Winter Executor, starting with a system of wronged individuals.

"We ran out of white thread, so we had to use red to make up for it, just like the red in your hair."

Before Columbia could ask a question, the boy answered in advance. The extreme cold was also becoming unbearable for him, and perhaps he had really reached his limit.

This body, too, needs to...

“Teacher, your health…” A look of heartache flashed in Columbia’s eyes. No one knew the boy’s physical condition better than her. She had known since their first meeting five years ago.

Those were the eyes that were slowly losing life, but something within them was still stubbornly burning, refusing to be extinguished.

"Don't worry about it... cough, did you study the pieces I taught you the other day?" The boy took a somewhat worn but very clean harp from his waist, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I still can't do it, teacher... I'm sorry."

Columbia's knuckles turned slightly white as she took the harp. She didn't want to see the disappointment in her teacher's eyes; her teacher was all she had left.

She looked up at the window; the world was a pristine white, almost devoid of life.

Five years ago, the sky shattered, and the world began its countdown to collapse as an extreme cold storm swept across the entire continent.

Beneath the shattered sky, an unknown starry expanse was revealed.

Colombia lost everything; everything sank into the abyss in that initial catastrophe.

Having lost everything, there's no point in even clinging to life.

Just as she was struggling to put the rope around her neck with her right hand, which was frostbitten and bluish-purple, the teacher silently appeared and saved her.

The teacher never mentioned his name; he simply led her to their current refuge, a place that could barely be called home.

"Columbia, you are the past, the present, and the only future."

Her teacher once said this to her, her eyes seemingly containing the expectations of the whole world.

"I'm leaving," the boy's sudden voice was like a pronouncement, causing Columbia to freeze in place, her hand holding the harp almost slipping away.

She hasn't asked where those new and fascinating things came from, she doesn't know your name, she hasn't... prepared for the final farewell.

Columbia had long known this day would come, but even now, she was still not ready.

Prepare to say goodbye.

She didn't know what her teacher meant to her—was he a benefactor? A friend? Or family?

The boy raised his head, and in his deep eyes he seemed to see signs of shattering. Suddenly, he smiled with relief.

"Columbia, don't look back, keep running forward."

The boy pushed open the long-sealed door, and what appeared before Columbia's eyes was a downward road with no end in sight.

"What about you, teacher?"

Columbia pursed her lips, wanting to hear the response she desired.

The boy simply stood there, and the next moment the whole world began to tremble violently. "At the end of this road lies the future of the world."

May you reach the end of the road and witness the true destination.

Goodbye, Columbia.

Or... never to be seen again.

After Columbia was pushed through the door, the sound of the door closing was particularly dull, followed by the sound of it being locked.

Goodbye, teacher.

I never found out his name until the very end.

She bit her lower lip tightly, her hands resting on the door before gradually falling down, her bright eyes now dull and lifeless.

"Keep moving forward..."

Columbia murmured the boy's last words, her steps stiff as she walked down the road. The violent tremors that came from time to time meant that she could only continue by holding onto the edge of the wall.

She had no idea what was happening outside, nor what the world would become; she only knew that her body had begun to melt away like foam.

The tremors of the world gradually subsided, and Columbia's body slowly glowed with a crystalline pale blue light. Her body, which had begun to dissipate, gradually returned to normal.

Fragmented memories surged forth.

She remembered... She had once stood guard beside the throne. On the day the sky shattered, the authority of the immortals was also severely damaged by [Reality], causing them to lose all their memories and fall to the earth.

The world will be reborn, but her era will forever sink into the abyss, like withered branches decaying in the soil.

She will be the world's sole survivor, traveling alone to the next era, as a trace of the world's existence.

come down.

It is an abyss with no end in sight, endlessly sinking into deeper darkness, reaching out hands to grasp something but finding only a shattered past and present.

everything is over.

Columbia slowly closed her eyes, and a crystal tear slid down her cheek.

If we could meet again, would you recognize me?

If I have another chance, I really want to say thank you.

What lies at the end of the abyss?

Columbia saw only a blue glow shimmering in the boundless darkness—countless transparent coffins.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Lord Columbia."

"The Hermit and the Puppet will arrive in Winterfell tomorrow."

The nun bowed slightly behind her and spoke respectfully; one only needed to look up to see the stunningly beautiful figure standing quietly in front of the blinds.

Columbia simply watched the snowflakes falling outside the window silently, and after a few seconds, she said softly, "I understand."

The nun left silently. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I felt that Lady Columbia was a bit unfamiliar today.

Columbia let out a soft breath, remembering things from so long ago.

His eyes opened gently, revealing a faint golden glow. Only these eyes, which did not belong to this era, could see the shadows of people from the past.

She used to be powerless to stop everything from happening, but now it's different. Even what her teacher called fate... is an obstacle that can be overcome.

This time, it's her turn to protect, even if she can only watch silently.

Columbia hesitated for only a moment before taking out a plain white camisole from the wardrobe and smiling at herself in the mirror.

Chapter 143 Jade Feet Wearing White Silk - What's this called?

"Lord Hermit~"

"Brother Su Ming~~"

"Did you dream of these jade feet? Or these ice cream cones? Or...?"

"Come and choose!"

In a hazy state, Su Ming seemed to hear the voices of Lily of the Valley and Sandone. When he opened his eyes, he saw tiny, delicate feet and an ice cream wrapped in white silk.

The former has a faint fragrance of snow lotus and almost no unpleasant odor.

Her toes were rounded and delicate, making her feet perfect enough to be displayed at an auction, perfectly showcasing the girl's playfulness and cuteness.

The latter, with its toes outlined in white silk, is as perfect as if created by the Creator, exuding a hint of allure amidst its purity, the slightly trembling toes seeming to extend an invitation.

Jade Feet versus Ice Cream: This was the first time Su Ming had ever faced such a difficult decision. Jade Feet emphasized the beauty of nature and focused on the original flavor; Ice Cream, on the other hand, was a refined product that brought out the beauty of the feet.

Both have their own advantages, making them difficult to choose between; there's simply no way to decide!

But! Adults never have to choose; they just show off everything!

Su Ming opened his mouth and tasted everything twice. After carefully tasting it, he concluded that he wasn't dreaming. The jade feet must be lily of the valley, and the ice cream must be Sandoni. Hmm... no wonder the waiter and wife he had chosen both had perfect feet.

What is the ultimate enjoyment? This is the most pleasurable enjoyment: being in a carriage, enjoying the company of white silk stockings—even the protagonists of light novels don't get this kind of treatment!

Why bother being an executive officer of the Fools? Look how comfortable he's living... Oh wait, I guess I should stay in the Fools for the sake of free food, drink and entertainment. At least I can't resign until I've squeezed Little Pan dry.

Before leaving, he should also win over Columbia's wife. Then he can take the third and seventh seats and go far away, poaching the Fools' top talents from within. He's truly worthy of his name!

"Some people are really shameless."

Sandone gave a slightly disgusted look and lifted her white-stockinged foot to stomp on it slightly.

As Linglan covered her eyes with her right hand, she separated her index and middle fingers, revealing a shocked expression. Her pretty face flushed slightly. These two have really gone this far now!

There's also an illegal loli here, are you guys really being ridiculous by doing this?!

Lily of the Valley is both shy and fiercely voyeuristic, her main focus being to learn in advance what a legal loli needs to know—that's called being prepared for a rainy day, you know?

Wouldn't it be too late to learn when you finally need it? You only realize how little you know when you need it, and you must charge forward when faced with a challenge.

To avoid the awkward situation of not knowing what to do next after a kiss, Suzuran decided to humbly learn. She had been secretly watching these past few days and had indeed learned a lot of completely useless dog food. Shit!

Have these two completely lost their sense of shame? At first, they were at least somewhat restrained and wouldn't do anything too outrageous in front of Suzuran. At most, they would kiss, hug, and touch her white stockings. But the next day, they evolved directly into doing all sorts of things right in front of her!

Lily of the Valley: Physically illegal, but spiritually legal.

Despite the ordeal, the young nun retained her last shred of dignity, refraining from engaging in sexual activity directly in the carriage, and instead relying on her powerful willpower to endure it.

At times like these, one should silently recite the Winter Church scriptures in one's mind, and shout a few times for the future of Her Majesty the Queen and Winter, thus completely extinguishing those meaningless yellow emotions.

She's a novice nun at Winter's Church, how could she do something so rude!

Lily took a deep breath, wiped the footprints off the carpet, and began preparing dinner. To prevent the carriage from arriving in Winter City with only three corpses inside, Sandone and Lily refused Su Ming's idea of ​​cooking.

Although she claimed to be refusing, she was actually kicked unconscious by Sandone while Su Ming was getting ingredients. When she woke up, she witnessed the scene just now.

Su Ming was earnestly advising Sándorne in bed, saying that if this ancestor continued to be inpart every day, he wouldn't be able to live, and would be drained to death in less than a month.

He had planned to take some potent tonics, hoping that his talent might help him recover. However, his wife knocked him unconscious with a single kick, which made his already weak body even worse, to the point where he could barely walk.

It's not that Su Ming is incompetent, it's just that Sandone has hardly stopped lately. At first, Suzuran would peek at them with a blushing face, but now she's completely numb and just goes about her business as if the two of them don't exist.

Nobody ever told him that Sandone was so ruthless. She looks like a quiet and gentle little girl, so how could she become so twisted when she activates Impart?

Who's the pervert here?

“You’ll arrive at Winterhold tomorrow morning, and I reckon you won’t be staying for more than a few days before you have to go on a new mission,” Sandonne said, a hint of reluctance in her voice, though she hid it well. “It’ll most likely be Liyue. I wonder which executor you’ll be working with this time.”

Sandone curled her lip; after all, her only responsibility was to continue producing Evil Eyes at the Mechanical Workshop, and as an executive officer, she was more like a logistics support staff member.