"Big Black, protect her!"
Qi Chen placed the little girl on Big Black, whispering intently. Though he hoped that the Ice Snow Giants hadn’t spotted them, he couldn’t be sure they hadn’t noticed—especially since the voices of the giants were getting closer, seeming to charge towards them.
"Take her and retreat first!"
Catching a glimpse of Xiao Tong appearing beside him, Qi Chen spoke in a low voice. He watched as Big Black cautiously moved his steps. Startled by Qi Chen’s actions, the little girl woke up, dazedly looking in the direction of the sound. Through the haze, she could see a man in a white Ritual Robe with his back towards her, in front of him a howling blizzard and a huge white figure. A pale blue barrier was blocking the massive creature’s falling foot.
She wanted to say something, but a wave of dizziness overcame her, forcing her to clutch her bear doll and drift back to sleep.
"Cough, if this happens a few more times, it will really be troublesome."
Qi Chen murmured as he glanced at the little girl behind him, who was still deeply asleep, clutching her bear doll. Although he had just led them in successfully escaping from the Ice Snow Giants, Xiao Tong had been injured in the attack. If it occurred a few more times, he feared real danger might ensue.
The night amidst the snowstorm was so dark. Qi Chen didn’t know what time it was or where they had run to. Though Big Black occasionally left markers, they were still lost in the dark night of the Mordic Prairie. The little girl woke up again, saw Qi Chen leaning against a giant turtle, seemingly asleep, and carefully stood up.
After looking at the bear doll in her arms and thinking for a moment, she reluctantly set it beside the Big Turtle. She took off the cloak draped over her and hesitated, not placing it on Qi Chen but carefully folding it and setting it aside. As she turned to leave, Qi Chen asked in a low voice,
"Where can you go alone?"
The little girl was startled, turning to look at Qi Chen with a dazed expression. Although she didn’t understand his words, she could feel his concern. But... remembering something, the little girl suddenly ran into the dark blizzard.
"Really... children just never let you worry less."
Qi Chen muttered somewhat discontentedly as he picked up the bear doll and cloak from the ground, draped the cloak over himself, and along with Xiao Tong, chased after her.
"Wouldn’t there have been fewer problems if you hadn’t run off?"
Qi Chen said a bit discontentedly to the little girl, knowing she couldn’t understand. If it weren’t for her reckless action, they wouldn’t have ended up in such trouble. Watching the Ice Snow Giants slowly close in, Qi Chen told Xiao Tong,
"Take her and go ahead, Big Black and I will cover the rear."
Xiao Tong looked worriedly at Qi Chen. Big Black’s movement was not fast, and it was tough for injured him to use telekinesis to move Big Black. Discontentedly glancing at the little girl, Xiao Tong roughly grabbed her. As Qi Chen removed his cloak and draped it over the little girl, he said,
"Be careful, don’t let her catch a cold."
Although they had just had a chilling sprint in the snow, Qi Chen still noticed that the girl hadn’t recovered from her fever. After a few unhappy cries, Xiao Tong reluctantly draped the Wolf God’s Robe over her. The little girl struggled as if trying to say something, but unfortunately, her words were incomprehensible to both the humans and the Spirit Beasts present.
Suddenly struggling, the little girl tried to get down from Xiao Tong, but as soon as she moved, Xiao Tong used telekinesis to hold her still. To this troublemaker, he had no fondness, and amidst the struggle, the little girl could only see the figure in a thin white Ritual Robe standing alone against the Ice Snow Giants.
Holding the bear doll tightly, the little girl seemed to be praying for something. Unfortunately, no deity heard or responded to her prayers. Just then, a baby bear emerged from the blizzard, blocking Xiao Tong and curiously observing the bear doll in the girl’s arms.
Seeing the baby bear, the girl seemed to realize something, struggling to hand the doll to the baby bear while saying something. Though the bear held a paw to its mouth, looking confusedly at the girl, it seemed to understand after a while, showing a warm smile and pushing the bear doll back before hopping towards Qi Chen.
Xiao Tong looked puzzledly at the baby bear, not quite understanding what it intended. As Qi Chen gradually moved in another direction, a brown baby bear suddenly leaped into the fray. The bear made pitiful sounds with an innocent expression as it stared at the Ice Snow Giants. Seeing the little bear, the giants hesitated for a moment, emitting agitated roars.
Yet the bear just stared at the Ice Snow Giants, continuing to whine pitifully. After a while, the giants, unable to take it any longer, swept a hateful glance at Qi Chen and turned away. Seeing the herd of Ice Snow Giants leave, the little bear joyfully spun around, beaming triumphantly. Qi Chen muttered in surprise,
"So it’s true... Baby Bear can actually calm down raging Spirit Beasts..."
Seeing Baby Bear holding its paw looking towards him, Qi Chen said with some headache,
"I don’t have any honey..."
Who knew that Baby Bear would shake its head, turn around, and bounce towards Xiao Tong? When it reached Xiao Tong, Mrs. Yan was surprised to see a mini doll draped in a white robe performing a gentle, strangely beautiful dance. Seeing Mrs. Yan return, Xiao Tong uttered a joyful cry.
After glancing at the somewhat more spirited little girl, Mrs. Yan said in amazement,
"I didn’t expect you to come out looking for companions at this time."
Mrs. Yan certainly recognized the doll Spirit Beast—it was the Mysterious Doll, a very enigmatic type of Spirit Beast and one of the few that actively seeks its own Beast Tamer. Moreover, it had a strong ability to recognize people, and there had never been reports of a Mysterious Doll choosing the wrong Beast Tamer.
Baby Bear seemed to be signaling something to the Mysterious Doll, as if boasting about something. The little girl looked nervously at the two Spirit Beasts and Mrs. Yan, as if suspecting something.
"I never expected it to be you..."
Gladys, with a touch of relief, looked at the Prophecy Doll on her shoulder and smiled, saying,
"Back then, I didn’t know the criteria for you choosing a companion. I thought you were mistaken..."
The Prophecy Doll glanced at Gladys and, without saying a word, patted the large brown bear standing beside it. Gladys chuckled,
"I regret not having a camera to capture your adorable act~"
Traveler Bear looked dissatisfiedly at Gladys, then turned away, exuding a vibe of being very angry, even though it understood that Gladys was just joking. In this blizzard, without the Prophecy Doll’s power, they could barely see things far away, and even with a camera, they’d only capture a pitch-black snowy night.
"Thank goodness it wasn’t Feng Yuan..." Gladys whispered, "When I found out about the Wolf God’s Robe, I was really worried, if it had been him..."
Gladys spoke softly and Traveler Bear turned, patting his chest as though to say this place was free for you to use.
"I wonder if they are doing alright..."
Qi Chen, standing at the entrance of the cave and looking out at the pitch-black snowy night, spoke worriedly, and Dou Yanlan, smiling at Qi Chen, reassured,
"Rest assured, they will be fine, it’s just..."
"Without the plant-type Spirit Beasts, their food supplies are low... And though we could procure more from other Alliance regions after the blizzard, it would be difficult."
Earlier, she had asked the elderly woman about the plant-type Spirit Beasts, and was shocked to learn that the Mordan region was unique, with very few plant-type Spirit Beasts, and even fewer that could stimulate crop growth. Relying on Spirit Beasts to stimulate crops would require Alliance support.
"He might have a way to stop Veludante, right?"
Qi Chen, with a slight smile, looked at Dou Yanlan who, shaking her head while gazing out at the heavy snow, said,
"I don’t know, but he might not choose to do so."
"Don’t think too much. Just do your best. Didn’t the original history show that Veludante never completely destroyed Mordan?"
Qi Chen said comfortingly, and Dou Yanlan, glancing at Qi Chen, replied with a chuckle,
"Is it really good to always pin your hopes on others?"
Just then, the little girl came over, hugging her bear doll, looking worriedly out at the relentless snowfall—not knowing if she was more concerned about her companions or Feng Yuan.

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