Propagation Queen

"I can't beat you."

The cool voice remained calm and composed, seemingly completely unaffected by the terrifying insect cries. "But if the 'Destruction Grand Dukes' go to war, it will inevitably affect his condition. That should not be the outcome you want to see, should it?"

The swarm's buzzing abruptly ceased.

After a long silence, the clear voice rang out again, though it now carried a trace of compromise. "You had better not do anything unnecessary. I will be watching you."

With that, the will that stood above all things receded like a tide, and silence returned to this place.

"Finality... Propagation Queen..."

The cool voice let out a distant sigh. Those violet vertical pupils that overlooked all living things slowly closed, and the world once more sank into eternal darkness.

The carriage slowly left the boundaries of Blackstone Village. Bai Mo lifted the curtain, Fufu in his arms, and took one last look at the outline of the village gradually shrinking amid the wind and snow. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

This had been his first foothold after arriving in this world. Though life had been difficult, it carried countless memories of him and Na'er.

To say he felt nothing would have been a lie.

"Stop moping around here." A slender little hand lightly rapped his head with the ribs of a lace folding fan. "The academy is in the Extreme North. When you have holidays, you can come back to visit anytime."

It was Natsuki Minamiya's voice.

"Nayue-chan!"

Bai Mo covered his head and complained in feigned dissatisfaction, "Don't you know that constantly hitting people on the head makes them stupid?"

"Use an honorific properly when addressing me."

Natsuki Minamiya almost instinctively rapped him on the head again.

But this time, her hand paused slightly in midair. A trace of complicated reminiscence flashed through her blue eyes.

Once upon a time, in another world, among those students who had given her endless headaches, there seemed to have been someone who had addressed her so disrespectfully.

She had been unexpectedly "transferred" to this world, and she did not know whether she would ever be able to return. In that world, she still had responsibilities she could not abandon, as well as a group of foolish students she simply could not leave unattended.

This long-lost form of address, one that was practically outrageous disrespect toward a teacher, did not anger her. Instead, it strangely stirred a sense of nostalgia within her.

Seeing this, Nan Qiuqiu's pink eyes spun, and a mischievous idea quietly formed in her little head.

They had not waited long in the village before Ling Luochan, Ji Juechen, and Jing Ziyan, who had completed their mission, hurried over to join them.

With the group assembled, they officially set out on their journey toward the Extreme North.

Considering that Bai Mo was only six years old, Natsuki Minamiya deliberately hired a spacious and comfortable carriage in a town they passed through, and the group continued northward.

Three days later, a majestic giant city appeared at the end of the horizon.

The entire city was built from black stone. Its walls rose a hundred meters high, so thick and heavy that they seemed capable of withstanding the wrath of gods.

Countless ancient runes were engraved upon the walls, emitting a faint glow amid the biting cold wind and blocking out most of the chill.

At regular intervals along the city walls stood enormous dragon-head statues, their mouths spewing flames that never went out. They provided both illumination and warning.

This was Dragon City, the northern bulwark of the Heaven Dou Empire and a major border city.

After entering the city, they found it completely different from the ice and snow outside. Warmth rushed toward them. The streets were broad, and the buildings on both sides were rugged and sturdy, their pointed roofs designed to let accumulated snow slide off.

Most pedestrians wore thick fur garments and hurried along, their exhaled breath condensing in the air.

The air was filled with the scent of roasted meat, the clanging from blacksmith shops, and the distinctive smell of Soul Beast pelts, brimming with rugged, vibrant life.

"Teacher Nayue, is Sanctuary Academy built inside Dragon City?" Bai Mo curiously surveyed this city steeped in the style of the Extreme North and could not help asking.

Meng Hongchen could not help laughing. She rubbed Bai Mo's hair and explained, "The academy isn't here. This is merely the last human city before entering the Extreme North. We came to replenish our supplies. Our true destination lies farther north—the Far North Core."

The curiosity on Bai Mo's face instantly froze, replaced by an incredulous, strange expression.

If he remembered correctly, the Extreme North of Douluo Continent was a human forbidden zone that even Title Douluo did not dare enter lightly. It was the territory of the two legendary rulers of ice and snow—Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor.

Building an academy in the Far North Core? What about Snow Emperor and Ice Emperor? Had Sanctuary Academy defeated them, or had the two sides reached some sort of agreement?

More importantly, was such a death zone truly suitable for human survival?

Even the outskirts of the Icebound Forest had already been extremely harsh. What kind of terrifying sight would the Far North Core, far more dangerous than the Icebound Forest, be? Could an academy truly stand firm in such a place?

"Let's go to my home first. I'll have someone arrange the supplies."

Nan Qiuqiu blinked her lively pink eyes and made the suggestion at just the right moment.

How could Natsuki Minamiya fail to see through her little scheme? They were simply close to Nan Qiuqiu's home, and she wanted to go back for a look.

Natsuki Minamiya lazily lifted one eyelid and glanced at her student, who was looking at her with an expectant face. In the end, she gently nodded, granting silent permission.

Having gained her teacher's approval, Nan Qiuqiu immediately cheered and led the way ahead with practiced familiarity.

The group followed her through Dragon City's streets, which carried the mingled scents of iron and fire, and eventually stopped before a spacious compound in the southern part of the city.

The courtyard gate was ancient and imposing. Above it hung a huge black iron plaque, upon which three bold characters were carved—Earth Dragon Sect.

Seeing those three words, Bai Mo remained entirely unruffled.

After suffering through one shock to his worldview after another, he had already become accustomed to such things.

Although the Earth Dragon Sect, by all rights, should not have existed in this era of Douluo Continent, since even Nan Qiuqiu herself had appeared, what was so strange about one more Earth Dragon Sect?

On the way here, he had discreetly inquired about many things.

Perhaps because his appearance as a six-year-old child was highly deceptive, whether it was the cheerful Meng Hongchen, the outwardly cold but warm-hearted Natsuki Minamiya, or the justice-driven Ye Guyi, all of them patiently answered his questions when faced with his curious golden eyes.

As a result, he gained a deeper understanding of this "wrong" Douluo Continent. The so-called Transfer Phenomenon was not an isolated case, but something occurring all across the world.