsome man, but… was he really that stunning—enough to make people gasp in awe?

Meimei said helplessly, “My friend, you’re staring at my face. Your thoughts are written all over your face.”

“S-sorry!!!”

Meimei: “It’s okay. Tsk, what a coincidence that you just happened to catch this little farce.”

Xiao Rong whispered, “It’s not really a coincidence—this happens almost every day… Don’t the newcomers know about our neighborhood’s shenanigans yet…?”

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, “Thanks for the info.” He really hadn’t known—this was his first time here, and he’d certainly learned something new!

Jian Xingyi cleared his throat and explained why they wanted to borrow a car.

“Oh, no problem at all!” Meimei laughed. “Your winter clothes look brand new—is this your first time at Snow Mountain?”

“Yeah!”

Shuixi had often come to the Snow Mountain dungeon before, but he’d always rushed through it without exploring much, so he didn’t argue.

“Then should Xiao Rong and I drive you around first? I’ll show you where the avalanche-prone areas are and where all the resources are concentrated. Even though there’s a guide on Grapevine Peak, it definitely doesn’t compare to the inside scoop from us who’ve been surviving in the Snow Mountains year-round.”

Xiao Rong also asked, “Have you completed the flag quest yet? Need any help? If you do, you can ask one of those big guys from the fight earlier to help out—he’s got some serious combat power!”

Jian Xingyi was taken aback.

Is this what the “big shot” guild’s generosity looks like…

Then, too stunned for words, Jian Xingyi blurted it out.

After all, in the several maps Jian Xingyi had visited before, he’d always encountered backstabbing and intrigue; even if there wasn’t any, everyone lived in constant fear—this was the post-apocalypse, after all.

“We’re not the Big Shot Guild. Our 【One Cut of Winter Plum】 guild was only ranked around twenty before? I just clicked the wrong button when I switched servers earlier—there wasn’t enough time to change it. But it’s okay. The two real Big Shot Guilds are up on the mountainside. They’ve helped us a lot, so we’ll help players coming to Snow Mountain, too. It’s actually better to go out gathering with a few more people—we’ll benefit from it too.”

Meimei said with a smile, “The Snow Mountains are already harsh enough. If we don’t help each other, we’ll all die—it’s hard to survive here. If you run into any trouble up there, you can also reach out to those two guilds; they’ll lend a hand.”

Jian Xingyi nodded.

That makes sense.

The cold, avalanches, blizzards, and high-level zombies and beasts… no matter what the threat, we’ll need to work together to face and overcome them.

Since Meimei and the others, as the local experts, were willing to lead the way, Shuixi and Jian Xingyi had no reason to refuse. The group climbed into the off-road vehicle together.

The vehicle had massive tires, allowing it to move quickly across the snow.

The downside, however, was that it was an open-top vehicle, and as it sped along, the cold wind whipped inside, making it even colder.

Jian Xingyi sneezed and rubbed his hands together, trying to adjust to the temperature.

So Meimei slowed the car down. “By the way, I haven’t asked yet—what are your IDs?”

“My name is Xinghe, and his name is Shui…”

“Xinghe?!”

“Xinghe?!”

The two let out such loud gasps that they startled Jian Xingyi.

Meimei: “Is that Xinghe, the logistics expert from the guild ranked first on the Survival Leaderboard??”

Xiao Rong: “Is that Xinghe, the resource tycoon who sold a ton of food in the marketplace??”

“……”

That’s exactly right…

Meimei was over the moon. “Did you come here to adventure because our region is finally opening up? When are you going to list items in our region? I’ve been dying to eat your food for a hundred years!”

Just as they were talking about this, Jian Xingyi asked Meimei for his opinion.

“Huh?! Ginger slices that raise body temperature by 50%??” Meimei’s eyes widened. “Is there really such a great product?”

Jian Xingyi nodded. “If you guys need them, I’ll start growing them, because I’m worried no one will buy them… You’d be my only customers.”

“How could nobody buy it?!!” Meimei slapped the steering wheel excitedly. “Damn it, I’d buy it all up! You’re new here—you don’t know what our area’s like! Going out to gather resources feels like I’m turning into an ice sculpture. How could nobody buy it??”

Jian Xingyi: “……”

He’s pretty bold. If you didn’t know better, you’d never guess he’s the “heartthrob” being pursued by three guys.

Meimei said, “Well, in that case, how about I introduce you to the other two Guild Presidents? Our district has a small population, so instead of listing our products on the district marketplace, I think it’d be better to just discuss it with the three of us and supply the goods directly.”

Just like Jian Xingyi did with Grapevine Peak and I Can’t Hear You.

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you then.” Jian Xingyi breathed a sigh of relief; this saved him a lot of trouble.

Meimei pointed at Shuixi. “What about this one? I seem to recall hearing from people at Flag-Raising Mountain that Xinghe has a bodyguard?”

Meimei thought to himself, Rumor has it his ‘business’ is quite “extensive’—he’s not a legitimate bodyguard.

Is it that exciting?

Jian Xingyi said, “No! It’s all rumors. He’s my companion; his name is Shuixi.”

Meimei: “Oh, so you’re not a couple?”

“No!”

Xiao Rong chimed in: “Don’t worry, you’ll be a couple soon enough…”

Jian Xingyi turned to look at her.

Xiao Rong shrugged nonchalantly, “Once a guy comes to our Kongtong Mountain, we’ll just sort it out internally and pair him up with someone~.”

Jian Xingyi: “?”

What mountain?

Seeing the confusion on Jian Xingyi’s face, Xiao Rong burst out laughing, “Don’t you know our Thousand Bells Snow Mountain District is nicknamed Kongtong Mountain? You just saw all that drama with the Guild President.【Really Cold】 ‘s President and the Vice President are a couple, and the Guild President of that other guild is the one who failed to win over 【Really Cold】 before, got disheartened, and left to start his own guild, 【Warm Cotton Coat】.”

Jian Xingyi: “……”

How fascinating.

Meimei snapped, “What do you mean by ‘my messy business’? Did I ask for that? What the hell do I care about those horny idiots?”

Xiao Rong shot Meimei a look of utter exasperation.

Jian Xingyi: “……”

No wonder when he asked Shuixi earlier if the players here were serious, he gave him a look that seemed to say he wanted to say something but held back.

What happened to the solemn players in this sacred zone?!

In short, the current situation was that Meimei was driving Jian Xingyi and Shuixi up the mountainside to find the other two guilds.

Meimei calculated, “It’ll take at least half a day to reach the mountainside. By the time we get there, we’ll be able to rest and warm up in the guild.”

Jian Xingyi nodded.

He admired the scenery along the way while using his skills, collecting quite a bit of essence. However, the seeds here were just the basic trio—nothing special so far.

As time passed, Jian Xingyi gradually began to understand what everyone meant by “harsh environment.”

Jian Xingyi exhaled a puff of mist.

It’s so cold…

Because of the cold, Jian Xingyi felt sluggish and drained of energy; being exposed to the biting wind the whole way had even left his face numb.

Seeing this, Shuixi reached out to pull Jian Xingyi into his arms, but Jian Xingyi flinched and dodged Shuixi’s gesture.

Shuixi: “?”

Wasn’t everything fine just a moment ago? It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d hugged in public, was it?

Jian Xingyi’s ears turned slightly red.

Oh my god!!

They were currently on Mount Kongtong!

Jian Xingyi suddenly realized, for the first time in a long while, that something seemed off… It felt like.

It feels like everything is a bit off…

No way! What if Xiao Rong and the others misunderstand and think we’re a couple?

Shuixi, confused and a bit disappointed, lowered his gaze and withdrew his hand.

“Beep beep…”

Meimei frowned, looking at the car’s instruments with irritation. “Damn it, looks like another blizzard is coming.”

Jian Xingyi stared wide-eyed at Shuixi.

Shuixi shook his head gently. “It’s fine.”

Meimei opened the navigation app and studied the wind forecast carefully. “We probably won’t make it to the mountainside tonight.”

Whoosh…

Jian Xingyi sneezed again.

The wind blowing in now was even more biting and aggressive.

The temperature dropped all around them, the wind grew stronger, and Jian Xingyi could hear the intermittent howls of wolves.

“Thud… thud…”

Jian Xingyi heard heavy footsteps and turned to see a group of zombies appearing beside the car. These zombies were of a higher tier than those on other maps, larger in size—almost half the size of the giants from the previous zombie horde!

Oh boy…

Just as you’d expect from a snowy mountain.

“Get your guns ready!”