Chapter Sixty-Six: The Blizzard

A brand new day.

Though it was not yet winter, a biting wind swept outside.

After finishing his basic spiritual vision studies with the aid of a potion, Chen Qi opened the New Sun game.

A white line of text appeared:

[You slowly open your eyes, a snowflake falls onto your face.]

Has it snowed in District 8 of New Capital?

Chen Qi exhaled softly. The weather was indeed cold, but he possessed a trait that resisted the chill.

Yet the next line of text slapped him in the face:

[The thin clothes you wear are unable to ward off the cold; you are now in a low-cold state.]

Is it really that cold… Chen Qi considered for a moment and clicked on the Scorching Potion.

[Feeling the cold, you take the Scorching Potion from your bag.]

[The heat from the potion brings you considerable comfort.]

[You rise and look out the window. In just a single night, the world has been brushed with a coat of white.]

[Morningstar’s appraisal: You are now in the midst of the Calamity Snowman Blizzard.]

[Snowman Blizzard:
Calamity Type: Weather (Torrential, Level 7)
Description: It is the vanguard of the vanguard of the Dead River, extinguishing the last embers before the world withers away.
Calamity Overview: During the calamity, blizzards will fall ceaselessly.
When you are in a high-cold state and struck by the calamity's icy wind, your body will partially snowmanize, and you will be attacked by special creatures within the calamity.]

This is…

Chen Qi rested his chin in thought.

The Calamity Black Rain would bring attacks from shadow beasts the moment you touched its water, but this weather-type calamity triggered special effects when the temperature dropped too low.

From what he had seen, the calamities in the game were far more perilous than those in reality.

Neither the calamities he had encountered nor those reported on the forums could compare with the game’s dangers.

Chen Qi recalled that in his foresight dream, during a wind-level Black Rain calamity, he had not just been pursued by a single shadow beast, but by a vast tide of them!

Now, the level had become torrential, three levels higher than before.

However, he was no longer the Night Watchman who had once been trampled by shadow beasts. Still, given the peculiarities of these calamities, he needed to keep warm and guard against the cold.

Calamities could not be underestimated…

A single Scorching Potion might not suffice—he realized he’d need more ways to keep warm.

After all, his Black Fire skill could not provide warmth; it only made the cold colder. Using it recklessly might freeze him to death.

[Knock knock! Outside, a young apprentice alchemist gently rapped on the door.]

["Herbalist, I’ve brought you some clothes," she said softly from outside.]

[You open the door. It’s the same apprentice who had previously researched the Dancing Potion. She was wrapped tightly in a heavy coat of ox hair, looking like a small round ball.]

[Seeing you open the door, she happily carried in a bundle of thick woolen clothes.]

[She beamed as she told you she had successfully concocted the Frenzied Dancing Potion! She sold it to a flower-seeker and earned three whole white daycoins, allowing her to buy new ingredients for her next experiment.]

[She explained that these warm clothes were delivered by a courier, crafted overnight by the weavers of the Black River Prison.]

[You have received a coat made of giant ox hair.]

[You have received a hat made of giant ox hair.]

Chen Qi checked the properties of the two items.

A gift of clothes, too…

He rubbed his hands together, genuinely feeling that the treatment here was vastly superior to what he'd experienced at the Night Watchman headquarters.

Examining their stats, both items were made from the wool of so-called giant oxen, providing extra warmth and increased resistance to cold.

With these layered over his innate resistance, he was well-prepared to face the blizzard that swept across New Capital.

He directed his game character to put on the new clothes.

[You don the heavy ox-wool coat, and immediately feel much warmer.]

[Seeing you dressed, the apprentice alchemist said, "Herbalist, it’s a blizzard outside. Money is important, but you must also look after your safety. Don’t take on dangerous tasks.

Many herbalists I know have died venturing into perilous places, never to return, never to see the warmth of the days to come."]

She added that if he ever needed money, he could come to her—though she rarely had any savings.

"Stay alive, Herbalist."

Chen Qi was taken aback. The people at the Tower of Medicine were surprisingly considerate.

But as a player, development came first. He couldn’t halt his progress in the game just because of a blizzard.

Under this calamity, his talent [Morningstar’s Seeking] would shine as well.

Chen Qi guided his character to the quest board as usual.

[You bid farewell to the apprentice alchemist, your breath steaming in the cold as you walk towards the quest board.]

[You trudge through deep snow. Outside the Tower of Medicine, many people are busy, preparing for winter and trying to save their herbs.]

[Suddenly, you are startled to find a crowd of unrelated onlookers gathered in front of the quest board.]

Chen Qi blinked in surprise. What had happened?

[Curious, you approach, only to find that aside from the usual tasks, portraits of strange-looking people are plastered over the board.]

[You look on with curiosity.]

[Please choose: Do you wish to inquire about the situation?]

Yes.

[You ask a courier resting by the roadside.]

[Noticing your herbalist insignia, the courier warmly explains.]

[Those are wanted posters for escaped criminals.]

[Wanted posters? You’re shocked. You remember that no one has ever broken out of Black River Prison in the past ten years.]

[The courier sips a cup of hot floral tea and explains: these are not escapees from inside Black River Prison—no one ever escapes from there. They are criminals being transported from other districts to Black River Prison.]

Chen Qi recalled from various forum posts that in any district, once someone was deemed a criminal, they either died or were sent to Black River Prison.

Black River Prison housed all the criminals of New Capital, which explained its enormous size.

[To think there would be criminals on the run—you press further for details.]

[The courier explains: this batch of prisoners was being escorted by the giant crows, but as they entered District 8, they were struck by a terrifying calamity, wounding the entire flock.]

[Seizing the chaos, the criminals leapt from the crows and began their escape.]

[Simultaneously, an incident inside Black River Prison prevented the Hunters from being dispatched quickly.]

[The courier gazes up at the falling snow. Time is running out, he says. If the criminals freeze to death out here, the prison will suffer great losses.]

Chen Qi thought for a moment. Black River Prison, though called a prison, was unlike any normal one.

The prison did not want its criminals to die—not out of mercy, but because every criminal was a precious resource.

As for what Black River Prison did with its inmates, that remained an unsolved riddle; the players on the forum had all sorts of theories.

The only certainty was that these criminals suffered terribly… Chen Qi continued reading.

[Your gaze shifts to the quest board, and you notice that even the lowest bounty is a generous five white daycoins!]

[Moreover, some special wanted posters offer additional rewards.]

[You don’t even need to capture the criminals—providing enough clues will suffice.]

[As long as you help return living prisoners to the prison, you will be rewarded.]

["Herbalist, it’s a snowstorm out there. Even the Trackers are hindered by the poor visibility, and no one’s found a single trace.

Some of those criminals are terrifyingly strong—no ordinary person can handle them, save for the Hunters," the courier advises, sipping hot tea.]

[You are not deterred and continue to study the quest board.]

["Herbalist, it seems you, like me, are not content with idleness. If you truly wish to hunt these criminals, as a friend, I can offer some advice."]

[He offers to share more information about the criminals in exchange for a moon silver coin.]

[Please choose: Do you wish to trade one moon silver coin for advice?]

Chen Qi considered. If he could find these criminals, he could make a handsome profit, and his Morningstar’s Seeking talent would make the search much easier.

A little advice would do no harm.

Yes.

[You hand over a moon silver coin.]

["Straightforward, friend!" the courier grins, and begins to share information.]

[He tells you that each criminal has a different charge, but many are powerful monsters!

Some are so formidable that even the Hunters cannot defeat them. If you want to track down these criminals, focus on those with lesser fighting ability.]

[The courier shares that he knows of several such criminals—though their bounties are high, they lack the skills to escape or survive in dangerous places. With luck, you might just stumble upon them!]

One line after another appeared.

As Chen Qi read the information about these criminals, his eyes suddenly lit up!

Perhaps this could solve the problem of the Black Prison Book…