"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my name?"
"No, nothing... your name is truly unique."
Tōshirō wanted to mock, but decided to respect the other party.
In this world: animal + first name = human last name + first name.
For example, Gamabunta or Gamakichi, so there's no issue if a fox names herself "Fox Spirit," and this "Spirit" reflects her essence...
The fox received the compliment with sparkling eyes, wagging her tail, and seemed happy.
Everyone loves to hear kind words, especially a female fox.
"Alright, back to the topic, Fox Spirit, where are we?"
"In the Aurora Ice Field."
Aurora Ice Field?
Tōshirō paused for a moment.
Although the name was unfamiliar, it sounded prestigious.
The world is vast, and there may be a place similar to Mount Myōboku where sages reside.
The fox began waving her hands and explaining: "At night, beautiful multicolored lights sometimes appear. It's truly magnificent."
Tōshirō nodded, it seemed similar to the aurora phenomenon in the previous world, occurring in cold, high-latitude places, which matched the environment here.
Tōshirō asked: "Do you know how I can get out of here?"
The fox seemed surprised and said: "Aren't you from here?"
Tōshirō sighed: "Of course not, I'm a human, naturally I don't belong here."
The fox realized and said: "So you're a human, that explains why I've never seen a creature like you before."
Tōshirō quickly picked up on the key word and couldn't wait to ask: "What? Have humans come here before?"
"Yes, but that was a long time ago, perhaps before I was born, otherwise, I would know you, wouldn't I?"
Tōshirō felt hopeful and said: "So, have you heard of any sages here?"
"Sages?"
The fox tilted her head and looked confused, the term was unfamiliar to her.
The fox looked cute and silly at the same time, so Tōshirō explained in simple terms to avoid confusing her: "I mean very powerful beings."
"Very powerful beings?"
The fox thought deeply.
"Yes, very powerful beings," Tōshirō repeated, "Please think carefully."
After a moment of contemplation, the fox answered: "If there's a powerful being here, it would be the Ice Empress."
Ice Empress?
Tōshirō took a deep breath.
From the name alone, you could tell it's a powerful being.
Tōshirō asked curiously: "What does it look like?"
Despite the lack of words, Tōshirō could deduce from the fox's description that the Ice Empress resembled a legendary ice phoenix.
In the myths of the previous world, the phoenix was one of the highest mythical creatures, far above frogs and snakes, and could be considered a sage-level being. No, using levels to describe the phoenix is an insult, dimensions should be used.
"How can I meet it?"
Tōshirō asked excitedly, if he found the Ice Empress, he might find a way out of here.
The fox shook her head and said: "You can't meet it."
Tōshirō was puzzled: "Why not?"
"The Ice Empress stays on Ice Island and rarely comes out. In my lifetime, I've only seen it once."
Tōshirō said: "So, I can go to Ice Island and request to see it."
If it's truly a sage, it should be kind and not bother small beings.
The fox shook her head and said: "Ice Island is not on this island, it's on another island. The path to that island is filled with giant black and white sea creatures."
The fox looked terrified and said: "Even large creatures like bears are not enough to fill their teeth."
Wow, that's terrifying.
When Tōshirō heard this, he felt it was difficult.
Yes, he could use the Great Fireball Technique against bears, but facing a sea creature that can swallow bears is like trying to stop a car with a tree.
Especially since these creatures live in the sea, where they have the home advantage, making it even harder.
"Is this the end?" Tōshirō bit his lip, feeling some resentment: "What do these black and white creatures look like?"
Although the chance was slim, Tōshirō decided to try and gather information to see if there was any hope.
The Ice Empress is the only hope to return, and maybe he could also learn sage training techniques.
Risks and opportunities come together, so he should try, maybe his dream will come true.
The fox looked at Tōshirō in amazement: "Do you really intend to go?"
"How will I know if I don't try?"
"Oh, why don't you listen to advice? I'll tell you, these creatures are not only strong but also enjoy torturing their prey before killing it. The prey is not killed immediately but dies from the torment."
The fox wasn't exaggerating, she had seen it herself.
Tōshirō frowned: "Are they a group of creatures?"
The fox replied: "Yes, they are a group. These creatures always hunt together, that's why I told you not to go."
Tōshirō smiled bitterly.
What kind of creature is this? Not only individually strong and enjoys torturing its prey but also loves group hunting, making things even more difficult.
No wonder the fox was scared when mentioning these creatures and strongly warned him against going.
To convince Tōshirō not to go and to keep her own interest, the fox decided to let him see the creature for himself. Words don't convey as images do.
"No, thank you."
At this moment, Kozan was thinking of retreating.
According to the fox's description, it seems these sea creatures are unbeatable, and he has no hope of seeing the ice phoenix.
He wouldn't be able to return to Konoha anytime soon and had prepared himself for a long stay here.
Fortunately, there was a little fox accompanying him.
Why am I so unlucky?
Tōshirō sighed deeply, the summoning technique nearly killed him.
"It's okay, sometimes these creatures appear on the shore, and we can avoid them."
Tōshirō felt anxious.
They appear on the shore too? What are these creatures that don't give land creatures a chance to live, perhaps they are creatures from the Cthulhu world?
As a sea creature, they should have weaknesses, damn it.
But the fox explained later that these creatures come to the shore with the help of waves, grab the prey in the shallow area, and then return to the sea by flipping their tails.
This eased some of Tōshirō's fear.
These creatures are not without weaknesses...
However, seeing these creatures surprised Tōshirō. They can grab prey from the sea to the shore, showing their high intelligence.
Because there was no immediate danger, Tōshirō became more curious about these creatures and felt a longing to see them: "Ikuso."
"Wait, let me finish eating this meat."
The fox looked at him pleadingly, indicating she hadn't had enough yet.
"Oh, you're annoying, Fox Spirit."
Tōshirō showed an impatient expression, his interest was piqued, and he couldn't wait to meet them.
The fox sat human-like on the snow, her hand covering her belly: "Not my fault, I'm hungry."
"Okay, okay. Hurry up."
Tōshirō had no choice but to urge her.
"Alright."
The fox was happy and ate greedily under Tōshirō's protection. After a while, her belly was full, and she became plump.
"Are you done?"
"Wait, let me digest the food."
Tōshirō was boiling with anger, he couldn't bear it any longer, so he carried her in his arms, damn it, the plump fox was very heavy: "It's really annoying. Just show me the way. I'll go by myself."
"Okay." The fox squinted her eyes, yawned gently, then adjusted her position in his arms.
"Under the fox's guidance, Kozan jumped and moved, until he reached the shore where several seals were enjoying the sun.
These seals were several times larger than the seals the blue pheasant had just eaten, and they seemed to belong to the same family but of different species.
"Is this the place?" Tōshirō asked.
The fox replied: "Yes."
"And then?"
"We just wait, if you're lucky, we'll see the creatures hunting."
It was cold, making Tōshirō hug the fox for warmth, and he had no other thoughts, just to stay warm.
They waited and waited, not knowing how long it took, until the sea level suddenly rose, and a giant black fin appeared, followed by a fish with white eyes and a black body, opening its mouth full of sharp teeth, terrifying the seals.
The seals began to flee towards the shore, but the giant fish was faster. It grabbed one seal and lifted it high before hitting it with its tail, causing fatal injuries.
Then another fish appeared and hit the seal, making it play with the prey like a ping pong ball.
Tōshirō watched this scene in shock. Besides being larger in size, these creatures resembled killer whales (orcas), considered one of the most powerful sea creatures. Isn't this also because they enjoy destroying prey?
(End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [One Piece: General Blue]."
"Power stones if you like them"
"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"