Lux's Farewell

362 The end of the meadow [0358]

The mountain on the east side of Mount Targon is quite steep, but this is not too obvious in the foothills.

In addition, there are rivers with small drop and stable flow all over the road. When climbing the mountain, you can go upstream along the river bank, so the journey of Lux and Ino can be said to be quite easy at the initial stage.

It was far easier than the devil's training in the desert.

However, it is a pity that this relaxing and pleasant journey lasted only one day.

At noon the next day, when the two of them rested against a giant tree for two hours according to the usual pattern of activities, and then set off to move on, the situation changed suddenly after walking for less than two hours.

In the past day's journey, the river that the two of them traveled upstream has become narrower and narrower, and now it can only be regarded as a stream, but after the two-hour journey today, the stream is gone.

Looking at the clear mountain spring flowing from the gap on the stone wall in front of them, Lux and Ino realized that there was no way ahead of them.

"This is almost the source area of ​​the river." Carya said, "The melting water from the snow mountain melts below the snow line, seeps into the mountain, and flows out to the surface at this altitude, so from here, we can't continue along the river bank. Moving forward."

"Then what route should we choose?" Lux looked up at the Targon Peak not far away, which was still too high to see the top, and asked, "Judging by eyes?"

"That's right, the next road can only be judged by yourself, go west and head towards the highest mountain." Karya replied, "Times have changed, and the experience I can impart to you is almost here. The next journey can only depend on the two of you working together. Compared with other climbers, you are already considered lucky. On Mount Targon, having a partner you can trust and support is more important than anything else.”

"Understood!" Lux and glanced at Ino who couldn't stop nodding beside him, a confident smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Climb then!"

However, confidence belongs to confidence. When Lux and Ino really started to climb the mountain on the path they chose, they really felt the difficulty.

As the altitude rose, after leaving the foothills, the slope of the hillside increased rapidly. Although the vegetation became sparser and the field of vision became better and better, it was difficult for Lux and Ino to find a place to climb.

Before advancing along the river and tracing the source of the stream, Lacus and Ino could still see some human smoke from time to time, some Rakkol people worshiping Mount Targon, some fish and frogs in the water, and some foxes and deer in the forest .

But when they came to a higher place, there were only bare meadows and sparse shrubs left in sight, and thousands of steep stone walls abound.

The big rat, which occasionally flitted in the shadows of the meadow, was the only living thing they could see at this time.

For ordinary people, after seeing such a scene, it is inevitable that there will be a sense of desolation in their hearts, but Lux and Ino, who have gone through the desert trip, can still feel a different kind of vitality.

Among the low weeds in the meadow, unknown wildflowers are blooming close to the ground. They do not attract bees and butterflies, and the whistling mountain wind is their love song.

"What kind of flower is this?" As he continued to move forward, Lacus asked Kalya curiously, "There are so many colors, they all look similar, are they the same kind?"

"It's the same kind, it's called Yuanjinghong." Carya, who is an encyclopedia, naturally recognizes these flowers, "Not only the red ones are called Yuanjinghong, but the blue ones, white ones, and yellow ones are all called Yuanjinghongs, which are giant gods. Dominant plants in alpine meadows."

"Then these low grass..."

"It's its plants." Kalya obviously understood Lacus' question. "The mountain wind here is very strong, the soil is relatively thin, and it can't support big trees. Only these iris can grow vigorously."

"It's really a tough plant." Lux couldn't help but sigh, "It can grow at such a high place..."

"Yu Jinghong is just the beginning!" Karya explained with a smile after hearing Lacus's words, "Although this place has already left the foothills and entered the hillside area, for many lives living on Mount Targon, this This level of tenacity is just the beginning—take the Huiyang you have eaten as an example, the area where Huiyang lives is far above Yuanjinghong."

"Isn't the previous forest the area where Hui sheep live?" Lacus blinked, "I've seen a lot of sheep before?"

"That's not a Hui sheep, but a local goat." Kalya continued, "This is just the beginning, keep going, and you will see more miracles of life!"

........................

Compared with trekking in the desert, mountain climbing is already very interesting for Lacus and Ino. Before they knew it, the meadow under their feet began to gradually thin out. Yuan Jinghong's spirit The perfect little flower gradually began to lose its strength.

At the same time, Lacus, who was wearing a robe, also clearly felt that the temperature here was getting lower and lower.

Ever since she became an extraordinary person and truly transcended, Lux's tolerance to temperature has improved a lot.

Even if she was going in the desert, as long as she had enough water, she wouldn't have to worry about heatstroke or sunburn--a transcendent person is a person who is transcendent in the physical sense.

However, when the mountain wind whizzed past her again, Lacus felt an indescribable coldness that seemed to be scraped through the bones of a knife.

Such severe cold made Lux couldn't help shivering, and subconsciously wrapped her robe tightly.

But that's not the worst part.

What was even more frightening was that beside Lux, Ino also shuddered.

The ice blood also felt the cold, even if it was only a little bit.

Ino, who felt the cold for the first time in her life, was stunned. She stood there in a daze, paused for a while, and then asked Karya: "Teacher, I feel a little cold... It's not right."

"Don't be nervous." Kalya said in relief, "It's not serious."

"This is the first time I've felt cold." Ino blinked, still in disbelief, "But there's not even snow here, the ground is all wet, and it's not frozen..."

"Because this is not a simple low temperature." Karya explained, "The mountain wind engulfs the energy of the heavens. Under this kind of erosion, even the blood of ice is difficult to resist."

"So... I'll get frostbite too?"

"That's not enough." Carya denied this statement, "You're just not used to this feeling, it doesn't matter, just keep going."

"..."

"There is the snow line in front. When you see the snow and ice, take off your shoes, and go barefoot, you will find that there is only a mountain wind, but that's all." Carya continued to comfort, "The numbness and pain under your feet will be the best at that time. Teacher, let you get used to the feeling of being shrouded by the radiance of the heavens a little bit, so, go forward, girls, show your energy in the devil training, the more terrifying is yet to come!"

Kalya's consolation might as well be called "threat", but for some reason, after hearing Kalya's words, Lacus and Ino felt extra at ease. The two looked at each other, then smiled, and wrapped wrapped in robes.

go!
Two hours later, Lacus and Ino took off their shoes, left them at the end of the meadow, and then stepped on a piece of snow that hadn't melted.

The snow line... has arrived.

　Karya's Small Classroom · The Meadow Ecology of Targon:
　　The alpine meadow ecology of Targon is actually relatively simple. On the one hand, it is because of the energy erosion caused by the radiation of celestial energy. On the other hand, it is also because the alpine meadow area here is relatively narrow, not only compared with the entire Targon. Totally out of proportion, even compared to other mountains in other Runeterra.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)