Chapter 146: Rugged Mountain Road
2014-12-24
Author: Zhuseng Futou
The howling cold wind enveloped the valley.
The girl was stronger than Soren had imagined. By the time dawn broke, she was already awake. Noticing that she was sleeping on Soren’s thigh, she blushed slightly but showed no signs of bashfulness; she simply stood up quietly and began tearing away the bits and pieces on her clothes. This included the lace trim of her delicate gown, some ribbons that hindered her movement, and she quickly pulled her hair into a single ponytail, then simply coiled it up. She used ribbons to tie the cuffs of her pants, and soon her appearance became much more capable.
This action revealed a hint of admiration in Soren’s eyes as he silently nodded and handed her a longsword.
Nobles studied the Six Arts, including literature, calligraphy, poetry, dance, etiquette, horseback riding, and swordsmanship. The girl before him, as a princess of Arendelle, must have learned these Six Arts, and she should have some basic proficiency in swordplay, though lacking practical combat ability. Don’t be fooled by Gloria’s rare involvement in fights; when it comes to life-and-d*ath struggles, she could still display decent sword skills. The girl in front of him was similar—she had just been too pampered before.
Never underestimate the women in this world.
Chauvinism might work in the past world, but here, if you flaunt a macho attitude, Northern Witches will have you strung up. After the Northern Witches are done, they would move on to thrash the Drow, and once the Drow are finished, the Amazon Female Warriors would continue, and when the Amazon Female Warriors are done, there would be Sea Nymph Naga to beat you further, guaranteed to rid you of any cocky chauvinist thoughts. 【Note: Countless males have been face-slapped in the Underdark!】
Women hold a dominant position in this world.
This situation can be illustrated by two facts: First, the number of queens in this world; they firmly hold about one-third of the highest ruling positions. Second, the female deities who approach strong divine power. Among the deities that possess near-strong divine power, more than 60% are female, and many of them are more powerful than a significant number of male deities! Just the names alone, you could randomly list a bunch with your eyes closed—Mother Earth, Agricultural Goddess, Lady Silver Moon, Lady of the Night, Goddess of Magic, Fire Queen (Elemental Goddess), Goddess of Joy, Goddess of Love, Goddess of Wealth, Goddess of Luck, Spider Queen…
Anyone who has seen the divine roster from ancient texts about the Pantheon will definitely lose any notions of chauvinism.
Women are stronger than you think. Their Soul Marks belong to felines [dangerous creatures], especially after avoiding the monthly bleeding buff due to their mastery of extraordinary powers. Even if they experienced the bleeding state each month, you wouldn’t necessarily be stronger than them; now, they can rely on their strength to avoid that state altogether. Competing with them is even harder. Especially in the fields of life, reproduction, and nurturing, female deities almost completely dominate, which is the core strength of racial reproduction!
The highest deity of the halflings is a female guardian, while the highest deity of the Drow is the Spider Queen. If the ancient life goddess hadn’t fallen, the current Elven Deity would still be hidden away in some corner; at least 75% of the Elven Pantheon is controlled by female deities, and even the current Elven Deity often shifts between male and female.
Women.
Heh! Do you know why women become stronger than men as they age? Because they no longer have that monthly bleeding buff!
Soren once had a near-d*ath experience in the Underdark, getting face-slammed by female Drow to the point he was left speechless.
Once, a popular saying circulated in taverns: “A masculine chauvinist must visit the Underdark; that is their paradise, and also their hell!”
When you see those males kept as s*xual slaves by female elves, your expression will definitely be spectacular.
……
Soren had completely learned his lesson in the Underdark.
In the past, he rarely harmed women, but if now tasked with taking down a female enemy, he wouldn’t blink an eye.
The road in the valley was very rugged; Soren managed fairly well. The girl following him, however, was struggling a bit. At some point, her foot slipped, and her knee was cut open, instantly causing her eyes to well with tears. If Soren hadn’t swiftly grabbed her arm, she would have likely tumbled down several meters. The girl seemed a bit stubborn; despite limping in pain, she clenched her teeth and continued behind him.
Soren, unable to bear it any longer, found a sheltered spot to stop, bent down, and began treating her wound.
“Don’t move.”
Soren took out bandages and ointment; perhaps because he frequently got injured himself, his medical skills had surprisingly improved the most among all his basic skills. He hadn’t spent a single skill point on it, and it was now nearing forty or fifty points in medical proficiency.
The girl’s skin was very good—fair, delicate, and smooth, feeling like silk to the touch.
But precisely because her skin was so good, it was almost fragile, which wasn’t a compliment. When Soren took off her shoes, he saw an array of red marks; even a slight brush against a stone left red streaks on Princess Anna’s skin, with some spots leaking a little bl**d due to broken capillaries. Her slender, fair palms had almost never done any heavy work, and the thickness of her palm’s skin was less than one-third of Soren’s.
What did this mean?
It meant her body’s resistance was like that of a porcelain doll; a slight touch would result in red marks, bruises, or bleeding.
People are shaped by their experiences.
Newborn infants are extremely fragile; their skin is weak, and even contact with something soft could leave red marks. Now, Princess Anna resembled a newborn; her skin had been overly pampered in the past, and even the cold wind could create tiny red marks on her face. As Soren rolled up her pant leg to bandage her wound, her fair calves already bore twenty or thirty red marks and bruises, almost all from rocks she brushed against while walking.
And this was still with her wearing clothes!
Soren began to doubt what kind of life she had lived. Her body had been so well protected that she lacked even the slightest resistance to harm.
Fortunately, her constitution was decent; the red marks appeared quickly but faded just as fast.
If she had exercised zero in the past and had a poor physique, those red marks and bruises might have taken a long time to heal. As a seasoned adventurer, he naturally wouldn’t hold too high expectations for a pampered princess, but seeing her current state, Soren hesitated and said: “How about I find a safe place for you to stay? I will prepare enough food and supplies for you. You can stay there for a few days, and I’ll come back to find you.”
“Don’t!” The girl tensed up upon hearing this, and immediately grabbed his fingers, her voice trembling, moisture filling her beautiful big eyes, and she said pitifully: “Don’t leave me! … I can walk! …”
Soren sighed and slowly said: “Alright. Let’s rest for a bit, and then we’ll continue on our way.”
This rugged terrain was troublesome for him to carry one person.
Some areas were too steep to traverse, so he had to climb with his bare hands, and the girl before him had almost no wilderness experience; if it weren’t for her decent stamina, he would be tearing his hair out at how challenging this was. Their rest didn’t last long—fearing Soren would leave her behind in this desolate mountain, Princess Anna expressed she could walk after catching her breath, though she still limped a bit.
Her eyes were misty; she likely had never endured such hardships in her life, feeling inexplicably aggrieved.
Perhaps distracted for a moment, she stumbled again and fell straight into the snow, her hair covered in dirt and ice. She must have felt truly wronged and upset; after falling, she didn’t get back up but lay there sobbing into the snow, leaving a wet stain on the ground.
“Are you okay?”
Soren approached, intending to help her up, but the girl, in a huff, shrugged off his hand, tearfully saying: “Don’t bother with me! … Just go! … I’m so useless! … I’ll definitely drag you down! … Sister! … Wuwuwu! … Anna is so sad! … Anna is so scared! … Wuwuwu! …”
She was indeed just a child.
Soren squatted nearby, watching the girl cry incessantly, shook his head, sighed, and then one arm went around her neck while the other went under her knees, lifting her up. She probably weighed around ninety pounds, which was a bit taller than other girls her age. This weight was barely within the limits of his stamina, but it definitely didn’t allow for energy-free movement. Carrying her like this would inevitably reduce his stamina over time, making climbing and walking difficult.
The girl let out an “ah” as she was picked up, then felt her world spin in Soren’s arms.
“Here.”
Soren turned her around and placed her on his back, speaking in a deep voice: “Wrap your arms around my neck; I’ll carry you as we continue. Hurry! Unless you want me to leave you here.”
The girl hesitated for a moment, then carefully wrapped her arms around his neck.
And so they advanced together.
In the midst of the swirling wind and snow, Soren helplessly carried this pampered princess forward, his speed halved. Her face was streaked with tears, but there was a hint of a smile; her mixed expression of crying and laughing was rather comical, yet she obediently held onto Soren’s neck and scooched her body against his back.
The cold wind in the mountain was fierce!
She unconsciously leaned closer to Soren’s back, her nose occasionally making hiccup-like sounds as she struggled to stifle her sobs.
If she continued crying like this, she might not be able to compose herself for a while.
……………(To be continued ~^~)
