Icewind Dale

The night passed quietly.

In the wilderness, if you encounter other travelers, and if you can communicate with them without obvious hostility, you can at least try to get along with them. Just as Soren was willing to take in Aladdin on the road, the performers of the Phantom Circus, after deeming him no longer a threat, also temporarily accepted him to stay with them for the night. In this world, faith is more effective than moral constraints. Of course, the one who truly speaks is the unseen woman inside the carriage; she is the true core of the Circus.

As for why Soren was certain the inside was a woman, it was mainly due to the carriage's decorations, the faint fragrance, and a legend he had heard before. The legend said that the Phantom Circus housed Sea Hag, but no one knew exactly what this Sea Hag was. Some speculated she was of Sea Monster' blood, others that she was an underwater Witch —there were many wild guesses, but few knew the true answer. The Phantom Circus's performance fees were exorbitant; for the people in front of him alone, it would cost at least five or six thousand Gold Daler.

Among most organizations like Circus, dance troupes, and performance groups, the Phantom Circus has a relatively good reputation, and it's rare to hear about them committing any crimes.

Soren didn't know much about them either; in the past, he had paid the most attention to the most famous Dark Moon Circus.

In this world, there exists a powerful Deity called the Lady of Silver Moon. The Silver Moon Stalker that Soren encountered were her followers, and the Dark Moon Circus was also an organization that served her. However, the latter was a hidden assassin organization that would assassinate those deemed Evil during their operations. They represented the dark side of the moon, a Cruelty organization that worshipped benevolent deities. Soren had fought them before he became a Legendary. He lost two fingers on the hand of a terrifying Jester Dancer!

He still doesn't believe that those ruthless killers truly believe in Lady of Silver Moon, the Good Alignment.

There are often special advanced professions in Circus.

The green Goblin named Tongban was easier to identify; Soren could easily recognize its advanced class. However, it was much harder to judge the others.

The only thing that's certain is that many of them also worked as Bard!

Their acting skills are quite good, and their acting abilities are excellent. When you're around them, it's hard to tell whether they're telling the truth or just putting on an act.

For example, that beautiful Elf girl.

Performance, Deception, and Intimidation are the three basic skills that Circus focus on, and Soren trained in Deception there in the past.

The Drow who trained Soren once gave him a piece of advice. "Life is like a play. It all depends on your acting skills."

Having a performance skill score of two or three hundred or more is a real, existing power!

To be honest...

Seeing this group of people, Soren really missed the [Sense Motive] Feat he had developed during his training.

The Circus had a rotating watchman, but the only one in the entire group who never slept was the green Goblin. It wasn't standing guard on the perimeter; it just squatted by the campfire roasting Ice Frog. No one knew how much it ate throughout the night, but it always seemed hungry; the next day, there was a small pile of bones there. It was the true watchdog of the entire group. Being able to spot Soren from a distance—this Goblin- turned -Jester Dancer was no ordinary creature—and Soren wasn't entirely confident he could defeat it.

Even among mediocre races, some outstanding talents can emerge; Soren will not underestimate anyone.

In the Morninglord sunlight.

The Circus performers began preparing breakfast, melting ice and snow directly in a pot, while the Elf girl carried a basin of hot water into the carriage.

This should have been a very ordinary action.

However, Soren took another careful look and unexpectedly discovered something.

The water was hot when it was brought in, steaming up white vapor.

But when the Elf girl brought it out, the water in the basin was cold, and a wisp of ice could be vaguely seen floating on it. In less than five minutes, the basin of hot water had turned into ice water.

"Interesting."

Soren remained expressionless as he drew his Scimitar and began shaving; his beard had grown a bit due to his recent nighttime travel.

Tongban walked over carrying a bowl of hot soup, glanced at Soren's blade, and saw that the tiny fish-scale patterns reflected light, making it look extremely exquisite.

"A fine knife," it exclaimed, handing the hot soup to Soren.

The Circus soon set off. The people inside the large carriages remained hidden; everyone else was busy with their own tasks, appearing very well-trained. A burly Orc, whip in hand, drove the pack animals, loading two more carriages onto them. He was likely the Circus's Beastmaster. No other wild animals were visible, perhaps because the climate was too cold to bring them. A skilled Beastmaster could tame a beast in a day or two, guaranteeing it would be more obedient than a druid's Animal Companion.

The group quickly began to move forward.

Soren slowed down slightly here, preparing to follow them through the Icewind Dale.

That place is a bit eerie; it's safer if there are more people around.

He remained rather quiet throughout the journey.

Traveling through this freezing cold would hardly inspire anyone to be in high spirits.

The Elf girl was still wearing that slightly revealing dress, her tall figure moving back and forth constantly, occasionally calling out to direct their advance. Judging from her footprints in the snow, Soren estimated her agility to be over 20 points, as there were only very shallow footprints on the ground. He didn't know what special class she had advanced to. From the rhythm and movements of her body, Soren judged that her Evasion were very strong, and her advanced class might be similar to that of Shadow Dancer, but it should be an advancement from Bard.

The ice layer on the ground is getting thicker and thicker.

The others also grew increasingly tense. After a valley appeared ahead, they rested briefly before picking up speed.

The Goblin Joker walked at the head of the group, looked up at the cliffs on both sides and the mountaintop, and said in a deep voice, "We might encounter Ice Troll here. Everyone, hurry through and don't shout. If we're unlucky enough to run into an avalanche, we'll be in trouble."

The surrounding area is all cliffs, and ice has formed on the cliffs.

The Elf girl stood on the carriage, looking up at the sky. Or perhaps at the steep mountaintop; she seemed to have discovered something, most likely Ice Troll.

There are many Ice Troll here, all living on the mountaintop.

If food weren't so scarce, these Ice Troll wouldn't attack travelers below the valley so often.

"Soren."

The Elf girl landed lightly beside him, glanced at him, and winked, saying, "It seems you are also a learned Adventurer. Since you know the legend of Arendelle, do you know why this place is called the Icewind Dale?"

Is this a test?

Or do you want to know something from my own mouth?

Soren frowned slightly, glanced at her, and said, "The real Icewind Dale is just ahead, though it used to be called Icewind Dale."

"It is said that a Legendary Combat caused the valley to be completely frozen over. The ice there is very thick and never melts throughout the year. People from the Land of Ice and Snow rarely dare to venture out, usually only engaging in sea Trade after spring. Druids once tried to dispel the anomalies, but it seems they failed. There is a special energy present within the Icewind Dale."

Be careful later.

"Elemental Life may appear in Icewind Dale during winter. Normally, few people venture there in winter."

"Oh, right."

"The actual ice layer inside the Icewind Dale is more than half a meter deep, with a hardness similar to Diamond. Those interested can try to see if their weapons can withstand it! There's supposedly some treasure below, but no one has been able to break through this ice layer."

Upon hearing Soren's words, the others couldn't help but show surprise.

As they continued forward, the ice grew thicker and thicker, until almost everything in front of them was covered in a layer of ice, and the path became slightly slippery. The Elf girl seemed quite interested in what he was saying. She whispered a few words to the Goblin Joker, who then quickly used his Dagger to break through the ice, digging about fifty centimeters deep, and then saw a layer of pale blue ice.

Clang!

Its Dagger struck the ice with a crisp sound. The Goblin Joker flexed his palm, seemingly a little numb from the impact, then clicked his tongue in astonishment. "It really is about the same hardness as Diamond! How come I've never heard of that before?"

There was only a faint mark on the pale blue ice.

Soren shrugged and said, "I've only heard about it secondhand, but it seems the rumors are true."

Icewind Dale.

The surface ice layer wasn't very thick, about the same thickness as other ice blocks, but below that was a special layer of ice with a hardness comparable to Diamond. Supernatural Weapon could only leave shallow marks on it. Countless people tried to discover the secrets beneath, but no one succeeded. It was said that something was frozen beneath, possibly a Artifact. In any case, it remained frozen for a very long time, until the end of the [Snow and Ice Riot]. Only then did the ice layer suddenly melt.

The Elf girl was clearly very interested. She reached out and touched the pale blue ice with her finger, then went into the carriage and said something.

The group continued onward, and the others curiously tried it out, discovering that the ice was harder than they had imagined!

This is something left behind by Supernatural Ability.

Whispers seemed to be carried in the biting wind; it could be an illusion, or it could be real, but in any case, this sound had been going on for hundreds of years.

The people of the Land of Ice and Snow believe that a mysterious Witch lives there.

In the past, all locations have been explored, and there are virtually no signs of human habitation. Therefore, the final conclusion is that this whispering sound mixed with the cold wind is either the work of Supernatural Ability or a sound caused by the special environment. In the Icewind Dale, whenever the wind picks up, this whispering sound will be heard.

Fortunately, the journey here isn't long; if we speed up, we can get there in half a morning!

We didn't encounter any monsters along the way.

Soren noticed that only one of the three carriages had an extra thin layer of ice on it; it was the one where the Phantom Circus ringmaster was staying.

From this point on, they went their separate ways.

Soren headed towards the Glacial Mountains near the North, while they followed the road to the sea, Arendelle, an Kingdom of Ice and Snow near the ocean.

The Princess, who is about to ascend the throne, seems to be a Legendary Tier Fatespinner.

If he remembers correctly.

After the Goddess of Ice and Snow mysteriously disappeared, her magic went out of control for a period of time, completely freezing the nearby sea. Ultimately, the [Snow and Ice Riot] broke out, and this Princess faced off against the [Winter Maiden], Lesser Divinity.

It seems that the Lesser Deity from the Evil Alignment, [Maiden of Pain], has also joined in this fun.

...(To be continued~^~)