On the Ark.

"...Is there a temple in the mountains?"

"Yes." Chu Xue nodded. "There's a temple in the mountains."

Lin Ye sighed softly, "That's enough. Isn't there a little monk in the mountains who's striking a wooden fish while saying..."

“There are no little monks,” Chu Xue said softly. “There are many, many dead people.”

Lin Ye was taken aback.

First Snow raised her hand again, pointing to the vast darkness: "There is the holy mountain of Shelag. Candidates for sainthood throughout the ages need to go there to hear the will of God, but most of them died. Some died on the way, and some died at the end. The road to holiness is littered with bones."

"...Why is this happening?"

"Because only in this way can a saintess be chosen," Chu Xue said. "Only a body and soul that have endured hardship can be chosen as a sacred representative."

Lin Ye turned to look at Chu Xue, whose flawless face was filled with loneliness and pain.

"I only have nine toes," Chu Xue said softly. "Because one of them was frostbitten and died, and I missed the best time for treatment, so I had to have it amputated. And this ear too."

Chu Xue pointed to her left ear.

“Sometimes I can’t hear anything,” Chu Xue said. “When I cover my other ear, I can see the person standing in front of me, their mouth keeps babbling, but they can’t say anything. Haha, isn’t that interesting? Sometimes when I encounter someone I don’t like, I use this method to deal with them. Occasionally, when I’m called to some boring meetings by the medical department, I’ll do this, like this, prop my head up, cover one ear, and then I can’t hear with the other ear, so I can think about other things in peace. Isn’t that interesting?”

Chu Xue spoke to Lin Ye with a smile, but Lin Ye couldn't smile, or rather, no normal person could smile. The bitterness he was trying to hide behind the laughter was making him feel really uncomfortable.

"Why is this happening?" Lin Ye asked softly.

"Because I want to become a saint."

Why become a saint?

“Because someone needs me to become a saintess,” Chu Xue said. “I must become a saintess so that he can go further. I must become a saintess so that he can reclaim the family mansion. I must become a saintess so that his enemies will have nothing to say.”

Although Chu Xue didn't explicitly state it, Lin Ye knew that "he" referred to SilverAsh. This left him speechless. After a long pause, he could only ask, "What exactly happened?"

"Don't ask so many questions, Dr. Lin Ye." Chu Xue tilted her head, and the snowflakes that had fallen on her hair fell one after another. "Actually, it's pretty good as it is now, isn't it? Also, don't tell Encia about what happened tonight."

"Ya Xin doesn't know?"

“She knows I’m a saintess, but she doesn’t know what being a saintess truly means. I’ve been very careful not to show her my whole body, otherwise she would be upset,” Chuxue said. “That man and I have done a lot. He did it to revive his family, but I don’t have such grand ambitions. Family matters no longer mean anything to me. My only thought now is to make Enshia’s life easier. You said before that I was willing to return to Sherag because of that man, but that’s not true. I just don’t want Enshia to have to follow in my footsteps and become the new saintess after that man falls. That kind of world is too cruel.”

Lin Ye fell silent.

"Dr. Lin Ye, actually I envy Miss Nightingale."

Lin Ye was taken aback: "Liz?"

“Yes, Miss Liz.” First Snow nodded and said, “I know Miss Liz suffered a lot in the past. Before you completely healed her, her life could be described as dark. But even so, there were many, many people willing to stand by Miss Liz’s side. Before she met you, there was Shining, Nearl, and her Sarkaz kin, Hibiscus and Lava. Miss Liz always had many, many people around her who genuinely wanted to save her, many, many people willing to stand in front of her and protect her from the wind and rain. But… I didn’t. I thought there were, and he was indeed one at first, but things changed later. I heard that most of the Saintess candidates didn’t freeze to death or starve to death, but got lost in the blizzard and died of despair when they found themselves all alone.”

Lin Ye listened quietly. Chu Xue's voice was soft and gentle, yet powerful. Through Chu Xue's description, he could easily imagine the scene.

On the sacred path in the snow-capped mountains, a lonely and frail girl walked alone, with the bones of countless predecessors beneath her feet.

Just like the prison that confined young Liz, the mere thought of it was a suffocating and despairing scene. Lin Ye couldn't help but think that if Chu Xue also had the same illness as Nightingale, then the sacred road of the snow mountain would also be her prison. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say, "Let's go again."

"Huh?" Chu Xue was taken aback, looking at Lin Ye with some confusion. "What did you say?"

“I say, let’s walk that road again,” Lin Ye said. “This time, someone will be by your side.”

Chu Xue stared blankly at Lin Ye, then burst out laughing: "What is this? Compensation? But this is too strange."

Chu Xue's laughter calmed Lin Ye down a bit. He then realized that Chu Xue's situation was different from Nightingale's. Nightingale was trapped, while Chu Xue had already "broken out." Moreover, Nightingale's nightmare was the prison itself, but if Chu Xue had a nightmare, it wouldn't be the Holy Path itself, but rather... the man who should have sheltered her from the storm, but ultimately led her onto the Holy Path.

This was something that made her feel even more desperate than St. Louis itself.

"Alright, Dr. Lin, it's time to go back to sleep." Chu Xue slowly got up. "Although I understand your kindness, there's really nothing more you need to do this time. Have fun in Shelag. After all, the scenery here is quite beautiful, perfect for someone like you who has never seen snow before. Also, wear more clothes and socks, so you don't end up with frostbite on your toes like I did."

The last sentence of the first snow was clearly a joke, but Lin Ye couldn't laugh. He sat on the balcony, watching the snowflakes fall.

I wanted a cup of hot tea, but the tea in the cup had already gone cold.

……

……

Author's Note: The ears and toes in the original character design for First Snow are correct; this is something I added myself. First Snow mentioned in her voice lines that when she was little, her toes almost got frostbite, and SilverAsh found her and carried her home. However, it's clear that SilverAsh couldn't have found her during the Saintess Selection.

Chapters 23 and 4 require Liz to know what kind of person Dr. Lin Ye is.

Lin Ye woke up early the next morning, shivering from the cold.

He sneezed several times in a row, feeling dizzy and disoriented. He tried to grab the blanket to pull himself up tighter, but couldn't find it. Then he heard a "hissing" sound beside his ear, and slowly opened his eyes to see a white figure wrapped in a thick blanket, curled up beside his bed.

Lin Ye glared at the white figure, and the white figure glared back at him.

"Am I dreaming?" Lin Ye murmured, turning over to continue sleeping. "I actually saw a silly dog ​​on my bed."

Lappland was enraged and immediately pounced on him, grabbing Lin Ye's arm and biting down.

"Aaaaaah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Lin Ye's pitiful cries echoed through the Shivaesh family's mansion.

Even SilverAsh, who was dining in the restaurant downstairs, heard it.

SilverAsh put down the spoon he was using to drink soup and looked up. His butler, Green, bowed slightly and said, "Please continue your meal, sir. I'll go check on things now."

“No need.” SilverAsh took a handkerchief to wipe his hands and said calmly, “I heard from the guards that the Rhodes Island member who didn’t come back last night climbed over the wall into the courtyard this morning and went straight to that man’s room. He was probably startled.”

As if to confirm SilverAsh's guess, the screams from the second floor quickly disappeared.

"He's a pretty interesting guy."

SilverAsh put down the handkerchief, and the butler, Green, came up and draped the black trench coat over SilverAsh's shoulders.

Green asked in a low voice, "Is the master going out to work today as well?"

"What? Is today some kind of special day?"

“…No matter what, the eldest and second young ladies are back,” Green said. “Aren’t you going to spend some time with them?”

“Encia is no longer a child.” SilverAsh paused and said, “Enya isn’t either. They don’t need my company anymore.”

"Perhaps, it is still necessary?"

SilverAsh glanced back at Green, who lowered his head even further.

“That Dr. Lin is quite an interesting fellow. With him by Encia and Enya’s side, that should be enough.” SilverAsh stood up and walked towards the door, stopping halfway there. “What do you think of that Dr. Lin?”

“Dr. Lin?” Green thought for a moment and said, “He’s not afraid of the master. At his age, he can calmly express his thoughts in front of the master, even knowing that these are things the master avoids and doesn’t want to talk about. That’s rare. No wonder he can become friends with the eldest and second young ladies.”

"Isn't he afraid of me?" SilverAsh murmured. "Yes, he's not afraid of me. Even my men are afraid of me, but he isn't. And I always feel like there's a very special scent about him."

"A special flavor?" Green asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Hmm, it has a rather unique flavor." SilverAsh glanced back at Grimm. "Are you afraid of me?"

Green lowered his head again and said, "Green only has awe for the master."

"Awe? That's good." SilverAsh nodded. "By the way, I can't quite remember, was your eagle really lost half a year ago?"

Green's eyelids twitched slightly: "Yes, sir, I even told you about it back then."

"I remember saying something back then."

"I don't remember very clearly."

"If I don't remember clearly, I'll repeat myself," SilverAsh said calmly. "I said there's nothing to regret. Disobedient eagles are no longer needed. Do you understand what I mean?"

Under SilverAsh's gaze, Green felt a chill run down his spine. He tried his best to remain respectful and said, "I understand, sir."

“Good.” SilverAsh nodded, then picked up his cane. “The Rhodes Island envoy must have something to discuss with us. For Encia’s sake, I’m willing to talk to them. Make tonight’s dinner more lavish, not as meager as last night.”

"Yes, sir."

……

Lin Ye shoved Lappland's head away with all his might, glaring at her angrily: "What's wrong with you?"

Lappland glared at him and said, "Why did you call me a dog!"

"Who called you a dog! Wait, why are you in my bed?!"

Lin Ye finally realized the biggest problem. It wasn't that Lappland suddenly bit him, but that Lappland suddenly appeared in his room! In his bed! This inevitably reminded him of some 18+ doujinshi plots, but he quickly realized that Lappland was definitely not a character who fit into doujinshi plots.

She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but they were now tattered and torn. Her hair was mixed with dry grass, pebbles, and unmelted snow, and her face was filthy, as if she had rolled around in a garbage dump.

Lin Ye stared blankly at Lappland: "What's wrong with you?"

"What? What happened?"

"Did you fall in the garbage dump?! And why are you wrapped in my blanket?!"

Lin Ye finally realized why he had been woken up by the cold! Because Lappland had taken away his blanket! Now he was only wearing a thin nightgown! This made him feel that the cold wind blowing in from the window was as sharp as a knife.

“There was a little mishap,” Lappland said.

"What accident?"

"It was too dark last night, and I accidentally rolled down the mountain."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "Why am I not surprised at all?"

“It was already daytime when I climbed back,” Lappland sighed. “So I came to find you.”

"You actually remember the way back..."

"The way back?" Lappland tilted her head. "I'd completely forgotten. I just found it by following your scent. Thanks to your unique body odor."

Lin Ye was furious: "Where the hell do I smell of body odor?! This is perfume, don't you even know what perfume is?!"

“Oh.” Lappland nodded. “Not much different. Anyway, I found you, so I climbed over the wall to get in.”

"Why did you climb over the wall to get in... never mind, just tell me why you took my blanket."

"Is that even a question!" Lappland looked at Lin Ye like he was an idiot, then declared confidently, "Because it's cold!"

Lin Ye finally lost his temper and lunged at Lappland: "You stinking dog, give me back my blanket!"

Lappland grinned and snarled, "Quack! Who are you calling a dog!"

The two started fighting, and the wooden bed creaked and groaned from the impact.

The fight lasted less than ten seconds before ending in Lin Ye's defeat. Lin Ye was humiliatingly pinned down by Lappland, who proudly raised her head and sneered, "Quack doctor, how could you possibly beat me?"

Lin Ye was about to say something in retaliation, but when he looked up, he saw that Lappland's already tattered clothes had been completely destroyed after the intense exercise. This allowed Lin Ye to see her magnificent chest, which made him involuntarily open his mouth.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open, and Su Sulu poked her head in: "What are you making such a racket so early in the morning, Dr. Lin? You didn't even lock the door..."