Magic Farm 109

Chapter 109: The Power of Ice and Snow’s Origin

Qi Yu was startled. This monster could speak!

This was the first talking mutant creature he had encountered since entering the survival game.

In his previous life, in the apocalypse, he had seen countless mutant monsters and plants, but not a single one had spoken human language.

Once a monster could speak, its terror increased exponentially.

He turned to look at Tessa and saw, as expected, fear in her eyes.

Sensing Qi Yu’s questioning gaze, she shook her head. “It’s never spoken before.”

If it had, she certainly would have told him.

A gust of wind, wrapped in ice and snow, blew the door open.

A long, thin shadow stretched across the doorway.

Theodore’s large eyes brimmed with tears, his body curled into a tight ball.

Qi Yu heard a buzzing in his ears, like someone whispering, as annoying as a mosquito. He shook his head impatiently, and the irritating sound vanished.

But Theodore had already collapsed to the ground.

And Tessa, who had just been gripping her long blade, now stood frozen, unmoving, her clouded eyes wide as if she were seeing something unspeakably terrifying.

Qi Yu froze for a moment, then quickly realized: that mosquito-like noise just now… could it have been the monster’s psychic attack?

He kept his composure, standing motionless, pretending to be under its control as well.

The shadow slowly drew closer.

Qi Yu finally got a clear look at the creature.

It was over two meters tall, with a human-like upright body and limbs, but no facial features. Its entire form was made of pale blue ice crystals.

Wherever it stepped, a layer of white frost formed on the ground.

The monster clearly didn’t think anyone could escape the nightmare it had created and was quite pleased with itself: “Mage… heart… tasty…”

Seeing it enter the house, Qi Yu hesitated no longer.

He slotted the last magic crystal into the temperature-regulating magic array, setting the temperature directly to sixty degrees.

In an instant, a wave of heat engulfed Tessa’s small house and the surrounding area for hundreds of meters.

Qi Yu tossed out a water-element magic cage, wrapping Tessa and Theodore inside, temporarily shielding them from the heat.

The monster threw back its head and let out a shrill, agonized scream.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Qi Yu didn’t know just how powerful a fourth- or fifth-tier mutant might be, but he knew that every extra word at this moment would only waste the opportunity the magic array had created for him.

Mana surged.

Tier-three earth magic, “Gravity Prison,” locked the monster in place.

Tier-three wood magic, “Thorny Jungle,” caused brambles to burst from the ground, sharp thorns piercing deep into the monster’s body, pinning it where it stood.

At the same time, his left hand was busy as well.

He pulled out a stack of fire-element magic scrolls and, channeling his mana, hurled them at the monster in a relentless barrage.

-50, -30, -50, -100…

A long string of red numbers kept popping up above the Ice Demon’s head.

Qi Yu finally had a moment to glance at the survival panel’s description.

[Mutant Ice Demon: Tier Five (Pseudo). An ordinary Ice Demon that, after devouring the power of ice and snow’s origin, evolved and gained intelligence.]

Qi Yu’s first reaction: So it mutated—looks like not all Ice Demons can speak.

Second reaction: Increase the firepower.

It was still evolving. If he didn’t finish it off today, it would only become stronger in the future.

The moment the temperature-regulating magic array activated and the Ice Demon screamed, Tessa snapped out of the illusion.

Her first instinct was to rush to Qi Yu’s aid.

But what was happening before her made her realize… she was a bit redundant here.

Even protected by a layer of water magic, she could feel the temperature was abnormally high.

If it was too hot even for humans, how could a creature made of ice and snow endure it?

With the eyesight of a fourth-tier warrior, she could see clearly—the Ice Demon was melting.

Its body was doubly restrained by magic, unable to break free in time, and missing its best chance to escape. What awaited it was a full barrage of dozens of fire-element spells.

Qi Yu didn’t let up for a moment.

As long as red numbers continued to appear above the Ice Demon’s head, it meant it wasn’t dead.

If it wasn’t dead, he kept hitting it.

Right hand wielding the Heart of the Greatwood staff, he continually reinforced the binding spells.

Left hand, ceaselessly hurling scrolls.

At last, the Ice Demon threw back its head and let out a roar like a shriek.

A blizzard erupted from its body, the shockwave so powerful it sent Qi Yu flying several meters.

Hiss.

A hand shot out from beneath the snow, grasping at the air, and then a figure clawed itself out of the pit.

Qi Yu shook the snow from his body.

The Ice Demon’s final shockwave looked terrifying, but in truth, it hadn’t harmed him at all.

He’d already seen the message on his survival panel.

[Successfully killed Tier Five (Pseudo) mutant creature: Ice Demon. Reward: Brass Chest x1. Obtained Ice Crystal (Purple) x10.]

[Ice Crystal (Purple): High-grade material. Can be used for smithing, alchemy, potion-making, and more.]

In addition, he noticed a new icon had appeared on his personal panel.

[Curse of the Ice Demon: The most aggrieved Ice Demon in history, before dying, cast a curse on you. All Ice Demons now have +30 hatred toward you.]

Qi Yu was a little disappointed. He’d thought that a nearly fifth-tier mutant would drop even better loot.

At the very least, normal mutant creatures would drop plenty of edible meat.

Wait.

He sensed a faint magical fluctuation.

The Ice Demon wasn’t dead?

No—both his own senses and the survival panel’s prompt confirmed it was dead as could be.

He cautiously approached the source of the magical fluctuation.

A single drop of ice-blue liquid hovered silently in the air.

[Power of Ice and Snow’s Origin (Gold): Contains a trace of the origin of ice and snow. Edible. Effects vary by individual.]

Qi Yu: !

So this was where the real treasure was!

A gold-quality item—legendary tier.

He stowed the drop of ice and snow origin into his backpack.

Whether or not he used it, this was not the place to do so.

As soon as he collected the origin, he felt a wave of heat rush in from all directions, and, still wearing his down coat, broke into a sweat in an instant.

It was the temperature-regulating magic array.

He hadn’t felt the heat before—he’d thought maybe the Ice Demon’s self-destruction had destroyed the array’s core.

Now it seemed it was the effect of the power of ice and snow’s origin.

He hurried to dig out the magic crystals—any longer and they’d all be roasted alive.

What about Tessa and her grandson?

“Cough, cough.” A figure climbed out of the snow—it was Tessa, holding the still-unconscious Theodore in her arms.

Qi Yu looked at her, a little embarrassed. “Tessa, your house… seems to have collapsed.”

When he’d first arrived, he’d wondered: though the house was old, except for some repairs around the door, it was still in good shape.

Why would the drifting bottle give him a task to “help the lonely grandmother and grandson repair their dilapidated house”?

Now he knew: he was the one who’d turned the house into a ruin.

Drifting bottle, was this all part of your plan?

Tessa looked rather disheveled, but her face wore a smile. “You saved our lives. If the house must be blamed, blame it on the Ice Demon, not you.”

She beckoned Qi Yu. “Come quickly, the Winter Icefield’s cold nights are no joke.”

Qi Yu followed her into the half-collapsed house, watching as she found a candlestick from somewhere, lit it, and pushed open a hidden door in the kitchen, revealing a passage below.

“We’ll have to make do in the cellar tonight.”

The house-repairing task wasn’t finished, so Qi Yu couldn’t leave yet.

He looked around and sat down comfortably. “It’s spacious, safe, and keeps out the wind and snow. It’s already a very good place.”

A fire was lit, and the bright flames dispelled the cellar’s darkness.

Theodore woke up, at first panicked, but soon realized he was in his grandmother’s arms, the familiar scent of kin soothing him.

Sensing his movement, Tessa smiled gently. “Don’t be afraid, Theodore. The monster is gone. Tonight, we’ll sleep in the cellar. After tonight, everything will get better.”

“Just like before?” Theodore hugged her waist.

“Just like before. Would you like to live somewhere else?”

Qi Yu asked, “You’re planning to leave here?”

Tessa nodded. “Actually, I’d already been considering it. With Anya and Jenny gone, and myself growing old, it’s hard for me to raise Theodore alone in the Winter Icefield.”

It was just that the blizzard season had come, and she’d planned to wait it out before packing up and leaving with Theodore.

She hadn’t expected to encounter the Ice Demon.

Qi Yu looked at the well-behaved child nestled in Tessa’s arms, listening to their conversation. “You said before you wanted to entrust Theodore to your old friend?”

Tessa sighed. “That was my original thought. I couldn’t bear to leave here.”

She couldn’t bear to leave the Winter Icefield, the place where she had lived with her family all her life. Her ancestors, her dearest loved ones, all lay in this land.

She had always thought she should rest here too.

“But after this, I realized I was wrong.” Tessa sighed deeply. “Using the excuse of what’s best for him to make him lose his last family—it’s too cruel for a child.”

She looked at Qi Yu. “Thanks to your healing potions, not only did the wounds from the Ice Demon heal, but many old injuries in my body have been repaired as well.”

She set Theodore down, stood, and gave Qi Yu a formal salute. “Sir, you have saved both my and Theodore’s lives. If you do not mind, I, Tessa, am willing to sign a master-servant contract and offer you my life and loyalty.”

Qi Yu: ?

Only now did he realize that when Tessa spoke of “moving somewhere else,” she meant following him.

He shook his head and refused. “No need.”

“I told you, I accepted a commission, and I’ve already received my reward.”

Besides, he’d also gained from killing the Ice Demon.

Tessa said anxiously, “You’ve given so much… I have nothing else to offer but my life and loyalty.”

“Then live well, and raise Theodore. That’s the future I’d like to see.”

Qi Yu said, “Maybe I’ll come visit the Winter Icefield from time to time. If you really want to repay me, make sure you always have that delicious mushroom and vegetable soup ready for me, all right?”

After completing the Blackrock Mountains task, he’d unlocked the map and could visit once a month.

He thought the Winter Icefield would be the same.

Tessa choked up. “You must be a messenger sent by the gods to save me. I will be grateful to the gods and pray for you every day.”

Qi Yu, hearing this, said, “Then remember to thank the Goddess of Nature. She is the patron deity of us mages.”