Rhode put away his sword after witnessing the unfortunate giant octopus burning into ashes in the flames. At the same time, he let go of the mermaid warrior he dragged away from danger earlier. The mermaid warrior also seemed to be dumbfounded by the fighting power that Rhode and Gillian displayed as she drifted blankly in midair. It wasn’t until a moment later that she took a few steps back as if awakening from a dream, looking at Rhode hesitantly, and giving a respectful bow.
“Thank you so much for your help. Erm, may I know who you are…”
The mermaid warrior asked, while looking at Rhode and Gillian with suspicion. It wasn’t surprising of her reaction as it was too unusual for two foreign and powerful beings to show up here. Fortunately, since Rhode made the move to save them earlier, the mermaid warriors didn’t have any hostility toward him and his group. Despite that, they were still more or less confused and uncertain. And in response to the mermaid warrior’s question, Rhode raised an eyebrow and spoke.
“I am the Void Dragon, and this is my subject. We have come to the water elemental plane to discuss something important with the water elemental lord. If you can, please pass the message for me.”
“Your Majesty the Void Dragon?!”
Upon hearing Rhode’s self-introduction, the mermaid warrior flustered. She bowed solemnly and hurriedly once more, before replying in trepidation and sincerity.
“My apologies. Please pardon my rudeness, Your Majesty the Void Dragon. I didn’t expect you to come to the water elemental plane… Please wait for a moment.”
Perhaps sensing that she couldn’t say anything warmly welcoming, as the somewhat young and inexperienced mermaid warrior finished her sentence, she turned around and scrambled back to the other mermaid warriors immediately. She seemed to be speaking to one who looked like the leader of their group, and upon hearing her words, the other mermaid warriors also turned to Rhode’s group in bewilderment as though they were very surprised. But it was no wonder that they reacted this way. Although the entire Dragon Soul Continent was theoretically governed by the Creator Dragons, places like the four main elemental planes were rarely associated with the main plane. Besides that, normally one wouldn’t encounter a Creator Dragon visiting the elemental planes. But now, the Void Dragon was actually here, so it was hardly surprising that the mermaid warriors were so astonished.
After a few moments, the young lady who seemed like the leader ‘swam’ toward Rhode and gave a solemn bow.
“Greetings, Your Majesty the Void Dragon, thank you so much for the assistance. Without your help, we wouldn’t have been able to repel the intruders so efficiently…”
“It’s nothing. I just happen to witness your battle along the way.”
Upon hearing the mermaid warrior’s greetings, Rhode answered and waved her aside with an airy gesture. The mermaid warrior knew that Rhode had no intention of wasting too much time, which was why she said nothing and gave a gesture of invitation.
“The lord’s palace is right there. Please come with me…”
“Alright…”
Rhode wasn’t mindful of the somewhat indifferent response from the mermaid warrior. Most creatures in the water elemental plane were gentle souls and rarely passionate about anything in particular. That was why Rhode didn’t expect to receive any VIP treatment here. It was great enough for things to be this way. He wasn’t unnecessarily picky, and nodded instead. Then, as though he recalled something, he asked.
“By the way, I have three companions over there. Let’s wait for them.”
The mermaid warrior had no intention of objecting, which was why Rhode beckoned to Gillian to bring the other three over. Gillian went to the back quickly and brought them here in no time. But…
“Where’s Snow?”
Gazing at Anne and Bell, Rhode knitted his brows. Upon hearing his question, Anne spread her arms apart and showed a helpless gesture.
“Anne doesn’t know, Leader. That little fella was still watching your fight with Anne earlier. But after your fight ended, she ran off in a whoosh as though she were chased by something. Anne wanted to look for her, but didn’t see where she ran off to.”
Anne replied and looked rather depressed. She was speechless at the thought of that scene. She was excited and decided to pull Bell and the little mermaid to cheer for Rhode and Gillian together. In the end, before Anne managed to grab Snow, the latter ran off far away. After Anne realized what happened, the little mermaid was nowhere to be seen anymore.
What’s going on?
After hearing Anne’s reply, Rhode didn’t say much, but deep inside, he was really confused. Snow was usually obedient and sensible, and had always been great in battle. But this time, she acted strangely upon arriving at the water elemental plane and behaved like a thief as though she were afraid of being discovered. And now, she actually ran away again. Rhode more or less guessed that she probably didn’t want to meet the mermaid warriors. But he couldn’t figure out the reason why. After all, she was also a mermaid, so naturally, she was born and raised on the water elemental plane. As a matter of fact, Agatha could also be the one leading them to the water elemental plane. However, she wasn’t really strong in her abilities, and Rhode also intended to bring the little mermaid back to her hometown to visit her family, which was why he eventually chose the little mermaid.
But the little fella…
“Forget it, let’s get going…”
As his spirit card, Rhode had no problem locating the little mermaid. After questioning Anne, he immediately found the whereabouts of the little mermaid with some effort. But what made him caught between laughter and tears was that the little mermaid was now hiding in the snowy plains behind them, digging a hole to bury herself In it. In all honesty, this was the first time Rhode learned that mermaids could actually dig holes!
“… She will catch up with us.”
Even though Rhode could easily summon the little mermaid to his side, he didn’t force her, since she didn’t want to show herself. He also knew that she must have something going on in the water elemental plane, or else she wouldn’t be acting so sneakily. But it also didn’t seem like it involved killing someone, so Rhode simply let her off on her own.
“Is anything the matter, Your Majesty Void Dragon? Do you need our help?”
“It’s fine…”
Upon hearing the mermaid warrior’s question, Rhode returned to his senses.
“… It’s just a trivial matter. Let’s go.”
“Okay, Your Majesty.”
Although the mermaid warriors were somewhat puzzled by Rhode’s response, water elemental creatures were rarely meddlesome. Since Rhode wasn’t going to talk about it, the mermaid warriors didn’t pester him any longer. They nodded and headed toward the heart of the Ice Throne with Rhode and his group. But soon, Rhode realized that the mermaid warriors seemed to be just as wary of Anne as Snow was, despite Anne looking in all directions casually. On the contrary, they weren’t too wary of Bell. Could it be that they smelled the scent of a carnivore from Anne’s body?
Led by the mermaid warriors, Rhode’s group had a much easier time. After all, this was the water elemental lord’s palace, and defensive precautions were really tight. Moreover, the fact that Rhode and his group were non-water elemental creatures made them stand out like sore thumbs along the way. From time to time, high-ranking guards from the Ice Throne stepped out to interrogate them, but with the mermaid warriors around, Rhode’s group wasn’t hampered too much and entered the heart of the Ice Throne unimpeded.
But what surprised Rhode was that the little mermaid who followed far behind them actually also entered the palace. Rhode originally thought that the little mermaid would be discovered in no time by the countless guards around the Ice Throne. There were times when he was even ready to step out and explain the situation for her. But what he didn’t expect was that although the little mermaid was following him from afar, she had actually escaped the interrogation of all the guards. Not to mention the mermaid warriors protecting his group, even the elite guards defending the Ice Throne hadn’t noticed her presence!
That little fella sure is familiar with the Ice Throne.
The thought of Snow leading them along the edge of the Ice Throne undetected piqued Rhode’s curiosity as to what her true identity was. He initially thought that Snow was just an ordinary creature amongst the mermaids. But now, it seemed like things were different. Otherwise, how would she be so familiar with the Ice Throne? From the way she led them, perhaps even without the help of the mermaid warriors, Rhode’s group could still pass through the heavily guarded area secretly to meet the water elemental lord.
But it was a pity that they didn’t come to the water elemental plane to be thieves…
“This is the place, Your Majesty the Void Dragon.”
While Rhode let his imagination run wild, he arrived at the palace gate. Gazing at the entrance that was entirely frozen in ice, Rhode gathered his thoughts immediately. After all, the most important thing right now was the matter at hand. As for Snow, he could wait until later.
“———”
The frozen gate opened gradually. Shortly after, an ice-cold chilliness struck them, but it didn’t affect them much. On the other hand, Gillian was the only one who let out a grunt of displeasure. Well, she couldn’t be blamed since she was the fire elemental lord. This was the core region of the water elemental plane. Water and fire were incompatible, in the first place, so as a fire elemental lord, she didn’t feel exactly comfortable here.
Sauntering forward and against the icy-cold winds, Rhode reached the center of the Ice Throne with his group. The first thing that caught his eyes was the huge throne in the middle, which was a large chunk of hard-cold ice that was four to five meters tall and carved into the shape of a throne. The floor was laid with smooth ice crystals, while the vast ocean could be seen through the translucent walls on both sides of the palace. The Ice Throne looked like a large aquarium, making one feel as though one were in an underwater world. As far as the eye could see, one could find seaweeds drifting in the ocean and all kinds of fish swimming leisurely in it. Accompanied with the shimmering glow, the view was particularly captivating.
“Woah…”
Looking at this scene, Anne couldn’t help but exclaim. Bell also widened her eyes and sized up her surroundings curiously. After all, this scenery was too dreamy and unbelievable for them.
And at that moment, an ice-cold, yet gentle voice sounded.
“Welcome to the Ice Throne, Your Majesty the Void Dragon.”
A common characteristic of water elemental creatures was that their speech was always smooth, quiet, soft, and with little to no emotion. It felt the same with this voice. Although it wasn’t filled with passion or other intense emotions at all, it felt like a comfortable spring breeze to Rhode and his group, and the discomfort from the chilly winds vanished in an instant. Along with that voice, a slender figure appeared in front of them.
It was a beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her skin was as white and delicate as snow, and her soft, long hair was made entirely of ice: pure, flawless, and reflected a soft glow. Not only that, but her azure eyes were also as eye-catching as the deep sea. The water elemental lord was donned in what looked like a translucent robe. She stood up and gazed at Rhode’s group, which just entered the Ice Throne. Facing this lovely woman before him, Rhode stretched out his hand and gave a bow. He knew very well that this woman in front of him was the water elemental lord, the Queen of Ice, Audrey.
“Greetings. Nice to meet you, Queen Audrey.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Your Majesty the Void Dragon. I’ve heard what happened from Agatha. I never thought that you would come to the Ice Throne in person. It seems like the Book of Elements is indeed really important to you.”
“That’s right. This time, I am indeed here for the Book of Elements.”
Audrey went straight to the point, and Rhode heaved a sigh of relief. Although the flow of time on the elemental plane was different from the main plane, it was still best to save as much time as possible. Besides, he also didn’t wish for any trouble to occur, such as hearing news that the Book of Elements was stolen while they attended a banquet that Audrey invited them to. Even though the possibilities were low, players had experienced enough quests that ended with all kinds of strange development in the plot. For instance, the NPC they escorted went to commit suicide by taking on the BOSS. The players could only watch as the NPC dropped their precious reward into the river, and the players had to go down to search for it later…
And now that Audrey got right to the point, Rhode didn’t have to maintain his social disguise any longer.
“The Book of Elements is essential for us. I heard it is in the water elemental plane, which was why I came here.”
“You’re right about that. The Book of Elements is indeed here.”
Upon hearing Rhode’s response, Audrey revealed a smile and said.
“Earlier, a group of elves from the main plane opened the Elemental Gate and fled to the water elemental plane to avoid the scourge of war. And in return for our protection, they gave the Book of Elements to us for safekeeping on their behalf. But as the power of the Book of Elements was too strong and out of control, we sealed it beneath the Ice Throne after some discussion among us, the elemental lords. That decision was to prevent the Book of Elements from causing extensive damage to the elemental planes. And since you’ve personally come here, Your Majesty the Void Dragon, I will pass the Book of Elements to you with no questions asked. But before I get to that…”
Audrey said and blinked. Then, she lifted her head and looked behind Rhode’s group.
“My child, aren’t you going to come out? How long do you want to hide?”
“…”
As the Queen of Ice spoke, the little mermaid emerged from the shadows outside the main entrance slowly. She entered the palace of the Ice Throne hesitantly with her hands interlocked, before scampering to hide behind Rhode as though using him as a shield. She was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, as if it were safe if it couldn’t see anything… But eventually, under the gaze of the Queen of Ice, the little mermaid peeked out from behind and whispered a greeting.
“Greetings… Mother…”
“…”
Upon hearing Snow’s words, Rhode was slightly taken aback, but wasn’t exactly surprised. He knew from the little mermaid’s earlier behavior that her identity in the water elemental plane must be unusual. And now, it was just a confirmation of his thoughts. On the other hand, Anne was shocked to hear the news and exclaimed.
“Ehhh? Snow, you are the daughter of this big sister?”
“… Yes, Snow is my daughter.”
Facing Anne’s question, it was Audrey who answered instead. Snow remained silent, but nodded in affirmation. Looking at Snow’s reaction, Audrey seemed to be a little disappointed. But in the end, she didn’t say anything. She let out a subtle sigh, went up to Rhode, and made a gesture of invitation.
“The Book of Elements is over there. Please come with me, Your Majesty the Void Dragon.”
