nownovels Chapter 34 Spying
Chapter 34 Spying
The far north, an eternally dark icy plain.
There is no distinction between day and night here, only the aurora borealis and the never-ending blizzard.
A magnificent palace, entirely carved from millennia-old ice, hangs precariously on a cliff, overlooking this land of death.
Deep within the palace, the cold air condensed into mist.
A tall figure clad in ice-blue armor sat on the throne, toying with a purple crystal token in his hand.
He is the ruler of this snowfield, the king of all monsters—the Winter Lord.
"New instructions have come from the organization."
The Winter Lord's fingers tapped lightly on the ice armrest, the sound as jarring as shattering glaciers. "As long as I can unify the North and wipe out all human strongholds, the organization will accept me."
"Furthermore, I was granted 'divine blood' to advance to the sixth rank."
Sixth order.
That is the realm of legend, a leap in life.
To fulfill this promise, he spared no expense, bringing forward the snow season and launching this unprecedented "Wrath of Winter," determined to turn the entire North into a dead zone.
"Your Majesty."
Below the steps, an ice giant, composed of countless shattered weapons, shields, and frozen bodies, knelt on one knee.
He exuded a terrifying aura of the fourth rank.
One of Fimbulb's Three Winters: Winter of the Blade - Haji
"According to your plan, all human settlements on the snowfield should have been destroyed by now."
Winter of the Blade's voice was deep, with a metallic tremor.
"That's how it should be."
The Winter Lord waved his hand casually.
A giant ice crystal map appeared in the air.
On the map, the densely packed dots representing human settlements have now been 99.9% extinguished.
Only at the edge of the map, in that inconspicuous corner that was once considered a barren land, was a red dot stubbornly flashing.
It's even brighter than before.
"A baronial estate? A sentry post?"
The Winter Lord narrowed his eyes, a hint of doubt flashing in his pale pupils.
"All the baronies in the entire wasteland have been crushed by the iron hooves of Winter's Wrath. How could there possibly be one baronie that has survived my blizzard until now?"
"Perhaps the monsters there were too sparse, allowing him to take advantage of the situation?"
"Winter of the Blades guessed."
"When a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength."
The Winter Lord snorted coldly, and his terrifying aura instantly caused the temperature in the hall to drop several degrees. "I will not allow any stain to remain on my map."
"Since those lowly insects can't kill him, then you go."
He looked toward Winter of the Blade.
"You personally lead your Frost Giant legion, go all out, and erase that red dot!"
"yes!"
Winter of the Blade abruptly stood up, his killing intent surging like a tangible force. "Your subordinate will bring back the head of that human lord and present it to you!"
"etc."
The Winter Lord suddenly called out to him.
His gaze softened, though it still looked particularly eerie on the dead face.
"Since we're going there anyway, let's visit my mother on the way."
"Mother?" Blade of Winter was taken aback.
"My mother, the Snow Woman."
The Winter Lord pulled an exquisite black box from his robes. It was covered with intricate runes and emanated a chilling energy. "She sleeps in the snow-capped mountains near that station."
"Take this to her."
"This is the 'source essence' bestowed by the organization, which can help her heal the hidden injuries from her early years, and may even give her a chance to break through to the fourth rank."
At this point, the Winter Lord's tone softened with a rare touch of warmth, "Tell her that I have already built a palace in the Winter Abyss. Once she has absorbed the source essence, you can bring her back."
"I want her to stay by my side and enjoy her old age in peace."
Winter of the Blade received the black box with both hands and bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"After I clear out that outpost, I will immediately go to greet the old lady."
The Winter Lord nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to leave.
Watching Winter of Blades depart, he leaned against the cold throne, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Once the North is unified, we can bring Mother back.
He then had no regrets.
As for that small White Wolf outpost?
Oh.
Under the iron hooves of the fourth-tier Blade Winter Legion, he was nothing more than a pebble on the roadside, not even worth a single brain cell of his thought.
……
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind howled above the walls of White Wolf Territory, as if tolling a death knell for the impending apocalypse.
Lorraine sat in the cabin on a rather uncomfortable hardwood chair, holding the heavy book "The Witch's Codex" in her hands.
The candlelight flickered, casting his shadow on the wall, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.
His fingertip hovered over the latest page of the secret manual, where a chilling warning was marked in scarlet font.
[Current Crisis Warning: High Risk]
[Countdown: 15 days]
[Crisis Event: The Winter Lord's Vanguard of Revenge—Fimbour's Blade of Winter—is leading three thousand Nightmare Knights and the siege behemoth, the Frost Giant, closer in.]
[Win rate prediction: 2% (based on current defensive infrastructure)]
[Recommendation: Upgrade buildings and witch immediately]
"Fifteen days..."
Lorraine closed the book and tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap, tap" sound.
Not surprising.
After killing the Snow Woman and causing such a huge commotion, it would be a miracle if they could still farm peacefully.
I just didn't expect them to arrive so quickly, and with such a fierce, all-or-nothing attitude.
If we want to raise the territory's defenses to another level within fifteen days, the current few towers are not enough.
Anna must be promoted.
Alternatively, equip Anna with a dedicated enhancement building.
Lorraine flipped to the architecture page of "The Witch's Codex," her gaze fixed on the icon that had previously been grayed out but was now lit up because the prerequisites had been met.
[Special Building: Altar of Flames]
[Prerequisites: Tier 2 Flame Witch (achieved), Territory Magic Energy Concentration Meets Standard (achieved), Fire Spirit Core x10, Copper Essence x50.]
[Description: This is not an offensive building, but rather an amplifying core. Once completed, all physical defense towers within the territory will be imbued with the "Flame Enchantment" effect, increasing their attack power by 50% and inflicting continuous burning damage.]
This thing is practically tailor-made for the current "Thorn Sentry Tower Formation".
While the Thorn Tower boasts excellent control and a high rate of fire, its physical penetration remains a weakness against heavily armored units. However, with the Flame Enchantment, physical damage transforms into mixed damage, resulting in an effect far more complex than simply adding one to two.
The only challenge is the materials.
"Fire Spirit Crystal Core... Copper Essence..."
Lorraine rubbed her temples.
These two items only drop from specific high-level monsters.
He cannot leave his territory to hunt; he can only wait for the monsters to attack the city.
But the monsters these past few days have all been low-level Ice Wolf and Snow Rat, and they don't drop any high-level items like this at all.
Just then.
Waaah—!
A piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the entire territory.
Victor's rough roar came from the city wall: "My lord! Enemy attack! It's a mixed beast tide! Two hundred of them, and some are big ones!"
Lorraine suddenly stood up, her eyes not showing panic, but rather a frightening brightness.
"A big one?"
"That's the delivery guy."
He strode out of the cabin and, as he passed Leila, who was standing in a daze in the corner, grabbed her by the back of her collar.
"Huh? My lady?" Leila shrank back in fright, her newly grown left hand instinctively protecting her head. "I... I didn't slack off..."
"Come with me to the city wall."
Lorraine carried her like a mascot, saying, "How high the drop rate will be today depends entirely on you."