Chapter 2241 Pink Mist <TOC> Chapter 2243 Glacial Behemoths
Translator: SumTLMan
Freud, upon realizing the threat posed by the Pink Sin Fog surpassed that of the Black Sin Fog, immediately arranged for the Sin Hunters’ team members to station nearby.
The existence of the Sin Hunters’ team is to combat Sinful Monsters and protect Initial Heart City.
Upon learning of the emergence of new Sin Fog, the majority of demon hunters responded.
In a short amount of time, ten demon hunters gathered around the Pink Sin Fog, and relying on their abilities, quickly established a temporary camp nearby.
With the establishment of the camp and the arrival of demon hunters, the threat level of the Pink Sin Fog was slightly reduced, but this was still not enough. In the foreseeable future, the Pink Sin Fog will continuously spawn Sinful Monsters, and with their mere ten demon hunters, it was impossible to fully guard against it.
To ensure the safety of Initial Heart City, it was necessary to expand the membership of the Sin Hunters’ team.
This was considered a long-term plan, and Angel did not pay attention throughout. With Freud present, he believed there would be no mishaps.
Thus, after the demon hunters’ camp was established, Angel temporarily bid farewell to the forest and returned to Initial Heart City.
In Initial Heart City, he chatted with Jon about recent events, learned about the new version update progress of the Mother Tree Network development team, and after leaving messages through the Tree Group for his brother Leon and mentor Sanders, Angel then left the Wilderness of Dreams.
…
Upon opening his eyes on the Gondola, Angel leaned over the side and looked down.
Below was still the vast sea, but unlike before he fell asleep, the surface of the Gentle Waves Sea began to show a layer of thin frost mist.
The presence of this frost mist began to rapidly lower the surrounding temperature.
Angel, through the changes in the surrounding environment and the feedback from the temperature, could fundamentally ascertain that they were not far from Marlaya Mountain.
Angel lifted his head and softly called out, “Lobert.”
As his voice faded, the figure of the three-headed lion dog slowly emerged outside the ship.
“What commands do you have for me, my lord?” came the respectful voice from the tail head.
The main head and the deputy head wisely remained silent, for they knew well that the Lobert Angel was referring to was only the tail head.
Angel said, “Tell me about your understanding of Marlaya Mountain, as well as Frost Iseth.”
Although Angel had already obtained some related intelligence, he also wanted to hear from Lobert, who bore the demeanor of a sage, on his views regarding this territory and its monarch.
After a moment of contemplation, Lobert’s tail head began to eloquently share the information he knew.
Marlaya Mountain was not a land iceberg but a massive unmelting ice floating on the Gentle Waves Sea. It was home to countless ice and snow elemental creatures. However, Marlaya Mountain was not only inhabited by ice elemental creatures. In the ocean beneath the iceberg, there also existed a large number of water elemental creatures, all under the control of Frost Iseth.
This was the general situation regarding Marlaya Mountain. Following that, Lobert began to share information about Frost Iseth.
As Lobert delved deeper into the description of Frost Iseth, Angel’s expression turned slightly bizarre.
This was because, before this, the most detailed information Angel had about Frost Iseth came from Magu. Given that the Fire Domain and Marlaya Mountain were traditionally adversaries, generally speaking, the people who knew you best, aside from your relatives, were your enemies.
From Magu, Angel had essentially received the most comprehensive description of Frost Iseth.
In Magu’s words, Frost Iseth was proud, indifferent, filled with wisdom, and also filled with a predatory nature.
Setting aside the slightly emotional descriptions and ignoring the ancient enmity between the elements of ice and fire, Angel perceives the fundamental concept of Frost Iseth as that of a proud and indifferent monarch of ice. Meeting and persuading such an entity is expectedly not an easy task. In fact, Angel had even considered that their eventual encounter might culminate in an attack.
However, Lobert’s descriptions of Frost Iseth were surprisingly full of praise.
Statements about Frost Iseth’s courage and responsibility were understandable to Angel; yet, when Lobert mentioned Frost Iseth’s kindness and a warm heart beneath a cold exterior, Angel found himself perplexed.
Why was this so different from the information he had obtained in the Fire Domain?
Before Angel could voice his confusion, Dangros interjected, asserting, “Nonsense, Frost Iseth is the most terrifying and indifferent monarch in the world, not at all as you describe with a fiery heart. Its heart is cold, devoid of warmth!”
After Dangros’ declaration, Cupid quietly added, “Being a creature of ice, it’s natural for Frost Iseth’s heart to be cold…”
Dangros sharply retorted, “Silence,” causing Cupid to immediately fall quiet, as Dangros turned back to glare at Lobert.
Lobert did not pick at Dangros’s words but slowly said, “You come from the Fire Domain, so I can understand your bias.”
“It’s not a bias; it’s a fact!” Dangros protested.
Lobert didn’t argue with Dangros but continued along his line of thought, “I agree with what you say, your view of Frost Iseth might indeed be factual, but it certainly contains bias. Don’t rush to object, just listen to me.”
“Ice and fire are naturally opposing elements rarely seen together in the Tidal Realm, and the inherent contradictions between you might even be innate. Coupled with the repeated conflicts between Marlaya Mountain and the Fire Domaim, this has only intensified the hatred between your two kinds. Thus, the way you view Frost Iseth is naturally subjective. Therefore, in your perception, it indeed appears as fact.”
“From my perspective, though we arrive at distinctly different conclusions. Our lack of enmity towards Highness Frost allows us a more objective view of the circumstances.”
Lobert’s voice faded, and before Dangros could respond, Cupid interjected, “Claiming objectivity? That’s debatable.”
Angel’s gaze shifted to Cupid, “And why would you say that?”
Fluttering his wings, Cupid landed on the table, his round eyes gazing towards Lobert outside the ship, “I’ve heard from Sage Camus that the relationship between Stormridge and Marlaya Mountain is exceptionally amicable.”
Angel looked towards Lobert, who after a moment of silence, admitted, “Indeed, our relationship with Marlaya Mountain is quite favorable, as Highness Hurricane once pursued his studies there for a period.”
The notion of Hurricane Pollio studying at Marlaya Mountain sparked a flicker of astonishment in Angel’s eyes.
“Before Highness ascended to monarch, he sought to break through the shackles of his strength and thus spent time learning under Highness Frost. Because of this, the relationship between Stormridge and Marlaya Mountain is relatively good,” Lobert paused, “But even without this connection, I still stand by my initial answer. At the time, Highness was but a pawn in Marlaya Mountain’s training, yet he still received Hughness Frost’s support and dedication in teaching. From this, one can glean a hint.”
Angel found himself agreeing with Lobert’s later words, recognizing that standing in different positions yields different answers.
However, what intrigued Angel more was why Hurricane Pollio sought to learn from Frost Iseth.
Lobert soon provided the answer: “Because Frost Iseth is a monarch of blizzards.”
Though a creature of ice, she possesses the unique ability to control the ferocious icy winds, making her an exceptional being within the ice elemental creatures. Naturally, what Hurricane Pollio learned from Frost Iseth was the mastery over wind.
“Frost Iseth has control over winds, the same mastery? You, being creatures of the wind element, does your position allow you to be less impartial, but yet you accuse me of bias,” Dangros remarked with a scoff.
Lobert responded, “In the Fire Domain, there exist creatures capable of manipulating fire tornadoes, which demonstrates that one cannot generalize this matter. Moreover, as I have illustrated with examples previously…”
Lobert had shared a wealth of information and numerous examples to validate his point, suggesting that his response remained objective regardless of the connection.
However, Dangros simply retorted with “I won’t listen,” dismissing all of Lobert’s arguments outright.
Lobert felt a suffocating frustration. Engaging in a profound discussion with an elemental sprite was futile; he was forced to internalize his irritation.
At this moment, Cupid quietly commented, “If it were Camus, faced with Dangros’ ire, he would have simply smiled dismissively from the start. Engaging in rational discourse signifies defeat, especially when contending with an unreasonable sprite.”
Cupid’s pointed remark not only targeted Lobert but also subtly jabbed at Dangros, though Dangros, preoccupied with Lobert, had yet to realize this.
Angel glanced at Cupid, remarking, “You certainly know how to seize an opportunity.”
Cupid stepped back, minimizing his presence.
Angel shifted focus away from Cupid and Dangros’ bluster, addressing Lobert, “Given the amicable relations between your Stormridge and Marlaya Mountain, you shall be responsible for contacting Frost Iseth.”
Bound by the Merck Soul Source Oath, Lobert would not refuse. Moreover, he was eager to prove his point in front of Dangros, thus he nodded without hesitation, “Yes, rest assured, my lord.”
Angel nodded in approval, pleased by Lobert’s confident demeanor.
Before worrying that handling the situation with Frost Iseth was going to be the most difficult task, it now seems that it might not be so challenging after all. Conversely, what was thought to be the simplest, White Cloud Hamlet, has encountered an all-out conflict.
…
The Gondola continued to fly for an hour.
At this moment, the surrounding wind began to carry frost, and while the surface of the Gentle Waves Sea below had not frozen over, it started to drift with frothy ice sand, occasionally revealing floating ice.
A few minutes later, a pristine white iceberg emerged before them.
This iceberg was not large, certainly not the legendary Marlaya Mountain that resembles an island. However, a pure white snow leopard appeared on this iceberg.
Due to the dense frost fog in the sky, the snow leopard did not notice the Gondola flying above, but Angel observed the leopard in exquisite detail.
Undoubtedly, this was an ice elemental creature. Whether it had any remarkable traits, Angel did not know; however, its presence clearly indicated that they were not far from Marlaya Mountain.
“My lord, I will go down and investigate,” came the voice of Lobert, reaching Angel’s ears.
Angel nodded. Although he knew Marlaya Mountain should not be far, the mountain itself was always moving, shielded by winds and snow, making it somewhat difficult to locate in this vast sea. However, if guided by an ice elemental creature, it would be much easier.
When Lobert inquired the snow leopard about the location of Marlaya Mountain, Angel also observed silently from above.
He noticed that upon hearing Lobert’s voice, the snow leopard initially showed a rejecting demeanor and even took a stance as if ready to initiate combat. However, once Lobert revealed his true form and identity, the snow leopard’s attitude changed. Although not as warmly as one might imagine, it still began to communicate with Lobert in a friendly manner.
This clearly shows that the wind elemental creatures of the Stormridge indeed do not regard those from Marlaya Mountain as enemies.
This is good news for Angel, as he prefers peaceful resolution of problems rather than dominating through conflict.
After a few minutes, Lobert returned to the sky, accompanied not only by itself but also by controlling the icy wind, bringing the snow leopard up as well.
Lobert naturally couldn’t bring the snow leopard onto the Gondola without Angel’s consent, so everything was done with Angel’s approval.
“My lord, Ice Kalara said he could take us to Marlaya Mountain,” Lobert said.
Ice Kalara, the snow leopard, was now standing on the edge of the ship, curiously observing everyone on the Gondola. It showed no reaction to Angel or Cupid, but its pupils dilated when it saw Dangros.
However, when Ice Kalara realized that Dangros was a sprite, its pupils returned to normal.
Although ice and fire elemental creatures are natural opposites, they still adhere to a principle that mature elemental creatures do not harm sprites, even if they are not on good terms.
Of course, if the elemental sprites provoke them, that’s another story.
And Dangros provoking the snow leopard? That’s not possible… Without ice elemental creatures around, it’s fine to banter a bit, but if the other party really comes up, it won’t dare. After all, most of its little brothers are not here.
“Thank you,” Angel tried to show friendliness to Ice Kalara.
Ice Kalara carefully looked at Angel before saying, “Your aura is really strange… but since you’re Lobert’s superior, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
After speaking, Ice Kalara very casually lay down on the bow of the Gondola, lazily raising its head and pointing in a certain direction with one claw, “Marlaya Mountain is over there.”
Speedling also began to follow Marlaya’s guidance and reactivated the Gondola.
On the way to Marlaya Mountain, Lobert, prompted by Angel, started chatting with Ice Kalara.
As the conversation deepened, Angel learned that Ice Kalara was willing to lead the way not only because of Lobert but also because it was planning to return to Marlaya Mountain itself.
The iceberg where it had been staying was originally part of Marlaya Mountain. It just drifted away from Marlaya Mountain and ended up floating on the sea due to some unexpected events a few days ago.
Ice Kalara was originally asleep and woke up to find itself drifted far away. Being somewhat lazy by nature, Ice Kalara planned to drift for a few days to see if it would float back to Marlaya Mountain on its own. However, as it drifted further and further away, Lobert appeared at just the right time. Upon learning that Lobert was also headed to Marlaya Mountain, Ice Kalara decided without hesitation to lead the way, taking advantage of the opportunity for a free ride.