81: snowman

When Robinson appeared, everyone else was stunned for a moment.

However, awakening skills are all sorts of strange, so this was still somewhat normal.

"Is it a summoning skill?" A Shi asked, "Can you have your summoned creatures test traps or lure monsters?"

"Yes," Cheng Zhen nodded. Even if a summoned warrior's health dropped to zero, they would all revive in the next dungeon, so A Shi's method was feasible.

Their teammates' skills were all very good, and the expressions on everyone's faces relaxed a bit.

"How about I use my skill to help everyone raise the temperature first?"

Lizi asked. The small flames on the ground were almost extinguished, and relying solely on clothing wouldn't be enough to endure the constant snow.

Everyone nodded, and then Lizi took out a package of clothes from her inventory, mostly wristbands and hair ties.

Because her skill didn't restrict clothing types, these small, unobtrusive accessories were perfect for her to use.

Lizi put a knitted headband on Brother Tian, which just covered his ears, and gave Cheng Zhen and A Shi each a wristband.

As the skill activated, everyone felt their skin enveloped by a warm, soft layer, which was extremely comfortable.

"Phew~, comfortable!" Brother Tian exclaimed. With the skill's buff, he no longer had to walk with his neck scrunched up like a quail.

A Shi's expression also softened considerably, and then he asked Lizi, "How much do you generally know about the situation in this dungeon?"

Lizi replied, "Our current location is in Ice Snow City, but we need to find the central area to escape from here."

"I remember the guide said that Ice Snow City is firmly surrounded by towering ice walls. Without special skills, it's impossible to leave."

"We only have to go to the inner city area to find a way to escape. However, many details of that part were blocked, so we need to go and investigate the specific situation."

"This dungeon should generally be puzzle-oriented, but there are also potential dangers. The guide warned us to pay more attention to the surrounding environment."

She knew that this dungeon was not confrontational, and working together was crucial, so she told everyone all the information she knew.

"That's good, now we have a clear idea for clearing the dungeon," Brother Tian praised. "Then let's go and find the way to the central area."

The small flames on the ground had already been covered by the falling snow, and there was no point in staying there, so the few of them set off.

Brother Tian seemed to have strengthened his body with an intermediate potion, and his physical fitness was excellent. Despite the interference of the wind and snow, he still spotted a hidden signpost and led the others in the right direction.

After walking for a while, the few of them discovered some buildings.

The scene here resembled an ancient European village from several centuries ago, with many trees growing wild next to the buildings.

(The scene reference is Winterhold from Skyrim 5; the entire territory belongs to this region. Image below ↓)

Skyrim 5 Winterhold

However, the buildings here were not made of wood or bricks, but rather snow houses built from ice and snow.

Normally, these buildings would contain dungeon clues. So, the four split into two groups and entered the snow houses to search for information.

"Crack—"

As soon as Cheng Zhen grabbed the ice doorknob, a crack appeared in the ice door.

"Be careful!" A Shi frowned, seemingly afraid that Cheng Zhen would destroy clues or trigger a mechanism.

Cheng Zhen spread his hands, simply letting the other person enter the house first.

A Shi pursed his lips and stepped inside.

The indoor facilities also had a strong ancient European style, looking like antique ice furniture covered in frost.

What was eye-catching, however, were the 'people' next to the dining table.

To be precise, they were several snowmen.

They sat around the dining table, holding snow-made cutlery, looking at each other with great affection, just like a family enjoying a pleasant dinner.

Those snowmen were very... realistic. The folds in their clothes, the wrinkles on their faces, made them look no different from real people. Only their silvery-white color throughout indicated that their bodies were made of snow.

They looked so vivid, and thus appeared exceptionally eerie.

"Get out first!"

A Shi whispered to Cheng Zhen, afraid of startling the snowmen and causing an incident.

The two carefully backed out of the door, and there was no reaction from inside, as if the beings inside were truly just ordinary snowmen.

But they knew very well that this was impossible. The Endless Game wouldn't be bored enough to create such background decorations; those snowmen were either NPCs or dungeon monsters.

The lack of movement now was perhaps just because the trigger conditions hadn't been met yet.

After they exited, they also saw Brother Tian and Lizi emerge from another house with solemn expressions.

"It seems everyone saw the same thing."

After reuniting, Brother Tian frowned and said, "Let's not split up anymore. Let's explore the nearby area together!"

The others nodded, and then the four of them went through each house together, investigating.

The other places were similar to the previous house: plain snow houses, ordinary furniture, and lifelike snowmen.

They were either drinking and making merry, reading and writing, or sleeping soundly in bed, looking like ordinary residents going about their daily lives.

The few cautiously explored all the nearby houses but still found nothing.

However, the experienced players knew very well that there weren't no clues, it was just that they hadn't found them yet.

"I remember the guide said we needed to find 'a special ■■,'" Lizi said. "I guess that refers to a certain special snowman, and we need to find clues from it."

It was obvious that those snowmen were problematic. But everyone, out of caution, chose to keep their distance and remain vigilant, not getting close to avoid triggering traps or activating monsters.

But now, they were stuck, so they had to try.

"Can you have your summoned creature approach those snowmen first?"

A Shi looked at Cheng Zhen and said, "If they suddenly attack after someone approaches, we can still be at a safe distance."

"I can, but..." Cheng Zhen thought of other possibilities, "We should also consider the worst-case scenario—if we accidentally trigger and activate all the monsters nearby, then we'll have to decide whether to run or fight."

This possibility was not non-existent, and everyone's faces couldn't help but show a bit more worry.

"But no matter what, we still have to try, otherwise we won't even know where to go next."

Cheng Zhen said again, then he pointed to a house two buildings away: "Let's go, let's go to that house first."

"Is there anything special about that room?" Lizi asked curiously. All the houses were empty, and they hadn't seen any places to hide things.

"All the other snowmen were awake and doing various activities, like eating, reading, or drinking, but only that one was sound asleep, with nothing on it," Cheng Zhen explained.

"Brother Robinson is so meticulous!" Brother Tian recalled, then exclaimed in surprise, "We all stayed far away and didn't dare to get close, but you even remembered those details? Alright, let's go with what you said."

The skill was Cheng Zhen's, and what he said made some sense, so they would follow his suggestion.

The other two did not object, so Cheng Zhen used the warrior points he obtained when entering the dungeon to summon a native warrior in that room.

"Mu, Mba, greetings, greetings, Your Majesty... Achoo!"

The newly summoned warrior immediately knelt on one knee upon seeing Cheng Zhen, then shivered from the cold.

After all, this young man was shirtless, barefoot, and only wore a fur skirt made of animal hide; it would be strange if he wasn't cold.

Cheng Zhen quickly pulled out clothes for him to wear, lest the person he just summoned freeze to death.

While Mba was changing, the other three looked at 'Robinson' with rather complex expressions.

Not calling him Master, but Your Majesty?

This guy sure knows how to have fun...

(The historical background of 'Robinson Crusoe' was during the... ahem... that trade, so Friday would call Robinson 'Master.')