The Secrets of Kojiya

"Everyone stay close! We're going to die..."

Sejuani rode on the Juvask, leading the migration procession.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, just then, heavy snow began to fall, obscuring the already dim sun.

Fortunately, the Claws of Winter have always been warlike, and the majority of the tribe consists of young and strong men, who can spare a considerable number of people to care for the elderly and weak.

Sejuani also kept her promise; she had no intention of abandoning any of the tribesmen belonging to the Winter's Claw.

The biting wind was so cold that even an Iceborn like Sejuani could feel it.

This was not a good time to migrate, but it was exactly what Sejuani wanted.

She had long wanted to break free from the Frost Guardians' control and soar freely in the sky...

But her ambitions were somewhat impacted by reality.

The reality is, she has the willpower and isn't afraid of the cold as an Iceborn, but her people aren't... People keep falling behind, and Sejuani has to keep sending people to search for them, while a suitable habitat seems to be a long way off.

She realized she had oversimplified things... but things had come to this point, and all she could do was get everyone settled as soon as possible.

Helen did not ride the Juvask, but walked... He had originally been assigned a mount, but seeing that old Ian could not bear it, he gave it to the old fireman.

This bit of cold wasn't enough to break him.

"Helen, come up here!"

"What?"

"I said! Come on up! Let's go together!"

In the snow, Sejuani's voice was somewhat muffled, and she had to shout for Harren to hear her.

"No need, I can walk."

"Do you expect me to ride on the Juvask while you walk through the snow and wind?"

"If you feel bad about it, then you can come down too!"

Heron intended to decline, but Sejuani pondered for a moment and then actually took a step and flipped off Juvask.

Sejuani was leading Juvas, but she felt it was a waste to leave such a precious mount empty. Just then, she saw a man trembling behind a supply sled, holding a half-grown child in his arms.

"Hey! You! Get on!"

"War Mother...I..."

"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up!"

Sejuani helped the man up to the Juvask, then carried the child up, before she and Heron came together.

With Sejuani setting an example, some warriors were no longer comfortable riding on Juvask and gave their mounts to the elderly and weak.

Herren watched this scene with some surprise.

"How can you still laugh?"

Herren is not an Iceborn after all. Although she is resistant to the cold, it does not mean that she is completely immune to the cold. Her skin will still crack due to the cold, and her cheeks will still turn red.

But at that moment, there was a slight smile on his lips.

"It's nothing, I just have more confidence in this migration."

"Really? Me too, I guess."

Even though Sejuani herself wasn't sure, she didn't want to show it.

"You did a great job, Sejuani... It seems your mother's death hasn't affected you too much."

"Ha, what impact could she have on me... You probably don't know about our relationship."

In such a harsh environment, everyone tries to avoid communication to conserve energy, but for the Ice People who are not afraid of the cold, being able to chat for a few minutes actually helps them concentrate.

"My relationship with my mother is terrible... Back when my grandmother was still the War Mother, she fell in love with a shaman in the tribe. Later, I heard that the shaman had gone mad or was cursed, so my grandmother, Xijian, banished him... Then she forced my mother to find a blood alliance she didn't like and gave birth to me. Because of this, she has always hated me."

"A mad...shaman?"

"Yes, that's not all. Later, my mother became the War Mother, but not long after, she abandoned the tribe and eloped with her 'sweetheart'... all for the sake of love, ha..."

Sejuani pulled her hat brim down to avoid getting the dense snowflakes in her eyes.

"It wasn't until a few years ago, when my grandmother passed away and the tribe was on the verge of collapse, that she returned and became the War Mother again... She was completely absent from my childhood, and even in recent years, she has maintained a hostile attitude towards me... So, what you're saying feels like you're just trying to comfort me."

Before setting off, Harren and Sejuani had a long talk, including how Gorgia was actually killed by the Frost Priest for Sejuani's safety.

What sounded perfectly reasonable, a story born of maternal love, was, to Sejuani, somewhat unbelievable.

As an outsider, Helen naturally didn't understand, only feeling... he never imagined that even heroes could have the pain of a dysfunctional family...

"But you seemed quite upset at the beginning."

"I'm sad because I didn't expect things to happen so suddenly, and in such a critical way. If we're talking about family... she's my only family."

Gorgia was so unwilling to have Sejuani with someone she didn't like, so she would never find Sejuani a new sworn father, and Sejuani naturally had no brothers or sisters.

Given Freljord's appallingly high infant mortality rate, it's incredibly fortunate that Sejuani, an only child, survived to adulthood.

"By the way, was that mad shaman named Udyr?"

"How would I know? I've never seen him... What, do you know that person?"

"No, I don't know him personally, but we've known each other for a long time."

The snow was still falling heavily, and even the warriors were finding it difficult to withstand it, let alone the elderly and weak in the tribe.

People kept succumbing to the cold, fainting and barely breathing. Sejuani could only take out ale from her supplies to warm them up, and also share the little food she had left.

For a moment, Sejuani considered abandoning some of the weaker people and leaving the supplies for those who "deserve to live," but this thought only lingered for a moment before being dismissed.

Perhaps it was because of Herren... or perhaps it was because she, having just become the War Mother, wanted to preserve her authority as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Heron gained a new understanding of the harshness of the Freljord's living environment.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the knowledge he had about "brewing".

Although Herren had a huge capacity for alcohol, he didn't particularly enjoy drinking, and he didn't have enough grain to brew it, so he only treated this memory as an extra treat.

But at this moment, he was thinking... what if he could use his brewing skills in conjunction with his cheat ability to brew a potion that could save lives in an emergency?

Like life potions, compound potions, hunter potions... and all sorts of concoctions?

"War Mother! There's an open space ahead!"

At this moment, Erkas, who had been scouting ahead, returned on his horse, Juvask. His beard was covered in frost, and his lips were trembling.

"Thank God... this damn weather."

Sejuani cursed under her breath, then turned around and shouted loudly at the crowd.

"Winter's Claw! Give it your all! There's an open space ahead where we can rest!"