Arcane: The Gods Want Me to Pick a Route

Chapter 288: The Trial on the Snowy Mountain

"Don't rush, Willump. We're almost there!"

Sitting on Willump's head, Nunu encouraged him.

Willump made a goofy sound. A moment later, the big one and the little one climbed up the snowy mountain. Nunu climbed down from Willump, clenched both hands into little fists, popped out his index fingers, placed them against his temples, and spun them around as he tried to remember what his mother had told him in his dream.

"Hmm… was it this way, or that way?"

Nunu mumbled under his breath. How old was he this year? A little kid like him could not possibly know the roads around here, so his mother's guidance would be a great help to him.

But even with his mother's guidance, the snow-white scenery before him still left Nunu unable to find the right direction.

"Willump, do you think we should go this way?" Nunu pointed at a broad road. The path was a slope at roughly seventy degrees. Though it was steep, it was wide, and there were no rocks or trees blocking either side. It should be easy to walk.

"Or this way?" Nunu pointed at another road. It was a narrow path right along the edge of the mountain. There was only a tiny foothold, just over a yard or so wide. Naturally, it would not be dangerous for Nunu, but it would be very dangerous for Willump.

Willump had big feet and a big belly. If he was not careful, then when turning a corner, his big belly would bump against something, and he would definitely fall!

Although it was not a vertical drop, and the accumulated snow would cushion him, while Willump's skin was thick and his flesh tough, so even if he really did fall, nothing major would happen. But then… wouldn't all the effort from the past few days have been wasted?

"Roar?" Willump first stretched out the two big claws on his right side and scratched his head. Then, he looked at the roads and shook his big head at Nunu.

"What? You don't know the way either?" Nunu immediately smiled. "That's okay, Willump. Not knowing the way is nothing. I don't know the way either, right?"

"Then let's leave it up to fate!" Nunu grabbed his flute, closed his eyes, and said, "Let the flute help us find the right direction. I believe Mom will bless me. She'll show us the way, Willump."

"Roar!" Willump shouted.

Nunu also tossed the flute in his hand high into the air ahead of them. Sunlight struck the simple yellow wooden flute, and a reflected gleam shone across Nunu's face.

The flute fell. Willump roared, and Nunu opened his eyes. Then he saw that the direction the flute was pointing in… was neither the broad, easy road nor the dangerous but faster narrow road!

It was pointing straight at the cliff face ahead of them. That cliff face was almost a right angle!

"Willump!" Nunu showed a smile with a missing tooth and pointed at the cliff ahead. "Look, the flute is telling us not to choose one or two, but to choose three!"

"That makes sense too. Nobody ever said there were only two roads we could take!"

Nunu jogged forward, picked up the flute from the snow, wiped it clean, and tucked it into his clothes. Then he turned to Willump. "Then let's take this road. What do you think, Willump?"

Willump would naturally never refuse Nunu's request.

So, he reached out with his big hands, placed Nunu on his head, then patted his big belly. With an "awoo," Willump charged forward and leaped up.

With one jump, he rose over four yards. Willump's large claws broke through the snow, his sharp talons sinking into the hard frozen earth. One claw, then another, he began climbing upward.

Four big arms really were more suited to mountain climbing than two!

"You're amazing, Willump!" Nunu laughed loudly. Deep down, he loved adventure and excitement, so of course the current situation made him happy.

Two hours later, by the time even Willump, this ancient yeti, was beginning to feel completely exhausted, they finally climbed up the mountain.

But the snowy mountains stretched on and on. To head toward Winged Mountain, Nunu remembered Mom saying that climbing up the mountain was only the beginning. Next, they had to follow the mountain range, walk along winding paths, and climb toward an even higher place.

The legendary Anivia was an ice crystal phoenix. What was a phoenix? It should be a bird, right? And if it was a bird, then of course it would live in high places.

Naturally, Anivia's ruins would be at the highest point of the Freljord.

Willump lay down in the snow, and Nunu lay on top of him. Both of them were resting. Willump's body was warm and soft, and after cheering Willump on for two hours, Nunu already felt tired. Thinking about it, sleepiness came over him, and Nunu wanted to sleep on Willump for a while.

But before Nunu could enter dreamland, Willump suddenly grabbed Nunu, placed him behind himself, and let out a fierce roar. His eyes glared into the white clouds and mist ahead.

Baring his teeth and bristling his whiskers, Willump roared again.

"What? Willump, you're saying there's an enemy?" Nunu jolted awake, rubbed his eyes, and hid behind Willump as he spoke.

"Roar!"

Willump roared again. Then, he picked up a large rock from the ground and threw it forward.

The rock shot ahead like a cannonball, but in the next instant, there was a crisp smack. After that, even more water vapor spread out and froze into icy sand.

Rustling ice crystals blocked their vision. The temperature on the snowy mountain was already very low, and now, with a large amount of water vapor appearing, the temperature became even lower. At the same time, the dry environment turned damp and cold.

Nunu could not help shivering, and he instinctively reached out and hugged Willump's big foot.

The thought in his mind was, this would make things much warmer. Willump was a big, warm, fluffy monster!

And in the next moment, Nunu really did feel warmth. What he did not know was that this was not something Willump had given him. It was Nunu unconsciously using his own ability.

Turning fantasy into reality.

"Go back. This is not a place where you should come."

Awkward, clumsy Freljordian rang out, making Nunu widen his eyes.

Then, in the next moment, a tall woman with dark skin and thin clothing walked out of the mist.

Her deep, night-sky-black hair fell freely over her bare shoulders. Her skin was not like that of the Freljordians, pale enough to glow. Instead, it carried a healthy wheat tone. Her face was slender, her eyes glittered with brilliant light, and beneath her small, delicate nose, there was an upward curve to her lips. She was smiling, and her smile was beautiful.

"She's so pretty…" Nunu said instinctively.

"…" Nilah stopped walking and looked at Nunu with admiration.

You have good taste, little guy!

When I whip your butt later, I'll go a little easier on you!

Her whip-blade danced, stirring up a large amount of water vapor. Nilah lifted her head proudly and imitated Lissandra's voice and manner as she spoke. "Go back."

"I, I'm Nunu!" Seeing that the other person was human and could be spoken to, Nunu was no longer so nervous. He gathered his courage, looked at her, and stepped out from behind Willump. Standing side by side with Willump, he rose onto his tiptoes and said loudly, "Hello! I want to go to Winged Mountain. Can you let me pass?"

"Roar!" Willump nodded and roared beside him, as though saying, exactly.

"Can't you understand me? I said, go back," Nilah said coldly.

"The road ahead is closed." As Nilah spoke, she thought of the lines Logan had arranged for her. While Willump and Nunu were disappointed and not paying attention, she quickly lowered her head and glanced at the palm of her hand, Winged Mountain is extremely dangerous. It is not a place you can go. Unless you can prove your strength to me.

"Winged Mountain is very dangerous. It is not a place you two little guys can go, unless you can prove your strength to me."

Nilah recited the lines, then returned to her cold demeanor.

It was just that the smile hanging at the corner of her mouth looked very strange.

"Prove ourselves?" Nunu first looked at Nilah in confusion.

"Roar!" Willump roared beside him, and his big claws slapped hard against the ground.

"Willump says he's not a little guy!" Hearing Willump's cry, Nunu shouted loudly.

The corner of Nilah's mouth twitched, and she rolled her eyes.

This was not like the entrance scene she had imagined.

Forget it. He was just a child, and one whose thought process was the same as hers!

The whip-blade swung. Using a portion of her strength, Nilah sent a water blade from her whip-blade flying toward Nunu and Willump. The water vapor on the snowy mountain grew increasingly abundant. As Nilah walked forward, waving her whip-blade, the thick snow on the ground melted, and beneath the boots Nilah stepped onto the ground with, something like a water mirror seemed to appear.

No, it was not an illusion. It really had appeared!

"Waaaaah!"

Nunu screamed, because his feet had already stepped into water. The entire snowy mountain had turned into a small lake!

The water flowed past his ankles and continued rising. This strange change frightened Willump too. He anxiously grabbed Nunu and placed him on his head, then lowered his body and charged at Nilah.

When he had taken Nunu through the forest and fought that giant bear before, this was exactly what he had done!

"Foolish." Nilah speechlessly swung her whip-blade. The next instant, Willump's enormous body flew backward.

"Willump, are you okay?"

The big one and the little one landed and splashed up water. Willump let out a pained sound, and Nunu hurriedly climbed onto him to ask.

"Why are you doing this?" Nunu looked at Nilah and shouted.

"Didn't I already say it?" Nilah picked at her ear with her little finger, then blew away some nonexistent debris before saying with a grin, "This road is closed, little guy."

"If you want to pass, then find a way to defeat me!"

As she spoke, Nilah spread both hands. Magic surged from her heart toward her arms. Under the blue glow, a massive wave appeared behind Nilah.

"Then, goodbye, little guys."

With a wild laugh, Nilah swung her arms.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

A wave dozens of yards high suddenly appeared on the snowy mountain, carrying violent wind, stones, trees, and frozen earth as it swept up the two living beings, one large and one small.

"Willump!"

"Roar, roar!"

Washed by the wave, Willump endured the impact and held Nunu tightly in his arms. Nunu also clutched the fur on Willump's chest with all his strength. Then, Willump and Nunu were swept down the snowy mountain.

"Hey, Logan, that's enough, right?"

After doing all this, Nilah looked upward.

"Enough? I think you went a little overboard." Logan and Lissandra appeared. Logan looked at Nilah speechlessly as he spoke.

"I did tell you to stop them from advancing, yes, but didn't I also say that your first priority wasn't blocking them, but letting them grow?" Logan said to Nilah.

He remembered that he had not said it wrong, right?

"They were too weak. I already reduced my strength. What else do you want me to do?" Nilah shrugged and said indifferently.

She really had held back. But even though she had held back, Nunu and Willump still could not withstand it. What was she supposed to do about that?

After hearing this, Logan sighed.

True.

If Nilah got even slightly serious, then when that whip lashed out, it would not be as simple as Willump flying away and feeling pain. One whip could have turned Willump into Will-half.

Yetis were indeed powerful creatures. Their bodies were so strong that they were not inferior to the trolls of the Freljord. Not only that, yetis were not merely physically powerful, they were also creatures capable of using magic.

True Ice was the yetis' greatest weapon. As creatures loved by Anivia, they possessed the ability to control True Ice. But… even so, placed in front of Nilah, Willump was still only a slightly larger ant.

Nilah was someone who could kill demigods. If Anivia behind Willump came out, then Nilah would have to back down, but… just Willump?

Don't joke around.

So, Logan could only say helplessly, "There's been a slight change in the plan, but there's no real problem."

"What are you planning to do?" Lissandra asked Logan.

"I'll go help Nunu a little. We have to make him think of a way to get past Nilah," Logan said after thinking for a moment.

Originally, Ornn had been the one responsible for this line, but now… there was no Volibear blocking the way, and instead it had become Nilah blocking the way. Then without Ornn, switching to me, Logan, should also be fine, right?

"It's time for me to step in." Logan pointed at his own face.

Seeing this, Lissandra clicked her tongue, then raised her hand and vanished on the spot.

Nilah blinked and said, "Did you upset her?"

Logan glanced at Nilah and said nothing.

Nilah continued on her own, "It's fine. That ice cube face is always like that. She doesn't know how to smile like me. She wears that sour face all day, like someone owes her mon—"

"Mmph mmph mmph!"

Logan looked at Nilah, who was panicking and covering her mouth, and raised an eyebrow.

Nilah really was quite stupid sometimes. If she did not speak and only stood there smiling, she looked mysterious and powerful, like a beautiful, arrogant cat. But the moment she opened her mouth, a childish, dramatic kind of foolishness came out.

Then again, if she were not stupid, she would not have foolishly run off to pick a fight with Volibear and almost been swatted to death by him.

Logan looked downward. A gentle wind blew, and he vanished from the snowy mountain with it.

"Mmph?"

Nilah covered her mouth and looked left and right, then discovered that she was the only one left.

Angrily stomping her foot, she also vanished from the place.

Cold… so cold!

With a shiver, Nunu struggled to get up. Then he discovered that he was lying on Willump.

Willump had fallen unconscious, which made Nunu anxious. He slapped Willump's big belly hard, so worried that he even forgot to observe the environment around him.

"Willump, Willump!"

"Wake up!"

Nunu anxiously tried to wake Willump.

But Willump could not respond to him.

Nunu was so anxious that he was about to cry.

Then, a voice rang out beside Nunu.

"You won't wake him up like that."

Hearing the voice, Nunu turned his head and saw a familiar figure glowing with green light.

"You… it's you?"

"Good to see you again, child," Logan, whose entire body was shrouded in green light, said softly.

All right. Nilah, the mini-boss blocking the road, had left the stage. Now appearing was,

Logan, the mysterious old mentor who was about to present the young protagonist with an opportunity.

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