Ferocious and manic roars echoed across the snowy plains. It was a high-level magical beast hunting. Those weak, low-level magical beasts that heard the sound all hid away, and the ordinary wild beasts were so frightened they fled in a panic.
Very soon, the surroundings were left with only the giant, long-furred, sharp-horned magical beast and another magical beast with a long tail, its body bitten off by a large chunk.
Muli followed the sound over. He passed by those terrified, fleeing wild beasts but did not hunt them.
He came to the battlefield of the two magical beasts. The long-furred, long-horned magical beast was gnawing on the other magical beast’s body, enjoying its spoils of victory.
This long-furred, long-horned magical beast had snow-white fur—most magical beasts and ordinary wild animals living in the polar region had white fur or scales and skin, because only such a color could better conceal themselves and allow them to survive in the polar land.
Muli also had a coat of snow-white fur, but he preferred to wear clothes, becoming the most eye-catching existence on the snow, because he was not at all afraid of being regarded as prey by magical beasts and wild animals. Any magical beast or wild animal that dared to hunt him would eventually become food in his mouth.
Sensing the ill intent on him, that magical beast had already looked over warily and let out a threatening roar. Muli, unafraid of this magical beast much taller than himself, charged straight toward it.
He had taken a liking to this magical beast’s long and thick fur. He had searched for two days to find such a one, so of course he would not let it go.
Generally speaking, the bigger the magical beast’s body, the stronger it was. However, the difference between high-level and low-level magical beasts was enormous, and such a difference had nothing to do with height or size.
High-level magical beasts possessed powerful bodies, as well as wisdom and thoughts just like humans. But they were very few in number, and most lived in the deepest part of the polar region, in places humans could not explore.
The more toward the outer edges, the lower the magical beasts’ intelligence became. For example, this mid-level long-furred magical beast—though its strength was astonishing, its intelligence was not high. As for the outermost magical beasts, they were basically the same as ordinary wild animals.
Muli had long known that he was a half-blood of magical beast and human. The grandfather who found him told him he might be the descendant of some kind of highest-level magical beast from the deepest part of the polar region. That was why, back then, even when he was still a cub, he could hunt magical beasts here and raise himself.
Now, he was about to step into adulthood. There were no longer magical beasts here that could threaten him.
That long-furred magical beast also sensed the danger. While bluffing with angry howls, it turned around wanting to escape, even at the cost of abandoning its spoils obtained through a hard battle.
If the other party were also here for food, then the food it abandoned could save its life. Unfortunately, Muli had come for its fur.
Muli’s speed on snow was even faster than outside. He was like a shadow. In a flash, he appeared on the long-furred magical beast’s back, grabbing its long fur and climbing up its body.
He wanted this fur intact, so he did not attack its body. In one swift move, he stepped onto its head and grabbed the sharp horn, using it as leverage to attack both of its eyes.
The long-furred magical beast’s thick eyelids could not stop his attack. In pain, it violently swung its head, attempting to fling him off. Muli used the beast’s horn to sway his body, stepping on its wide-open mouth to hang onto its shoulder.
The ears hidden beneath the thick fur were also one of its weak points. Muli drew his sharp spike weapon and stabbed deep into the long-furred magical beast’s ear, directly piercing into its head—
After a moment, Muli jumped down from this gigantic magical beast. The ravaged snowy ground was instantly splattered with blood.
He grabbed some snow from the ground to wipe his spike clean, and after wiping off the grime, he put it back at his waist. He stared at this massive mountain of flesh and fur, feeling a bit troubled.
In the past, when he killed magical beasts, he would usually just take a portion of the meat, enough for himself, because he was too lazy to deal with the other parts. The leftovers would be thrown aside and soon devoured by other animals.
The food he discarded had probably fed countless weak animals that relied on scavenging.
But now, there was a human at home. She needed warm fur to keep out the cold, and besides that, she also needed food, so the meat had to be brought back. Finally, she also needed the fire in the lighthouse that stayed burning.
There were no trees that could burn in the polar region. Only some animal pelts and magical beast bones could be used as fuel. After being left for a while, magical beast bones would ooze thick grease that could burn for a very long time.
Muli himself was not afraid of the cold. Aside from roasting meat, he did not often keep a fire burning. But the human at home needed warmth. Without a fire, it would not work. That meant he needed a lot of magical beast bones. So the bones had to be taken back too.
Looking at it again and again, such a huge magical beast could only be taken back entirely. Muli lifted the magical beast’s corpse and walked back, leaving deep footprints one after another in the snow. On his cute and sweet bear-like face was written a steady determination.
He was already a bear who had to shoulder the heavy burden of supporting the family. He could no longer be lazy like before.
Meili stood up from beside the fire. She was wrapped in a piece of fur, wearing crude shoes made from small pieces of hide on her feet. Circling the bonfire a few times, she glanced at the lighthouse’s large door, a bit anxious in her heart.
Muli had been gone for a long time and still had not returned. Watching the light cast from the window above inch by inch disappear from the wall, she couldn’t help worrying.
The wind and snow outside were fierce. Just opening the door to take a look nearly froze her whole body. She had only been here two days and still had not adapted to this extreme cold. She could only temporarily hide inside the lighthouse, staying by the fire to keep her body warm.
She picked up her bow and practiced by the fire for a while, feeling her body warm up just a bit. Wrapping herself tightly in the fur, she stepped onto the narrow stairs fixed to the lighthouse wall.
The small stairway spiraled upward. Holding onto the cold railing and stone wall, she moved up step by step. Halfway up, she glanced down and instantly felt like a piece of cloth nailed to the wall, swaying in midair. She no longer looked down, focusing on climbing up. After much difficulty, she finally reached the top. Her vision abruptly brightened, and a rush of fresh, icy wind and snow assaulted her.
The top level was a small platform right next to the windows. Through windows set with a transparent material, one could see the view outside.
One of the windows had a broken piece, and the wind and snow blew in from there. Meili felt the cold snatch away the heat from her body. She quickly grabbed something to cover the broken spot, then leaned closer to the intact window. After wiping away the dust on it, she peered outside.
For a moment, she was stunned by the scene before her, unable to utter a sound.
She had never seen a snowfield like this—vast and pristine, a boundless stretch of white, as though all color had been stripped from heaven and earth, leaving only this one shade in the world.
The distant glacier could not be clearly seen due to the dim light. It was just a faint outline, as if that were the very end of the sky.
Not long after looking, she soon noticed something moving on the snowy ground not far away—a white mass. Looking more closely, she realized beneath that white mass was Muli. He was bringing back a very large prey.
The lighthouse stood tall upon the snowfield like a solitary little boat. From afar, the sight of it filled Muli with a sudden, indescribable excitement. Carrying the gigantic magical beast, he quickened his steps again, feeling almost impatient to return home.
He had never experienced such a feeling before.
He did not even understand what kind of feeling this was—he only thought about how Meili would be happy when she saw him bringing prey home, and that made him happy too.
Throwing the prey down by the door, Muli pushed open the door and entered. The lighthouse was small enough that he could see everything at a glance, yet there was no trace of Meili—only the orange flames flickering under the assault of the wind and snow, and the shadows on the walls swaying in all directions.
Before Muli could look around, a voice sounded above his head.
“Muli, I’m here.”
He looked up and saw Meili’s head sticking out from the platform at the very top.
Muli walked to the narrow staircase and tried to squeeze his way up. After climbing up two or three steps, he got stuck between the railing and the stone wall.
Slightly dejected, he freed himself and stood at the bottom looking up. He saw Meili hurriedly running down the narrow stairs.
The steep stairs made it hard for her to stop herself. By the time she reached the lowest steps, she practically flew into Muli’s arms. Muli didn’t take this tiny bit of momentum seriously and smoothly caught her, holding her as he brought her back to the fire.
Because Meili couldn’t stand the cold, she had been curled in Muli’s arms for warmth most of the time these past two days. The two of them were used to this kind of contact now, and Muli no longer bristled at every touch.
“I found a long-furred magical beast. Its fur is very thick. Once I skin it, we can make clothes.” Muli spoke of today’s achievements with spirited energy, a tone full of charming pride.
Hearing his tone, Meili immediately wanted to praise him.
Muli, buoyed by the praise, tried hard to suppress his smile, acting like a calm little bear who neither rejoiced at favor nor feared humiliation—yet his steps were light and full of enthusiasm as he ran outside to deal with the magical beast’s corpse.
Meili peeked out from the crack of the door. She saw the little bear skinning the long-furred magical beast, rubbing the fur in the snow to clean off the remaining flesh and blood.
The way he rubbed and flung that big bundle of white fur looked like he was rolling around and playing excitedly in the snow.
Meili: “ …” He’s having so much fun.
After a while, he dragged the fur and a large chunk of meat inside, walking with steady, composed steps.
The meat was for dinner, while the fur still needed further processing. Meili prepared to roast the meat, all while watching Muli scoop out the snow-white ash of magical beast bones burned beneath the fire pit, sprinkling it layer by layer onto the fur to tan it.
His two large palms pressed down on the fur and rubbed it rapidly. He looked entirely focused, with only the round ears on his head occasionally twitching.
Meili watched him. The more she looked, the more her face filled with a smile.
Muli accidentally looked up and saw her smiling at him. He asked, puzzled, “Why are you looking at me and smiling?”
Ah, because the way the little bear rubs fur is just too cute.
Meili: “…You’re rubbing it really well. This fur will definitely be very comfortable.”
Muli believed her immediately, thinking she was admiring his strength. “This is for you. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it properly.”
Meili nodded, smiling while trying hard not to laugh.
At night, the fire slowly burned out. Muli lay on his back beside the fire, limbs spread out, snoring loudly. Meili lay on top of him, covered by an old piece of fur. She curled herself entirely within the fur, nestled in the warmest embrace, only her red hair exposed.
As she slept, Muli suddenly turned over. Meili, half-asleep, slipped off and fell to the side, clutching the fur as she continued sleeping. But the thin layer of fur beneath her was pressed against the cold ground, and she couldn’t sleep well.
Muli woke up, saw her curled up to one side, and casually picked her up, placing her back into his arms before continuing to sleep on his back.
Half-awake, Meili listened to the warm and steady heartbeat rising and falling beneath her. Her whole body relaxed, and she slept even more sweetly.
