soul stone

[It's the tenth day. 】

Looking out from the small round window on the hemispherical wall of the igloo, the harsh sunlight of the extreme day has just climbed to the low altitude.

【He should have thought I went somewhere else. 】Xue Ye held the golden retriever in her arms, and gently stroked the fur on its back.The master's child's thick sweater was put on her body, which made her petite.

[Adults tend to treat children lightly. ] Mazars said, 【just as they tend to treat dogs lightly.They think we don't know anything, but the opposite is true.We even know things that even they don't. 】

The Catrian woman brought her breakfast and sat down cross-legged.She was wearing a white snowflake pattern sweater with a red base, cream-yellow woolen trousers and black snow boots connected together underneath. Her skin was reddish brown due to years of ultraviolet radiation, and her thick and hard dark brown long hair was coiled behind her head. lock up.

"Fresh fish, there is nothing to entertain." She lowered her head and smiled, as if out of shyness and embarrassment.

"In any case, I'm the one who caused you trouble, Aunt Mei." Xue Ye smiled politely, "I'm not very hungry yet, you and Yemosha can eat first."

As soon as the words fell, a line of sight that seemed to be looking forward to was thrown from the side.The round-faced little boy was munching on the fish, while raising his eyelids from time to time to peek at this beautiful guest of the same age.Her skin was as white as snow, unlike anyone else in the area, she looked like a fairy in a fairy tale.

After taking a sip of hot water, Xue Ye looked towards the low doorway.

[I didn't bring the souvenir, is it okay? ] Mazars looked up and asked.

[He is also considered a good player, and he will not be fooled just by his hat.Since I want him to mistakenly think that I have gone elsewhere, taking the souvenir is not self-inflicted.Although it's a bit regrettable, it's better than being caught up by him. 】

【Mazar, I think that George Kira is not a bad person, he really wants to escort you, and he won't go back on what he says. 】

Xue Ye shook her head lightly. 【That person may be a good person, but... his employer is not trustworthy. 】

"What's the matter?" Seeing that she was hugging the dog in a daze and shaking her head again, Aunt Mei asked suspiciously, "Is it not to your taste?"

"No, no." The little girl responded with a twitch of the corner of her mouth, which looked like a wry smile.

Aunt Mei stared at her, suddenly said: "Have you found that person named Jin yet?"

"Hmm..." Xue Ye lowered her eyes, "Maybe he's not here."

"Look slowly, there is plenty of time." The hostess smiled nicely, "The boat going back will have to wait until next summer, so just live here before then."

The girl repeated: "Wait until next summer?" Her eyes widened: "Why?"

"It took you a month to come here by boat, right? It's summer to go back and forth. You can only go out in summer. In September, the sea will freeze. The boat can't move."

[There is only one boat that can go to sea here, and the rest are fishing in the offshore, so feel at ease. 】Mazars said,【No one will chase here until next summer. 】

"What's the winter like here?" Xue Ye looked at the hostess, "Is it windy?"

"Of course! The wind is so strong that you can't walk outside, and the cold is unbearable. It's useless to wrap two or three layers of thick clothes. Besides, after the middle of September, the sun will no longer be seen. It's pitch black outside. What? I can’t see them all. I hardly go out in winter.”

[The flying ship probably won't be able to come, so I'm a little relieved. ] The little girl scratched the golden retriever's chin.

"So, I have to stay here for the winter... I'm really sorry for disturbing you like this."

"It's not a big bother," Aunt Mei said with a smile. "It's just that there is a shortage of manpower. His father is always on the boat, which is the one you took when you came. Although the big boat catches a lot of fish, it can only go home once a year. , leaves before the end of summer every year, and is often overwhelmed when preparing for winter. Fortunately, Yemosha can already help a lot." She reached out her hand to touch the back of her son's head full of love.The son accepted silently as usual.

"That... I can't be exposed to the sun for a long time. It's a genetic disease, and so is my mother. And the sun is so strong here, I'm afraid my eyes will bleed after staying there for 5 minutes."

"Huh? Is it so serious?" The hostess looked disappointed.

"As long as it's out of the sun. If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

"Really..." Aunt Mei sighed, "You can't see the light, people outside are really delicate. No wonder your name is Xue Ye. So, you can't go out all summer? There is no sun in winter, but it is windy at that time, so no one can go out." Fa out..."

【She began to regret taking me in.I thought it would make me work. 】

【She might drive you away. 】

[Look. 】

Xue Ye raised her head.The hostess also just turned her head.The moment her eyes met, she suddenly seemed to be frozen, with her mouth half-opened, like a dying fish.

After a while, Aunt Mei stammered: "I can't see the light... There's nothing I can do. I have some work in the house, please help me."

"of course."

[You are such a popular kid, everyone likes you. 】

【how come.Put forward a harsh request first, and after the other party refuses, then propose an easier one, and the other party will agree more easily. 】

[However, not being able to see the light is...]

[I don't want that.will tan. 】

After finishing speaking, the little girl picked up the wooden basin, and slowly ate up the white ball of raw fish.

After breakfast, the hostess took her son out to deal with the pile of fish her husband unloaded from the boat, leaving Xue Ye alone at home.The little girl walked around the small igloo a few times, picked out a long scarf from a low wooden box with a few pieces of lacquer missing from the corner, and wrapped it around her neck several times, only showing her two eyes.

[I'll ask the families in the south and come back at noon. 】

Maze moved her ears, struggled to prop up her front body from the fur carpet, and wagged her tail.

[The last struggle. 】The girl smiled faintly, 【If I don’t know about these companies, I will spend the winter in peace and stop thinking about Jin. 】

Maze looked at her snowball-covered back, wagging her tail more and more slowly, and finally lay down on the ground and closed her eyes.It was too old, and the long distances and harsh conditions made it exhausting.

On the pure white ice, a puddle of blood came into view impressively.If you look at it from a high altitude, it must look like a smear of mosquito blood on the white wall, Xue Ye thought to himself.

"Excuse me, is there a person named Jin who lived near here?"

Glancing at the fish that were still alive and kicking in the basket, Xue Ye's lips buried under the scarf trembled slightly.Biting her lower lip, she ordered herself to look over to the Catrian woman who was bending over the fish.

"Gold? I haven't heard of it."

"Maybe a traveler, who stayed for a while and then left." Xue Ye's cat eyes looked directly at the woman's tired eyes from hard work, "Is there really no impression? Please think again, in order to find him , I finally came here alone..."

The woman stopped what she was doing and turned to look at her.The slanting sunlight traces the outline of the girl.The woman could not help squinting her eyes, blocking the light with her hands.

"You are such a young child, you come here alone... Who is he to you?"

"My father's best friend before his death. When he was dying, my father asked me to come to him..."

"Huh?!" The woman wiped her forehead with her sleeve that was not stained with blood, as if it was covered with sweat. "You, your father already..."

"Yeah. With mom... So, please think about it carefully." A tear trail ran down the girl's cheek.She wiped her face with the scarf.

The woman was silent for a long time, then she suddenly remembered something: "Traveler, there was indeed one two years ago. The boy, twelve or thirteen years old, looked silly, but quite capable. He built a stone house by himself. It's on the southwest coast. I remember he said it was on the southwest coast, but I haven't been there, so I don't know if it's right."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

The woman gathered the wrinkles between her brows, and pressed her wrinkled four fingers to the center of her forehead, as if she wanted to dig out the memory.

"...Last year, before winter, probably. There were a lot of travelers here, and many of them went back for the winter. It's too cold here, isn't it?"

Xue Ye nodded her thanks, and followed the route pointed out by the woman, heading west along the south coast of Dongdao.In his hand was a small net bag given by the woman, full of processed fish.The fish were cut in half from the lower abdomen, their internal organs were hollowed out, and their eyes were staring blankly at a point in the sky.

There are quite a few Catrians hunting on the south bank, and Aunt May and Yemosa may be among them.She kept the south coastline within sight, at a distance from the shore.The working people look like a group of ants moving slowly on the white table.

The endless ice surface reflects the midday sun more dazzlingly than a mirror.A fat black-spotted seal lies on the protruding ice surface to bask in the sun. Its dark gray fur is smooth and smooth, with dense black spots of different shades scattered on it. Its belly protrudes in an elegant arc, like a high-end suit light grey.

Xue Ye quietly came behind the seal and said hello to it.The seal obviously didn't notice that someone was approaching, and flapped its finned upper limbs to avoid several steps away.It's surprisingly fast for its size.

【Who are you? ! 】

The seal turned around and stared in shock at the guy who was obviously not his kind but could speak the language it understood.

[Sorry, I didn't intend to scare you on purpose.My name is Xue Ye.May I call you Mr. Taiga?I'm afraid you don't have a name, so I call you Dahe without authorization, please forgive me.Mr. Dahe, I came here today to...]

The girl took a step forward, and the seal took a step back.Before she could finish speaking, the seal raised its upper limbs close to her and raised its head slightly:

【You...how did you say that? 】

[I was born like this, and I also want to ask why. 】Xue Ye gently placed the fresh fish on the ice and took a few steps back.

The seal sniffed the fish and looked at her suspiciously.

【What do you want to do?Don't think that this little thing can fool me! 】

[Please don't get me wrong... I don't have the strength to grab you, nor the weapon to grab you.I came here today because I wanted to ask Mr. Dahe about someone...]

The seal stuck its head into the entrance of the net bag, took out a piece and gnawed on it, not listening to Xue Ye's words at all.Seeing that the fish was about to be eaten, before Xue Ye could repeat the question, the seal stuffed the remaining fish into its mouth in one go, and jumped into the gap in the ice next to it with a plop.Xue Ye knew that it was the breathing hole specially made by the seals when diving.When the sea freezes in winter, the Catrians often stand by the holes and wait for the seals to take a breath.

[Excuse me, come again next time. 】

Staring at the ripples on the water surface in the hole, Xue Ye said silently in her heart.

When the sun dropped to the horizon again, Mazars welcomed its owner.She folded the scarf and put it in the wooden box as it was.

There was a knock at the front door.The hostess and her son dragged a big bag into the house while talking and laughing.Pockets full of processed raw fish.

Dinner was ready in no time.The hostess enthusiastically handed the bowl to her.

"How is it, did you find it smoothly?"

"I found out that it is on the southwest coast, but the exact location is not yet known."

"Then you have to hurry. The southwestern coast is long and difficult to walk. It is impossible to go all the way before winter. It is right to ask more people."

"I met a Mr. Dahe, maybe I can learn something from it."

Aunt Mei put down the bowl, and stared at Xue Ye with an expression that saw the alternation of day and night in one day.

"Is there... a foreigner named 'Dahe' on the island?"

"It's just a nickname I gave up without authorization, and I don't know the real name at all."

"I see." Aunt Mei nodded and smiled, and stuffed a bowl full of white things into Xue Ye's hands.Same thing as in the morning.

"I processed a lot of fish today, enough for half a month. Eat more."

Xue Ye nodded, scooped up a small ball with a wooden spoon, and put it in his mouth.The moment the tip of the tongue touched the cold, the bloody hands of the guide woman handling the fish, the mixture of blood and internal organs on the pure white ice, and the images of the dying fish flashed before my eyes one by one.

With a muffled sound, the spoon fell into the bowl.She covered her mouth and stared blankly at the food in front of her.

"What... what's wrong?" The hostess asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Xue Ye pursed her lips, mechanically picked up the spoon, and quickly swallowed all the food in the bowl.

[Not used to it? ] Maze, who was squatting on the side, slowly swallowed the last bite of fish, 【Your face looks very reluctant. 】

【……nothing. 】Xue Ye stared at the empty basin, shook her head slowly but firmly, 【It's nothing important. 】