Chapter 44 - 43 The Dead of Winter is Coming
The sky and earth were dim. From the Imperial Capital of Luona to Gaga County in Liuli City, the sky was shrouded in gloom, devoid of any brightness.
The sun and dark clouds seemed to have conspired. One bashfully hid its face, refusing to emerge from another world, while the other cheerfully beckoned its brethren to completely envelop this one.
The eerily somber hues, accompanied by a biting wind, caused the temperature to drop abruptly, making the world shudder involuntarily.
The people, be it the menial workers in the Twin Star Grand Hall of Luona Capital or the barkeepers in the small taverns of Guru Village in Gaga County, were all doing the same thing at this moment—closing the windows that had been open and stoking the fires in their hearths, lamenting that Harsh Winter had arrived so early this year.
There are only two seasons on the Yowein Continent: summer and winter.
Summer is divided into three stages based on the intensity of heat: Early Summer, Mild Summer, and Extreme Summer. In Early Summer, all life rejuvenates. In Mild Summer, the climate is pleasant. In Extreme Summer, the heat is unbearable. The hottest day of Extreme Summer is known as Intense Heat. On this day, people on the Yowein Continent would fill their vessels with water and splash each other to combat the discomfort caused by the heat. Over time, this formed the tradition of water splashing on Intense Heat Day.
Winter, like summer, is also divided into three stages: Warm Winter, Cold Winter, and Harsh Winter. During Warm Winter, wheat ripens and cucumbers mature. During Cold Winter, the mornings and evenings are exceptionally frigid. During Harsh Winter, a freezing, bone-chilling air prevails. The coldest day of Harsh Winter is called Intense Chill. On this day of Intense Chill, people would light bonfires on open fields and dance continuously around them to ward off the bone-numbing cold. Over time, this custom on the day of Intense Chill also became the traditional Bonfire Festival.
The Extreme Summer on the Yowein Continent is incredibly hot, as if the land is aflame; Harsh Winter is unbearably cold, like ten thousand knives slicing the skin. The Yowein Continent is truly a world of ice and fire!
The footsteps of Harsh Winter have quietly arrived, completely disregarding that it is only early October. The cold has come at least half a month earlier than usual.
October on the Yowein Continent is fairly lively. As the last month of the year, people often found themselves idle due to Harsh Winter. Plagued by either ceaseless snowfall or biting cold, the extreme weather left people with little inclination for anything else. Sitting by the fireplace, drinking, and sharing tales were the preferred pastimes for most. But after a while, the confinement would grow dull, and people would walk to their windows. From every household’s chimney billowed a white plume of smoke, signaling an active fireplace. If, for instance, the Dini Family’s chimney showed no such sign, it would inevitably trigger endless speculation.