NOVEL NEXT Chapter 599
Mohe City, located at the northernmost tip of China.
Despite the chilly temperature of minus 15 degrees, tourists were happily skiing and enjoying their leisure time.
In winter, the daylight hours are extremely short.
Hence, lunchtime naturally becomes the busiest time for people.
“Ugh… Damn it’s freezing. I want to go home and order some spicy hot pot right now, okay?”
The ski lift worker, Yangyang, couldn’t believe her eyes.
A Pomeranian was skiing down with its owner on a snowboard.
“Wow, how can a dog… ride so well?”
“Hey Yangyang! Go tell that jerk that pets are not allowed in the ski resort!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After enjoying some exercise, the Pomeranian proudly squatted and did its business right on the pure white snow.
Yangyang stopped the oblivious owner who was trying to pass by.
“Excuse me, sir. Pets are not allowed at this ski resort.”
“What? Is it your job to tell me? I’ll handle it myself.”
The ringing voice of a woman pierced Yangyang’s ears.
‘Oh, this has got to be a notorious troublemaker.’
A wealth of accumulated data always proved to be correct.
Still, she kept a smile on.
“I’m sorry, but that area is for the lift line. The exit is that way.”
“Jeez, what a hassle. I can just put it in my bag before I ride. Are you happy now, miss?”
“Pets are fundamentally prohibited. Please leave your dog at the resort and come back later.”
“Why are you making such a fuss? I’ve been skiing here for over ten years.”
“By the way, could you clean up that smelly poop? The dog takes after the owner and has no shame.”
“What did you just say?”
“Growl woof woof!”
In the battle of wits against the troublemaker, Yangyang was holding her ground. Especially against a dog.
As the two raised their voices and the dog barked hard in the middle,
the troublemaker took off her helmet and threw her aura at Yangyang.
Thump-
“Ugh!”
The crowd stirred.
With a dull sound, Yangyang’s body was knocked backward.
She landed hard and grabbed her aching arm.
‘Did she just throw her aura at me? My arm hurts like hell…!’
Yangyang was a woman who had trained in martial arts back in the day.
If a regular person were hit by that aura in a helmet, they’d likely have broken bones.
The troublemaker, holding her Pomeranian, flicked her long red hair.
“Tsk tsk, you’ve messed with the wrong person today. Should I shut down the ski resort for the rest of winter due to violations of safety checks, labor standards, and sanitation? I’m from the Northern School in Harbin!”
Yangyang swallowed hard, grimacing.
She vaguely recalled hearing that school’s name somewhere.
But she knew their skills were the real deal.
It was not uncommon in China for groups to take over businesses using their force and legal power.
Suddenly, the ski resort’s caretaker rushed in, bowing his head.
“Hmph, I need to hear an apology from that girl, don’t I?”
“Apologize, Yangyang! Right now!”
“…”
“Hurry up and apologize, or I’ll fire you!”
“What does fired mean, Uncle? If you close for three months, you’d have to sue the part-timer for damages.”
“W-Well… sure, sue you… Besides, you don’t have any money. Just swallow your pride!”
But Yangyang.
Even as she struggled in life due to a wrong start,
she had never bowed her head before injustice.
Her long and slender middle finger popped up.
“Do not say I don’t have money. I’m actually earning money both yesterday and today.”
“Has your brain checked out?!”
The mage from the Northern School was furious, swinging her fist.
Yangyang wrapped herself in her aura as thickly as possible.
However, given her opponent was a skilled fighter, safety was not guaranteed.
‘Damn, from the looks of her, she seems like a rich kid. Hope she gives me a hefty settlement…’
As those shallow thoughts flashed through her mind,
Whoooosh-
Soft mana brushed against Yangyang’s nose.
A palm suddenly popped out of the mist, accompanied by an avalanche of magic power.
‘Whose technique is this…?’
[Baguazhang (八卦) – Youyun Palm (游雲掌)]
Boom-!
The shockwave sent snow flying in all directions.
‘Did someone just fly?!’
Yangyang was left dumbfounded.
The seemingly skilled mage flew over ten meters and plowed into the snow.
The woman quickly regained her senses, jumped up, and yelled.
“Ugh… Who just hit me with their aura? Who dared to use martial arts in front of the Northern School… Huh!”
There’s a limit to how much one can bully people based on status.
“What century do you think this is? Bullying innocent citizens by using your school? Northern School?”
The girl who said this was donning a thin robe in 2053’s freezing minus 15 degree temperature.
If she wasn’t silly, there was only one answer.
“Are you from the Mudang Sect?”
“Is that kid possibly the successor of the Mudang Sect…?”
She was bound to rise as the peak of 34 million martial artists in the future.
“It’s been a while, Yangyang unnie. I had a hard time finding you because you’ve changed your name so many times.”
The resort caretaker dropped his jaw.
How could a simple ski lift worker be the successor of the Mudang Sect?
“Is this the person Ruohan was looking for?”
Narita Mei followed up, revealing herself.
The ski resort was buzzing with the sound of cameras clicking.
“Why are you running away? If you’re innocent, just stay still.”
“Ahhh!”
“China’s security really is terrible.”
Taking advantage of the confusion, Narita Hiroyuki snagged the escaping mage from the Northern School with a ski pole.
As this dramatic situation unfolded, Yangyang’s circuits fried.
“When do you finish working part-time? We’ll be waiting.”
The fragile girl who had lived in a trash heap had now become a lady taller than herself.
Yangyang took a glance back and spoke.
The resort caretaker gasped.
“I was just about to quit because I was so sick of it.”
*
After a long-awaited sweet holiday.
But thanks to her ingrained habit of waking up early, her eyes opened on their own at 6 AM.
Stretching her arms while gazing at the starry sky outside the window, she took a deep breath.
“Come on, Polaris, give me strength.”
Ughhh… Just a bit more… Ahhh!
She stretched with all her might before stepping into the capsule.
It was a hope that maybe she’d grow a little taller and optimize her state.
She wasn’t sure if it worked, though.
[Private Room]
[NoName]
[
Dreaming Mode]
[Activation: Alchemist’s Mirror]
The memories shown to me by the Alchemist’s Mirror are different every day.
But generally, it goes back and forth between four or so scenes, and today showed last year around this time.
On a snowy day, we had turkey meat for dinner.
Saetbyeol lost the game of catching thieves, so she had to do the dishes, while I snuggled up next to Dad, endlessly watching the heavy snow fall.
I felt like I could calmly start the day today.
“Wait, is it snowing right now?”
The white fluffy blanket began to pile up on the window sill.
As if a hole had opened in the sky, snow began to fall heavily.
I opened the door to the side room and headed to Saetbyeol’s bed.
She was blissfully deep in sleep, unaware of my presence.
“Should I give her a call?”
Today, I invited some special guests to Ricci Mansion for Monica.
I was technically a guest here too, so it felt a bit odd.
But who cares?
This place feels like home now, so it shouldn’t matter.
“Hello? Hey, where are you right now?”
Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden were just two weeks away from the European Super Cup.
I supported Monica a lot because she was getting a lot of lip service.
But honestly, I couldn’t assure her victory either. I just dove in headfirst.
If Monica performs poorly beyond expectation and makes the same mistake, I’m left with no way out.
Before that, I’d have to forcibly break down the walls standing in her way.
[We just entered Italian airspace. Huh? Yeah, I’m on a call with Na-me, do you want me to switch?]
[&*!#&$!&@]
[Anyway, I think we’ll get there in about two hours.]
[Na-me-chan! We’ll be there soon!]
The voices of Lyu Ruohan and Narita Mei alternated.
“That’s great. Then let’s have lunch together here. Be careful on your way.”
A few days ago, the Narita siblings mentioned they’d found Ruohan’s benefactor from their childhood.
Their past was tumultuous, having once run a food business in Heilongjiang Province.
Before her name change to Long Yangyang, her sister who became a sensation among Chinese netizens had a scandalous background.
[Don’t say I don’t have money. I’m actually earning money both yesterday and today.]
Standing boldly against the upper class, saying as much made a significant statement.
Despite the collapse of the Communist Party, oppression against the common people persisted.
And it shed light on the rampant class inequality in society.
“Hello?”
I continued calling other friends besides them.
The participants I faced in the National Exchange Tournament were my targets.
Li Wei Huning Jr. couldn’t make it due to scheduling conflicts while Suphian Omar Hakim didn’t even reply.
“I’m surprised by the participation rate, though.”
By the way, I hadn’t mentioned yet why we were all meeting up either.
About 15 minutes later, Saetbyeol’s ear twitched slightly.
“Mmm… Why am I in my bed… I can’t sleep…”
She pulled the pillow over her head and curled up.
“Let’s go have a snowball fight!”
“Whaaa? Is it snowing outside?”
“Yep. It started coming down a lot just now.”
“Oh wow, awesome!”
I don’t know why, but Saetbyeol was glowing with excitement.
I needed to start preparing to welcome the guests.
*
Katsuhata Emika received Na-me’s email and rushed over.
This felt very personal and private, which added to her unease.
Hence, she was the first to arrive at Ricci Mansion.
However, her expression was like a deflated soda bottle; all vitality had vanished.
“I flew 9800 km just for a snowball fight…? Na-me, is this really correct?”
[NoName]
[Just Chatting – Snowball Fight]
[Broadcasting Time – 0:14:14]
[Number of Viewers – 270,695]
– What a luxurious casting, lol
– Emika looks so confused, haha
– Are they training for submissiveness, Na-me?
– ???: She actually came when called
– Bringing martial arts competitors for a snowball fight, wtf, lol
– Is today the day someone dies?