Chapter 758: Act 112 – Eternity XIII
Golden flames exploded in the sky, spreading out in all directions against the gloomy canopy, forming a ring. The fierce winds whipped the snowflakes, and in such harsh weather, it felt as if the Minren’s prophesied apocalypse had arrived. Yet the dazzling light still lit up the sky for dozens of miles, beneath layers of thick clouds, a vast expanse of white spread out.
“Lord?” Medisa turned her head back in that direction, the light casting a pale hue on her cheeks.
“Let’s split into two groups. This is a high-level divine art from the Temple of Fire; it looks like Freya is in trouble.” Brendel replied, tilting his head back to her.
Veronika nodded in agreement.
“Let Blund bring everyone over. We’ll leave Commander here, the Teacher stays, and I have my three attendants, Xi, plus Alorze and Shi Ta; this top combat strength is already enough to deal with that old fox Anlek.”
“As for Prince Rainwright…”
“He’ll stay with us.” Veronika interjected, glancing at him.
Brendel understood; no matter how bold they were, the Crusian would not let their future heir take unnecessary risks. However, it was evident that Freya was in trouble, but the Valkyrie had to carve her own path. He couldn’t always protect her; in the end, that would harm her. This world was not as peaceful as maidens dreamed, and the things she desired required sacrifice; otherwise, it would be unfair to others.
Brendel gently lowered his eyelids, and besides, Nemeses was by her side; he only hoped that nothing would go wrong.
“Then it’s settled. Haruz, you come with us,” Brendel took the reins again, prompting the young Prince nearby to nod eagerly. He turned back, “Miss Shi Do…”
“I’ll go with you,” the scholar replied, glancing at Veronika and then at the Lord Earl.
“Very well, Mr. Blund, do you have any objections?”
“As long as there are horses—” the blonde young knight on his celestial horse proudly replied. He checked his sword, binding a dagger to his shoulder guard like all fold-sword knights (this tradition is said to originate from Gilt’s legend during the battle with the Phantom King in the Black Tomb, where he fought fiercely with a dagger after his longsword broke), the cold wind causing his cloak to flutter.
“These summoned celestial horses will last until early tomorrow morning, so you must be cautious,” Medisa responded.
“That’s enough!”
Blund saluted Veronika and then nodded to Brendel, turning his horse around and letting out a whistle. The whistle echoed far in the snowstorm, like a bird chirping through the treetops, reviving the entire forest. The dark army turned in the heavy snow, the Crusian knights gallantly leaving the main road, many starting to head towards the forest several miles away.
Looking around, a sea of white was dotted with numerous black specks, but after a while, they merged into a small patch, leaving only a thin line on the horizon. Blund looked back one last time, signaling them with his gleaming sword.
He raised his sword, indicating a good omen for certain success.
“Don’t worry; they are all excellent kids.” Veronika said, “Miss Freya won’t encounter any major issues.”
“Let’s hope so; I believe in her.”
“Now it’s our turn. That dragon told us there was a shortcut, and we’re already on it?”
“That path is not easy; it has to go through the ice chasms beneath this glacier; only that dragon has passed through it. Just because a dragon can traverse a path doesn’t mean a human can; dangers lurk beneath the ice, many creatures from the mythological era. Anlek has headed towards the Temple of the Sleeping One; we must catch up to him before that.”
“…Brendel, tell me, what does Anlek really want? He has the Dragon Heart; why does he not choose to leave but rather pushes deeper into the glacier?” Veronika narrowed her eyes.
Brendel did not answer immediately, preferring to believe that Anlek may want to achieve two goals at once, using the demon’s power to unlock ancient seals in the Temple of the Sleeping One, releasing those sealed underground, the Twilight Descendants.
However, he always felt things were not this straightforward. Anlek would know that his actions would anger the local guardian—Shi Ta. His instincts told him that Anlek’s journey might have had a series of plans arranged long ago; to unravel the opponent’s tricks, Brendel felt he first needed to discover what was truly hidden in the center of the Frosted Forest Maze.
In response to Veronika’s question, he only shook his head, “We will know soon enough.”
“Brendel, Shi Do is very familiar with this glacier; she has a wealth of geographical knowledge and might be able to help you.”
“No need; I’m familiar with this place too. What I need is a guide with rich survival skills, not a scholar.”
Peiya was such an exceptional guide, but since witnessing her companions being killed by Anlek in the town, the huntress had become somewhat gloomy; she couldn’t ride and had to share a horse with Xi, her hand stiffly encircling the mountain girl’s waist without saying a word.
Darkness quickly fell, or rather, it grew darker than before; the night on the snowy plain was pitch black, without a glimmer of light—one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. No team could continue their journey in such an environment. Therefore, everyone had to stop and camp in a wind-sheltered place; the forest direction was quiet without a sound, and they spent the night just like that.
At dawn, Brendel finally found the ‘shortcut’ leading beneath the chasm, and he finally understood why this path was called a shortcut—it crossed the entire glacier blocking the north. He remembered a similar passage in the game, referred to by players as the ‘Blade’s Edge.’
Crossing it was as dangerous as passing through a blade, and if not pressed for time, no one would choose this route.
The next several hours were spent in darkness and cold, the team occasionally moving along a narrow glacier, suddenly appearing above a sheer abyss. The terrain beneath the glacier was intricate, leaving everyone in awe, but clearly, the one gaining the most was the scholar; whenever they stopped for a break, Brendel would see her pull out a little notebook from her bag to write and draw.
The entire morning passed without incident; two blind ice demons lurking in the ice chasm attempted to ambush the team, but were discovered by Mephistopheles in advance, killed with one strike. They were likely the nearby area’s BOSS, and Brendel noted that the Gray Saint gained considerable experience from killing the monster, though regrettably, nothing dropped.
In the dark underground, there was no concept of time, and nearly two to three hours after Mephistopheles killed the ice demon, the team arrived at a naturally spacious area. At this point, Shi Do and Haruz, who were less fit, were almost exhausted. Brendel placed a torch between two ice pillars, then allowed everyone to stop and rest, replenishing their strength.
At that moment, Alorze approached him.
The young female dragon pulled Brendel from the crowd, dragging him aside; dangerous glints flickered in her golden eyes as she extended a claw toward him, softly warning, “Brendel, someone is following us. Have you noticed?”
Brendel froze momentarily, then a serious expression appeared on his face: “I had a vague feeling; I thought it was just my imagination. How about you? Can you sense them?” Brendel was not lying; due to certain experiences in the game, he trusted his instincts, which was also why he had stopped the team.
These glaciers and the fissures beneath were formed during the war thousands of years ago, and no one knew what might be beneath the ice. Based on game standards, it was not impossible for BOSS to appear at level sixty or above, which in terms of combat power meant something equivalent to a pinnacle existence.
Though his teacher in the team had one foot already in the peaks of existence, fighting in such an environment sometimes meant strength wouldn’t solve much; Brendel did not forget how Andisha had tragically failed.
“Huh? You can actually detect it? I asked your Gray Saint teacher, and he seemed to have no sense of it at all. How did you figure it out?” Alorze asked curiously.
“I rely on my intuition, which has nothing to do with strength.” Brendel frowned slightly, vaguely feeling it might relate to the perception of darkness. Unfortunately, he couldn’t wear the Twin Rings; otherwise, he would certainly sense the lurking entity more clearly.
“Hmph, your intuition is quite peculiar. To be honest, I just had a hunch that something was following us. Didn’t you notice? There are far fewer monsters under this glacier than we encountered at Shi Ta’s lair.”
“That’s your reasoning?” Brendel looked carefully at the young dragon, somewhat surprised by her attentiveness.
“Pretty much.”
“What about Shi Ta? He’s the local bully here; he’s said to have crossed this fissure several times; what did he say? What is it beneath?”
“He said he didn’t know.”
“Do you really think he wouldn’t know?”
“Are you suggesting he’s lying to me?” Alorze replied, a bit annoyed: “He wouldn’t dare.”
“But have you considered who put him on guard here? He never mentioned the name of the other party. Alorze, Shi Ta only looks like a fool on the surface,” Brendel insisted.
The young female dragon stopped abruptly, her expression alternating between surprise and then anger. “Damn it, how dare he lie to me! I’ll go find him.” “Wait, don’t!” Brendel grabbed her arm, trying to pull the young dragon back. However, Alorze’s strength was unexpectedly great, almost dragging him along; it took all Brendel’s strength to steady himself. “Alorze, wait a moment. I don’t think Shi Ta lied to you—”
“What do you mean, Brendel? The more you talk, the less I understand!” Alorze snapped back.
“I mean, Shi Ta might not know the name of the other party either.”
“Impossible,” Alorze immediately rebutted, “You’ve said it yourself, Shi Ta isn’t really an idiot. I know him well; though he can be a bit foolish at times, he’s a clever guy.”
“I’m saying, do you know those existences?” Brendel lowered his voice, “The Guardians.”
“Ah…”
Alorze suddenly found herself speechless, staring at Brendel in shock. “How do you know about this…”
“No, wait…”
（PS: Kakakakakakaka, I’m so frustrated, someone come kill me, it’s so annoying…）(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it; your support is my greatest motivation.)
