I took a long breath and felt the chill burst into my throat, piercing into my fragile flesh like a sharp blade, and then slicing all the way to my parched lungs with malice and paranoia.

It's cold. Everything was like frost and snow that was frozen in an instant, squeezing every inch of my bones, giving me tangible pain in a trance.

"Where is this?"

I asked softly, but without any hope of being answered.

"No, I'm still alive?"

As more fantastical doubts surfaced, I put my fingers, which had been frozen as stiff as iron, on my forehead, and slowly opened my eyes.

As with any other moment I've ever experienced, I've never really understood the wonders that alternate in front of me———— including the vast expanse of snow that now envelops me.

A long wind mixed with bone-chilling cold swept by, and the cracked skin on the legs and wrists instantly felt a sharp pain like cracking. At this point, the dull nerves finally commanded my trembling arms to wrap around my thin body, and I curled up in a small circle of open space at my feet, the only clearing not covered by snow, and shivered violently.

"What, what, depending on ......"

With the endless twitching of muscle groups and the frantic collision of upper and lower molars, even the scolding became weak. In the majestic cold, I desperately held up the last shred of consciousness, squinting my eyes and roughly observing my surroundings. Although my mentality was on the verge of collapse, I knew in my heart that if I continued to stay here, I was afraid that death would not be far away, and I had to find a shelter that could at least block the cold wind before I completely lost my mobility.

I tried to comfort myself that maybe even if this bird didn't poop, there might be some kind of building, or even a house.

But this kind of whimsical self-deception can never become a reality. As my vision extended, despair crept into my spinal cord———— as far as my eye could see, except for the endless snow, and the night dotted with a few stars. And to make matters worse, half a meter away was covered with snow deeper than my calf, so instead of heading forward in search of a barely existent life, it was better to stay here and at least retain some warmth and strength.

"Ha, hahahaha......"

I laughed out loud after experiencing what was suffocating and hopeless, how bad it was to end up being frozen to death, it was really miserable.

As my hands and feet gradually lost sensation, I simply fell to my knees and closed my eyes and curled into a ball, speculating in my heart that I had little time left———— after all, it was the only thing I could do right now.

The weedy darkness and glaciers overwhelmed me, and even the slightest heartbeat was crushed into the tight winds. I lost my sense of existence in the chaos of the world, surrounded by countless crystal snowflakes, and I was probably so small and meaningless——— I was.

Jingle ————

At this moment, a crisp sound drifted into my frozen white ear, and the tactful tone was as long and ethereal as the handbell shaken by the camel merchant on the Silk Road, but it was also the last straw I could reach, and I struggled to open my heavy eyelids.

For the first time, I could see the flat and solid ground under my knees, and what surrounded me was no longer the darkness that had been intertwined before, but a small patch of orange light shining from behind me, reflecting on the brilliant ice crystals and exuding soft warmth.

"Cluck, cluck...... Light? ”

It was only a few minutes before my tongue was out of control, and the words twisted and tangled like they came out of the mouth of a babbling baby.

I turned my head in doubt, but a glance widened my eyes———— and at some point a small, rough wooden house appeared silently behind me, and the snow and ice picks on the eaves looked so natural as if they had been there from the beginning.

I was stunned at first when I saw the house that appeared behind me in the blink of an eye, but the shock and surprise then melted away in an even greater relief. I asked myself, have you seen less of this magical and strange phenomenon? At least didn't the shelter you've been looking for come to your door by yourself?

Without much hesitation, I tried to get up, but several times I fell back into the snow due to exhaustion, and after a long time of failure, I finally succeeded in reaching the half-hidden door two steps away, from which the light came. But just as I was about to open the crumbling wooden door, a slender hand pushed it away from inside the room before me, and a slightly feminine face that I had never seen before appeared at the threshold. The man was dressed in a pitch-black robe, and it was not clear which era it was, but the intricately embroidered patterns on it inadvertently revealed an atmosphere of antiquity and luxury.

"Welcome."

With that, he removed the sunglasses that stood on the bridge of his nose in a very different style.

Just as I didn't know how to answer, the cold that pervaded me reminded me, and I shivered violently a few times before asking in a low voice,

"Well, can I get in, can I get in?"

Hearing my slightly humble tone, the man in black laughed in surprise with the corners of his mouth hanging from his mouth, and his dark purple pupils shone with an inexplicable luster.

"Why not? Just ......"

He replied unhurriedly,

"What's in it for me?"

The man in black's gaze became sly, and his otherwise detached face suddenly took on a greedy look.

The cold wind outside the house kept passing, but I could only stand there stupidly and frown anxiously. Because after a cursory thought, I realized that I really didn't seem to have anything to handle, after all, all I had left of my body was an even more inexplicable metal ball except for the note that I didn't understand.

Out of helplessness, I half-hunched and said with a wry smile,

"Well, I really don't have anything valuable, do you think anything else? It's absolutely okay to do a job or something, no problem. Or do you want to take credit first? I will definitely make up for the opportunity in the future, cough cough, I will make up for ......"

The wind was stronger, probably due to the growing cold, and the last sentence didn't sound a little more reassuring.

"No, no."

The words of the man in black are full of mockery,

"Do you really think that 'money' is valuable to you and me? No, what I need, you will give. ”

Although I was more confused, I was relieved,

"That'...... What do you want ......? ”

Only then did I realize that the man in black had never taken his eyes off my forehead, and this strange atmosphere gave me a bad feeling. After a while, he slowly put his hands behind his back, raised his chin and squinted at me proudly, as if he was examining the treasure that belonged to him.

"What I want is your memory."

"What ??!"

My mouth was wide open in disbelief, and the tingling sensation crept up my scalp from the back of my spine.

"What? Do you have any questions? ”

The man in black tilted his head very indifferently to observe my reaction, but the banter in his eyes revealed some hidden true emotions———— he was playing with me.

But what can I do?

So I had to suppress the anger rising in my heart and grin a few times. But while thinking about countermeasures, a question also came up.

Maybe...... Does my amnesia have anything to do with him?

"So, your Excellency, what is your choice?"

The man in black seemed to be waiting a little impatiently, and there was a bit more majesty in his urging words. So far, I can only bite the bullet and think of what to ask,

"No, you haven't told me yet, how are you going to take it out? What other types of memories are there? Or for how long? I have to at least ...... Let's have a number. ”

As soon as I finished speaking, the man in black who was standing suddenly burst out laughing,

"Hahaha, type? Length? Your Excellency, you have such a good sense of humor. ”

He stared into my eyes and said,

"I want it all!"

I was startled, and in a panic, I involuntarily took half a step back. Now I'm almost certain that my previous amnesia must have something to do with him! But in addition to being shocked, I had to face the exaggerated demands of the man in black,

"All, all? You mean after I got inside...... Will everything be forgotten? ”

The smile on the face of the man in black became even stronger, and he jerked his hand out from behind him, and asked me in a loud voice like an emperor,

"Your Excellency thinks! Why do I only touch you in this vast snowfield? Is it because of your dazzling brilliance?! Is it to go to great lengths to discuss these meaningless trivia with you?! No, Your Excellency misunderstood, not that you will lose your precious memories when you step into the Humble House, but that you have lost them when you came here and saw me! By the way, do you remember what I said? ”

He suddenly flashed sideways to the threshold, pushed the half-closed door open, and said to me again, with a little respect,

"Welcome."

I was speechless, nailed like a statue in the snow.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but there are some things I think I need to tell you."

The man in black tasted my emotions and said to me with interest,

"Judging by Your Excellency's reaction, you must be wondering why your memory is still as strong as ever, right?"

I came back from the cacophony of thoughts and waited quietly for what he was going to say next. I saw the man in black pause slightly, and his eyes fell on my trouser pocket,

"That means you still have some 'stock'."

Following his gaze, I slowly inserted my hand into my pocket, and then tremblingly pulled out the glittering silver-white ball———— the once dense lines on the surface of the sphere had disappeared, replaced by a metal shell as smooth as a mirror.

"What is this ......?"

I muttered to myself, but my heart was in a mess, if it was the same as the man in black suggested, it meant that this metal ball was a device that could hold memories, but at the moment, it seemed that it was empty, and I suddenly felt that I had lost a lot, but I couldn't say what I had lost, maybe it was an insignificant memory? Or is it the key information that can help me get out of my suffering? It doesn't matter anymore.

Just as I was stunned, a black shadow flashed by suddenly, and by the time I could react, the man in black had already sandwiched the metal ball that had become like a steel ball between his fingers.

"Hey!"

I was displeased, but I didn't dare to say anything, so I had to stare at him resentfully.

"Oh? Don't worry, you Excellency, I just think that this time the tax seems to be a little more. ”

I squinted my eyes and found in my blurred vision that several new lines seemed to be growing on the metal ball, and the shallow depressions crawled over the surface of the ball as if they were alive, intertwined to form a new pattern half a finger long and wide. After a few seconds, the lines completely stopped spreading, and the man in black observed the plaything in his hand with satisfaction, and threw it to me casually.

"For the rest, Your Excellency can exchange some information with me, but ......"

The man in black suddenly changed his previous attitude and solemnly ordered me, his eyes were fierce and terrifying,

"One thing, never ask about your identity here!"