CHAPTER 1512: CHAPTER 1512: THE QUEEN’S GIFT

The tightly closed four-wheeled carriage slowly rolled down the street covered with a thin layer of ice.

The vendors and pedestrians on both sides of the street quickly moved aside, clearing a path for the carriage.

"Mr. Hein, look," Kaster pointed to the scene outside the small carriage window and smiled at He Ao, "Rock City State has always been a hospitable city. We have a large number of northern specialty goods. If you’re interested, you can take a good look at our city. Perhaps you’ll find something you want?"

"It’s indeed worth a look." He Ao, sitting opposite Kaster, smiled as he listened to Kaster’s words.

In the carriage, it was just him and Kaster. Kaster had arranged for two carriages, and Kela was sitting in the one behind.

As they spoke, He Ao lifted his head, his gaze sweeping out the window.

Perhaps to keep out the wind and stay warm, the buildings outside seemed very low, with the only slightly taller ones being two-story small buildings.

These buildings mainly consisted of low, sloped-roof wooden houses.

There were also some shacks made of simple wooden planks, far less secure than the wooden houses, covered with a thick layer of snow.

Some of the shacks had already collapsed under the weight of the snow, with some thinly dressed people standing by the wreckage, holding onto a plank, turning their bodies around.

They looked tensely and reverently at the passing carriage.

Besides the wooden houses and shacks, there were also stone structures in the city.

These houses were built with thick stone blocks, far more solid than the wooden houses, with only a person-wide vertical slit serving as the door and a small opening as the window.

Most of these stone houses had slightly sloped roofs, covered with wooden planks and blanketed in snow.

Some stone houses appeared to be shops, with their doors open and a small sign hanging above, displaying the items inside.

As for the writing on the signs, He Ao couldn’t fully understand it. He could guess the meaning of some words, but not many.

These characters bore some resemblance to the language of the Second Federal District, but most were variant letters He Ao had never seen.

However, this was consistent with the era. In the secluded development of the Era of the Great Cataclysm, it would be strange if a completely universal language and script had emerged in this vast region.

It seemed that the language and writing He Ao learned from the Second Federal District were likely gradually standardized after the Original Federation ended the Era of the Great Cataclysm.

Of course, being ’illiterate’ didn’t prevent He Ao from distinguishing what these shops specialized in.

Because, besides words, these shop signs often had simple drawings.

A bakery would have a loaf of bread drawn on it.

A jewelry store would depict a necklace.

It was clear that most of these stores’ customers were also ’illiterate.’

And He Ao, relying on these simple drawings and cross-referencing with his memory, quickly learned the characters on these signs.

Strictly speaking, there were quite a few shops along this street, selling a dazzling array of goods.

The busiest were the bakeries and flour shops, with long lines of people.

But at this moment, all these shops had stopped operating, and the customers outside nervously watched the passing carriage, not daring to make any unnecessary movements.

"It’s still summer, so why is the snowstorm here so intense?" He Ao asked slowly, his gaze on the snow.

"You don’t know?" Kaster was slightly taken aback.

"I came from the south. I know a little, but not everything. I only know the entire northern continent is covered by snowstorms," He Ao replied with a smile.

"Actually, this seems to be a massive mutation," Kaster contemplated, glancing at the snow outside, "About a month ago, we had just opened our port and were preparing to ship out this year’s goods when the snowstorm suddenly hit."

He sighed, "At first, we thought it was just a cold snap. Although it’s not common, it has happened before, and we believed the snow would soon stop. But surprisingly, the snow has continued for over a month now,

"Later, we heard intelligence from the south saying that the snow was falling everywhere, even in places as warm as Xiqilelan, which was also covered by snowstorms."

He looked at He Ao, sighed, "Now our port is frozen, and we can’t transport anything out."

"Does anyone know the source of this snowstorm?" He Ao asked slowly, looking at Kaster.

"No one knows," Kaster glanced at He Ao, shaking his head slightly, "Some say it’s from further north, where Ice and Snow Demons emerged from the eternally snow-covered mountains, while others say it’s due to evil magic experiments in a southern city affecting us here."

"Are these the only clues?" He Ao asked with a smile.

"Perhaps there are more," Kaster shook his head, "but only the governor knows that,"

Then, he looked at He Ao and changed the topic, "Speaking of which, I’ve never been to the south. Are there any distinctive cities?"

"That depends on where you’re talking about," He Ao, realizing he didn’t want to continue the conversation, smiled slowly, "There are quite a few cities in the south."

After a brief pause, he continued, "For example, Dawn City is a very large city with five big districts, interconnected roads, and extensive reach...

"Vitland, for instance, has a rich entertainment industry where people can choose anything they want to play...

"Denno City, for example, has a dry climate, expansive wilderness outside the city, and various special mineral resources...

······

"Saint Joen City, for example, has a massive grain output, with the production of the same grain several times that of other cities...

Crack—

The carriage came to a halt.

"The south has so many distinct cities; the world truly is vast," Kaster, looking at He Ao, seemed as if he had experienced numerous fantastical stories and sighed deeply.

He then turned his gaze to the carriage door and smiled, "It seems we’ve arrived,"

He opened the carriage door and glanced at the surrounding buildings and ice, "Rock City State has nothing but ice and snow, along with long days and nights,"

He sighed, "This barren place can grow nothing. Most of our food has to be procured over a thousand kilometers away from Xiqilelan, and by the time it reaches here, the prices are ridiculously high."

Saying this, he moved to the door.

The carriage was a bit high, making disembarking difficult.

When boarding, a wooden ladder had been provided by someone, but it was too large to be carried on the carriage.

At this time, He Ao saw the coachman of the carriage drop to the ground, his rough fingers pressing against the ice, kneeling at the carriage door to act as a step.

"This is our governor’s palace," Kaster descended by stepping on the coachman, looked at the building next to the carriage, and smiled, "How does it compare to the palace you mentioned in Dawn City? Our Rock City is considered a major city in the north, just a bit smaller than Xiqilelan’s capital."

"It’s still slightly smaller." He Ao smiled.

He Ao glanced at the coachman, directly bypassing him, and jumped down.

He raised his head to see a somewhat rudimentary row of stone-built houses appear in his field of view.

"Hahaha, who doesn’t praise their hometown?" Kaster observed He Ao’s actions, his gaze lowering slightly but quickly masking it with a hearty laugh.

Saying this, he approached the carriage at the back.

At this moment, the coachman of the rear carriage had already opened the door, kneeling there.

Kela, as if she hadn’t noticed, lifted her footsteps.

The cold wind and ice crystals gathered beneath her exquisite high-heeled shoes, forming steps made of ice.

The ice staircase bypassed the coachman, connecting to the ice-crystal-covered stone pavement.

Kela descended the icy steps.

Upon witnessing this, Kaster’s expression darkened a bit.

But he quickly put on a smile and stepped forward, "I had long heard of Her Majesty the Queen’s exquisite Ice and Snow Magic, and seeing it now, it’s even more stunning than the legends."

Kela nodded slightly at him, "Just some simple magic."

She then turned her gaze to the row of houses, or rather, the ’palace.’

Kaster also shifted his gaze and smiled, "I’ve already contacted the governor in advance. He should be waiting for us now."

Saying this, he stepped forward, leading everyone into the palace ahead.

At this moment, He Ao’s steps paused slightly, he lifted his head, glancing towards the north of the city.

A faint orange-gray light flickered through his pupils.

Just now, he seemed to have sensed a very subtle time-space disturbance, but it vanished almost instantly.

Even using the Power of Truth Eye, he couldn’t locate the source of that disturbance.

Was it an illusion?

He lowered his head, the severe glow swiftly fading away, then he lifted his head again, looking towards Kass and Kela, and followed them slowly.

The entire ’Governor’s Palace’ wasn’t large, entering through the main door led directly to the hall.

Compared to the low houses outside, this hall was indeed quite spacious, with seats for about a hundred people, and a huge dome built over it.

The brilliance densely shone down from the glazed tiles of the dome, it seemed like a place for many people to discuss matters.

However, the governor didn’t seem to be in this hall.

Kass led He Ao and Kela through a small door on the left side, after passing through a long corridor, they reached a room at the depths of the corridor.

A wave of warm air greeted them first, then several chairs covered with thick exotic beast furs came into He Ao’s view.

At the edge of these chairs, a fireplace burned fiercely, the warmth of the room was all emanating from this fireplace.

At this moment, a somewhat burly middle-aged man was sitting on a chair near the fireplace, frowning slightly as he looked at the animal skin documents in his hand.

This man seemed to be a C-grade Transcendent, but he couldn’t control his power very well, He Ao could faintly sense a slightly irritable, abnormal thought coming from him.

However, his actions were still very normal, he heard the door opening, and slowly got up to walk over.

"This is our city state’s governor, Mr. Rote." Kass immediately introduced as the middle-aged man walked over.

Then he turned back, revealing Kela and He Ao behind him, introducing to the middle-aged man, "This is Queen Kela, this is Mr. Hein, a guest from the south who came with the Queen."

The middle-aged man looked at Kela, quickly extended his hand, "Your Majesty, everyone in the Rock City State welcomes your arrival."

Kela naturally extended her hand too, and gave a quick and simple handshake with the middle-aged governor, "I’m very pleased to be here."

"It is our honor." The middle-aged man withdrew his hand, with a smile and a slight bow, responding.

Then he turned his head, looking at He Ao, extending his hand, "Mr. Hein, welcome to the Rock City State, I hope our city state will not disappoint you."

He Ao extended his hand to shake his, smiling, "Rock City State is a very nice city."

"You chat, I’ll be off for now." Kass glanced at everyone, waved his hand in farewell.

"Okay." The middle-aged governor Rote nodded gently, watching Kass leave.

Then he guided He Ao and Kela to sit on the chairs.

A small door on the other side of the resting room opened, a few servants walked in, bringing a pot of hot red tea, and poured a cup for all three of them.

At this moment, Rote looked at Kela and smiled, "I was told by Kass that Her Majesty the Queen is here to find the Storm Priestess, is there anything you need?"

After the servants poured the tea, they retreated back into a small door on one side, maintaining the silence and seclusion of the entire space.

"I need the Storm Priestess’ help to find clues to the origin of the blizzard." Kela said straightforwardly.

Hearing this, Rote was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Are you looking for a way to quell the blizzard?"

Kela nodded slightly, "Do you have any clues?"

"We have no news here either," Rote sighed, "You know, the blizzard came so suddenly, and now it’s clearly July, still summer, but the port is frozen,

"The most important issue isn’t that our goods can’t be shipped out, but that food from outside can’t be brought in because of the blizzard, and there’s not much food left stored in the city."

He looked at Kela, sighing, "Our ancestors chose to settle here at Rock City back then because there weren’t any powerful exotic beasts around, although the weather is frigid, it’s still livable.

"But also because there are no exotic beasts, it’s difficult for us to hunt and fish for food in the snow, we need to transport a large amount of food from the outside."

He sighed deeply, "I’m already controlling the food supply in the city."

"Quelling the blizzard is in our favor." Kela said softly.

"Yes, that is our common hope." Rote immediately responded, but didn’t continue.

"Xiqilelan is also covered by the blizzard at the moment, but we still have some food reserves," Kela looked at him calmly, "Xiqilelan can reach out to the southern Kingdom, opening a small trade route for a limited food exchange."

"That’s very generous," Rote immediately wore a smile, looking at Kela and He Ao, he said with a grin, "Actually, before you came, I had already contacted the temple of the Storm Priestess, she’s currently in the northern part of the city state dispelling nearby blizzards and monsters, she might take a while to return."

"Do you know exactly where she is?" Kela asked softly.

"The Storm Priestess’ actions are always sporadic, only she and her followers know," Rote said softly, "But don’t worry, it’s almost nine in the evening now, the Storm Priestess usually returns around nine."

As he spoke, he glanced at the side’s animal parchment, put it away, and continued, "If you’re willing to wait, you can wait for a bit in this reception room, and I’ll directly take you there later."

Kela looked up at Rote, finally nodding lightly, "Alright."

"Then I’ll take my leave first," Rote put away the animal parchment, "Would you like some hot tea or coffee? I can have the servants bring more."

"No need." Kela shook her head slightly.

"Alright," Rote nodded, pointing to a button next to the fireplace, "If you need anything, you can summon a servant."

With that, he got up and left the resting room.

As the door to the resting room closed, Kela withdrew her gaze, leaning against the sofa edge, she gently closed her eyes again.

He Ao, on the other hand, quietly watched the door of the resting room.

Even though the smile on his face was perfect, He Ao could still sense Rote’s repressed emotions and some uncontrollable superficial thoughts.

The problems of this city don’t seem to be as ’simple’ as Rote mentioned.

However, since they had to wait for the Storm Priestess, he might as well go explore the place where he had felt that time-space wave earlier.

He slowly rose.

At this moment, a calm voice came from his side, "Are you going somewhere?"

He Ao turned his head, meeting a pair of blue eyes as tranquil as a lake.

"I’m going to wander around the outskirts of the city, would you like to join?" He Ao asked directly,

Hearing his ’invitation’, Kela was visibly taken aback.

Then she reached out her hand, touching the back of her head.

It was then that He Ao noticed that among her locks filled with ice and snow, there was a white hair tie adorned with two white translucent gemstones.

Kela took one of the gemstones, handing it to He Ao, "This can be exchanged for quite a lot of money."

He Ao gazed at the white translucent gemstone, just covered by white snow couldn’t discern its state, but now wiped clean of the snowflakes, it revealed a crystal clear and dazzling gloss.

Although he temporarily didn’t recognize what kind of gemstone it was, judging from its gloss and color, it was something of great value, even in a technologically advanced dungeon world.

It seems this indeed is a bona fide queen.

However, looking into those calm blue eyes, He Ao was the one slightly lost in thought this time.

Clearly, Kela had noticed he didn’t carry any currency or valuable items on him.

Being in a foreign land without money can lead to some additional troubles.

He Ao initially wanted to refuse, but after thinking it over, he accepted the gemstone.

He smiled gently, "Thank you."

Kela lightly nodded, placing her hands on her knees, leaning obliquely against the sofa edge, closing her eyes once more.

The firelight from the fireplace sketched a serene and warm glow over her snow-white cheeks.

He Ao put away the gemstone, opened the resting room door, and left the room.