Goth paused, his gaze falling on the man's ashen face, then glancing at his mangled calf. He lifted the edge of his hat slightly and bent down to place his exposed ear near the man's mouth and nose.
Long after, Goth silently stood up.
The short, plump companion looked at the man's bloodied and mangled leg, sighed, and said,
"It's better that he's dead, otherwise he would have been suffering alive."
As for Robin, he was standing lost in the snowy ground not far away, watching the scene unfold.
A crystal-clear snowflake twirled down to his nose but didn't immediately melt—his nose was almost as cold as the snowflake, on the verge of frostbite.
Swoosh!
"Lord Colin, you've returned!"
At this moment, a voice tinged with joy and a hint of flattery reached Robin's ears.
He turned his head woodenly to see Dempsey leaping from the lookout tower nearby, quickly ascending to meet Colin in midair.
"My task is also completed. The Ice and Snow Monster has been thoroughly dealt with," Colin said indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the ground, catching sight of the familiar youth.
"It's dealt with?!" Dempsey's face lit up with surprise and relief as a weight seemed to lift from his chest.
"Lord truly is powerful. I heard sounds; did another Ice and Snow Monster come later?"
"Yes, there were two in total, and both have been dealt with," Colin replied without concealment. After all, Dempsey had been hiding in the round-top snow house the whole time. He knew that another Ice and Snow Monster had appeared but was unaware that it was a Second Rank one.
"Truly commendable, my lord. But I didn't expect that there would be two Ice and Snow Monsters..." Dempsey glanced anxiously at the distant night sky.
"Don't worry, there were only two Ice and Snow Monsters," Colin glanced at him and then descended to the ground.
"What are you doing here?" Colin landed beside Robin and asked.
Although asking the boy, Colin's attention was on the periphery of his vision, where to the naked eye, there was just air.
But Colin knew that Shelley was there, hiding her figure, standing right beside this boy.
Robin seemed still somewhat in shock until Colin's voice reached his ears, making him suddenly snap to attention, subconsciously clutching the fingers hanging in front of his chest, and pressing his lips together, he said,
"Respected Wizard, I've just dragged a survivor we rescued from the ruins over here to receive treatment."
"You haven't finished the rescue operations?" Colin asked, noting the boy's red nose and waving his hand slightly.
On hearing Colin's question, Dempsey stiffened slightly and cautiously glanced at Colin.
However, Colin wasn't paying attention to him, just looking at the boy.
"Achoo!"
Robin felt a warm surge suddenly spread from within, dispelling the chill in his lungs and spreading to the tip of his nose, making him sneeze uncontrollably.
"Thank you, my lord!"
A moment later, having recovered his senses, Robin touched his now-sensate nose and hastily thanked Colin.
"No need to thank me," Colin waved his hand, dismissing the small gesture as nothing. He had never been stingy with such effortless help.
In past times of "poverty," he could only take care of himself. Although he was far from being "wealthy" now, at least he had some strength.
Robin collected himself and continued to reply, "There are too many collapsed snow houses. Even with the village chief leading all those who aren't mining to the rescue, they've only completed one sweep.
Now they are checking through the collapsed snow houses one by one to see if there are any survivors still buried."
"People are still mining now?" Colin asked, catching a hint in the boy's words.
"Yes, my lord," Robin nodded, "There isn't much food in the village, and many other things, like salt, need to be exchanged for at the outposts with Blue Cold Crystals. If we don't mine enough Blue Cold Crystals before the cold night, it will be hard for the village to survive."
After saying this, Robin glanced involuntarily at Dempsey next to him, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt down to Colin, burying his forehead in the snow, and made a low request,
"Respected Wizard, if you have the time, could you possibly help us with the search and rescue?"
"I can," Colin said as he lifted the boy by the collar, a smile coming to his face as he added, "I've already sent them to help."
The Shadow behind him twisted for a moment, and several Silent Shadows rose into the sky, identified the direction, and then flew toward where the village chiefs were.
These Silent Shadows, though not powerful in combat, were after all transformed from humans and possessed good intelligence.
Such tasks were definitely no problem for them.
"You go and help too," Colin decided after a moment's thought, turning his head to instruct Dempsey who was beside him.
"Yes, my lord." Dempsey nodded, gladly accepting the command, and quickly turned to follow the departing Silent Shadows, feeling slightly relieved inside.
"Thank you, my lord!" Robin finally caught up, his eyes following the departing Silent Shadows with excitement.
Colin gestured dismissively and started walking, catching up with Shelley, who had somehow made her way to the front door of the snow house treating the wounded.
Of course, to the outside world, he appeared to be walking alone to the snow house.
Drawing his gaze back, Robin watched Colin's retreating figure and felt the urge to kneel and kowtow in gratitude.
But remembering how Colin had lifted him just before, he paused, then bowed deeply and afterwards, set off running after the Silent Shadows.