Chapter 133 - 132: Snowball Fight and Snow Disaster

The snow fell for a full day and night, turning Mountain Forest Town into a world draped in silver.

Ronin stood atop the tower, gazing into the distance. The mountains, too, were covered in a thick layer of snow, as if draped with a pristine white carpet.

’So this is the awkward situation of being trapped in the mountains.’

The heavy snow had sealed off the mountains. It would be incredibly difficult for anyone living here to leave in this weather.

First of all, the mountain roads were already treacherous. Buried under the snow, their conditions were impossible to see. Ordinary horses would be useless. Perhaps only Ronin’s Cloud Stepper could even attempt it, but even then, its pace would surely be slow.

If they were short on food and clothing, and the snow kept falling, this winter would be a harsh one.

Fortunately, the sun was already up. He believed it would only take a few days to melt the snow on the roads, so his trip to Wushan Castle wouldn’t be delayed.

"Wow, it’s so beautiful!"

Standing atop the tower and gazing out, Erin couldn’t help but sigh in awe.

"Back when I was in Purple Fruit Village, I never had the chance to climb up high and see a snowy landscape. I never thought it would look like this."

The castle was already built on a hill, and the tower added even more height, so of course the view from up here was vast.

Ronin smiled as he looked at Erin. She was wearing a Sheepskin coat with the hood up and a pair of gloves, bundled up quite snugly.

’Looks like a Mage’s constitution isn’t as tough as a Knight’s, after all.’

A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on Ronin’s face. He crouched down, packed a small snowball, and nonchalantly hid it behind his back.

"Erin, I have a gift for you."

"Huh?"

Erin, who had been admiring the snowy vista, turned in surprise. She seemed both taken aback and delighted. "What gift are you giving me, brother?"

Ronin smiled warmly. "Here, close your eyes. Don’t open them until I say so. It’s a surprise you’ll never expect."

"Okay!"

The innocent Erin closed her eyes, her mind immediately jumping to a scene from one of her Knight novels—

’The male lead presents the heroine with a bouquet of flowers and declares his love... Could it be...?’

At the thought, Erin’s breath hitched, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.

But just then, she felt a hand quickly pull open her coat, followed by an icy chill that made her shiver uncontrollably.

"Ah!"

She couldn’t help but cry out, her eyes flying open, only to see Ronin roaring with laughter in front of her.

Only then did she realize that the "mysterious gift" her brother had mentioned was a snowball.

She had thought it was going to be flowers. Overcome with a sense of injustice, she burst into tears.

"You’re bullying me, brother!"

Uh...

Ronin was taken aback. ’Can’t she take a joke? Why is she crying?’

"Alright, alright, don’t cry. You won’t be pretty anymore if you keep crying."

Ronin quickly moved to comfort her, but Erin suddenly stopped crying. Faster than he could react, she snatched a handful of snow from the ground, jumped up, and stuffed it down his collar.

Instantly, Erin’s bright, cheerful laughter filled the air.

"Oh, you little sneak!"

Ronin laughed. "Just you watch, I’m going to teach you a lesson!"

He bent over and packed a large snowball this time.

Erin laughed, scooping up two snowballs and pelting them at him as she ran.

With his speed, Ronin could have caught her in an instant for a proper "baptism" of snow. But after being a Lord for so long, he wanted to have some fun too.

And so, a snowball fight began.

They had felt a bit of a chill at first, but after running around for a while, it vanished. Even as their hands, red from packing snow, formed one snowball after another, they didn’t feel the cold.

"I’m done, I’m done..."

Erin was the first to give out. She’d been pelted with countless snowballs, and her hair and clothes were soaked.

"Not bad, Erin. You actually hit me a few times."

Ronin walked over with a smile and brushed the snow from her hair. "Alright, that’s enough. Go on back and take a hot bath so you don’t catch a cold."

"Mhm!"

Erin was overjoyed today. She nodded emphatically and was about to head back, holding onto Ronin’s arm.

Just then, Ronin’s sharp eyes caught a dark figure walking toward the castle. He recognized him at once: Wilson.

’What’s the Civil Servant doing here?’

Ronin was puzzled. "Erin, you head back first. I’ll go see what Wilson wants."

Erin noticed the approaching figure as well. Realizing her brother was about to be busy again, she nodded obediently.

Down below the castle, Ronin met with Wilson.

"Lord, Village Chief Hahn of Jingye Village reports that a farmer’s house in his village has collapsed under the weight of the snow."

Ronin’s brow furrowed. "What happened? Didn’t I have the village chiefs lead thorough inspections? How could something like this still happen?"

Wilson replied, "I spoke with Hahn. He had gone with me to Cyan Bamboo Village recently and had delegated the task to a team leader. Unexpectedly, the team leader responsible for that area cut corners and didn’t check every house."

Ronin stopped in his tracks. His face grew grim as he asked, "Were there any casualties?"

"No, there weren’t. It’s just that the family has lost their home."

"Let’s go. Take me there."

Before long, Wilson led Ronin to the site of the incident.

The collapsed house was a jarring sight. Standing outside were Wilson’s five assistants, the village chief and team leader from Jingye Village, and four homeless people.

"My Lord, please help us! Please help us!"

Seeing Ronin arrive, the four people who had lost their home rushed forward, begging for help. With nowhere to live, they likely wouldn’t survive the winter.

Ronin helped them to their feet and reassured them, "Don’t worry. I will arrange for someone to repair your home."

He turned to Village Chief Hahn. "These are people from your village, so your village is responsible! You are the chief; you will find them proper lodging. If you have to, give them a room in your own house!"

Ronin didn’t offer to let the afflicted family stay in the castle. It wasn’t that he was unwilling, but rather that doing so could create problems.

If more people were affected later on, he couldn’t possibly bring them all back to the castle.

Besides, he couldn’t guarantee that people wouldn’t try to take advantage of the situation.

"Yes, yes, Lord. I’ll arrange for it at once." Hahn was scared to death; he could feel the Lord’s fury.

"Wait!"

Ronin said, "The team leader responsible for this is fired. As for you, Village Chief, I’m putting you on probation. If something like this happens again, you’re fired too!"

Hahn’s heart leaped into his throat. Even though the matter wasn’t directly his fault, being implicated left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he didn’t dare defy the Lord’s command.

After arrangements were made for the displaced family, Ronin took Wilson on a tour of the nearby villages and buildings to check for any other victims.

Fortunately, the situation hadn’t worsened elsewhere.

"From now on, you handle matters like this. Report to me once they’re resolved."

As they headed back, Ronin continued, "People who take a salary but don’t do the work should be dismissed. Don’t keep them around."

"I understand!" Wilson followed, his heart still pounding.

He could tell the Lord was in a foul mood today. If any other disasters were to happen, he, the Civil Servant, would likely be held responsible.

It had been a long time since he’d felt so on edge in the Lord’s presence.

"Your five assistants have been recruited. Train them well. Also, find a time to hold a meeting with the team leaders and village chiefs. Tell them that as long as they serve me with genuine effort, I will not treat them poorly."

Ronin thought for a moment, then said, "It’s almost the end of the year. The annual yields for the four villages need to be tallied. The bonuses I promised must be distributed on schedule."

"You are truly generous, Lord!"

Wilson’s tension eased. He hadn’t expected the Lord to still be giving out raises after this incident.

Thinking of how Village Chief Hahn had borne the brunt of the anger, he asked hesitantly, "Lord, if Jingye Village ranks in the top three, should we still issue their reward?"

Ronin considered it. "Let’s keep things separate. If Jingye Village’s performance earns a top-three spot, they get the reward as promised. But forget about the team leader who was fired. Not punishing him further is an act of mercy on my part. Let him have a decent new year."

As they spoke, the two arrived in town, on the single street that comprised Mountain Forest Town.

There were many houses here, but most were built of wood and stone.

If well-constructed, they had some resilience against disaster. But some were clearly unsafe. If the snow continued for another night, the situation would likely become much more severe.

Winter had only just begun. There might be more snow in the next two months, so the inspections of unsafe buildings had to continue.

But Ronin clearly didn’t have the time to oversee this task himself.

Lurans’s birthday was at the end of the month, and he needed to arrive a day or two early. He would have to set out as soon as the snow melted.

He thought the next few days would pass peacefully, but he had no idea that a crisis was quietly approaching.