Beyond the Mountains!

The wind and snow were getting heavier.

It was as if Soren's mood was as heavy as it was at that moment; his steps were heavy, and his heart was heavy as well.

He had always been a very opinionated person, but today he was truly unsettled, his heart heavy, a kind of suppressed emotion making it hard to breathe. He tightened his cloak and stepped into the swirling snow. Snowflakes fell on him, quickly covering his shoulders in white. Soren shook off the snow, turned and silently gazed at the Imperial Palace of Arendelle. He stood silently for a long time in a corner unseen by others, then turned and disappeared into the white world.

Vivian was still waiting for him.

It's almost impossible for him to marry the princess of Arendelle, the future Her Majesty the Queen, because Vivian is the Fear God Child and could potentially become the Demon Lord of Fear in the future. Unless he's willing to let Vivian face all of this alone, he'll inevitably stray further and further down the path of the Archfiend, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they'll be enemies of the entire world. Even if he eventually helps Vivian defeat the Demon Lord of Fear, Evil Deity will covet the divine Divine Power within Vivian, and benevolent Deity will attempt to eliminate the Demon Lord of Fear once and for all. Vivian's path is destined to Thorn and blood.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario of transforming into Shadow Lich!

Soren performed an ancient knightly salute.

This doesn't represent anything in itself; it's simply a promise, a promise from a Temple Knight.

He will always be there for her when she needs him!

The snow was still falling.

In this world covered in ice and snow, Soren saw two paths. One led to the summit of the Throne. She would become the ruler of Arendelle, Her Majesty the Queen revered by all, with the phantoms of the Deity standing behind her, protecting her kingdom and safeguarding her. The other led to a descent into the Abyss, a path stained with blood, a staircase of countless enemies' bones, where he would descend to the deepest level of the Abyss. There, another battle awaited him.

For Vivian.

Soren is willing to give up his Hit Points; his journey will not stop here.

Although his heart was so heavy!...

A bone-chilling cold enveloped the world. The Scimitar at Soren's waist gleamed. When he drew this Legendary Scimitar named ' Icetail,' a cold light seemed to emanate from it. It looked dazzling, yet its temperature was chillingly cold. The Scimitar seemed to possess a trace of spirit, sensing the heaviness in Soren's heart.

The distant mountains gradually came into view.

Soren did not stop for a moment; he quietly passed through town after town, heading North.

His appearance was completely different from before. He wore a long black robe, held a wooden staff, and wore a wide gray cloak, concealing no weapons. Only a pair of exquisite black gloves were visible on his hands. His face was somewhat gaunt, with faint stubble visible. His pupils were deep and serene, filled with Perseverance as he gazed ahead. His attire made him look like a Travel Wizard, which saved him from most trouble; no one dared to easily disturb a solitary Wizard.

Arendelle is getting further and further away.

But the girl's gaze still seemed to linger behind him, and occasionally, Soren would picture her with teary eyes.

She looked so beautiful!

The thought of marrying a woman first crossed his mind, a feeling that was hard to describe in words, but truly moving.

He walked through a forest, crossed a frozen River Goddess, and climbed over towering snow-capped mountains.

Occasionally, some foolish monsters would bother him, but they would be killed by Spell before they could get close. He looked just like a true Wizard, heading towards his destination along his own path.

The snowstorm lasted for three days before it stopped.

Soren had arrived at the edge of the Snow Mountains stretching for hundreds of miles. He proceeded along a narrow path, using Levitate and Fly to travel and traverse these treacherous mountains. Time passed slowly. He didn't cover much ground each day because he encountered many powerful creatures: Frost Pteranodon lurking near the mountains, enormous Ice Golem, Landwyrm as heavy as mammoths, scattered Bugbear, and many other powerful monsters, both familiar and unfamiliar.

They are distributed here in groups, dangerous and deadly, and Soren even had to use Invisibility to escape several times.

The Cruelty environment has brought them together. Here, Bugbear can even form tribes with Ice Troll. These creatures hunt each other and struggle to survive in this Snow Mountains.

The temperature gradually rose a bit.

This mountain range blocked the cold winds from the Land of Ice and Snow, and the greenery gradually increased before his eyes. Soren knew that he was approaching the North.

Beyond here lies the North, a territory ruled by Witch.

The forest grew increasingly dense, and the mountains receded behind. Soren walked through the thick woodland, gradually entering the area inhabited by humans.

"Who!?"

A middle-aged man dressed as a hunter appeared ahead, his Hunting Bow aimed in their direction. Upon recognizing Soren, he immediately lowered his Hunting Bow in fear and bowed slightly in respect, saying, "Your Excellency Wizard, I did not know it was you. Please forgive my rudeness."

This is the North.

This is the territory of the Northern Witch, where Wizard hold a very high status.

Soren slightly lowered his cloak, glanced at him indifferently, and asked, "Where is this? I just crossed the mountains to get here."

The middle-aged hunter gazed at the distant Snow Mountains, his awe deepening, and whispered, "This is the territory of River Valley City. Travel a hundred miles south from here, and you'll reach River Valley City."

Soren nodded slightly, walked past him, and headed south.

After he passed by, the middle-aged hunter breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been completely exhausted, and then quickly ran towards the village. Encountering Wizard in the wild was not a good thing. Wizard were all strange and eccentric creatures; they were very powerful and very dangerous, and angering them could easily take your life. He was just an ordinary person, and naturally afraid of mysterious Wizard. Now he just wanted to stay far away to avoid any trouble.

A River Goddess appeared before Soren.

It's quite rare that it wasn't frozen over, which means that the temperature in the North isn't actually that low.

Along the River Goddess, there were ferrymen. Bridges in this era represented a high level of Alchemy Craft, and could only be seen near cities. Taking a detour was too troublesome, so fishermen from nearby villages would take on ferry services in their spare time to earn a little extra food for their children. Wherever Soren went, he was met with awe. A ferryman nervously helped him onto a fishing boat and then carefully rowed towards the other side.

Soren left behind a Silver Daler for the ferry and then set foot on the land on the other side.

Before us stretched fields of cultivated land, and in the distance, scattered villages dotted the landscape. The land in the North was relatively flat and open, and it had once been quite prosperous. Due to the climate, the North was only cultivated once a year, with other crops grown the rest of the year to supplement the family income. However, the people here lived better than those in the south, because the North was relatively sparsely populated, and many villagers hunted during the off-season.

The laws here allow farmers to hunt, unlike in the south where they have to pay taxes.

The corruption of the southern nobility was so severe that they were doing everything they could to increase taxes, and fishermen had to bear heavy taxes every year.

Soren saw a city.

The guards stood lazily at the city gate, questioning Commoner who wanted to enter the city, occasionally extorting a small fee. However, they dared not stop the carriages belonging to those of higher status, only squeezing a Copper Daler or two from poor farmers. When Soren passed by, they didn't even dare to stop him; Wizard were not people these guards dared to provoke. Even when the captain gave a signal, the others didn't dare to approach and ask questions.

This city is not particularly prosperous.

Because of a lack of Trade support, taxes alone are insufficient to sustain the city's prosperity. The City Wall show obvious signs of decay, and many buildings are very dilapidated. Several hundred years ago, there were several mines here to sustain the city, but as the surface minerals have been exhausted, the city can no longer support deeper mining and maintenance. The underdeveloped roads cause Trade to be severely hampered, and some ores can only be sold off cheaply. Other nearby cities have already replaced River Valley City's Trade position.

Soren went to the Mercenary Guild.

Because of its proximity to the Snow Mountains, the Mercenary Guild did fairly well, with Adventurer frequently coming to hunt special monsters on commission. Wizard needed special materials for Alchemy, Magic devices, and Scroll Scribing; many of these materials came from the corpses of powerful monsters, while others grew in special environments. Soren didn't stay at the Mercenary Guild for long. After wandering around for a bit, he entered an alley and, under the watchful eyes of a few menacing gang members, went into a shop without a sign.

He needs some information.

Rogue are found in almost every corner of the world. They make up the majority of the lower-level members of gangs. These thieves may advance to become Rogue, but most of them are still ordinary people. Soren did not stay inside for long, and came out after about fifteen minutes. However, as he walked out, he seemed to sense something, and his nose twitched slightly.

He seemed to smell a familiar scent.

A fragrance.

And it was a scent he had carefully memorized, only then would it leave a clear impression on him. Ahead, there seemed to be a woman, wearing a black hood and a long black dress, her back view quite slender, slowly walking out of the alley.

Soren frowned slightly but did not immediately give chase.

He looked up at the sky, deciding to find a place to stay first, and then head to Goria's Tower.

...(To be continued~^~)