Chapter 97
The far north, the Bovell Kingdom.
Although it is summer on the Western Continent, it is still cold and snowy here, and the bright sun and the white snow and ice fields do not conflict.
Today, the sun finally came out, and the ice castle seemed to shimmer with five colors, making it a beautiful sight on the snowfield.
This ice castle, viewed from a distance, looks as if it were sculpted from crystal; it is absolutely beautiful.
Everywhere reflected a sparkling brilliance under the sunlight, dreamlike and dazzling, making people exclaim in amazement and lose themselves in the sight.
Those seeing the ice castle for the first time may not understand its structure.
They couldn't help but wonder—was such a large castle truly built of ice and snow? If so, how was it maintained, and how were people housed in it?
Upon closer inspection, you'll find that the castle was built using stone.
However, it was precisely because of the cold, icy climate of the Far North, coupled with the previous king's order to continuously pour ice water on the castle every day, that the castle became so cold.
The water flowed continuously down the castle, freezing into ice before reaching the bottom.
From a thin layer to a thick layer of solid ice, now even if you try to cut into it with a knife or a greatsword, you'll only leave shallow scratches and a few ice shards flying, without splitting it in the slightest.
Over the years, the castle has transformed into the ice castle we see today.
Two people slowly emerged from the ice castle.
The man was tall and handsome, with short black hair and deep blue eyes.
Those blue eyes were like the deepest color bestowed by the icy plains at night; though adorned with stars, they also held the cruelty of the icefields...
He is the King of the Bovell Kingdom – Gena Kozmo.
Gena Kozmo was dressed in clothes made of animal hides.
Although not thin, it was still insufficient to withstand the Far North. However, judging from the fact that the person did not tremble or shrink back at all, one could tell that he must not be cold wearing such clothes.
The man next to him was dressed in thick clothes and a fur cloak, wrapped up tightly in the howling wind, with only a wisp of silver hair peeking out from under the cloak.
--It was none other than Grand Duke Orville, who had come from afar.
Gena Kozmo personally led Orville to an open space.
He whistled.
A short while later, someone suddenly led a small pack of Snow Wolf running towards them from afar. Snowflakes flew up and fur flew, tangling in the wind and almost merging into one.
Led by the man at the head, the pack of Snow Wolf stopped in front of Gena Kozmo and Orville.
There were about a dozen Snow Wolf, each one incredibly strong. Their thick fur flew smoothly through the air like a brush before falling back down, and with a shake, many unmelted snowflakes would fall off.
Although Snow Wolf ' fur is mostly white, it is not pure white. Their fluffy heads, ears, backs, and even tails are covered with gray or brown fur.
Snow Wolf are nearly two meters long, with a lithe and graceful body and a fluffy head, which makes them look rather cute.
The man who led the Snow Wolf bowed to Gena Kozmo.
He mumbled a few words in rather obscure language, then took the basket he was carrying on his back and respectfully placed it in front of Gena Kozmo, before stepping back two paces to stand still.
Gena Kozmo turned to Orville and said in a low, slightly hesitant voice, "These are the gifts in exchange."
Orville stepped forward.
He gently lifted the cloth covering the basket, and what was inside instantly appeared before his eyes—it was a little Snow Wolf whimpering softly.
They were only about the size of two adult palms, and mostly had snow-white fur, with only a few light gray hairs on the tips of their ears and backs.
The man who brought the little Snow Wolf was saying, "This is the Snow Wolf with the best fur in the pack. It has a good chance of becoming the new Snow Wolf King when it grows up."
His expression showed regret and reluctance.
But remembering that this was a deal already agreed upon between His Majesty and Grand Duke Achiyoli, he said nothing more...
Fortunately, the current Snow Wolf King is still young. If he finds several more female wolves, he should be able to have several more wolf cubs, and perhaps he will even have more "pure white" Snow Wolf pups.
Orville's gaze softened imperceptibly when he saw the little Snow Wolf in person.
Then, he reached his hand into the basket, and the whimpering little Snow Wolf, sensing the unfamiliar presence, immediately stopped whimpering and became alert—its two ears snapped back, revealing its not-yet-fully-grown little sharp teeth, and it gradually retreated into a corner of the basket.
Orville was very patient, and waited with his hand outstretched and slightly bent over.
His attitude undoubtedly softened the expressions of Gena Kozmo and the werewolf trainer Coliford.
Finally, the tightly curled-up little wolf retracted its tender teeth, slowly poked its head out, and sniffed Orville's hand... After a while, it whimpered twice, relaxed its limbs, and lay down in the basket.
Seeing this, Orville slowly extended his hand and straightened up. "Your Majesty is certain to keep your promise."
Gena Kozmo: "Naturally."
The deal Achiyoli Territory and the Bovell Kingdom was that Orville agreed to Gena Kozmo's request and secretly dispatched knights to reinforce the warriors of the Bovell Kingdom in repelling the cavalry of the Saint Airo Empire.
Orville's condition was a pure white young offspring of Snow Wolf King.
The Snow Wolf King is the deity of the Bovell Kingdom.
When Orville made this request, Gena Kozmo did not immediately agree.
He needed to figure out the Grand Duke's purpose: why did he only want a Snow Wolf cub?
What benefit would such conditions bring him? Wouldn't it secretly...?
Gena Kozmo calmly remarked, "Since the Bovell Kingdom tamed the Snow Wolf and established itself, it has never seen Snow Wolf with every single tuft of pure white fur."
"The conditions proposed by the Grand Duke are probably..."
Orville said calmly, "It doesn't matter, as long as they are descendants of the Snow Wolf King, I'll raise them."
"..."
Gena Kozmo carefully observed the Grand Duke's expression and attitude.
He could then be absolutely certain that the Grand Duke's statement was true—that he wanted the Snow Wolf cubs because he wanted to raise them.
Gena Kozmo recalled how she felt at the time... indescribable.
In retrospect, the Grand Duke's desire to raise wolf cubs was indeed extraordinary.
The deal is done.
The werewolf trainer, Coliford, led the small pack of Snow Wolf that had followed him away once again.
Orville personally carried the basket back to the Ice Castle with Gena Kozmo, where they would have further discussions.
Even with a fire burning in the fireplace inside the ice castle, the cold was still pervasive and impossible to dispel, lingering in every corner.
Therefore, even sitting in his study with a fire burning, Orville did not take off the thick cloak he was wearing.
Gena Kozmo, however, took off an overcoat and, seemingly oblivious to the cold, sat on a stone chair, pouring himself and Orville two glasses of wine.
"Drinking alcohol can warm the body."
In the Bovell Kingdom, Snow Wolf and wine are the most important things.
"Thank you." Orville took the drink and sipped it; he did feel much warmer.
Gena Kozmo downed the yellowish liquid in one gulp and placed the glass on the table.
He then picked up a book beside him, turned to the last page, shook his head, and sighed, "In order to destroy the demons of the abyss, the gods either fell or fell into slumber, and of the remaining six life forms, only humanity remained..."
The book's cover is titled "Tales of the Gods 4"—it was initially serialized in a newspaper, and after its completion, all the chapters were compiled into a book and sold through the Thorn Merchant Guild.
Gena Kozmo had already finished reading the first three books of the Tales of the Gods, and this was the fourth. After reading the newspapers in installments, he bought the book himself.
In Tales of the Gods 4, the devil drags all the corpses from the battlefield into a dark abyss, where the bodies of the various races that have died are given new life in the devil's blood-red pool.
They no longer possess consciousness; their already mutilated or dilapidated bodies remain as they were in life, and their completely emotionless black eyes add to their sinister and frightening appearance.
They crawled out of the abyss at the devil's command, and returned in fear and despair.
The Giants were all dead, yet even in their corpses they were still driven by demons.
Countless corpses died on the battlefield, and those that returned felt no pain or sensation, only knowing to obey orders and charge forward...
Their presence made the devil's army virtually invincible.
The gods were forced to descend once more and personally lead the various races in a counterattack.
Just as the situation was beginning to come under control, the various races fought with increasing ferocity, but the orcs betrayed them midway, turning against them and causing the situation to worsen once again...
The intelligent and kind-hearted dwarfs were the first to sacrifice themselves.
Following this, the number of elves and mortals also dwindled dramatically. The dragons temporarily relied on their powerful bodies to fight against the demons of the abyss, but they could not stop the demons' advance.
The endless stream of dead bodies signifies an inexhaustible army of demons.
The goddess of wisdom, Mavis, felt that things couldn't continue like this.
She pleaded with Light God Griffith, Ludwig, the god of war, and Earth Goddess Nicola, to join her in descending upon the abyss and destroying the demon's pool of blood.
--To descend into the abyss means to be corrupted by demonic energy; even gods will be destroyed.
But for the sake of peace on the continent, the gods agreed.
The final battle has arrived.
--Amidst the smoke and flames of war, the spreading crimson stained almost the entire earth and sky red. The orcs allied with the demons, only to be ultimately abandoned by them.
The entire race was dragged into the abyss to become nourishment, and the demons grew stronger once more.
Among the gods, Goddess of Love Hilarily of love, was the first to fall, and Moon Goddess Caris, fell into a deep sleep due to her injuries...
When the blood-red pool was destroyed, the demon army finally met its end.
On the battlefield, gods and dragons charged ahead, followed closely by elves and mortals...
Just as Gena Kozmo said—the gods either fell or fell into slumber, the dragons were few in number, and finally flew away from the continent and never returned.
The orcs, Giants, elves, and dwarves were all wiped out, leaving only humans living in every part of the continent.
Before falling into slumber, the goddess of wisdom Mavis, used all her divine power to pray to the Creator God that his extinct race could be allowed to continue.
The Creator God descended with divine light in response to her prayer—the annihilated race was reborn among the human race.
Unlike the Giants, the orcs were not tempted by the devil, but willingly fell into depravity, and were thus reborn as animals or sickly humans.
Giants and dwarfs, due to their distinctive features, either become too tall or too short after becoming human. But regardless of their appearance, they are always treated with kindness and sincerity.
The Tales of the Gods series concludes here.
Gena Kozmo slowly rubbed the book's cover, looked at Orville, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Does the Lord of Desinia intend to write another story?"
Orville turned his gaze away from the little Snow Wolf clinging to the edge of the basket. "I don't know."
Gena Kozmo: "The Grand Duke and the Lord of Desinia are allies, so surely exchanging letters must be very easy for them, right?"
"It's not difficult."
Orville glanced up briefly, meeting the somber gaze of Gena Kozmo for a moment, before saying, "I can ask for you."
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"Thank you."
After they finished speaking, the two looked at each other in silence, with only the little wolf whimpering in the basket and then falling back onto the soft cushion because it couldn't stand steadily.
At this moment, because 098 was returning to deliver a gift, Cyrus made up an excuse and led a group of fluffy creatures alone into a secluded mountain forest...
Then, he began to stare blankly at the gift 098 had given him.
098 happily waved its little matchstick hand and said, "[Host, host, we have canines!]"
"..."
Before Cyrus stood a half-grown White Wolf —pure white without a single blemish, its eyes icy blue, filled with coldness and wariness.
The White Wolf extended its claws and teeth, its body slightly lowered, threatening and preventing Cyrus and the fluffy creatures from approaching, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Behind the White Wolf, two cubs were being protected.
A whimpering creature circled around the White Wolf's feet, seemingly hungry.
This cub is round and chubby, with black fur from its eyes and ears to its back and tail, and white fur on the rest of its body. It has light blue eyes.
The cub was sniffing its little nose, trying to crawl away from the White Wolf's feet to another place, but after moving a little away, it was immediately swept back by the White Wolf's brush-like long tail, rolled on the spot, but got up again without caring at all and whimpered.
No matter how Cyrus looked at it... she thought this chubby puppy was a... Husky.
The other, smaller cub was quieter, lying behind the White Wolf.
The cub's fluffy tail would occasionally swing up, its nose half-buried between its crossed forelimbs, with only its round, black eyes peeking out as it secretly observed.
Cyrus: Hmm... a white fox.
So, here's the question—how did 098 manage to bring together and bring back three different species of animals: a half-grown White Wolf, two Husky puppies, and a white fox?!