Open the Door

Xia Lun handed over a handkerchief, and Liyana took it to wipe the corners of her mouth.

Mida had flown too fast, leaving her feeling a bit unwell.

"Thank you."

Liyana handed the handkerchief back.

Xia Lun held the handkerchief out toward Aina. The dirty cloth immediately burst into flames, burning away to nothing.

Hmm, his wife really was quite a practical fire-starter. Some rather inappropriate thoughts flashed inexplicably through Xia Lun's mind.

Not good. He had been around Liyana for too long and had been infected by the Liyana virus.

With a shake of her body, Mida shrank rapidly, transforming back into that cute little girl. She trotted along behind Aina, her face pulled into a little pout, looking exactly like the old Aina.

However, ever since Aina had been by Xia Lun's side, her expression had softened considerably.

In bed, she would even melt like spring water, though that was a breathtaking sight only Xia Lun was privileged to see.

Mo Lini wrapped her thick clothes tightly around herself, looking around in wonder at the scenery atop the sacred peak.

They were currently at the summit of the divine peak. The area had been carved into a neat, flat surface, though it was unclear whether this was Aina's or Mida's handiwork.

Not far away stood a solitary wooden cabin. Its roof was already covered in snow, looking like a cake layered with thick frosting.

The howling cold wind made Mo Lini shrink her neck. It was quite freezing at the top of the mountain; even wearing such thick clothing, she could still feel the bone-piercing chill.

The frost and snow beneath her feet were nearly over her ankles, constantly robbing her of body heat.

Aina placed her palm on Mo Lini's back. Warmth spread from behind throughout her entire body, dispelling the freezing cold that had seeped into her lungs. Mo Lini instantly felt as if she had come back to life.

"Th... thank you."

"Let's go inside," Aina said softly.

Mo Lini wasn't the only one present who couldn't withstand the bitter cold of the peak.

Even Liyana, if stripped naked and tossed into a place like this, would freeze to death before long.

Compared to Mo Lini, Luo Lun was clearly more concerned about something other than the surrounding scenery.

This child was actually the Frost Demon Lord!

The last of the Chaos Dragons, the Frost Dragon... Luo Lun had heard rumors about her identity.

Although she had previously tried hard to deny this absurd idea, the facts were now completely laid bare before her eyes; there was no reason not to believe it.

Then Xia Lun and Aina... were the Demon Lord's adoptive parents?

Luo Lun felt as if her brain was lacking oxygen.

Ever since she joined this party, it was fine as long as she didn't think too much, but once she started pondering the details, everything seemed off.

But Luo Lun was truly becoming increasingly afraid to investigate the true identities of those two.

It was as if their casually relaxed adventure was just a superficial illusion. The moment she asked the question, it would shatter like thin ice on a lake, instantly plunging her into the freezing, bone-chilling pool of the truth.

Mo Lini scurried toward the cabin on her short little legs. With the blessing of Aina's magic, she was no longer cold; she was simply curious about the wooden cabin.

This seemed to be where Xia Lun and the others used to live.

The cabin only had one floor, but it was built as tall as a two- or three-story building, so the interior space had to be quite spacious.

Placing her small hands on the doorknob, Mo Lini pushed gently inward. It was just a simple wooden door fitted with a stationary wooden handle. There was no keyhole, so it clearly didn't require a key. Yet, the door didn't budge.

Mo Lini tilted her head, wondering how on earth this door was supposed to be opened.

"Haha, Mo Lini, you're too weak! You can't even push open a door!" Liyana walked over, grabbed the wooden handle, and gave it a forceful push.

The wooden door didn't budge.

Maybe she was trying to open it the wrong way.

Liyana forcefully pulled it outward...

Liyana forcefully yanked it to the side...

The wooden door still didn't budge.

"Hmm..." Liyana fell into deep thought.

"Liyana, you can't open it either," Mo Lini sighed, shaking her head with a bit of pity.

"Wh... who says! I haven't used my full strength yet!"

Clearly unable to accept being stopped by a mere wooden door, Liyana grabbed the handle, planted both feet against the door panel, widened her eyes, stuck out her rear, and pulled outward with all her might.

"If you keep this up, you're just going to rip the handle off." Xia Lun patted Liyana on the back, signaling her to get down quickly. "Don't break my door."

Liyana stepped down, panting heavily. "What the heck is this door? This is way too weird..."

"Hehe, it's a user issue, not a problem with the object." Xia Lun chuckled and shook his head; he was long accustomed to Liyana's clownish nature.

Xia Lun placed his hand on the doorknob and gave it a gentle push inward.

Xia Lun placed his hand on the doorknob and pushed inward with a bit more force.

Xia Lun placed his hand on the doorknob and gave it a heavy push inward.

Xia Lun found that the door felt as if it had the strongest of seals on it; it couldn't be pushed open at all.

If this weren't a snowfield, a crow might have flown overhead, cawing noisily.

"Hahaha! Xia Lun, what did you just say? It's a user issue, not a problem with the object!" Liyana pointed at Xia Lun, laughing in schadenfreude.

Xia Lun looked thoughtfully at the wooden door before him. If he applied any more force, the surrounding space might just shatter.

That would be making too big a deal out of simply opening a door.

Xia Lun turned his head to look at Aina.

It looked exactly like a father rushing to the front door with his daughter, only to realize the mother had the keys.

Aina finally stepped forward slowly. A spiritual light glowed at her fingertips, and the wooden door, as if awakened by an invisible force, obediently swung inward.

"With such obvious magical fluctuations, of course you can't just force it open." Aina shot Xia Lun a slightly reproachful glance.

Xia Lun revealed a somewhat innocent and naive smile. "I thought brute force would do the trick."

"An ordinary mage's barrier would naturally be no problem, but I was the one who set this up."

What a foolish warrior... Aina muttered in her heart, truly not knowing how she had fallen in love with him.

Could it be because she knew he had great stamina?

A blush crept up Aina's face.

"Excuse the intrusion." Liyana didn't care about any of that and boldly stepped into the cabin first, completely unafraid of any traps inside.

The decor inside the cabin was quite retro: a large bed covered in animal skins, a fireplace, antique tables and chairs, a thick sofa... Everything was exactly the same as before Xia Lun left.

Does this count as returning to a respawn point? A strange thought suddenly popped into Xia Lun's mind.

Despite being away for so long, the house was still very clean and showed signs of use. After all, Mida still lived here.

A small flame flew from Aina's fingertip, and the cold fireplace roared back to life, allowing light and warmth to reclaim the entire room.

"Phew—"

Liyana collapsed onto the soft sofa draped in animal skins.

Staying here was truly too comfortable.