Shao Yangxun’s words caught Lu Yin completely by surprise. “A Lockbreaker?”
“The city lord’s words were that only a powerful Lockbreaker can help the Royal Frost Continent, and it must be a Lockbreaker who has comprehended a sourcebox array. Your Highness is a Lockbreaker, and you must also know other powerful Lockbreakers as well, which is why I am begging Your Highness to find a powerful Lockbreaker to enter the Royal Frost Continent and save Subzero City.
Lu Yin shook his head. “Don’t simply assume that I know a Lockbreaker strong enough to help an Envoy. Even if I did, they wouldn’t agree to go to such a strange place, especially if it’s a place that not even an Envoy can protect. Do you understand?”
Shao Yangxun eagerly replied, “Your Highness, you can! You saved the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society, and you can ask President Geoffrey! You can report this situation to the Lockbreaker Society.”
“Alright, there’s nothing more to say. All I can do is help you all find a place to live in the Outerverse and make sure that you get settled in safely. I can’t help you with the rest.” Lu Yin bluntly refused Shao Yangxun’s request. Lu Yin had many things that he needed to do, and not even an Envoy could resolve this situation, which meant that it would be too rash for Lu Yin to just jump in. Shao Yangxun had been Lu Yin’s subordinate, not Lu Yin’s boss. Thus, Lu Yin was not indebted to the man in any way.
After refusing to help, Lu Yin wanted to end the call, but two words from Shao Yangxun made Lu Yin hesitate for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
Lu Yin felt this was quite strange. An apology?
Suddenly, Lu Yin’s expression changed. This was not good. He instantly ended the call, but it was already too late. The darkness of space had been replaced with white. This was not sunlight, but rather ice. The spacecraft had been completely frozen through, and Lu Yin and Ku Wei tried to fight in vain as the starry sky disappeared from their sight.
It did not take long for the layer of ice in space to melt away, but all that remained was a bit of cold air.
…
Wind blew a flurry of snow across the ground. The snow drifted over, floated across the ice, and was blown over mountains before finally settling above a city.
It was a very rural city, and its architecture seemed to draw heavily from a more primitive era, and there were even many buildings with thatched roofs.
The cold wind froze the city. The urban area was surrounded by a curtain light that could be seen with the naked eye, and a thick layer of solid ice had accumulated outside the barrier.
This was Subzero City. It was located at the center of the Royal Frost Continent, and it was actually the only city on the entire continent.
Subzero City spread out to cover a large area, and although the city was not very tall and its construction was limited to the most basic types of houses in many places, it was still home to hundreds of millions of people. However, due to the extreme cold, people rarely walked about.
There was a building at the center of the city with a slightly more modern design. It was a beautiful building, but it was also completely different from all of the others. This was the city lord’s mansion, and it was home to the most powerful man on the Royal Frost Continent: the Frost Emperor.
The city lord’s mansion covered a vast area, and it even included some mountains and plains, though everything was colored white by the freezing wind.
Inside the city lord’s mansion, there was a silent, unmoving spacecraft that was surrounded by many curious onlookers. One person looked at the spaceship with an apologetic expression and complicated emotions in his eyes. It was Shao Yangxun, who had been previously known as Yan Yan.
Next to Shao Yangxun stood an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man. This man looked a little more elegant than the other people in the area, but even he could not shake off the rather primitive feeling that all of the people here gave off.
“You did nothing wrong. We won’t do anything to him,” the middle-aged man softly comforted.
Shao Yangxun responded quietly, “When will he wake up?”
The middle-aged man smiled. “He woke up a long time ago. I expect him to be thinking of a way to deal with us.”
Shao Yangxun was surprised, and he looked at the vessel before lifting his feet and approaching the ship.
The spacecraft did not move.
All of the surrounding people continued to watch. Most of them had never even seen a spacecraft at all, so they were extremely curious.
As Shao Yangxun approached the vessel, the hatch suddenly opened, and a figure reached out with a hand to grab Shao Yangxun’s neck. The hand squeezed the neck tightly as the person behind it glared fiercely at the middle-aged man. “Don’t move.”
The expressions of the surrounding people all instantly changed, and they glared at Lu Yin. “Stop! Let him go!”
“Release the general!”
“Let him go!”
…
“Shut up.” The figure was Lu Yin, and he had just been tricked.
Shao Yangxun had taken the initiative to contact Lu Yin, not only to ask for help, but also to determine Lu Yin’s location. Because Shao Yangxun had promised to save the Royal Frost Continent, after he realized that Lu Yin was refusing to help, Shao Yangxun had confirmed Lu Yin’s location and then left things to the master of the Royal Frost Continent for him to catch Lu Yin and drag him to the Royal Frost Continent.
Lu Yin held Shao Yangxun’s neck tightly, leaving the man panting heavily. Right now, Lu Yin assumed that he had been teleported to the Royal Frost Continent by the person who Shao Yangxun had just been standing behind. That person was also most likely the most powerful person on the Royal Frost Continent, as well as the city lord.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry,” Shao Yangxun apologized again after being caught by Lu Yin.
Lu Yin sighed. “You betrayed me.”
Shao Yangxun felt helpless. “This one is willing to apologize with my death. All I ask is that Your Highness save my Royal Frost Continent, which is this one’s hometown.”
“Child, do you think that you can threaten us after being captured? Or do you simply wish to vent your anger?” the middle-aged man asked in a light tone. His expression remained unchanged, and he apparently was unconcerned with Shao Yangxun’s capture.
Lu Yin stared at the middle-aged man. “Who are you?”
The middle-aged man smiled. “The Royal Frost Continent’s master and the Subzero City Lord: the Frost Emperor.”
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. Just to make sure, his pupils transformed into runes as he looked at the Frost Emperor. As a result, his eyes were suddenly stabbed by pain, and he nearly released Shao Yangxun.
However, Shao Yangxun did not take advantage of the opportunity to try to escape. He had approached the spacecraft in order to give Lu Yin a chance.
The Frost Emperor did not take any action either. If he wanted to, Lu Yin would never have been able to take Shao Yangxun hostage. Otherwise, Lu Yin would not merely have been dragged to the Frost Emperor Continent.
Lu Yin rubbed his eyes and then looked back at the middle-aged man once again, this time with fear in his eyes. After a moment of silence, Lu Yin pushed Shao Yangxun away and moved to stand next to the vessel and observe his surroundings.
Shao Yangxun did not move far away, but instead, he turned to formally greet Lu Yin. “My apologies, Your Highness. I’m truly sorry, but this one had no choice in this matter. My Royal Frost Continent can’t afford to wait.”
Lu Yin glanced at the man and then looked over at the Frost Emperor. “It would seem that you believe that you have me in your bag.”
The Frost Emperor had a soft expression on his face, and there was none of the typical oppression that Envoys had. He calmly addressed Lu Yin. “We should not be enemies, and I will not hurt you, or rather, I can offer you anything you want. I simply hope that you can help my Royal Frost Continent.”
“What if I say no?” Lu Yin coldly asked.
The Frost Emperor answered helplessly, “I can send you on your way then.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flashed and he sneered. “You took the trouble to capture me, and yet you’re offering to just let me go? Is this an act?”
The Frost Emperor stared intently at Lu Yin. “I brought you here, but I only wish to ask you to listen to the story of my Royal Frost Continent. You might change your mind. Only once you are here will my story have any meaning.”
Lu Yin frowned. In front of him, Shao Yangxun continued to bow. All of the people from the Royal Frost Continent in the surroundings had complicated expressions on their faces, and some of the people occasionally shivered from the terrible cold.
After considering the situation for a moment, Lu Yin let out a long breath. “Take care of the person inside the ship.”
The Frost Emperor grew overjoyed. “Please don’t worry about him.”
Lu Yin moved past Shao Yangxun and followed the Frost Emperor into the mansion.
Shao Yangxun stood back up and heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
As he followed the Frost Emperor into the city lord’s mansion, Lu Yin was quite curious. He had never seen a ruler’s home with this kind of style before. The mansion was far too simple, and any building from a prosperous planet would far outshine this mansion.
Still, although there were no skyscrapers, the rural buildings were all very beautiful.
They walked through the city lord’s mansion, and if rudeness could be considered an artform, then Lu Yin was doing an exquisite job.
“Alliance Leader Lu, thank you for your willingness to stay and help us,” the Frost Emperor expressed his gratitude as he walked.
Lu Yin replied, “I may not be able to help, but you mentioned that you would allow me to see the history of the Royal Frost Continent?”
The Frost Emperor nodded. “Our history is stored underground to prevent its destruction. Please.”
Lu Yin followed the Frost Emperor beneath the estate, and there, he saw countless pieces of wooden shelves. What was this?
He stared blankly at the underground space, unable to determine how far it extended. The wooden shelves seemed to spread out endlessly, and there were countless wooden slips stacked upon these shelves. “This is your history?”
The Frost Emperor sighed. “This place contains the history of my Royal Frost Continent, and Alliance Leader Lu may peruse it at your pleasure.”
Lu Yin pursed his lips and picked up a wooden slip from next to him. At the top, he read, ‘On the thirty-fifth day of the Twelfth Frost Emperor’s 1826th year, the temperature was very low, and 235 households froze. The repairs cost…’
Lu Yin set the wooden slip back down and picked up another one to read. ‘On the thirty-sixth day of the Twelfth Frost Emperor’s 1826th year, the ground cracked. The Frost Emperor’s army repaired the damage and helped Er Zhuzi’s family move their home of ten years. The crack spread three meters, and due to the aging houses…’
Lu Yin frowned. He walked away and looked at another wooden slip. ‘On the 208th day of the Eleventh Frost Emperor’s 925th day, the city lord’s son was born, and Subzero City rejoiced. The celebration required food, housing, and cleanup…’
Lu Yin set the third wooden slip back down and then gave the Frost Emperor a strange look.
The Frost Emperor just smiled gently.
Lu Yin averted his eyes and walked further along before picking up another wooden slip. He soon set it down and picked up another one before setting that one down as well and moving to a corner to pick up another dusty wooden slip. He looked at it before gently setting it down and glancing back at the Frost Emperor. “Your daily life is quite boring, isn’t it?”
The Frost Emperor was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
Lu Yin explained, “These wooden slips record all of these trivial details, such as cleaning the streets, helping people move their houses, and even the days’ weather. Are these really your typical tasks on a given day?”
The Frost Emperor smiled and said, “Subzero City is still a city. Despite its hundreds of millions of inhabitants, it has never suffered from war. These records show the cost of living and quality of life from every era of the city, and they are very valuable.”
Lu Yin was surprised. “Despite the age of the city, it’s never faced war?”
The Frost Emperor shook his head. He thought for a moment and then seriously replied, “The Frost Emperor’s lineage can be traced through the history of Subzero City, and all of the previous Frost Emperors were my ancestors. Each Frost Emperor possesses enough strength to surpass a typical Envoy, and Subzero City’s citizens have no need to fight. Their leader is an Envoy, and there is also the army, which is called the Frostgate Army. If the city master is unavailable, then the Frostgate Army can handle matters. Thus, Subzero City has never faced the threat of war since its founding.”
Lu Yin knew that even when a lion threatened a flock of sheep, the sheep would still refuse to move.
He looked at the Frost Emperor strangely; how could every Frost Emperor be guaranteed to become an Envoy? This was an important question, but Lu Yin did not ask it. “Lord Frost Emperor, the history that I would like to see does not pertain to these matters, but rather why the people of the Royal Frost Continent cannot leave this continent and move elsewhere.”
The Frost Emperor’s eyes flashed. “Alliance Leader Lu, please follow me.” He then headed into the depths of the archives, and Lu Yin followed behind him.
