In a vast expanse of ice and snow, a young girl stepped through the drifts, heading deeper into the wilderness. Not far away, a pitch-black world was cordoned off from the snowy plains. In the very center, an empty Blood Crystal Throne stood atop the darkness, as if waiting for its king.
She turned back to look from afar, and the world shattered like a mirror.
Was it an illusion of the past, or a prophecy of the future?
...
"I have seven times despised my soul:
The first time, when it could have been ambitious, but pretended to be humble;
The second time, when it was empty, yet filled itself with lust;
The third time, when given the choice between the hard and the easy, it chose the easy;
The fourth time, when it committed a wrong, but comforted itself by saying others did the same;
The fifth time, when it was weak, yet mistook its weakness for resilience;
The sixth time, when it despised an ugly face, not knowing it was one of its own masks;
The seventh time, when it wallowed in the mud of life, unwilling yet fearful and hesitant."
Li Yue pulled the brim of her hat down, reciting the verses by Gibran she had read in her past life as she walked with small steps across the snow-covered ground.
She gently reached out to catch a snowflake. As people passed her by, she could faintly hear bouts of cursing, directed at the bitter, freezing weather.
A few merchants huddled together for warmth, driving a carriage loaded with goods in the back.
She stepped into a roadside restaurant. The bright yellow lights made everything inside feel exceptionally warm. She ordered a bowl of noodles and took out two copper coins she had already exchanged.
Leaning against the window, she observed the people eating in the shop. Suddenly, she felt a clear gaze on her. She looked over to see a child staring curiously at her agate-red eyes.
She breathed twice onto the window glass, creating a thin layer of mist. After taking a sip of hot water, she breathed on it again and drew a smiley face on the window.
When she walked back outside with her scarf in hand, a gust of cold wind hit her face. Belatedly, she tied the scarf around her neck.
The sensation of extreme cold seemed to have lessened significantly. She boarded a carriage that drove slowly toward the center of the city.
Yakutsk, a city built upon steel, was a mandatory passage for continental trade. The earliest magic users and merchants had established the first city on this frozen land. However, no one knew—and to this day, no one knows—why this place suffered from such abnormally frigid weather, perhaps related to the persistent cold waves that never dissipated.
The Great Mage stationed here was Reinhardt, known as the Steel Magic User. He had constructed a massive Energy Tower in the heart of the city, which continuously provided heat to the entire urban area by extracting energy from the earth's core.
From a distance, she saw the furnace-like Energy Tower. It was cast entirely from steel, with an orange-yellow light glowing at its center, steadily pumping heat to all corners of the city.
A Steel Magic User... that sounds quite impressive, she thought. As for what kind of magic it actually was, she felt a strange sense of curiosity. After all, this person's magic seemed to carry the breath of the era.
The number of pedestrians on the streets seemed to increase, and she occasionally saw freight carriages laden with expensive wine and meat. Li Yue knew she was nearing the city center.
She stopped at a location slightly further from the inner ring. The closer a building was to the Energy Tower, the more expensive the rent, as the proximity ensured a more abundant and uninterrupted supply of heat, even during the Great Cold Wave.
In the far outskirts, there was always the risk of the heating chain failing.
She stepped off the carriage and tallied her remaining secular wealth: 20 gold coins, 15 silver coins, and some loose copper coins. It didn't seem like enough for long-term daily expenses.
She walked straight into a building on the roadside marked with a housing sign. According to the lettering, this was likely an official facility that assisted with rental procedures.
Removing her hat, she looked around. People of all sorts, wearing clothes that indicated their social status, were inquiring at a steel railing.
She chose the shortest line. She looked down at her own clothes; they seemed a bit thin compared to others, yet they appeared more elegant.
She still felt the cold, but her resistance was much higher now. Her body temperature seemed to drop along with the environment, and aside from feeling a bit sleepy occasionally, there were no other side effects. Moreover, as a mage, Li Yue's resistance to fatigue had also improved significantly.
As for the Blood Moon, Li Yue didn't know if she would ever have the chance to use it. Its effect was similar to a domain. Caesar had openly brought the Blood Moon and the pitch-black sky directly into reality; Li Yue could also pull people inside, though she wasn't very practiced in the operation.
That world could suppress all magic other than her own, but its various effects seemed born entirely for slaughter. Li Yue still remembered Roland's words; she would not abuse her magic. She had to exercise restraint, and then more restraint.
The wait was tedious. She toyed with the ring Clo had given her, silently reflecting on how the things she cherished had suddenly increased in number.
"What a beautiful ring, young lady." A woman in her forties approached Li Yue. Her slightly plump body was hidden beneath thick cotton clothes, and she wore a kind smile.
"Are you here to rent out a house as well?"
"I am looking for a place to stay. I am a... traveler." Li Yue hesitated for a moment before making up an identity.
"My husband is an engineer at the Energy Tower. He's been very busy these days preparing for the coming cold wave, so I had to come out myself to register the rental information." The woman smiled. "What is your price range?"
"About 4 or 5 silver coins a week," Li Yue thought for a moment and gave a price she could accept.
"That's a fair offer. Would you like to see my house?" The woman took out the documents she had brought. The description seemed to have official certification. It was not far from where Li Yue had just stepped off the carriage, on a street with a rather poetic name: Balsam Street.
A two-story residence with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a dining room, a parlor, a living room, and a small courtyard for family gatherings, plus a storage room...
Hmm... was her offer a bit too high? Why were there so many rooms?
The current situation seemed suitable for finding someone to split the rent with, but at the thought of the secrets she carried, it was better to live alone.
"Deal." Li Yue nodded. She called over an attendant to draw up a contract for the two of them.
The systems and laws here were much more advanced than in Parvati. Unfortunately, due to the extreme climate, the city's prosperity couldn't keep up with Parvati's, which made Li Yue sigh.
She followed the lady to inspect the residence and was very satisfied. The soundproofing was surprisingly good. Even if something bloody were to happen, the lady next door probably wouldn't know.
If all else fails, I'll just use the Blood Moon, she thought, even though she disliked that power.
Is this a God's legacy? It seems more than a tier stronger than ordinary artifacts. But that makes sense; an artifact left by a deity would naturally be much better than something made by a magic craftsman.
Next, she would look for work. The Adventurer's Association should have commissions. Given her personal abilities, making a living wouldn't be a problem.
She might have forgotten when she last entered an Adventurer's Association; it felt like not long ago, yet also like a very long time. However, the association here wasn't exactly as she imagined. To suit the local culture, the name had been changed to the Handlers' Association.
In this frozen land, there really wasn't much to explore. The major associations were basically responsible for the safe operation of the city and handling abnormal events.
Li Yue pushed the door open. A wave of noise interrupted her thoughts. It was loud and rowdy, with far more people than she had expected, all crowding around the boards to snatch up ordinary tasks.
She faintly released her mana perception. Most of the people here were apprentices or trainees, with very few having reached the Magician stage. As for mages, Li Yue didn't sense any.
To Li Yue's surprise, some of the people were just ordinary humans with decent physical fitness. Although their task difficulty was restricted, they were still full of enthusiasm.
The people of this city lived in close proximity to magic users—or rather, most magic users were half-baked and hadn't truly separated themselves from the secular world.
Her arrival attracted many gazes. She once again regretted forgetting to wear a veil. She often tended to overlook her beautiful appearance and her white hair and red eyes.
But social interaction was good; she could learn more about the city through conversation and find out what the "white light" of this city actually was.
People's eyes drifted from the commission boards for a moment as they curiously sized up this peculiar girl. She didn't look ordinary, and their mana perception even suggested she was at the very peak of the trainee level.
The girl's extraordinary aura gave them a slight sense of keeping a respectful distance.
I always seem to make the surroundings fall silent... especially when I look serious.
I've already suppressed my strength to the trainee level. Am I still not approachable enough?
Forget it, let's look at the commissions first.
Li Yue glanced over. One could take up to four tasks a day. Could someone really do that many?
She looked closely. Some commissions involved delivering letters, gathering flowers, finding lost cats and dogs, feeding pigeons, or subjugating extremely low-level wandering monsters in the wild...
What is this? Daily quests? The Adventurer's Association might as well change its name to the Community Service Center or the Housekeepers' Union.
One task paid 3 copper coins. Some clients offered better rewards. These associations didn't charge handling fees and even helped increase the rewards, which was quite humane.
In a corner, a missing person notice lay quietly. The reward was five silver coins, but because of a lack of clues, no one had been able to complete it, so it had been set aside.
Li Yue looked into it. The client seemed to be a lady in extremely difficult financial straits who could barely afford a single silver coin; the association had increased the reward by five silver coins, or 50 copper coins.
Although the investment and return were disproportionate, some things are often done without seeking a return. Feeling a touch of emotion in one's heart is enough.
Anyway, she had enough money for now. If she really ran out, she'd just ask Clo. Li Yue believed that acting cute and begging Clo would surely work.
She took down the commission paper and registered her personal information, officially accepting the task.
Night fell quietly. Perhaps because of the short journey, she felt a bit tired and went to bed early. She didn't notice that the Caesar token she had casually placed on the nightstand was emitting a faint light.
...
In a dim hall that seemed to float above the universe, surrounded by a void—or rather, a place that didn't belong to reality but was a unique spiritual world.
A man dressed in a suit sat at the head of the table. He held a scepter, his entire face shrouded in mist. On the back of his chair, a 'P' drawn with magic circuits was clearly visible.
Gradually, several people in different uniforms slowly took their seats. A man in a suit wearing a bright red mask sat in the chair marked 'W'.
A woman with a graceful figure, wrapped in a heavy coat and adorned with luxurious jewelry, walked in slowly. She strolled leisurely and sat in the chair engraved with the letter 'Q'.
A rugged man entered. He hadn't even taken off his pirate hat. The man in the sailor's uniform sat before the letter 'C' and rubbed his stubble. The group looked toward the one remaining empty chair, which was engraved with the letter 'K'. The original owner of this seat seemingly no longer had the chance to attend this gathering.
"That one really failed. After planning the Blood Moon project for so long, it still failed. What variable could have appeared?" the man in the red mask spoke slowly.
"Heh, the heart failed, didn't it? I heard there was a Great Mage of the music department hidden there. I told him he was being too hasty. Forcing the use of a legacy was truly the worst move," the lady said, opening a folding fan and chuckling softly.
"It doesn't matter if the heart failed; that isn't the only legacy," the rugged man shrugged, appearing unconcerned. "His remaining gifts can still achieve our goals."
"Caesar may be dead, but that card has been passed on. Who will be the next magic user to activate it?" the man holding the scepter said in a low voice. "What kind of surprise will the new King bring us?"
He rubbed the top of his scepter and stood up. Through the mist, his blood-red eyes were faintly visible.
"To the grandest feast!" The others at the table rose simultaneously and bowed slightly. Their eyes behind the mist flashed with red light. they greeted each other and then vanished into the fog.
The man holding the scepter narrowed his eyes slightly. He seemed to feel that 'K' had chosen a new master. The speed of it slightly shocked him.
More observation was needed. At the very least, he had to know her magic first.
His scepter vibrated slightly, and then the entire massive palace vanished into the fog.
Rate on N.U.
