With the old man's help, the recruitment of refugees was soon completed.
After that, Marni and the others did not linger, and immediately left the refugee camp, braving the snow.
It must be said that the old man had quite a reputation among the refugees. Even though it seemed suicidal to travel in the snow, almost no one objected to his persuasion.
Wickidor's city watch did not stop them when they found out. For the mayor of Wickidor, he was more than happy to be able to reduce the burden of a hundred refugees in one go …
Even after walking for half a day in the snow, the group of refugees had only advanced less than three kilometers.
The fluffy snow was different from sand, and when they stepped on it, it would go up to half their calves. Moreover, the snow would become cold and sticky due to human body heat, and it would take a lot of strength to pull their legs out and keep moving.
Most of them were already panting after walking for a while. After the heat from the exercise, the large amount of physical exertion made them even colder, as if their thoughts were frozen.
Even with the oatmeal Marni provided to allay their hunger, most of them were still cold and tired, and wanted nothing more than to lie down in the snow and sleep. Of course, if they really did that, they would probably never wake up again.
Although Marni and Leah were unscathed thanks to the System's buffs, they were natives of this world and had never thought of building a sled. Therefore, they couldn't help feeling a little helpless when they saw how the refugees looked as if it was more comfortable for them to just cut us down instead of walking.
As a matter of fact, this was the result of the clergyman's continuous treatment of the refugees.
The old cleric had learned swordsmanship when he was younger, but he was old and frail now. His basic stats could not compare to a younger person's, and he naturally would not be so passionate to change classes to a warrior or a ranger. Although the mage class sounded superior, after careful consideration, the old cleric decided to become a cleric, the most devout of all classes, to make up for the lack of faith he had when he gave up on the God of Games. It was also fortunate that he had chosen to become a cleric, or some of them would have died by now.
At this rate, the journey that should have taken more than a day might not even be finished in three days.
"Mister, do we still have enough oatmeal?" Leah asked worriedly.
"If we eat sparingly, we can barely last two days."
Marni was a little troubled as well. Many of the refugees had families to take care of, and they would quickly lose their stamina if they had to travel in the cold weather. If they didn't have enough food, they would soon lose their mobility.
Judging from the current situation, it would take at least four days to walk from Wickidor to the Unnamed Town. Without food for the last two days, a large number of people might not be able to make it.
"If that's the case, then I can only advance the plan and preach to the refugees here."
The young girl said with a serious expression, "Only by becoming a believer will the road ahead become easier!"
"Is it really okay, Your Highness? We're too close to Wickidor. We might be noticed by the other churches … "
The old clerk asked worriedly.
"You won't get anything done if you keep being afraid." The girl looked at Marni. "Mister, do you want to do it, or should I?"
"You said that I don't look like a missionary with my face covered. You should do it, Princess of Tierra." Marni smiled bitterly and shook his head.
The young girl didn't decline. She leapt up and nimbly flipped onto the carriage, taking a deep breath as she stood on top.
"Everyone, listen to me —!"
The young girl stood in the bitter cold. The whistling cold wind mixed with snowflakes tore at the young girl's golden hair and thin clothes, but she did not have the slightest fear of the bitter cold. That clear and awe-inspiring voice made the exhausted refugees subconsciously focus their gazes on her.
"You may not know me, so let me introduce myself first! I'm Leah Yakaran! The First Princess of Tierra! "
The young girl's words were so unexpected that the refugees couldn't help whispering among themselves.
"Your Highness? How is that possible?! "" Didn't Tierra's royalty die out? "" Didn't they say that we're going to be labourers? Why would a princess appear out of nowhere? "
Shock and confusion threw the refugees, who had suffered countless hardships into a state of panic and anxiety.
"Silence! In the name of Vanke Noregui, Clerk of Tierra, I guarantee that this is the princess of Tierra! " The old clerk quickly stopped the chatter. "Her Highness is not done with her speech! Everyone, please quiet down! "
Leah nodded gratefully at the old man, who nodded back at her with a kind and encouraging smile.
"I know that you are all citizens of that vanished kingdom, Tierra! Those evil invaders had plunged our kingdom into the flames of war, our entire land almost falling. Peace, tranquility, prosperity, and happiness were gone forever. Those bastards had taken everything from us! "
"I'm like most of you! Wallowing in the past, despairing of reality and uncertain about the future, I gave up struggling under the pressure of despair, thinking that it was enough to live like this … "
The refugees couldn't help showing heavy and sorrowful expressions as they listened to the young girl's somber words, empathizing with her.
But that was when the young girl's voice took a turn and became bright.
"Until the God we once believed in suddenly responded to my prayers."
All the refugees had a puzzled look on their faces.
The gods we once believed in? Wasn't that the 'God of Games' that the other churches believed didn't exist?
How could a god that didn't exist answer your prayers?
"'There is no mention of this god in the past', 'the various divine orders are too vague and overlaps with the authority of other gods', 'the god didn't help even when Tierra was destroyed' … Many have doubted the God of Games's existence, and I believe that all of you have now given up on your faith?" The young girl didn't rush to answer their questions, instead continuing. "Because he didn't answer your pleas or save you in your darkest hour."
Everyone present had an awkward expression on their faces.
It was true that most of them had abandoned their original faith after Tierra was destroyed.
This was not a sin, it was just a helpless choice made purely for the sake of a better life.
Even Xi Wei, who was in his divine kingdom, had no intention of blaming these pitiful people.
"But here, I can answer all of you very clearly —"
The young girl spoke slowly, but with immeasurable determination.
Xi Wei's entire orb glowed a notch at the sight. "Interesting. How could I not add a special effect at a time like this …"
"— The God of Games exists!"
The moment she said those words, a ray of golden sunlight that resembled the first light of dawn pierced through the thick snowy clouds, shining upon the girl like a spotlight on a stage. Be it the howling gales or the raging snow, nothing could penetrate the space shrouded by that ray of light.
The young girl's long golden hair shone even more brilliantly under the light. All the snow around her melted, and green sprouts sprouted over the barren ground around the carriage, creating a space filled with the warmth of spring and blooming flowers amidst the snow-white world of winter.