CHAPTER 1330: CHAPTER 1331: HOTEL • NIGHT

After purchasing the necessary equipment, Feng Yuan originally proposed heading straight up the mountain. However, seeing that it was already late and they wouldn’t be able to travel far before having to set up camp, Yang Hongzhi suggested staying the night in town and departing early the next morning.

After a moment’s consideration, Feng Yuan didn’t insist otherwise. The group stayed at an inn in town. Gazing out at the night view from the window, Feng Yuan patted Xiao Ji on the back and said,

"If only you were a bit bigger, like Gitalien. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just carry us to the summit~"

"Now you don’t care about enjoying the scenery along the way?"

Agunas looked speechlessly at Feng Yuan and said. This guy usually said such things, and Agunas hadn’t expected him to change his tune today. Feng Yuan grinned cheekily and said,

"There’s not much scenery to see on the snow mountain anyway, is there? But something like Avalanche Rift, now that’s interesting~"

"You’re not planning to deliberately get us into trouble, are you?"

Agunas gave Feng Yuan a skeptical look, clearly suspecting this guy might cause an avalanche just for the experience. Feng Yuan glanced back at him and snapped,

"How could that be possible! Even though there aren’t many climbers around this time of year, it’s not like there aren’t any. Doing something like that would put others at risk, got it?"

Feng Yuan wasn’t the type to put others’ lives in danger just for his own amusement. Causing harm to others just to see an avalanche? He wasn’t that much of a jerk.

"We could check out the Snow Scene Trail. It’s apparently a route designed specifically for sightseeing. There might not be any Spiritual Medicine or Materials along the way, but it’s relatively safe,"

Veronia said while looking at her phone. Not being familiar with the area herself, she naturally sought information using her own methods. Startled, Feng Yuan said,

"This snow mountain even has something like that?"

"Hmm, I guess it’s time to gather some proper info about this place."

As he spoke, Feng Yuan turned to Agunas, who flicked his tail and pulled out a book, saying,

"Here you go."

Agunas could tell Feng Yuan was just after the materials he had in his possession. As for whether his Dark Ancient Book could be used for research? Of course it could. But it wasn’t that meaningful—after all, they were only here for a short trip. Diving into deeper secrets seemed unnecessary.

"Thanks~"

Accepting the book from Agunas, Feng Yuan quickly started flipping through it. To his surprise, there was much more in it than he’d imagined. The history of Honite Snow Mountain was thoroughly documented, though he was only interested in scanning for content that seemed fun.

"Hmm? What’s this? A hot spring on the snow mountain? Now this is interesting."

Startled for a moment, Feng Yuan murmured to himself. Veronia glanced at him and said,

"It seems there used to be one, but for some reason, the Snow Mountain Hot Springs Resort has already shut down. Otherwise, you could’ve enjoyed yourself there."

"Such a pity. Who knows what happened. But oh well, hmm, the Ice Wind Crystal Cave? Now that sounds fun~"

"What’s that?"

Hearing Feng Yuan’s comment, Veronia curiously leaned over to look at the book in his hands. Meanwhile, Belusir tilted its head, looking at the Big Cat and the others, puzzled. What was Feng Yuan up to, and why was their fate fluctuating so wildly?

Reviewing the data on Honite Snow Mountain with Veronia, Feng Yuan finalized their sightseeing itinerary. Agunas glanced at Veronia and flicked his tail, thinking the planned route seemed to include a bit too much.

In another room, Yang Hongzhi had released Xiao Hei and was massaging it. Xiao Hei purred and groaned contentedly, clearly enjoying itself. Sitting by the window, Najia softly hummed a melodious tune.

Gently patting Xiao Hei on the head, Yang Hongzhi said,

"Alright, go rest now. We’re heading up the mountain tomorrow."

Letting out a low whimper, Xiao Hei sneaked a glance at Yang Hongzhi, seemingly hoping for a bit more pampering. However, Yang Hongzhi ignored it and turned to Najia, saying,

"Tomorrow, I’ll need your help keeping an eye on Xiao Hui."

Najia smiled gently and said,

"Of course. I like them as well~ Though, I am a little worried that we might encounter some unexpected situations on Honite Snow Mountain."

"There shouldn’t be... right?"

Scratching his head, Yang Hongzhi replied uncertainly. After all, this area was practically in human territory, and logically speaking, there shouldn’t be anything too dangerous here.

Shaking her head, Najia gazed out the window and said,

"I don’t know. I just have a feeling... Honite Snow Mountain might not be so simple."

"Um, but with you all here, shouldn’t we be safe?"

Fidgeting nervously, Yang Hongzhi said. While nominally in human territory, he had never underestimated the potential dangers of the wild. Those naive people who had paid the price shortly after enrolling had left a lasting impression on him.

Najia chuckled softly and said,

"That’s true. If something we can’t handle appears on Honite Snow Mountain, don’t you think it’d be a pretty big deal?"

"Yeah... I guess that’s true."

With so many Divine Beasts around—and even the Time Divine Beast present—if they still encountered something they couldn’t handle, it would probably mean a world-shaking disaster. That just didn’t seem plausible, given the lack of any warning signs.

"Get some sleep early. Tomorrow, you’d better put on a Starry Ritual Robe over your winter gear."

Looking at Yang Hongzhi, Najia reminded him. Although Yang Hongzhi didn’t have the Wolf God’s Robe, Najia, being a Divine Beast, naturally had her own designated Ritual Robe. While it couldn’t match the Wolf God’s Robe’s incredible defensive capabilities, it still offered considerable protection. At the very least, it was far superior to the defense of ordinary adventurer outfits. However, since she had only brought the outer robe, its insulation was inadequate, forcing Yang Hongzhi to wear something warm underneath.

"Are you worried about me?"

Dou Yanlan smiled faintly at Qi Chen and asked. Qi Chen scratched his head and said,

"Well, I just came to check if you’re not too picky about the bed. These beds here are quite hard."

"If I were picky about beds, how could I ever become a Commander?"

Laughing, Dou Yanlan responded. Qi Chen chuckled sheepishly without saying more. Patting the restless Cotton in her arms lightly, Dou Yanlan said,

"Tomorrow, it’d be best for Ah Mu to be extra cautious. Extend its vines to check the ground’s firmness around us. It might slow our progress, but we can’t afford to be careless."

She didn’t expect any significant dangers—after all, so many Divine Beasts were present. However, with Ah Mu needing to maintain its large form to carry the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts, its weight could become problematic on snowy terrain. Such heft pressing into the snow could easily cause accidents.

Whether it was ice layers breaking or ground depressions, these risks could be quite troublesome. That was also why Yang Hongzhi had earlier asked Najia to watch over Xiao Hui. He wanted to let Xiao Hui out to move around with them. After all, keeping it cooped up in the Spirit Beast Space would do it no good. However, due to Xiao Hui’s size and weight, one wrong step could land it in a trap.

"Using vines, huh? What about carrying the Seistal Stele?"

"No, that won’t work. Expelling other Attribute energies could be incredibly dangerous. According to my research, the Wild Spirit Beasts on Honite Snow Mountain use their Ultimate Moves to refreeze areas that have melted significantly during the summer. If the Seistal Stele dispels those energies, the result could be disastrous."

"This... Then what should we do?"

Startled, Qi Chen asked. Dou Yanlan smiled and, while gently stroking Cotton’s neck, said,

"Use vines to probe the way. Avoid areas that seem overly soft below and steer clear of ice layers."

"After all, we don’t know how thick the ice layers are. If they can’t bear Ah Mu’s weight, they’ll become traps."

"Of course, if there were a floating-type Ultimate Move, it’d be far more convenient. But unfortunately, neither Ah Mu nor Cotton knows any such moves."

Dou Yanlan sighed with a hint of regret. In fact, such Ultimate Moves weren’t only useful in navigating snowy mountains; they were incredibly helpful in other treacherous terrains like swamps as well. Flying overhead made it easy to bypass precious Spiritual Medicine and Materials hidden below the surface.

"Sigh, you can’t suggest we go out of our way to find a Wind Attribute Spirit Beast just because of this, right?"

Sighing, Qi Chen replied helplessly. It wasn’t that he had anything against it—he simply preferred waiting for the right bonds to form naturally rather than seeking out a specific Spirit Beast to fit his goals.

"Once Cotton learns to float, we can give it a shot. But for now, this will have to do."

With a faint smile, Dou Yanlan replied. Hearing her words, Cotton wagged its tail proudly and let out a triumphant cry. Petting Cotton’s head, Qi Chen grinned and said,

"I’ll be counting on you in the future, Cotton."