Chapter 75: Blizzard

The next moment, I appeared inside the teleportation station of the Frozen Plain. The two Rogue archers and the mage stationed here had already come forward to greet me. Judging by their half-awake appearances, it was clear that my arrival had disturbed their sleep.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your rest."

"Not at all, sir. We have plenty of free time here and can rest anytime," one of the Rogue archers immediately responded.

This teleportation station was surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with only one entrance, and a large forest blocking the outside, preventing the cold wind from blowing in. So, I didn't bother setting up a tent and just laid out a fur blanket by the campfire.

I imagine the other three must be quite puzzled. What's up with this Druid? Why didn't he sleep at the Rogue Encampment and come here in the morning? Instead, he came here in the middle of the night to sleep. Could it be that he can't afford to stay at an inn?

Sweat...

Right, I almost forgot. I got up, summoned the Venom Vine, Lazy Crow, Oak Sage, and Ghost Wolf, and waited for my mana to recharge as the sky began to lighten.

The next day, I got up early, hastily ate a few pieces of jerky, said goodbye to the three, and immediately set off on my journey, heading straight for the Stony Field to the west. As for Blood Raven, I didn't plan to provoke her yet. My current Airstrike could only control three Ghost Wolves, and I wasn't confident enough to take her down. I would deal with her when I could teleport five wolves at once. For now, my priority was to level up at the teleportation station.

As soon as I stepped outside, a fierce cold wind hit me, and I couldn't help but shiver. It was much colder here than at the Rogue Encampment! The withered grass on the ground was already covered with a few centimeters of snow, and my feet made a "crunching" sound as I walked. Looking around, some low-lying areas with standing water had already frozen into smooth ice, and the entire Frozen Plain was a vast expanse of white, with only occasional patches of withered yellow grass and the bare, brown-barked trees standing tall, stubbornly resisting the white landscape.

At first, I was worried that the frozen ground would be too hard and cold for the Venom Vine to move through. After walking for a while, I realized my concern was unfounded. The hard, frozen earth didn't hinder the Venom Vine at all, and it could even keep up with me when I ran at full speed. Sweat, I had underestimated its capabilities.

The Ghost Wolves, Lazy Crow, and Spirit also seemed unaffected by the icy ground, so there shouldn't be any problems in battle.

The journey was unusually quiet, and I hadn't encountered a single monster after several hours. My curiosity was piqued—could they all have migrated east due to the weather? They're not migratory birds. (To the east, through the Misty Forest, is the warm grassland and desert of Lut Gholein.)

Driven by curiosity, I peered into a nearby small forest and was amused to see a few emaciated Hardshell Rats and Dark Hunters lying listlessly on the ground, covered in a thin layer of snow. Sweat, were they on strike?

As I approached, the "crunching" sound of my footsteps on the snow caught the attention of these miserable creatures. They stared at me for a moment, then, with red eyes, charged at me frantically. I laughed even harder, thinking they must have mistaken me for food. But weren't Hardshell Rats supposed to be herbivores? And Dark Hunters don't seem to eat human flesh much either!

However, the poor creatures' bad luck was far from over. There was a small patch of smooth ice between us, but in their hunger, they didn't notice it and stepped onto it without caution. The tall Dark Hunters fell flat on their backs, and one even lost his shield.

The Hardshell Rats were even more comical. They didn't need to struggle much; they just slid on their bellies like sleds, sliding all the way to the edge of the ice, where they buried their heads in the snow and flailed their limbs in a futile attempt to free themselves. Unfortunately, the ice offered no resistance, and they couldn't get out. In the end, the Ghost Wolves and Venom Vine, being kind-hearted, warmly greeted these snow-buried guests.

The Dark Hunters that had fallen got up and moved more cautiously, but I didn't have the time to let them cross the ice. I stepped forward, and the Arctic Storm in my hand instantly formed. Several icy, tangible air masses shot out in different directions, hitting the Dark Hunters.

In such cold weather, who could withstand an icy blast? I heard several cries of pain as the Dark Hunters were instantly frozen into ice blocks and shattered, the ice flowers mixed with flesh and blood blooming like strange and beautiful flowers. This was probably the aesthetics of slaughter.

After realizing that these monsters were in a semi-hibernation state due to the cold, I didn't bother provoking them anymore. They gave such meager experience that I only encountered a few groups of Fallen along the way over the next few days.

However, the good times didn't last. On the fourth morning, a blizzard began. The fierce, tangible wind swept up snowflakes like goose feathers, howling across the Frozen Plain, darkening the sky and making it seem like the end of the world. The blizzard significantly slowed my progress, reducing my speed by at least half.

The Lazy Crow couldn't fly in the sky, so I canceled its summon. The Spirit, although floating in the air, was an energy body with only a solid core, so it wasn't affected by the blizzard. The Venom Vine was fine underground, and to my surprise, the Ghost Wolf seemed to adapt well to the weather. Even in the fierce blizzard, it could move silently and even perform a teleport, reminding me of the Siberian wolves from my old world, which probably couldn't match its adaptability.

Of course, the blizzard had its benefits. I didn't see a single Fallen.

As I braved the knife-like wind and snow, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my foot. My already cold body stiffened, as if hit by the small boss in the cave.

Damn, I forgot about the Ice Worms...

I never thought that the Ice Worms, which I once considered easy experience, would now be my biggest obstacle. Their white bodies were hidden in the snow, and even the keen-sensed Ghost Wolf couldn't detect them. If you accidentally stepped on their territory, you were in for a freezing treat.

However, apart from the Ice Worms, there were no other monsters that could resist the blizzard. Yesterday, I encountered a Fallen camp where the Fallen and mages were almost frozen to death. If the blizzard continued, they would be repeatedly frozen to death.

Seeing their state, I suddenly had an idea—what about Bisshop? His guards must have lost their fighting ability, leaving him alone. Excitement surged in me. Since I was passing by the lake anyway, I decided to spend some time searching. If I could find some gold equipment, it would be worth it.

When I estimated I had reached the lake, I looked around and found that it was completely covered in snow. If I hadn't remembered it, I might not have realized I was standing on the lake.

Unfortunately, after spending two days searching, I still couldn't find Bisshop. Logically, although his respawn location was random, it shouldn't be too far from the lake. It seemed someone had beaten me to it. After all, the people in this world are smart. What I could think of, experienced players might have already thought of and might be waiting near Bisshop's camp for the blizzard to arrive.

The blizzard lasted for seven days. On the day it stopped, I finally reached my first destination—the Stony Field.

The Stony Field, as the name suggests, when I stepped into it, my first thought was—stone array!

Yes, an array of countless towering stones, some less than a meter tall, others over ten meters, scattered across the plain, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura. Being in it gave a strong visual impact, a sense of insignificance in the face of nature. According to Cain, the six tallest stones in the Stony Field, over a hundred meters high, stood like giants, overlooking the entire plain. Cain's hometown, a shortcut back to Tristram, was hidden within these six stones. To unlock the secrets, I needed to go to the Dark Forest and find a scroll on a tree that could activate the magic teleportation array in five of the stones.

Sweat, it seems I have a long and arduous journey ahead.

However, I didn't have time to lament. The blizzard had stopped, and the weather seemed to be warming up, making the monsters more active. I summoned the Lazy Crow and ordered it to patrol the sky. Although I didn't think there would be any monsters here that could leave me no chance to escape, it was better to be cautious and avoid any unpleasant surprises.