Alvin and I looked at the busy crowd in the distance and sighed.
Large logs were set up in the shape of a tower, with dead leaves and branches used as spires on the top of the towers - they had been distributed in various open spaces in the town, and they would be lit together as soon as night fell two hours later.
There was a sudden snowstorm last night, turning the town into a blanket of snow.
"Thank you for getting so much wood. Didn't you spend a lot of effort?"
"That's natural, even a dozen of the axes were broken."
Alvin rubbed his shoulders.
It is said that in order to gather enough wood, the guards worked day and night to cut down a small piece of nearby forest...
I kicked the snow on the ground, and the bare land was exposed:
"Did winter come too early this year?"
"Well, I feel cold all of a sudden."
Alvin shrank his neck and buried half of his face in his scarf:
"When the temperature drops, everything becomes deserted."
"It's going to be lively right away, especially on the 'main street' side."
"Main Street" is the only commercial street in the town. During the bonfire party, all the shops on the street will display a dazzling array of products, which is bound to attract more than half of the people in the town.
"Let's go and have a look then."
"Well... I don't want to go to a crowded place."
"No problem, I'll clear the way for you."
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."
I couldn't bear to live up to Alvin's kindness, so I gave up the idea of declining.
"Well, I just happened to be able to meet Marcia."
"Marcia?"
"She's working as a temporary cook at a food stall there tonight."
"Oh..."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I looked away with a guilty conscience, but luckily Alvin didn't notice anything was wrong.
Involuntarily, I thought of that warm and moist touch.
What is this, why do I talk to that guy...
"I'm going to help, see you later."
"Well, okay."
After watching Alvin go away, I felt my face getting hot.
Alas, if I had known better, I would not have agreed to Alvin.
......
As the bell rang at eight o'clock at night, people in the small town lit bonfires one after another on the snow.
The colors of red and white are intertwined with laughter and laughter, and the combination of fire and ice achieves a "balanced" effect. As the fire gets stronger, everyone shouts their wishes in high spirits and prays for the blessings of the gods in this way.
, and use this to encourage each other and enhance confidence in fighting the harsh winter.
"Wow..."
The first moment I stepped into the "main street", I couldn't help but sigh:
"It is indeed an annual event."
The buildings on the street are covered with all kinds of lighting equipment, and some shops even have torches beside their doors. The whole street doesn't smell of night at all, with adults and children coming and going in groups.<
/p>
Laughter, greetings, and discussions kept coming and going, no less than a bustling city in a prosperous area.
Alvin beside him was infected by this vibrant scene:
"There are so many people."
"That's right."
"We have to be careful not to get separated."
"You mean to hold hands?"
"...how is that possible?"
"I won't mind. Anyway, I just treat you as a child."
"They say you misunderstood..."
Walking through the crowd, I looked at those familiar faces and analyzed their changes one by one compared to the last bonfire meeting.
I was doing this silently in my mind while talking to Alvin word by word.
Ah, by the way, Miss Raya and Miss Polly should be there too...
"Hey! Alvin——!"
In front, Marcia, wearing an apron, waved her hands several times and held a spatula in her hand.
We approached her - she was frying noodles, and the heat caused small beads of sweat to form on her forehead.
There was a long queue at her stall.
"Business is pretty good."
Alvin praised, but Marcia didn’t hear clearly:
"What did you say? Just wait for me a little longer...I'll finish my work soon!"
"Okay."
So, we waited aside.
About half an hour later, an uncle came over in small steps, thanked her and took Marcia's place.
Marcia took off her apron, washed her hands, wiped her sweat, and walked over carelessly:
"Ah~~I'm so exhausted, so exhausted!"
"I think so...why do you suddenly do this job?"
"That's not what I thought!"
Marcia rolled her eyes at Alvin:
"Uncle Maren's daughter pestered him and asked him to play with her, so he couldn't run the stall during that period, so he asked me to do it. As for me~~ Instead of sitting idle, why not be a favor~~" "You ended up looking like this after being exhausted?"
"Yeah! Who knew I would be so tired!"
Marcia's rough breath turned into white mist, puffing and puffing out, as if she was smoking.
"Hey...and you, why don't you say anything?"
"Well..."
I didn’t dare to look directly at Marcia, who had her hands on her hips, so I pretended to be calm and said:
"Is there anything I must say?"
"There must be!"
"Huh?"
"Even Alvin will praise me for my business skills, why can't you learn to flatter me?"
"Okay...amazing, amazing."
"Perfunctory!"
Then my arm received a heavy blow.
"Hey, it hurts. Your fist is so hard!"
"Hmph~~This is a compliment!"
My complaint made Marcia smile proudly.
"Okay... let's keep walking."
Alvin suggested.
"Hmm."
"Okay~~"
Not long after the three of us left, we met another guard—he was Alvin’s drinking buddy.
Alvin's drinking buddy joined us. He and Alvin walked in front, and Marcia and I followed behind.
Marcia deliberately slowed down her pace, leaned towards me as if she had planned it, and lowered her voice:
"Are you thinking about what happened last time?"
"..."
Since I didn’t know what Marcia thought, I was silent for a while.
Do you want to pretend to be confused...is it necessary?
"Okay~~Look at you! You are definitely struggling, right?"
"...I call this rigorous."
"Hey~~Okay, okay! I won't tease you anymore - I'm telling you, you don't need to be so embarrassed, it's just a thank you gift! If you don't want it, just forget it, okay?"
"Thank you?"
"Didn't you agree to write a letter? I can't let you work for nothing, right?"
Marcia finished the explanation simply in a matter-of-fact tone and added:
"By the way, I don't care at all! I even think that attempt was an extremely precious life experience!"
"Oh, you are really big-hearted."
"That's natural~~If you lacked such awareness, I wouldn't have stopped you at that time."
"..."
"How's the letter going?"
"I finished writing a letter...but I didn't take it with me."
"Hurry up! After all, I paid~~~~ the money~~ in advance~~ and don't forget it!"
"......?"
I looked at Marcia in confusion, and saw a devilish smile on her face, with her index finger on her lips.
"...unforgettable."
Uh, is the matter settled...
Why don’t I feel relaxed at all...
......
When passing a doll store, Alvin seemed to remember something and turned back to me and said:
"He asked me to tell you - go to the top of the mountain, she has something to give you."
"Oh, when?"
"Nine o'clock."
"It's already half past nine..."
"Sorry, I forgot."
"..."
I had no choice but to say "goodbye" and hurried to the top of the mountain.
Fifteen minutes later.
The snow on the top of the mountain was cleared with a snow broom to create a clean area, and I saw paper cranes pacing back and forth impatiently.
When she saw me, she frowned:
"You're almost an hour late."
"Sorry."
I adjusted my breathing. I had just inhaled a lot of cold wind, which made my chest hurt.
"I heard you want to give me something?"
"Well...we are leaving next spring. Taking advantage of the bonfire celebration, I want to give you a gift. Here, this is it——"
Qian Zhihe stretched out his hand and placed a small ball strung on a string in his palm:
"This is a magic tool used to store memories. It can work as long as you put it on. If you want to check the memory, just hold it with your left hand...and it doesn't require consuming magic power."
Wow......
"Is it inevitable that people who live forever will be forgetful? Memory is very important."
Qianzhihe smiled, and then quickly closed the distance with me - the little ball hung on my neck.
"It fits very well. It's like it was tailor-made for me. Thank you."
"You're welcome, it's great that you like it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Zhihe squatted down and put his hands on the ground——
Clumps of green grass grew out of thin air, filling a small area of land very quickly.
Suddenly, all the chill disappeared.
"Oh..."
"It's not real grass. It only lasts for about a day, but it has the effect of generating heat... When the army spends the night outside, this kind of magic will play a big role."
"..."
I was surprised and didn't know what to say.
"Look - the scenery is nice, isn't it?"
Qianzhihe pointed at the starry sky and then at the town below.
The bright moon and the stars in the sky set off each other, and the bonfire added extra warmth to them. The starlight and firelight reacted between the moonlight, releasing passionate energy and burning my heart.
"There will be fireworks later."
"That's it..."
Qian Zhihe motioned for me to sit down with her.
"That's why I specifically chose to come here."
"Well..."
"Is little sister Raya with Miss Pearly?"
"Yes, Raya also specially wore the scarf you gave her."
"Well..."
There was joy hidden in Qianzhihe's response, and then she talked about what she had experienced at the bonfire party...
Gradually, I felt sleepy. Maybe it was because I had walked a lot before and was a little tired, or maybe the grass where I was was too warm and made me feel extremely comfortable.
My eyelids are getting heavier...
"What's wrong with you?"
Finally, Qianzhihe noticed something strange about me.
"I want to sleep..."
"...Eh?"
"Is it okay to sleep directly? These grass..."
"No...then...just go to sleep and I'll call you when the fireworks are set off?"
Qianzhihe looks a little dumbfounded.
"Sorry to trouble you..."
But I still couldn't resist the temptation of the soft grass, and slowly fell backward——
......
When I woke up, the paper crane was not by my side.
I rubbed my eyes and looked around vaguely, but still couldn't find the Paper Crane.
"Are you asleep..."
I muttered to myself.
"Gale, where did the paper crane go?"
I asked Gale subconsciously, and at the same time I smelled a burning smell.
"That little girl has already gone to help."
"Help...? What help..."
"You will understand after you see it for yourself."
"..."
I got up and left the grass and looked toward the town——
The town was in flames.
In an instant, I was completely awake.
"Raya..."
I ran away in panic.
An ominous premonition filled my mind like a poisonous mist.
"Bastard! Gail! Why didn't you call me?!"
I scolded Gale while running, but Gale said nothing.
Damn it, what’s going on?!
I stared at the blazing flames, feeling extremely anxious.
Calm down, calm down... It should be just a fire, calm down... Nothing will happen to Raya, absolutely nothing...
I ran from the top of the mountain to the street, comforting myself during this period.
——Until I saw the body lying on the roadside.
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"Killed by a machete."
Gale said dullly.
I couldn't control myself anymore and ran like crazy, turning left, right, right again, and then uphill——
I ran into a tailor shop that was smoking black.
"Miss Pearly!"
Miss Polly was lying dying at the door. I rushed forward and helped her up:
"Miss Pearly! Miss Pearly! Where is Raya?! Miss Pearly!"
Finally, she opened her eyes:
"Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu..."
"Raya, where is Raya?! Is she okay? What happened?"
"I don't... Demon..."
I only heard a few words clearly before Miss Polly fainted.
"Miss Pearly..."
"Mr. Gu... Mr. Gu... is the demon army..."
There was a weak and trembling voice from behind, and I realized that Monty was leaning against the wall.
He was seriously injured, with horrific bloodstains all over his body.
"They have cavalry and they kill everyone they see... I was lucky enough to save Miss Polly from the demons and hide here... He, they are still here..." "Have you seen Raya?"
"No...no...I..."
I moved closer to him, not wanting to miss any words.
At this time, he suddenly grabbed my arm:
"Mr. Gu Lao...Run quickly, they came here after massacring the people over there...We can't move, we will definitely die...Run quickly...
...You must live, please run..."
There were tears in the corners of Monty's eyes, as if he had used all his strength to say these words.
His body was riddled with holes and numerous stab wounds. It was obvious that he had just experienced a hard battle.
"I will run, but I have to find Raya first."
I held his hand and replied.
Monty didn't respond, so I reached out to touch him - his heartbeat had stopped.
"Demons..."
Damn it, why would the demons come here...
I gritted my teeth and picked up the dagger that Monty had thrown aside. Hatred and fear gradually filled my brain, and I shivered uncontrollably, as if I had lost my own body temperature.
There is not much we can do anymore, we must seize the time, and we must not abandon Raya no matter what.
I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and staggered out the door——
At the same time, the divine eye activated:
[Polly Pate’s death chance is 99%]
[The death probability of Keelon Tours is 99%]
......
It is a death prophecy that symbolizes doom.
[The death probability of Thousand Paper Cranes is 99%]
[Alvin Copperfield’s death probability is 99%]
......
The names of people in the town appear one after another...