Chapter 530 Border of the Snow Country (3k)
An endless expanse of white snow, with a black train whistling past. The face of a young girl is reflected in the window of a certain compartment.
Thin frost lazily hangs on the outer windowpane, swaying slightly with the occasional cold breeze. The orange light inside illuminates the three people, making them appear especially warm.
The young girl leans against the windowsill, lazily flipping through the black book in her hands. Her gaze occasionally drifts to the outside, watching the newly formed frost shake again. When the black-clothed maid beside her gently nudges her, she asks, “Miss, why do you always have such an expectant expression?”
Only then does she unintentionally reveal a slight smile, exhales a warm breath onto the glass, and chuckles, “The Snow Demon Kingdom, I hear you can learn many ice-attribute skills there, and the scenery is exceptionally beautiful…”
The young girl is Su Jiu, heading towards the vicinity of Rais Town. She snaps back to reality, lowers her head to look at the ring on her finger, and a sharp glint flashes in her eyes. The Ice Chih bloodline quest has been unlocked, titled – **[Lost Soul]**.
[Specific Content: Oh, souls lost in the Snow Demon Kingdom, no longer wait for the saints in trial. The dispute between good and evil, a biased heart cannot see clearly in the howling night…]
[Oh, souls lingering above the Imperial Capital’s clock tower, listen to the prelude of the opening. Is it prophecy or the beginning of mist? Do you believe the traveler or continue to wait?]
[Requirement: Find the soul, depending on His mood.]
[Basic Reward: Ice Chih Bloodline Advancement]
This is the first time such a type of quest has appeared, and Su Jiu is a bit bewildered. She originally thought it would be a challenge-type virtual quest, but now it’s a real-world quest, and the rewards might even be given in person.
However, it’s not a dangerous quest. It’s rather cryptic, and the specific content is simply to visit the **[Imperial Capital Clock Tower]** – but what does “depending on His mood” mean?
“What’s so special about the Snow Demon Kingdom? The entrance is just hard to find; inside, it’s actually similar to human dwellings, with very few electronic products. The residents’ living habits are equivalent to those in the Tsarist era of Bear Country.”
Nami’s voice suddenly rings out. It seems that as a War God level expert, she has been to that kingdom, and her trip was a negative one.
Su Jiu turns to look at Nami, who has a sour expression, and shows a hint of surprise. After a moment of thought, she asks, “Do you know that clock tower in the Imperial Capital?”
“Yes, that thing is modeled after Big Ben in the US. It’s said to have been built to celebrate the birth of the deceased former king.”
Nami stirs her latte, occasionally scrolling through her phone. She’s wearing a casual t-shirt and looks like an ordinary thirty-year-old office worker, lacking the arrogance of a War God. She then smiles and says:
“Their former king died, and his sons and daughters immediately started fighting like crazy. The ones with the highest chance of taking the throne are the Grand Prince and the Third Princess who received the decree. Anyone with some status in Bear Country knows the drama here…”
“There’s more that’s funny. The population of Snow Demons is actually close to a million, but who knows when they became a rare species.”
She slides through her phone again, saying with some mockery:
“Those monster hunters were blacklisted at the mainland entrance, so they spend all day hyping up the rarity of Snow Demons, trying to get more people to annoy the Snow Demon Kingdom, so they can fish in troubled waters and catch some stray Snow Demons. And there are indeed many fools who believe them.”
“Heh…”
Su Jiu’s mouth twitches. She suddenly remembers her own foolish search for Snow Demons before. She had described many Snow Demons in her books, but in her haste to save Bai Zhi, she didn’t think much of it…
Thinking carefully, the shop owner who sold the Qian Cheng was likely a monster hunter.
But why did Old Herber take that mountain road to the Snow Demon Kingdom? He could have entered through the normal route like Li Yi.
“Wait a minute!”
While thinking, Su Jiu continues to scroll through her phone. As she scrolls, she suddenly remembers something and her body stiffens.
She abruptly opens the message Li Yi sent earlier and her eyes widen slightly as she reads, “The target is known to the locals as the – Saint Emperor.” She thinks to herself, what a coincidence.
Could the saint in trial refer to Bai Ming? A heart that has long been biased probably refers to Bai Ming already having an affair with the Third Princess Hannah…
Holy cow!
What does the howling under the dark night refer to?
Su Jiu realizes she seems to have gathered most of the clues. This quest is nearly half completed. She thinks again, looks at Nami who is still playing with her phone, and then asks, “Has there been a haunting in that clock tower? I heard stories of souls wandering in the clock tower…”
Bairnis blinks and looks at Su Jiu. She feels her young lady has been a bit odd lately, seeming particularly expectant about that frosty country.
“I didn’t expect this to reach the ears of foreigners like you.”
Nami raises an eyebrow, glances at Su Jiu, and shifts her stance, casually saying:
“The entire clock tower is made of the bones of some creature combined with other alchemy materials. Some Snow Demons who saw it at night said they saw some dark-attribute monsters wandering in the corridors, leading to rumors that it was the **[soul]** of that creature causing trouble.”
Su Jiu is overjoyed to get this information. It’s easier to deal with if someone has seen it. She just needs to follow the path.
“But ever since the clock tower was modified, such incidents have never happened again, and over time it’s become a legend like the Slit-Mouthed Woman.”
But before Su Jiu could be happy for long, Nami’s voice rings out again, like a splash of cold water directly on her.
Su Jiu nods, not too disappointed. What comes will be dealt with, what goes will be let go.
“The next stop is Mokovler Station. Passengers who need to alight, please pay attention. The broadcast will repeat once again…”
While the two are conversing, the train announces its approach. The rapid Bear Language almost makes Su Jiu misunderstand, but this is still about three stops away from their destination.
“Get ready, get ready. We’re going to get off.”
Nami suddenly stands up, stretches, and looks at the increasingly urbanized intersection outside the window, saying lazily.
“Get off? Now?”
Su Jiu and Bairnis exchange glances, and both can see each other’s bewilderment. This is at least a hundred kilometers away from the previous city.
“Why not? This city connects to the Snow Demon Kingdom’s border, and there are even some half-demon humans in the city, similar to your situation.”
Nami shrugs her shoulders. As if thinking of something, she looks at the two mischievously, her light brown eyes showing a hint of disdain: “Could it be that you are also blacklisted monster hunters? No way? No way?”
“Uh, no, that’s not it.”
Since the other party said so, Su Jiu naturally shakes her head and prepares to take Bairnis and leave the compartment.
As the train stops, the three alight. Nami, like an old friend, casually hails a taxi, says a place Su Jiu hasn’t heard of, and gleefully gets into the passenger seat by herself.
The driver, being a local, naturally understands Nami’s intention. While driving, he says seriously:
“You guys must be going to the Snow Demon Kingdom, right? But I heard it’s very chaotic inside, and the border is heavily guarded now. Almost no orthodox humans can get in.”
“Orthodox humans?”
Hearing the driver’s words, Su Jiu quickly notices that his ears are somewhat different from humans’, but not as sharp as the Blood Clan’s. However, there’s a strange grassy scent about him.
He’s probably not a human avatar, but a half-Snow Demon…
“Yes! Orthodox humans are not allowed to enter. It’s very chaotic in the Snow Demon Kingdom now.” The taxi driver smiles, picks up a piece of betel nut to chew, revealing his somewhat uneven teeth, and says:
“It is said that a human previously expressed Bear Country’s opinions, and His Majesty the Snow Emperor was considering what he said, causing dissatisfaction among his various Demon Lords, hence the prohibition of human entry.”
“Hmm…”
Su Jiu softly replies. She also noticed the “His Majesty the Snow Emperor” the other party mentioned. Logically speaking, this should be the Grand Prince’s territory. The fact that he calls the tyrannical Snow Demon Grand Prince in the book “His Majesty” is quite suspicious.
She looks at Nami in the passenger seat, only to find her still looking down at her phone, as if accustomed to this.
“Miss, we’ll deal with problems as they arise. Didn’t we say we’re here for a trip? Don’t frown.”
Just as Su Jiu is pondering how this relates to the quest, Bairnis suddenly grabs her hand, places it on her quite full thigh, and gently pats it.
“No, I was just thinking about some things related to our goal for this trip.”
Feeling the warmth from the palm, Su Jiu can’t help but gently squeeze it. It’s soft like the leg of a literary girl who never exercises, making one linger.
Bairnis can naturally feel the action on her leg, but her face remains with a gentle smile. She reaches out and lightly pats Su Jiu’s head, deliberately exposing her shoulder, and then tilts her head asking, “Miss, are you thinking about how to prevent the Snow Demons from going to war?”
“Something like that.”
Su Jiu leans against Bairnis’s shoulder. From this angle, she can almost see a hint of white through the black strap. Smelling this sweet body fragrance, she doesn’t have many impure thoughts, just a sense of inexplicable peace.
Looking at the two in the rearview mirror, Nami rolls her eyes, props one hand on the car window, and continues her rant: “The Snow Demons will likely go to war. The Grand Prince and the Third Princess have already reached a point of mutual destruction, and even some royal family members have started dying.”
The driver, hearing Nami’s words, becomes unhappy and retorts repeatedly, “His Majesty the Snow Emperor has always guided technology and alchemy into the country. How can a puppet girl supported by the royalists compare… If you keep talking nonsense, I won’t take your fare.”
Nami pouts and doesn’t speak again, while Bairnis gently brushes Su Jiu’s hair from her forehead, her light blue eyes showing some tenderness. She also leans forward slightly and whispers:
“I’ve always believed in you, Miss.”
As they chat about this and that, after leaving the city walls, they drive for a long time. As it nears sunset, the car’s speed slowly…
The red sun shines through the gaps in the roadside snow pines onto the car window. The silhouette of a slightly reflective city appears before the taxi…
