Six months ago, the Orks launched a massive invasion, and the Forbidden Wall's defenses were in dire need of repair.
Governor-General Kerry von personally led troops to the Forbidden Wall to intercept the Orks, while the Snow Claw Clan took advantage of the Vanguard's dispersed marching lines.
They then assembled a million Ice Strider cavalry, intending to kill the newly appointed leader of the Hive City.
Everyone assumed that the young governor, with his weak forces and surrounded, was doomed.
Just as the Snow Claw Clan cavalry charged into the bowl-shaped valley, preparing to launch a surprise attack from the rear, the Dragon of Frost appeared.
The records on the Dataslate were written simply, yet they conveyed an indescribable sense of awe.
The dragon awoke from beneath the glacier, and ice covered the entire valley.
A million cavalrymen were all frozen in ice; not one survived.
The dragons acknowledged the governor, and all living beings revered him as the Lord of the Ice Plains.
The savages said that on that day, the Ice God unleashed divine punishment.
On that same day, they acknowledged Kerry von's identity as the " Ice Lord ".
From then on, this bowl-shaped valley, which buried a million Snow Claw cavalrymen, became a forbidden area, and no savage dared to set foot there again.
The interrogation room was eerily quiet.
Dominic put down the Dataslate and remained silent for a long time.
Dragon of Frost.
A million cavalrymen.
Lord of the Ice Plains.
Every keyword he encountered refreshed his understanding of Kerry Von.
He had initially thought that the Genestealer of the Plague Cleansing Cult were this young man's biggest secret.
In retrospect, that was just the tip of the iceberg.
A giant Xenos creature that has lived for countless years and possesses the ability to control ice willingly submits to the control of humans.
This is far more shocking and dangerous than a Genestealer Cult.
Dominic walked to the porthole of the interrogation room and looked down at the sleeping Hive City below.
In the darkness, faint lights could still be seen in the direction of Saint Garus Castle, and the sounds of gunfire could be faintly heard.
Kerry von is like an iceberg floating on the sea.
You thought you saw everything about it, but in reality, what lies beneath the surface is the true behemoth.
The Plague Cleansing Cult is, Dragon of Frost is.
No one knows how many hidden cards he still holds.
"Interesting..." Dominic murmured.
He suddenly realized that this trip to Brevis might be much more interesting than he had imagined.
After several more rounds of interrogation, more information was uncovered.
The information slowly pieced together in Dominic's mind the outline of the dramatic ice sheet change that had occurred six months prior.
The eldest patriarch only remembers the biting cold and the roar of the dragon, while the youngest leader was just a hunting captain at the time.
Seeing the purple storm in the direction of the valley from afar terrified them so much that they collapsed to the ground. Only the middle-aged clan leader had the most details hidden in his memory.
His name was Karu, the leader of a branch of the Ice Fang Clan. He had an old scar across his left cheek, a mark left ten years ago when he fought with the Snow Claw Clan for hunting grounds.
In my memory, the cold wind of the icy plains whipped up snowflakes that pelted against the animal-hide tents, making a crackling sound.
The tent was crowded with emaciated tribesmen, an old man wrapped in tattered animal skin huddled in a corner, and a child's cry was as faint as a kitten's meow.
That was last winter.
Before the Orks invasion, the Brevis ice plains, though harsh, upheld survival rules passed down through generations.
The Ice Fang Clan guards the western Ice Rift Valley, while the Snow Claw Clan occupies the eastern tundra; they occasionally clash with each other.
Yet they all managed to survive the long winter by hunting ice beasts and gathering moss and fungi.
Caravans from Hive City would also come several times a year, trading grain, cloth, and simple tools for furs and animal bones.
Although not wealthy, they were able to make a living.
But then the Orks arrived.
Those green demons descended upon the deepest part of the icy plains, relentlessly destroying everything in their path.
They are more ferocious than ice beasts and more troublesome than blizzards. Their spores can sprout into snarling little creatures that grow from the frozen ground. They will steal and kill anything they see.
The stone spears and bone arrows of the savage tribe were no match for the Orks's machetes and rattling scrap guns.
The hunting grounds were occupied, the herds of animals were scattered, and even the winter food stored in the ice caves was dug up and ruined.
Karu remembers that last winter's snow was exceptionally heavy and exceptionally cold.
One by one, the elders of the clan began to freeze and starve to death. Their bodies were carried out and thrown into icy ditches, where they would freeze into solid blocks of ice within half a day.
Young hunters risk their lives to go hunting, only to return empty-handed or never come back.
Some Orks patrols would prey on lone survivors, toying with them before hacking them to death.
"At that time, we all thought the entire clan was going to perish that winter."
In the written record, Karu's tone was low, carrying a sense of disorientation from surviving a near-death experience.
But then, Kerry von arrived.
Instead of leading a large army to conquer the icy plains, he led a supply caravan to aid the savages.
He broke the centuries-old rule of the Hive City not to accept the Icefield Savages and carved out a camp on the warm plains south of the Forbidden Wall.
The elderly, women, and children of various tribes were allowed to migrate there for the winter, and food and basic medical care were provided.
He also led the Vanguard to clear out the Orks along the edge of the Forbidden Wall, gradually reclaiming the hunting grounds that had been stolen.
"He was a benevolent Ice Lord."
This is the sentence that was repeated most often in the memories of the three savage leaders.
They say that Kerry is the chosen one of the Dragon of Frost, the human embodiment of the power of the Iceborne Gods.
He brought not only food and warmth, but also "divine punishment."
Those Orks tribes that had been entrenched deep in the ice plains were slaughtered, and their dilapidated chariots and Shoota were buried by the wind and snow.
No one has ever witnessed how the Dragon of Frost made its move.
All Karu knew was that His power had enabled the savage warriors, who were originally only able to trade ten for one Orks.
It can eliminate Orks enemies that outnumber its own forces by several times with virtually no damage.
The specific method is unclear.
Dominic put down his notebook and walked to the window.
The feelings in his heart were too complex to describe.
Xenos.
Whether it's the Genestealer or the so-called " Dragon of Frost," both are outcasts that must be eliminated according to Imperium law and orthodox doctrine.
Colluding with Xenos is a serious crime punishable by burning at the stake in Inquisition.
But ironically, everything these "outcasts" do is on the side of humanity.
The Plague Cleansing Cult screened for the plague in the Lower City, secured its manpower, and stabilized the crumbling order.
The Dragon of Frost fought off the Orks and rescued the Savages on the Ice Plains, thus securing the northern border of Brevis.
Even Kerry Von himself managed to quell the rebellion, reap Dorito, and withstand the Orks invasion, bringing order to a frontier system that was in a complete mess.
If it were any other Imperium governor, one in ten could not have achieved what he did.
"No wonder he has such high prestige throughout Brevis..."
Dominic muttered to himself, with a hint of self-mockery.
The people of Hive City respected him because he quelled the Orks Rebellion and preserved the peace of Hive City.
Even the savages on the ice plains revered him as the " Ice Lord " and were completely devoted to him.
This prestige was never built on political maneuvering, but on solid achievements.
But the more this happened, the more Dominic became concerned about one issue.
What exactly is the Dragon of Frost?