"I'm more interested in why you're here, Lady Shelley?"
Colin did not respond to her words, but instead asked with a serious expression.
He had chased the Ice and Snow Monster all the way here, only to find Shelley in what appeared to be the monster's lair.
It was clearly impossible for there to be no connection between them.
And if there was a connection... Colin still remembered the horrific attack that had befallen Ancient North Village.
As Colin finished speaking,
the atmosphere between the two suddenly became solemn.
Only then did Colin realize how tranquil the cave currently was.
The circular Blizzard Wall, surrounding like a spine of glacier, seemed to isolate everything from the outside, including noise.
The semi-transparent blue cave walls shone brilliantly under the dim light emitted by Shelley's hair, making the deep cave look like another unknown world.
The light from Shelley's white hair gradually faded, and the cave began to grow dark.
Hiss.
With a thought, Colin used the Light Brightness Skill to summon a white orb of light above them.
The soft white light cast a hazy veil over the mysterious figure of Shelley in front of him.
Her semi-transparent pale blue skin hadn't fully returned to a normal human appearance, already milk-white but still somewhat translucent, like tender jade, possessing an ethereal beauty.
Shelley remained silent, her expression as calm as when he saw her every day at noon at the True Knowledge Society.
But upon closer inspection, one could discern a hint of hidden hesitation in her beautiful brows and eyes.
This glacier-like back and the special state it was in were Shelley's biggest secrets.
For about ten years now, no one else on earth knew this secret.
Or rather, those who knew of it had died.
Some were killed by others, some were killed by Shelley herself.
"Should I continue to bury this secret?"
Shelley didn't know, but one thing she was sure of, she didn't want to kill Colin to keep him silent.
It seemed a wildly arrogant thought, but it was true.
In other places, Shelley might not be so "arrogant", but here, in Troimay, even a Fourth Rank Wizard couldn't harm her, at most able to protect themselves.
Just before, had Colin awakened Shelley a little later, what he would have faced was not just some moving ice walls and chilling cold.
But Shelley didn't want to, she didn't want to kill the wizard in front of her.
The wizard in front of her was one of her rare friends... somewhat.
Of course, in reality, she really didn't have many friends.
Not to mention friends to share the lonely and tedious witchcraft knowledge with.
The only one who could really be called a friend was probably Colin alone.
During their time at the True Knowledge Society, their noon conversations were mostly about knowledge, but Colin always included some digressions.
Though she often didn't respond, she actually listened carefully... She still remembered that New Year's celebration, the delicious fish soup, the novel experience of preparing gifts, and the splendid fireworks Colin set off enthusiastically in the courtyard.
Having a conversation with someone whose values align with one's own is a profound happiness, many people after growing up never again have a relaxed and pleasant conversation.
But that's exactly what they had every typical noon.
Colin watched the silent Shelley, observing her white hair slowly extinguishing its glow and her tips fluffily falling down to her delicate chin.
"I came chasing an Ice and Snow Monster."
He paused for a moment, breaking the silence voluntarily.
He believed that the Ice and Snow Monster wasn't released by Shelley to slaughter the villagers of Ancient North Village.
Perhaps they were Shelley's pets, but due to some special reason she neglected to supervise them...
Negligence... also seems to bear responsibility.
Colin pursed his lips slightly; regardless, he believed that Shelley was not the type of wizard who would wantonly slaughter ordinary people.
It could even be said that Shelley, aside from himself, was the wizard he had met who cared the least about the social hierarchy between ordinary people and wizards.
During that New Year's celebration, her behavior towards Renee was very natural, treating Renee and her sisters as equals even while dining with them.
Her conversation with Renee was extremely egalitarian.
It was evident and not intentional; it seemed that's just how Shelley communicated with everyone.
Not only was it egalitarian, but also very straightforward, without concern for conventional propriety.
No polite small talk, and if not interested, not a word more was said.
Compared to this, Lillian, who grew up in a Wizard Family, although also peaceful towards Renee and even tried to learn how to make roast goose from her.
But Colin knew, that was more out of respect for him.
"Ice and Snow Monster?"
Shelley looked up at him with some confusion, the storm in her eyes completely gone, leaving only the clear, pale blue like the ice walls nearby.
Colin, watching the unfeigned confusion in her eyes, also couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled and continued to say with his deep blue eyes:
"It's somewhat like an Ice Element that can transform into blizzards and ice giants. After shattering them, they can still move with an ice crystal-like core, and if left alone, they soon regain their full strength."
Both had blue eyes, but Colin's were like the deep azure sea, whereas Shelley's were like light blue ice walls.