Chapter 9: Snow Sprite (Please Keep Reading!)

Chapter 9: Snow Sprites (Please Follow!)

Winter Festival arrived swiftly.

The day before, Li Wei stepped out to find the city adorned everywhere—people decorating every corner with festive ornaments.

Even within the Mage Tower, winter festival trinkets appeared in abundance.

On the morning of the 28th, Li Wei awoke to see colorful banners fluttering wildly outside his window.

After an hour and a half of meditation and cultivation, he washed up and headed toward the tower’s entrance.

By eight in the morning, the upper district was already bustling—rehearsals for the festival performances filled the streets.

Even the lower district, usually grimy and chaotic, had been unexpectedly cleaned and tidied.

Residents there rose early, eyes bright with anticipation, eager to take part in the festivities.

The Winter Festival was funded and hosted by all major powers of Maple City.

Beyond performances, it offered vast quantities of free food—open to every citizen.

For poor families, these two days meant warm meals, perhaps the only decent ones they’d eat all season.

Li Wei strolled through the streets, gazing curiously at the sights, when he unexpectedly ran into Jimmy, an old acquaintance.

Jimmy was busy purchasing last-minute supplies for the Spark Literature Society.

Spotting Li Wei, he called out joyfully, “Mr. Li Wei! You’re here for the festival too?”

Hearing the voice, Li Wei turned and smiled. “Yes, just wandering around. I’m planning to write a *Dragon Knight* Winter Festival special.”

Jimmy’s eyes lit up with delight. “That would be wonderful!”

Noticing the pile in Jimmy’s arms, Li Wei asked, “Is the Spark Literature Society still working during the festival?”

Jimmy explained, “This year is special. Our president wants to stage a *Dragon Knight* play today—to draw more attention to the novel. These are all materials needed for the performance.”

Li Wei was surprised—his novel had been adapted? Into a play, no less!

Yet he felt pleased. The better the novel sold, the more he earned. He had no objections.

Glancing at the time, Jimmy hurried, “I must go now, Mr. Li Wei. The president’s waiting for these supplies.”

Li Wei waved. “Alright, see you.”

He continued his leisurely stroll, occasionally buying snacks from roadside stalls.

Where crowds gathered, he paused to watch performances, clapping along with the onlookers.

In the afternoon, he saw the Spark Literature Society performing *The Dragon Knight* play in the square.

The tale of Morei, the fallen youth who rose through fortune, unfolded vividly in just twenty minutes.

When the play ended, thunderous applause erupted. Young people especially were electrified—

as if each one had lived the hero’s journey themselves.

Seizing the moment, the society handed out twenty copies of *The Dragon Knight*.

They announced to those who missed out: copies were available at their shop—twenty percent off for the festival!

They even pitched the complete first volume to wealthy patrons—an exclusive preview of stories not yet published.

The first volume contained the initial twelve chapters, priced at 120 copper coins.

Many who had already bought the first eight single editions—desperate for what came next—ended up spending heavily.

The Spark Literature Society raked in a fortune that day.

And Li Wei? He couldn’t have been happier.

He could already sense next month’s royalties would be staggering.

“The president of Spark Society must be the Ma Huateng of this magical world—how else could he dream up such a trick as ‘early access’?”

Li Wei mused, shaking his head in admiration.

Two days of jubilant celebration passed. Even afterward, the city lingered in festive euphoria.

On November 30th, Li Wei joined the Mage Tower members atop Maple City’s walls.

Dressed in a thick cotton coat, he stood among the crowd.

Wind howled across the battlements, swirling fiercely at this height. Cold bit deep.

Gu Ze stood in the front row of the Mage Tower group—the first two rows filled with apprentices, about fifteen or sixteen in total.

Senior mages wouldn’t stand here enduring the chill.

Around them gathered other supernatural practitioners—warriors, sharpshooters, knights, assassins, brawlers—far more numerous than the mages, two or three hundred strong.

Further back stood the city guards along the parapet—trained soldiers, but ordinary men without supernatural power.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A blizzard roared beyond the wall, sweeping forward with unnatural force.

“Yi-yi-yi-yi…”

A strange sound emerged from the storm—something riding the wind, drawing near.

The noise grew louder. Shapes in the snow drew closer.

Then Li Wei saw them—hundreds, thousands of fist-sized white blobs descending from the storm, trying to breach the city.

At last, the mages made their appearance.

A mage in a thin robe stepped forward beside the city lord upon the wall.

With a gentle tap of his staff against the stone, magic flared across the ramparts. A spell array ignited.

The wall shimmered with radiant light, repelling the blizzard and blocking the snow sprites.

Countless sprites tumbled, defeated, onto the snowfields beyond the city.

A warrior in the crowd shouted, “Good! Now leave the rest to us!”

Melee fighters leapt from the ten-meter-high wall, charging into the horde below, weapons swinging.

Ranged combatants took position on the battlements, picking off the creatures.

Apprentices like Gu Ze moved to the edge, casting spells bare-handed or with staves, targeting the sprites beneath.

Li Wei watched Gu Ze wave his staff—three ice arrows shot forth, piercing three sprites in one breath.

Looking down, Li Wei realized the sprites weren’t hard to kill.

Most supernatural classes could dispatch them easily. But weapons froze over quickly. After slaying three or four, warriors had to clear the ice—or their blades became useless.

Some shattered frost with inner energy; others smashed rocks to break the ice free.

Gu Ze glanced at Li Wei beside him, still casting spells as he spoke, “Snow sprites are zero-tier monsters. Dangerous to common folk, but no real threat to us.”

No sooner had he spoken than a warrior was grazed by a lantern-sized sprite.

Instantly, his arm turned to solid ice.

“Ahh! Help me!”

The man screamed in agony.

Gu Ze raised his hand with a swift motion, sending an ice arrow piercing through the snow sprite beside the warrior, saving the man's life.

After being rescued, the warrior hastily expressed his gratitude to Gu Ze, then fled back into the city, his face twisted with fear.

Gu Ze explained, "That was a greater snow sprite—an elementary-level first-rank magical creature. It can be easily slain with a zero-rank spell."

Li Wei nodded, enlightenment dawning on his face.

Unaware that Li Wei could already cast spells, Gu Ze hadn't asked for his help in slaying the sprite, merely instructing him to observe from the sidelines.

Five days had passed since Li Wei’s first spellcasting. Through relentless practice, he now had a seventy percent chance of success even without the aid of Soul-Calm Incense.

Compared to five days prior, his magical reserves had also improved—he could now cast spells four times in succession.

He didn’t rush to act. Instead, he watched the battlefield, waiting patiently, searching for the perfect moment.

(End of Chapter)