Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 825: 496

At this very moment, Qing Chen was trudging through the snow-capped mountains, following his predetermined goal, searching for the most suitable place to complete his life-and-death trial.

Although experiencing life and death is the key point of the life-and-death trial, it does not mean that the Knights do no preparation work at all.

Before the challenge, planning the route is a task that every Knight must do.

The Hida Mountains are a very suitable place for skiing. Even in May, the main peak of Mount Okuhotaka remains snow-covered throughout the year.

Mount Okuhotaka (elevation 3,190 meters), Mount Karasawa (elevation 3,103 meters), Mount Kitahotaka (3,106 meters), Mount Mae-hotaka (3,090 meters), Mount Nishi-hotaka (2,909 meters).

These peaks together are called the Hotaka Mountain Range. Although their heights are not as tall as Mount Fuji, the many extremely steep cliff faces make the climbing difficulty far surpass that of Mount Fuji.

Some peaks, when viewed from a distance, look like a kitchen knife standing upright among the mountains. Walking along the ridgeline feels like dancing on the edge of a blade.

Many stories of falling to one’s death in novels by writers from the Island Country happen here.

For example, in Inoue Yasushi’s novel “Ice Wall,” Uozu and Kobayashi fell to their deaths here.

“Ice Wall” seems to be a very descriptive name.

Qing Chen walked along the mountain path meant for skiers amidst the pristine white snow.

There were many skiers, but most stayed in the gentle slopes of the mid-mountain ski resorts, with few venturing into more dangerous areas.

The life-and-death trial cannot be completed in a ski resort. The life-and-death trial of Ice Solidification has extremely strict speed requirements; it challenges the limits of skiing speed!

So, Qing Chen set off from mid-mountain and continued to climb higher.

Not long after, a staff member from the ski resort shouted at him from the mid-mountain: “Hey, you can’t go any higher! In this weather, going to the peak will get you killed!”

Qing Chen turned his head, but the next step suddenly sank into the snow.

He swayed a few times before struggling to continue his climb.

However, Qing Chen suddenly discovered a problem: the peak he was on was covered in ‘powder snow,’ which no one could speed up on.

The conditions for forming powder snow are very strict; it requires heavy snowfall, the temperature must not be extremely low, and the condensation nuclei must not be fully frozen before they hit the ground.

When you scoop up powder snow, it can even slip through your fingers like quicksand.

Although the Hida Mountains have year-round snow, the temperature rarely drops below zero, creating a very peculiar geographical environment.

Warm, moist air from the ocean blows in, and when it encounters the cold high-altitude air over land, it precipitates as snow, accumulating fluffily on the mountains. If one’s skiing technique is not good, they might even get embedded in the snow while skiing…

If one wants to challenge skiing speed, the snow layer must be compacted very firmly.

Just like running on concrete will always be faster than running in mud.

Qing Chen frowned and continued his determined climb upward.

This time, perhaps poverty limited his imagination. He chose this place for his life-and-death trial because everyone said powder snow was the best, most suitable for skiing, and the most luxurious.

But since he had never truly skied before, he did not realize that powder snow was not suitable for the life-and-death trial.

At this moment, many skiers suddenly noticed a small black figure on the peak from the mid-mountain, slowly trudging along the mountain ridge, and they were all stunned.

What difference does it make to climb to the peak in this season compared to seeking death?

But Qing Chen did not stop; he climbed higher and higher, until he disappeared into the wind and snow.

…

…

7:50 PM.

The sky had already darkened in Shirakawa Village. Jinguji Maki glanced at the quartz clock in the house and then returned to the window, waiting eagerly at the window.

At this moment, in the paradise, the warm, yellow lights in front of the hot spring inn were all turned on.

To save electricity, the little girl had turned off the lights in the house, leaving only the light at the entrance.

This was because she worried that if Qing Chen returned late, he might not be able to find the inn if the light at the entrance was also turned off.

The skiers had already returned to Shirakawa Village. Each hot spring inn had prepared a sumptuous dinner and clean hot springs to wash away their fatigue.

This is the most comfortable time for all the skiers.

But Qing Chen had not returned yet.

No normal tourist would stay at the ski resort until this hour. Jinguji Maki began to worry.

At this moment, another group of skiers walked past the door.

The little girl opened the window, letting the wind and snow blow into the room, and waved at the skiers in the distance: “Excuse me, is there anyone still at the ski resort?”

The skiers replied: “No, we were the last group. The ski resort was closed when we left.”

“Oh, thank you…” Jinguji Maki withdrew her head, now even more worried. That brother didn’t take his snowboard, so there shouldn’t be anyone left on the mountain now. Where could he be?

Please don’t let anything happen to him.

The little girl kept glancing at the clock on the wall, then out the window. Such a kind brother, he must be a punctual person, right?

Although it was unrelated, she firmly believed it to be so.

At 7:59 PM, Jinguji Maki saw a slender figure in the distance, walking slowly out of the darkness behind the snowstorm, wearing a windbreaker.

Jinguji Maki’s eyes lit up. She quickly left the windowsill, ran to the door like the wind, taking out slippers from the shoe cabinet, and opened the door to the hot spring inn, waving to Qing Chen: “Onii-chan!”

The clear voice was caught in the wind and snow, drifting far, far away.

Qing Chen looked up at her, then lowered his head and walked through the wind and snow.

Jinguji Maki saw that Qing Chen didn’t respond to her, but she was not discouraged.

The little girl happily placed the slippers on the ground and then ran into the kitchen to bring out the prepared dishes, eating a rice ball happily at the side.

The dishes were still rice, fried fish, tamagoyaki, and miso soup.

Jinguji Maki seemingly could only make these dishes and not very well at that.

Qing Chen took off his windbreaker and sat down, earnestly finishing all the food, not leaving even a sip of soup.

The little girl asked expectantly: “Was the food good today?”

Qing Chen shook his head: “No, it wasn’t.”

The little girl: “…Oh.”

Qing Chen looked at her: “Why are you still eating rice balls? Didn’t I already prepay the rent?”

Jinguji Maki thought for a moment and said: “Grandma needs medicine money… Rice balls are very tasty. I added pickled cucumber today.”

Qing Chen was silent for a few seconds: “Where are your parents?”

Jinguji Maki said: “Daddy was giving a tour to tourists when they accidentally slipped and fell off a cliff. He was pulled down while trying to save them. Mommy remarried and went to Hokkaido. Grandma told me not to blame her. She has her own life too.”

“Aren’t you sad?” Qing Chen knew this question would hurt the little girl but still asked.

Jinguji Maki was silent for a while, then smiled: “Actually, living with Grandma is also happy. Everything will be okay. I will be as strong as Grandma. She was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, but she came back to work at the inn to make money while treating herself. She always told me, Maki, everything will be alright!”

Qing Chen knew the little girl’s life would not get better.

Lung cancer is currently one of the most difficult cancers to survive. Even the targeted drugs in the Inner World only extend the patient’s life by a few years and cannot save those in the late stages of lung cancer.

Most likely, the cancer cells had already spread throughout the little girl’s grandmother’s body.

At this moment, the grandmother was already in a coma 95% of the time, eating very little, on the verge of death.

If the grandmother passed away, how would an eight-year-old girl survive?

Jinguji Maki said to Qing Chen: “Let’s not talk about these things, Onii-chan. I paid the uncle next door to clean the hot spring pool today. The temperature is just right now. You should go soak for a while.”

“Okay,” Qing Chen nodded, leaving the little girl alone in the living room.

She returned to the window, lying on the windowsill, blinking her big eyes to look outside. There, many children were having snowball fights, building quirky snowmen in front of hot spring inns.

At this time, Qing Chen came out again and saw this scene. Jinguji Maki turned her head to look at him: “Onii-chan, what’s wrong?”

Qing Chen glanced at the figures building snowmen outside and then said to Jinguji Maki: “Make the bed.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I forgot. I’m very sorry,” Jinguji Maki took the bedding from the partition.

The bedding in the hot spring inn is stored in the cabinet every day and only taken out at night, spread out on the wooden floor.

Jinguji Maki, while making the bed, suddenly noticed Qing Chen’s hands were full of frostbite marks.

She found it strange.

This brother seemed different from other people in every way.

…

…

Morning.

Today, Jinguji Maki woke up very early. She thought she couldn’t sleep in again today. She had to make breakfast for Onii-chan.

But it was only 7:10 AM, and there was no one in Qing Chen’s room.

As yesterday, the bedding was neatly folded and placed.

And there was a note: I’ll be back before 8, save me some food.

The only difference was that the snowboard was taken this time.

Jinguji Maki felt a bit lost. She always felt that no matter how hard she tried to show her enthusiasm, she couldn’t melt the brother’s coldness.

She lowered her head slightly, feeling somewhat discouraged.

In the next moment, she put on her worn-out cotton coat, opened the door of the hot spring inn, intending to buy some fresh ingredients in Shirakawa Village.

But she saw at the entrance, a tall snowman had been built without her knowing.

On the snowman’s face, someone had used seaweed to create a nose, eyes, and a mouth.

The other hot spring inns’ snowmen were all facing outward, as if welcoming guests.

But the snowman at this inn was facing inward, as though it belonged only to Jinguji Maki, showing its back to everyone passing by.

Jinguji Maki wrapped the scarf her grandmother had knitted around her, and hopped outside happily.

…

…

Qing Chen carried his snowboard again and took the cable car to the mountains around Mount Okuhotaka. He still did not go to the ski resort but climbed higher again.

Skiers looked up and saw the familiar figure. Last night, some even worried he would die in the snow-capped mountains, but now they had become numb to it.

Qing Chen calmly reached the peak, strapped on his snowboard, and leaped downward.

Then he got stuck in the thick powder snow…

The fluffy powder snow could not support his weight, and he couldn’t even slide!

This was a mistake, but it also proved that powder snow was indeed unsuitable for completing the Ice Solidification. He needed a colder place, with firmer snow layers.

Qing Chen silently lay in the snow, gazing at the distant mountains.

Leave the Island Country?

Compared to the life-and-death trial, assassinating the Jindai seemed like a small thing. Ultimately, he had to complete his advancement, return to the A02 secret military base, and face an even harsher reality.

So, if this place wasn’t suitable, Qing Chen had to leave; nothing was more important than this.

Wait a moment.

Qing Chen stared at the jagged, knife-edged ridges of the distant mountains and suddenly thought of another life-and-death trial!

Riding the ridges, descending at high speeds, dancing on the blade!