245: Chapter 245 Snow Season

It was snowing again.

Although the doctor and her companions had clearly stated that her current condition required bed rest, she still chose to come out and take a look when the first snow of winter arrived.

The winter here was very cold and very dark.

It was bone-chillingly cold, and so dark that only at noon could a faint shadow of the sun be seen on the horizon.

Stepping into the snowy garden in her boots, she looked at the faint trace of red on the horizon and sighed.

How many years had it been since she first came here?

She didn't know. She really had no impression of it, only remembering that it had been a very, very long time.

The biting wind carried snowflakes onto her clothes... her hat, and her hair.

Her long hair fluttered constantly in the cold wind, but she no longer had the heart to think about such things.

Leaning on her Ceremonial Sword, she supported her body as she walked back.

The doctor and her companions were right; her body wouldn't even allow her to stand for long. A slight movement could leave her bedridden, just like last time.

Tightening her cloak, she decided her time out for fresh air was over for today. Next time... if there even was a next time.

She even felt that she might not even survive this winter.

Looking again outside the courtyard of her residence, the long-neglected streetlights still flickered outside the door, much like this increasingly desolate small city.

Her gaze gradually blurred, and it took a long while before her shivering frame made her realize her body was about to reach its limit.

I have to get back... quickly...

She still cared about her dignity; if others found her frozen to death in the snow, then... the reputation of those 'caretakers' would be completely ruined.

How terrible.

Thinking this, she struggled to walk back.

Until she suddenly heard a 'thud!'

A dark object landed in the snow not far from her, sending snow flying quite a distance from the impact.

"That is..."

She narrowed her eyes to look.

"A person?"

He lay face down in the snow, spread-eagled, having passed out in a rather spectacular fashion.

"...Tsk."

She wasn't supposed to have strong emotions, but at this moment, she felt forty percent bewilderment, forty percent surprise, and... twenty percent speechlessness.

How could there be such a nonsensical occurrence in this world?

But she couldn't just leave him in the snow.

She walked over, struggled a bit to help him up, and the two figures limped back into the house.

She tossed him onto the sofa.

He looked like an Oriental... She shook the snow off herself and then sat down with some effort on the other side of the sofa.

He was very young, but he had likely been through a lot. But that wasn't the most important thing; the most important thing was why he appeared here...

Regardless, she needed to organize her thoughts and... prepare lunch.

The supply of materials here wasn't plentiful, but at least... at the very least, there was no shortage of staple foods.

Her health wasn't great, which meant she didn't have much of an appetite. Sometimes when she felt unwell, she simply didn't eat anything. Since she didn't move around anyway, it didn't really make a difference.

Placing her hand in front of a cabinet, she hesitated for a moment before pulling it back.

The East...

Passing by the coat rack, the white Marshal's uniform on it swayed gently. She returned to the rocking chair by the window and sat down... or rather, lay back, and covered herself with a thick blanket.

This place... is still a bit too cold...

Thinking this, she looked at the pair of sky-blue eyes reflected in the window.

Turbid and blurred, likely because the window was a bit old.

Thinking this, she set her sword aside and closed her eyes for a nap.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she heard some slight movement.

He was awake.

"Hiss... damn, that hurts..."

Li Ming shivered and rubbed his head, hoping he hadn't knocked himself stupid just now...

He looked around. It was a large room, and it seemed the person living here was at least reasonably well-off, and that white military uniform looked like it belonged to someone of significant status.

"Awake?"

She opened her eyes, her hand beneath the blanket pulling a tokarev from her coat.

"Uh..." Li Ming was stunned for a moment, only then realizing someone was there. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"So, who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm... well, I'm a tourist..."

"Do you think I'm that easy to fool?" Her voice turned cold, even though it wasn't very loud.

"Uh... sorry..." Li Ming shook his head awkwardly. "I don't know what I'm doing here either..."

"You don't know?"

Her voice took on a hint of inquiry; after all, he didn't seem to be lying. "You fell from the sky."

"This..."

"But that's not important," she said. "You only need to know that this is a restricted military zone. If you don't have a good explanation, you'll be shot."

"Huh?"

Li Ming looked around the room. There were no hidden guards or anything of the sort. "This looks like a private residence. Are you sure?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"Then... then just arrest me." Li Ming chose to give up, spreading his hands. "I'm not a threat anyway."

She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "Where are you from?"

"To be honest, I'm from another world." Li Ming shrugged. "Do you believe me?"

"Incredible, but not impossible. Since Sirens can appear across worlds, and ships are born from human navies, a human crossing over isn't unacceptable."

This time it was Li Ming's turn to be dumbfounded. "You're a Ship Girl?"

"Just an old thing with one foot in the grave." She shook her head. "What's your name?"

"Li Ming. Li as in wood and child, Ming as in sun and moon."

"Li... Ming..." She memorized the pronunciation. "From Eastern Radiance."

"Uh... something like that."

The answer seemed a bit faked, but it didn't matter.

He wasn't a Siren, so there was no need to worry; he was just an ordinary human.

"So, Li Ming, what are your plans next?"

"I... I don't really have any plans. At most, I'll just try to learn about this world."

She nodded. "In that case, you might as well stay here for a while."

"...You're not kicking me out?"

"There's no need," she said. "It's just the residence of an invalid with one foot in the grave. You can stay as long as you like..."

Li Ming stood up. "Invalid? Are you sick?"

He looked at the clock, then out at the dark window.

"Where is this? Why is it so dark..."

"This is Murmansk, kid," she said. "A city in the Arctic Circle."

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