socalfunplaces Chapter 1400 The Nordkal Crisis
Chapter 1400 The Nordkal Crisis
Cecilia was engrossed in looking at the photo album, her eyes glued to the snowy landscape pictures. But upon hearing the word "wine," her eyes lit up like Paimon's when he heard about sweet flower-infused chicken. She immediately put down the album, excitedly licked her lips, and leaned close to Shao Yun, eagerly asking:
"Wine? There really is wine made for the Winter Solstice? Grandma has never tasted wine made for the Winter Solstice before! What does it taste like? Is it just strong?"
Looking at Cetalari's desperate desire to drink, almost to the point of being addicted to alcohol, Shao Yun helplessly raised his hand to his forehead and complained to Ying, who was trying not to laugh:
“Look, look, I knew it. As soon as she heard about alcohol, her eyes widened like saucers. All the excitement she had when looking at the photos was taken away by the alcohol.”
After being teased by Shao Yun, Cecilia wasn't annoyed. Instead, she stuck out her little tongue, struck a playful yet cheeky pose, and drawled out her words:
"Oh, I... Grandma, I just crave alcohol! Hehehe~"
That shameless behavior... he really is just an old child...
After sticking out her tongue, she picked up the photo album again, her fingertips gently tracing the snowy scenes in the photos, flipping through them while casually asking:
"Speaking of which, these photos are all so beautiful, who took them? Mr. Shao Yun, you don't look like someone who knows how to take photos."
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun rolled his eyes helplessly and explained with a smile:
"Look at what you're saying. Some of them are selfies that Ying and I took. It's not hard to find the right angle. Others were taken by Paimon. That little guy may be small, but he's quite talented at taking photos. The results are pretty good."
As Cecilia flipped through the photo album, listening to Shao Yun's words, and looking at the photos of the glistening ice sculptures, the swirling snowflakes, and the smiles on their faces, her heart surged with emotion, her eyes filled with longing. She couldn't help but say:
"I can't take it anymore! Seeing this makes me want to go to Zhidong too! Mr. Shao Yun, could you give me some advice? What should I be aware of when traveling to Zhidong?"
Seeing her anxious expression, Shao Yun also became serious and slowly shared the cultural aspects and precautions for winter, speaking patiently:
"First of all, I must warn you that it is really cold in the countryside in winter. The wind is like a knife. If you go out in the wild, you must wear thick clothes."
"But the cities in Winterfall are very warm, especially Winterfall Fortress, the capital of Winterfall Kingdom. There is a device called 'Kashnik's Torch' that can heat the entire city, so you don't feel cold at all inside."
He paused, then remembered the delicacies of Winter Solstice, and continued, "Then there's the food of Winter Solstice. The local berries are very sweet, the roasted meat is especially fragrant, and there's also chewy rye bread... Oh right, there's also a food similar to Liyue dumplings, which I think is called 'Piroshki' in Winter Solstice. There are sweet and savory versions. The sweet ones are filled with jam, and the savory ones are filled with diced meat. They all taste great. You must try them when you go."
At this point, Shao Yun seemed to remember something, reached into his backpack at his waist, pulled out a neatly folded schedule, gently unfolded it, and handed it to Cetalari, saying with a smile:
“You wouldn’t remember if I explained too much. Here, this is my wife and I’s travel plan for Zhidong. It’s written down exactly where we went and what we ate each day. If you go, just copy our route and you won’t have to figure it out yourself.”
Cetalli eagerly took the schedule, beaming with joy.
"Oh! Thank you so much, Mr. Shao Yun! You've really helped me a lot, you're so thoughtful!"
Then, she lowered her head, carefully flipping through the schedule while imagining her winter trip, temporarily ignoring even the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.
Just then, the distinctive roar of a Mavericks wheelchair suddenly came from outside, growing clearer and clearer as it approached, breaking the tranquility and peace of the living room.
……
The roar of the Marwicka motorcycle outside grew closer and closer, then abruptly stopped the next second.
Mavica, who had sped all the way from the Sacred Flame Arena on her scooter, arrived at the entrance of Shao Yun's ranch. Before she could even stop the scooter properly, with the body still swaying slightly, she hurriedly jumped off, staggering a bit before regaining her balance.
She didn't bother to hang her helmet properly on the bike's stand; she just ripped it off and threw it hard on the ground, where it rolled a few steps before stopping.
Without even knocking, Mavica hurriedly pushed open the door to Shao Yun's house and stumbled into the living room on the first floor.
"Mr. Shao Yun, Mr. Shao Yun! Are you busy right now? It's extremely urgent, really extremely urgent!!!" As soon as Mavica entered the room, she shouted at the top of her lungs, her face flushed red with anxiety, and she was out of breath.
At this moment, Shao Yun was pointing to the travel itinerary and patiently explaining to Cecilia the interesting lesser-known attractions in winter, as well as which places were best for taking photos.
Hearing Mavica's voice, he looked up and saw her rushing in. Oblivious to anything amiss, he waved and greeted her warmly, still smiling.
"Mavika's here? Please have a seat, welcome! Ningguang is almost done making lunch, why don't you stay and have some with us?"
Seeing Shao Yun's nonchalant and relaxed demeanor, Mavica was so anxious that she stomped her feet and could barely speak.
"I... I don't have time to eat right now! Mr. Shao Yun, there's something extremely urgent that I need your help with, or it will be too late!"
Shao Yun then realized something was wrong. Mavica was usually cheerful and straightforward, and rarely lost her composure like this, speaking incoherently.
Now, they must have encountered something beyond their control...
He instantly wiped the smile off his face, straightened his posture, and asked, "What's wrong with you? What urgent matter could make you lose your composure like this? Tell me slowly, don't rush me."
Ying, Shen He, and Xi Tu La Li also stopped what they were doing and their eyes all fell on Mavika.
Mavica took a deep breath and shouted, "Mr. Shao Yun, something terrible has happened in Nordkale, north of Nata! Something drastic!!!"
When Shao Yun heard that Mawika said something had happened to Nordkalai, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He had just thought something had happened in Nata, and his heart was immediately at ease. It turned out to be Nordkale, a place that had nothing to do with them!
He regained his usual relaxed demeanor and said to the anxious and sweating Mavica, "Nodkale is in trouble, what does that have to do with us Natas?"
"What, did Zhidong ask you for money?"
Mavica was speechless at Shao Yun's casual words and quickly shook her head vigorously.
But the matter was too urgent, and the reasons were too complex to describe clearly in words at the moment. She could only reach out and tightly grasp Shao Yun's arm, anxiously saying:
"No, no! I can't explain the specifics to you right now. Listen to me, it's extremely urgent, come with me right now, I really need your help!"
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Sitrali, who was still holding her travel photo album and hadn't reacted yet. Her eyes lit up instantly, as if she had grasped another lifeline. She quickly grabbed Sitrali's arm with her other hand.
"Grandma Cetalli! Great, you're here too! Perfect timing, you can come with me. With your help, things will definitely go much more smoothly!"
Sylvanas was startled by Marvka and froze for a moment. Her nose twitched involuntarily as she smelled the faint aroma of food in the air.
That was the aroma of roasted meat Ningguang was making in the kitchen, making her stomach rumble slightly. She subconsciously muttered to herself:
"But... I haven't eaten yet. Ningguang's food is almost ready. It would be such a waste to leave without eating..."
However, she suppressed the thought as soon as it popped into her head.
Sitella knew that Mavica was always calm and collected, so for her to be in such a state of panic and distress, it must be something important and urgent.
Although she is usually absent-minded, loves to freeload, and is prone to throwing tantrums, she is absolutely clear-headed when it comes to important matters and can distinguish between what is important and what is urgent!
So she immediately patted Mavica's hand and said crisply:
"Oh well, never mind, we can eat anytime. The important thing is this! I'll come along too. Let's see what's got you in such a hurry!"
As she spoke, she casually placed the travel photo album in her hand on the sofa next to her, stood up briskly, and prepared to set off with Mavica.
Seeing the two of them like this, Shao Yun couldn't refuse any longer and agreed:
"Alright, alright, seeing how anxious you are, I'll go with you to take a look. But let's make it clear beforehand, if it's nothing serious, I'll come right back for lunch!"
……
Considering that Mavica rarely asks him for help, Shao Yun decided to go and help her as well.
Before long, Shao Yun followed Mavica to the western coast of the Flower Feather Society.
Here sits a small but complete simple port.
In the past, this port was just a simple but clean wharf made of wooden planks. It only carried a small amount of passenger and cargo transportation on weekdays, with very limited capacity. It was so quiet that the only sound was the waves crashing against the wharf.
But at this moment, the scene before them completely stunned Shao Yun and Cecilia.
The midday sun shone on the sea, making it sparkle, but within that sparkling surface, there were countless ships of all sizes.
There were simple fishing boats, slightly larger cargo ships, and several passenger ships that could accommodate hundreds of people, all crammed together on the sea, stretching as far as the eye could see.
At first glance, the scene of thousands of sails gathering and people bustling about looks like a Teyvat version of Dunkirk.
The port was too small, and the wooden plank road at the dock was narrow and flimsy, making it impossible for multiple ships to dock at the same time.
Ships on the sea could only approach the dock slowly, one after another, like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, carefully unloading the refugees from Nordkale one by one. The whole process was slow and difficult.
In the sky, Nusta of the Flower Feather Society stood on the back of a Velvet Wyvern, slowly cruising above the port with the help of the Velvet Wyvern.
She would occasionally shout out the situation to the ships on the sea.
"All vessels, please enter the port in an orderly manner according to your numbers! Our Huayu Association's port capacity is limited and cannot accommodate all vessels quickly. It will take some time, so please be patient and wait!"