What Is This Power?

After about half an hour, the royal palace of the Ice Grand Duchy finally came into view.

The royal palace did not appear overly luxurious; in comparison, the residence of a viscount in the empire was likely far more magnificent.

The palace where the Hero resides is several times larger than the royal palace... Undoubtedly, this royal palace was also submerged in snow, but it had a slightly more human presence compared to other places.

Some mages, dressed in thick white mink coats, were struggling to maintain their shields as they flew back and forth above the palace.

Each of these mages carried several storage rings, which were likely filled with firewood collected from other places to keep the residents of the royal city warm.

This is a considerable amount of work.

If this were done in the Empire, and a noble mage were asked to do such a thing, they might just get hit in the face with a fireball. But for the mages of the Ice Grand Duchy, there was not a single complaint.

A mage noticed the movement on the ground. After getting closer through the flying snow, he finally recognized Antalia. A look of wild joy immediately appeared on his face, and he hurriedly approached. "Your Highness, when... when did you return?"

Without a doubt, the Macefield Family wielded considerable power within the duchy and was highly respected by the kingdom's inhabitants.

"So it's Lord Joyce." Antasia clearly recognized the mage as well, and managed a weak smile. "I just got back. You've all had a hard time these past few days."

Joyce shook her head vigorously. "What's so hard about it? Compared to ordinary residents, we're already much better off."

"All of us court magicians always remember that our current power is all thanks to the royal family's nurturing."

"It was the royal family who chose us from ordinary families and gave us the opportunity to learn magic; now it is our turn to repay them."

Joyce seemed to have been busy for a long time; the signs of fatigue were clearly visible on his face, his eyes were deeply sunken, and there were dark circles around them, but he still did not stop working.

Both the Exeter Kingdom and the Ice Grand Duchy are more enlightened than the Empire. The Ice Grand Duchy is aware of its position and how terrible its living conditions are.

The Macefield Family, which holds power in the duchy, has always had an ancestral precept: they will use all their strength to cultivate their own family members, but they will also select talented people from the commoners to learn magic and Battle Qi, in order to cultivate as many experts as possible for the Ice Grand Duchy.

It is precisely because of this method that the average number of mages and warriors in the Ice Grand Duchy far exceeds that of the Empire. Although the country is weak, it can still withstand the frenzied attacks of Magic Creature from one direction.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Joyce looked at Qin Chu and the others with some suspicion.

"These are all my friends, they came here to help," Antasia said simply. "Take me to meet my parents."

Joyce nodded without hesitation and quickly led Antasia and her entourage into the palace, directly to a side hall... where His Majesty the King was working.

In Joyce's view, the person who was most exhausted, worked the hardest, and bore the greatest pressure during this period was not the magicians and warriors below, but His Majesty the King.

Since the disaster struck, His Majesty the King has not slept a wink for so long; there are just too many things to deal with.

Inside a side hall, an elderly man with white hair and beard was working at a desk.

On the left was a tall woman with long, icy blue hair and a similar face to Antasia, except that her hair looked like it hadn't been properly styled in a long time and was somewhat messy.

The clothes he was wearing seemed to have not been changed for a long time; some parts were torn and unnoticed.

On both sides, a large number of clerical staff were clattering away on abacuses... You read that right, abacuses, something that is said to have been invented by someone a thousand years ago and is very popular.

Qin Chu strongly suspected that this thing might also be a relic left behind by some time-traveling predecessor.

The distribution of food, firewood for heating, and clothing all require detailed calculations.

For the rulers of a country, it's not about rushing to send food, clothes, and firewood whenever an emergency occurs. As the king of a principality, their responsibility is to coordinate the allocation of resources across the entire kingdom and save as many lives as possible for their citizens.

Clearly, this is not an easy task.

Although it was very cold, there was only one stove in the side hall. The coke inside was burning a scarlet color and crackling occasionally, providing a little warmth.

Seeing her parents' haggard appearance, Antasia felt a pang of heartache.

"Father... Mother..."

Seeing that her parents hadn't noticed her presence at all, Antasia finally couldn't hold back any longer and gently bit her lip, letting out a soft voice.

The two people, completely focused on their work, trembled slightly. Almost simultaneously, they looked up, and when their eyes met Antasia's, Antasia's mother's face turned deathly pale. "Antasia, you... you... how did you get back? Who let you come back?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's alright, your father and I can handle it."

The woman was not overjoyed at her daughter's return; instead, she panicked.

The father beside him had a mixture of sorrow and joy on his face.

Antasia is their only daughter; how could they not miss her?

However... given the current Ice Grand Duchy, they would rather their daughter stay in the Empire, by the side of the Hero, and live a good life, than perish in the ice and snow along with the Ice Grand Duchy.

Antasia bit her lip lightly, a hint of sadness on her face. "Is it alright? But what I saw was different from what you told me..."

"The entire duchy is almost buried under snow, and you call this nothing?"

Antasia's parents were speechless for a moment, somewhat unable to meet their daughter's gaze.

Seeing her parents' haggard appearance Antasia felt a pang of heartache. She sniffed hard, forced a smile, and pulled Qin Chu, pushing him towards her. "But now, I can truly rest easy."

"The Ice Grand Duchy will surely overcome this calamity safely. By the way, let me introduce you. This gentleman's name is Qin Chu, and he is Second-Generation Hero from the Skyvault Continent."

In a flash.

In an instant, Qin Chu could feel countless eyes fixed on him.

Inside the entire side hall, everyone who was working, including Joyce had brought Qin Chu and Antasia there, was present.

Second-Generation Hero Qin Chu?

Although it was a remote place, these people had heard about the Second-Generation Hero. They said that the Second-Generation Hero was even more outstanding than the First-Generation Hero, and his strength had increased dramatically in a short period of time. He had killed the first, second, and third princes of the Demonic Beast Grand Prince in succession.

He even killed the eldest prince of the Orwell Empire, eliminated a large number of experts from the Holy Church, forcibly took the position of Pope, and annexed the Earth Mother Church.

Currently, on the Skyvault Continent, these Second-Generation Hero are undoubtedly the highest-ranking and most powerful beings.

Well, rumors always change over time, which is normal.

However, there is no doubt that the Second-Generation Hero is extremely powerful.

If it were the Second-Generation Hero Qin Chu, perhaps he could truly resolve the disaster in the Ice Grand Duchy?

The eyes of these people, which were originally filled with gloom, now clearly show a glimmer of hope.

Heavy breathing could be clearly heard from the side hall.

These fierce, predatory gazes made Qin Chu a little uneasy, but the most eerie look came from the other side.

Antasia's mother.

That look sent chills down Qin Chu's spine.

That's exactly the look a mother-in-law gives her son-in-law, isn't it?

Chapter Two, 4,000 words in total, is presented here.

Chapter 508 What kind of power is this?

(4,000 characters)

The Queen of the Ice Grand Duchy, Antasia's mother, the way a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law... Even though Qin Chu was wearing thick clothes, he felt completely seen through at this moment.

His previously tired, icy blue eyes suddenly lit up.

She wore a very gentle smile. Although she was not young, she took good care of herself and her gentle smile gave her a soft beauty. Her beautiful, jewel-like eyes scrutinized Qin Chu from head to toe.

They were naturally aware of the treatment their daughter had received in the Empire, as the attendants and guards who had been with Antasia had told them everything upon their return.

It was Qin Chu who suddenly appeared when Antasia was assassinated and saved the princess of the Ice Grand Duchy.

It was Qin Chu who stood up for Antasia when Antasia was subjected to near humiliation by the eldest prince.

It was Qin Chu who took Antasia in when she was homeless.

It was Qin Chu, in the end, even went so far as to kill the eldest prince, which could be considered as a way of venting their anger.

There was no other way; the Ice Grand Duchy was small and weak, facing attacks from Magic Creature on one side and needing material support from the Empire on the other.

Even if their own precious daughter was bullied in a foreign land, they could only endure it and suffer. Even if they felt sad and distressed, they had no way to fight against the empire. It was only when a man stood up for Antasia at such a time that their daughter was not wronged too much.

This alone was enough for the two of them to decide that Qin Chu was their ideal son-in-law.

If they could, they really wanted to meet Qin Chu in person, but they had too many things to deal with in the Ice Grand Duchy and hadn't been able to spare the time. They never expected that their daughter would bring her son-in-law home.

As for Qin Chu having so many girls around him?

This is normal.

No one would find this strange or objectionable.

On the Skyvault Continent, the strong possess everything, whether it be wealth, power, status, or women.

Although the King of the Ice Grand Duchy only has one queen, Antasia's mother, in a place like the Empire, even a high-ranking nobleman has a large group of women, let alone Hero.

Most importantly, although these two weren't particularly strong, they could still tell that every girl around Qin Chu was incredibly powerful, with some even possessing an aura far surpassing their own.

Faced with such overwhelming power, the fact that his daughter was a princess was hardly an advantage; rather, he should be grateful that these girls accepted Antasia staying by the Hero's side.

There were also three Magic Creature among them.

A Blood Elf, a Snow Woman, and a Winged Human Clan seems to be Magic Creature... This Hero is truly single-minded; he only likes pretty girls...

Just as the two were scrutinizing Qin Chu, Antia, who was standing next to Qin Chu, also frowned slightly.

Antia felt a strange sense of familiarity towards the man in front of her.

Although not as intense as Antasia's, it still felt somewhat strange to Antia.

Antasia's mother kept staring at him, making Qin Chu feel a little awkward... However, Qin Chu had been through a lot, so he quickly adjusted his mindset, put on a gentlemanly smile, and bowed to the two of them. "Qin Chu greets His Majesty the King and His Highness the Queen."

Antasia's father dared not accept Qin Chu and quickly returned the greeting, not daring to overstep his bounds in the slightest.

Although Qin Chu was nominally her son-in-law, he was also Hero and the Pope of the Holy Church, whose status was far more prestigious than that of the king of her small duchy. Who knew if this Hero had picked up any bad habits after living in the empire for so long?

"Qin Chu, this is my father, King Maisfield Oswald of the Ice Grand Duchy, and this is my mother, Heidi Maisfield." Antasia was a little shy under her parents' gazes, and only after Qin Chu and her father exchanged greetings did she remember to introduce them.

Although he was very busy with his work, these were the most distinguished guests, so Oswald Maisfield dared not be negligent in the slightest. He temporarily put aside his official duties and hurriedly arranged for people to prepare to entertain these distinguished guests.

Although Qin Chu said it wasn't necessary to go to such lengths, the proper etiquette still had to be observed.

Since it's almost noon, it's a good time to have lunch together.

The action here was swift. Not long after Oswald's order was given, a simple welcoming banquet was prepared, and there wasn't enough time to arrange for too many people to accompany them.

Around the round table, there was only Qin Chu and the eight girls beside him, plus Oswald and Heidi.

Antasia has three younger brothers, but they are all busy and even if they receive the Message Magic won't be able to get them back in time.

Because of the cold, three large fireplaces were specially prepared in the restaurant, making the air warm and comfortable. For the Ice Grand Duchy, this was definitely a very luxurious hospitality.

Because Antasia was his woman, Qin Chu naturally felt inferior and took the initiative to offer a toast. The wine from the Ice Grand Duchy was extremely spicy, and Qin Chu felt that its alcohol content might not be as high as the Water of Life, but it was probably not much different from medical alcohol.

After downing a glass of strong liquor, Qin Chu felt a surge of heat in his lower abdomen, which quickly spread throughout his body. Then, the alcohol hit him hard, and even with Qin Chu's strength, his face flushed for a moment.

Setting down his wine glass, Qin Chu didn't linger too long and immediately inquired about serious matters, "Your Majesty, I've heard Antasia mention some things before, but Antasia herself doesn't know much either. Could you tell me what the situation is here, and what exactly happened?"

Oswald and Heidi's expressions gradually darkened. This was a disaster for the Ice Grand Duchy, and it was in dealing with this disaster that Oswald's hair had turned white.

"About two weeks ago."

"With the arrival of spring, the hunting teams in the Ice Grand Duchy are all ready to go, waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more before starting their annual spring hunt."

"But before the chill could dissipate, a sudden cold snap swept in overnight."

"The entire royal city was blanketed in snow and ice; the blizzard engulfed the city almost instantly."

"This disaster came far too suddenly. The capital was completely unprepared, and thousands froze to death overnight." Oswald's fingers clenched tightly.

His voice was filled with hatred, hatred for himself.

As king, he failed to protect his people. Although the kingdom's inhabitants knew it was due to the sudden change in weather and did not blame him, Oswald still felt distressed. It was a disgrace to be king.

"After that, the blizzard continued without any sign of stopping, and the snow on the ground became thicker and thicker. Almost every day, large numbers of people froze to death or starved to death."

"We've tried everything we can to provide support, but we still can't cover everything."

A somber atmosphere permeated the restaurant.

Oswald and Heidi were feeling very depressed, and Antasia also felt unwell.

"Haven't you ever thought about relocating?" Qin Chu asked after hesitating for a while.

Oswald's expression grew increasingly bitter. "Relocation? You may not know this, Hero, but the migration of two million people isn't something you can just do on a whim."

"Besides, where are we going to move it?"

"Would the Empire grant the Duchy a piece of habitable land? If the Empire is willing to take in the Duchy's fleeing citizens, then I would gladly relinquish the Duchy's title and the position of King to become a commoner, even if it cost me my life."

Unfortunately, that's absolutely impossible.