Yuli's spirit watched as the ancestral spirit took her place, frolicking in the water with Sunny.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, her heart deeply moved!
"Ancestral spirit... what a flirt!"
Yuli was filled with admiration for the ancestral spirit's flirting skills.
"No wonder the ancestral spirit, seeing my lack of self-control, couldn't stand it anymore and decided to step in and help me!"
"Ancestral spirit must have been a truly remarkable woman in his lifetime!"
"I'll take this opportunity to learn from him!"
At this point, Yuli's mindset had transformed from a mere spectator to a diligent student taking notes.
"Hmm? There seems to be some movement over there!"
In the bathtub, Sunny suddenly looked alert and glanced toward the wooden screen.
Alan followed her gaze.
Ripples formed on the water's surface, and a black tube emerged, its end fitted with a glass lens.
"What the hell is that... a water snake?"
Sunny immediately placed the sorceress behind her, her face wary and ready for battle.
Alan observed it briefly and realized it was some kind of mechanical device, similar to a periscope from his past life.
The folding tube slid back from the bottom of the water, the lens poking out, peering in through the wooden screen.
Alan wrapped the towel around his chest and sneered at Sunny:
"Sister Sunny, someone's trying to spy on us in the men's bath across the street."
"Don't get angry. I'll teach them a lesson."
Feigning a nonchalant air, he walked towards the periscope.
He glared fiercely at the lens!
The sorceress's pupils instantly turned silver-white.
Like two balls of flowing mercury, or frozen ice.
A strangely cold magical energy emanated from his pupils.
The sorceress Yuri, upon whom Alan was parasitizing, had awakened the bloodline of the "Snow Maiden."
Snow Maidens are a cold subspecies of fairies.
Legend has it that they inhabit frigid regions where snow blankets the air year-round.
Northern travelers, lost in a blizzard, occasionally encounter a mysterious young woman in white, walking alone through the wind and snow.
Nine times out of ten, it's the Snow Maiden taking a stroll.
At such times, if you politely approach her and ask for directions, and she's in a good mood, she'll cast a spell to guide the lost individual to the nearest residence.
On the other hand, if you're impolite to a Snow Maiden, or even lust after her beauty and attempt to molest her, you'll suffer retribution!
A single glare from the Snow Woman freezes you to pieces!
This is the Snow Woman's innate ability—Icy Gaze!
It channels cold magic through her gaze, dealing cold damage and potentially freezing the target.
All gaze-based skills, including most ray magic, can be refracted and redirected through mirrors.
A periscope is essentially a set of refracting mirrors.
Alan glared at the camera, activating "Icy Gaze." His gaze, imbued with extreme cold magic, refracted through the lens, ultimately shining through the eyepiece and onto the peeper's face.
Wow!
A familiar scream echoed from the other side of the wooden screen.
Thief Jack, peering through the lens, suddenly fell backward, plunging into the water.
Frozen to death, he floated on the surface, his face pale.
Owen, standing nearby, was waiting for his turn to peek.
Noticing his companion's fate, frozen as a lump of ice, he immediately guessed that Miss Yuli had discovered his attempt to peek, and he couldn't help but groan inwardly.
"You perverts! Just wait!"
Suddenly, from across the screen, came the furious roar of Sunny's elder sister.
Owen shuddered with fear, not even bothering to put on his clothes. He carried the frozen Jack and scurried out of the bathtub.
...
The little escapade didn't dampen Sunny's spirits.
After the bath, it was already evening.
Sunny and Alan drank and admired the moon in the quiet courtyard.
Yuli, the sorceress Alan was parasitizing, normally refrained from drinking.
Pretending not to spoil Sunny's fun, he reluctantly drank two glasses of mead with her, a delicate blush blooming on his cheeks.
The adorable drunken look was mostly an act.
Alan, claiming he couldn't handle the alcohol, attentively poured wine for his older sister.
Sunny, oblivious to her bestie's subtle scheming, enjoyed her gentle care, drinking until the glass was empty.
Until the alcohol took over, she fell groggy and her consciousness blurred.
…
The night was already deep, and Sunny fell contentedly asleep.
Alan remained awake.
Communicating with Yuli's consciousness through telepathy.
Yuli finally got her wish. While thanking the "ancestor spirit" for making her dream come true, she timidly inquired:
"Master Ancestor Spirit, um... when can I regain control of my body?"
"Don't worry. Next, you'll enter the underground labyrinth and defeat the minotaur. It's going to be a perilous adventure!"
Alan seriously coaxed the little girl.
"Putting yourself in danger, supporting each other, fighting side by side—this will greatly strengthen your relationship!"
"Once you successfully complete this adventure, I can retire with honor."
"As expected of Master Ancestor Spirit, you're so thoughtful!"
Yuli was deeply impressed.
...
"Ringa!"
The sorceress Alan had parasitized chanted a spell.
With a wave of his hand, he drew open a circle of ice walls, dividing the battlefield.
The circular ice wall, five meters high and one meter thick, was incredibly solid!
In addition to Alan, Sunny, Owen, and Jack, ten other green-skinned orcs were also surrounded by the fourth-ring "Ice Wall."
The remaining orcs were blocked outside the smooth ice wall.
Inside the ice wall, Sunny, Owen, and Jack teamed up to easily deal with the ten orc bandits.
Outside the ice wall, a large group of orcs wielded their crude weapons, desperately smashing against the ice wall, trying to break through the barrier and rush in to rescue their companions.
Bang!
The iron axe struck the thick ice wall, its blade instantly bent.
Only a slight crack remained.
The orcs howled in anger, dropping their axes and attempting to scale the ice wall with their bare hands.
The ice wall's surface was extremely smooth, offering no grip, making it difficult to climb. Orcs aren't very smart, but even fools have their own tricks.
They thought of climbing the ice wall using the "human pyramid" method.
Pop!
One orc jumped up on his companion's shoulders, gripping the upper edge of the ice wall with both hands.
He did a quick pull-up and finally reached the top.
He peeked over and saw a delicate, white-haired girl standing opposite him.
The orcish bandit grinned, fangs bared!
He was obsessed with leaping over the ice wall and capturing the beautiful girl alive!
However, in an instant, his smile froze.
The white-haired girl's blue eyes suddenly turned pale and eerie.
The moment their eyes met, the orc felt as if he were falling into an icy cave!
His frozen limbs lost control, and he tumbled headfirst from the wall.
Thump!
The orcs below were also crushed to the ground.
Alan stood in the center of the ice wall, looking around and frowning slightly.
After leaving the hot springs, the adventure team set out to explore the underground palace.
At the entrance to the underground palace stood a plaza with an obelisk.
Originally, guards had been stationed there, forbidding anyone from approaching and disturbing Princess Minodora's secluded life.
Since the king fell seriously ill and Princess Ariadne assumed the regency, the guards had been withdrawn.
The unprotected plaza was quickly overrun by bands of orcs descending from the mountains.
To enter the underground palace, one had to overcome the orcs first.
At this moment, more orcs, stacking themselves up, scaled the ice wall and broke in.
Owen, axe raised high, roared and charged, hacking at the orcs.
Jack drank a potion of advanced invisibility and vanished into thin air.
Wielding dual blades, she sneaked up behind the orcs and backstabbed them instantly!
Sunny clutched the holy emblem and prayed solemnly.
She was enveloped in holy light, imbued with 4th-level "divine power"!
Her physical attributes surged, and her warhammer gained additional radiant damage.
With her shield raised in her left hand and the Morning Star Hammer in her right, the priestess charged into the crowd, beating the orcs bloody.
Alan's three companions were all quite capable.
However, they couldn't withstand the sheer number of orcs!
If they continued fighting like this, they would sooner or later be overwhelmed by the surging tide of greenskins!
If Alan personally took action, it would be easy to defeat the orc gang.
However, in his germ form, he was parasitic on Yuri, and his frail body prevented him from using most of his martial arts.
Moreover, to avoid arousing suspicion, he could only use the skills Yuli was proficient in.
After a brief thought, Allen sent out a mental wave.
"Yuli, activate the fourth-level atavism!"
"Yes, Master Ancestral Spirit!"
The sorceress was deeply impressed by Allen and obeyed this "ancestor"'s every word.
Swoosh!
Yuli's sorceress robes suddenly swelled, as if blown by a violent wind.
Her white hair danced wildly in the wind!
The sorceress's feet lifted off the ground, hovering in the air.
Her skin lost its color, a pool of blue seeping through the pristine white, like a thousand-year-old ice!
Her entire body, including her pupils, was pure white as snow.
Except for her lips, which remained a vibrant red!
Against her snow-white skin, she looked exceptionally alluring. At this moment, Yuli, having reverted to her ancestral form, transformed into a true "Snow Maiden"—the beautiful and mysterious ice fairy of legend!
In her ancestral form, Yuli gained the ability to fly, surrounded by a relentless blizzard.
The howling wind and snow obscured the Snow Maiden's delicate form, making her position invisible from a distance of two meters.
Conversely, the Snow Maiden's vision could penetrate the wind and snow unimpeded—this was known as "Ice Vision"!
All Alan needed was Yuli to activate her ancestral form; the rest of the battle would be under his personal control.
The blizzard, spreading 30 meters around her, formed a powerful air current.
The orcs who had just climbed the ice wall were blown off their feet and fell back.
Alan rode the wind and snow, strolling through the air.
A cold gaze, piercing the wind and snow, fell upon the orcs who had finally managed to climb the wall.
The green-skinned orcs shuddered.
Frost quickly formed all over their bodies!
Before they could escape the icy grip, they were crushed to the ground by Sunny's hammer!
With the assistance of the atavistic Yuri, the adventure team quickly dispatched the orcs who had scaled the wall.
Alan retracted his snow barrier and landed lightly.
At this moment, the ice wall, which had been hammered by the orcs for a full five minutes, finally collapsed under the weight.
Alan remained unfazed, his lips curled slightly.
The moment the ice wall collapsed, a pale mist suddenly erupted.
The orcs who had participated in the wall-breaking operation had no time to rejoice before they were frozen in the oncoming cold mist, collectively transformed into ice sculptures.
Expressions of panic and bewilderment froze on their faces.
The fourth-level spell, "Ice Wall," could, upon being broken, unleash a blast of cold air, striking back at the destroyer.
The orcs, caught in the freezing mist, had no time to break free and were knocked down one after another by the adventurers.
Only one orc remained, narrowly avoiding the spray of cold mist. Frightened, he turned and fled towards the underground palace entrance.
"Green bastard, don't even think about escaping!"
Sunny strode forward, chasing the orc.
"Sister Sunny, stop chasing! Be careful! You're in danger!"
Only after Sunny burst into the underground palace did Alan speak slowly and warn her.
If he had stopped her earlier, Sunny might have obeyed.
Just as Sunny was about to catch up with the orcs, he tried to dissuade them. With the priestess's impulsive personality, how could she listen?!
"It's okay! Kill those green bastards, and I'll be back!"
Sunny said without even turning back.
Alan sighed solemnly and said to Owen and Jack, "You guys clean up the battlefield here. I'm worried about Sister Sunny, so I'll follow and see."
"Okay, Miss Yuli, we'll wait here."
"You should be careful too!"
Neither Owen nor Jack noticed...
With his back to them, Alan quietly sent a teleportation spell.
A small bull-head emblem flickered on his fingernail.
...
In the dim maze of tunnels, the orcs fled in panic.
Not far behind, the priestess pursued them relentlessly.
Suddenly, a tall, dark figure approached from the corner of the tunnel!
The orc was caught off guard and flung back with a thud, falling to the ground.
A massive bull hoof then descended.
Puff!
The orc's head was crushed to pieces!
Sunny stopped in shock, looking warily across.
The minotaur strode closer.
The monster, clad in an ornate brass breastplate, her prominent breasts signaling her female sex.
"Are you... Minodora?"
Sunny raised her shield and Morningstar Hammer, her eyes wary.
"Yes, Priestess, I am Minodora, the master of this crypt, the daughter of His Majesty the King..."
"Child-killing monster, your end has come!"
Sunny roared, charging forward without waiting for the other to finish.
"Wait a moment!" Tanya, now fused with Minodoros's spirit, attempted to communicate with Sunny. "Priestess! I'm innocent!"
"Shut up! I don't believe a word the monster says!"
Sunny raised her hand and blasted out a "Scorching Radiance." A thick beam instantly illuminated the underground palace.
Bang!
Tanya was struck by the beam, and large melt marks appeared on her brass breastplate. She stumbled back two steps, a dull pain in her chest.
"Damn crazy woman! Can you please listen to me?!"
Tanya, too, was on the verge of exploding.
Just then, she received a telepathic message from Alan.
Bargaining her anger, she turned and ran deeper into the maze.
Sunny, energized by her success, gave chase without hesitation.
But she hadn't gotten far when she was stunned. There were forks in the road everywhere. Which direction had the Minotaur gone?
It was impossible to tell!
Just as she was getting worried, she heard an urgent call from behind.
"Sister Sunny, watch out!"
The priestess recognized Yuri's voice and looked up hastily.
Just then, she saw a stone pillar collapsing towards her.
Sunny, unable to dodge, quickly raised her shield to block it.
Boom!
The falling pillar struck the shield, shattering instantly!
The ceiling, without the pillar's support, collapsed with it.
Large chunks of rubble fell like hail.
In a blink of an eye, Sunny was buried alive in the rubble.
Behind Allen, the tunnel leading to the maze's exit was also completely blocked by rubble.
"Sister Sunny!" Allen feigned anxiety. "Sister Sunny, are you okay?"
"Ahem... I'm afraid not..."
The priestess's weak voice echoed from the ruins.