Northern Border Province.
Bandera City was a high-altitude city-state encircled by rugged precipices and severe, towering mountain ranges. In this frigid region, eternal snowflakes and chilling winds composed its singular ambiance.
On the snowfield hundreds of meters south of Bandera City, snowflakes drifted thickly through the sky, swirling down toward the earth and into bottomless chasms and ravines among the peaks.
At that moment, a sled pulled by a massive black Demon Realm fox carved a distinct track across the quiet snowfield.
The sled pulled to a stop beside a frozen lake. Its surface resembled a flawless slab of white jade reflecting the pale sky, while several towering trees stood along the shore, their branches long since blanketed in heavy snow.
Two figures leaped down from the sled.
"Judging by the timing, the investigation team departed well ahead of us. If their route was similar, we should have been able to catch wind or notice traces of their return journey along the road."
Lanqi had Boss Cat stow the portable, high-durability sled, murmuring to himself as he gazed toward the distant city.
Through the wind and snow, Bandera City resembled a colossal, dark-gray sculpture carved into the snowfield, standing unyielding. Snowflakes settled against its towering, iron-like ramparts, yet failed to stain them white.
The various spires and towers rising into the sky outside the city were dotted with dim yellow lamplight in the snowy weather, as if proclaiming to the world its resilience, its weathered history, and its glory.
Over the past several days, there had been only a handful of fortress city-states and hamlets along the road; geographically speaking, the two of them had entered the Northern Border Province long ago.
Lanqi and Side made a point of resting in towns at night whenever possible, only seeking suitable camping grounds when no city-state could be found. In theory, coming across a major city-state ought to have brought considerable relief, yet this city radiated an aura of stern oppression a hundred times more suffocating than the Imperial Capital, Herrom.
Lanqi stood far off from the city-state. Even without drawing close, he could hear the imperial military strings playing from within, the distant notes carrying with exceptional clarity through the wind and snow.
The orchestral piece was reminiscent of the one played at the Herrom magic-power rail station, but upon closer listening, one could discern numerous modulations.
The grand melody, wholly incapable of returning to softness and peace, carried a far deeper weight of emotion: honor, betrayal, decisive battle, and sacrifice.
To avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion and trouble, Lanqi temporarily dismissed the fox and prepared to walk over with Side.
Entering Bandera City required not only a travel pass, but also rigorous identity screening.
The city-state's protective barrier was exceptionally tight; from far outside the walls, it was impossible to probe any information within.
"Side, be ready to protect me at any moment."
Lanqi had a strong premonition that the moment they set foot inside the city, unpredictable shifts could erupt at any second.
Since arriving on the Northern Continent and tracking the Empire's scattered anomalies and bizarre occurrences all the way here, this might be the very first demonic realm decisive battle he would have to face.
"Understood. I prepared to protect you before we even set out. Rest assured, so long as I'm breathing, you won't die."
Although Side hadn't revealed much to Lanqi, she had deliberately brought along spells designed to shield fragile teammates.
Lanqi nodded.
Even though he had always challenged Shadow Worlds far above his own level, the disparity this time was unlike anything before, exceeding his combat capabilities by far too wide a margin.
To frame it in leveled terms: Purgatory Corridor Academy was roughly a level 45 dungeon, the Banquet of Sanctuary Villains was a level 55 dungeon, while the recommended level for the Northern Border front line ahead was likely around 89.
The investigation team led by Major General Fanleiku, who was over level 70, had very likely already met with foul play.
Right now, they were on the threshold of the greatest conspiracy lurking in the north of the Protos Empire. The only person capable of piercing the dense fog of discord between the Empire and the Northern Kingdoms was Luoqi McCarthy.
Even the enemies orchestrating this war would never expect that the Bishop of Domination had been brought here by a governor-general. This teammate, possessing a level of at least 85 or higher, was Lanqi's greatest reliance at this moment.
Side studied Lanqi's expression, then turned her gaze toward the city-state shrouded in the unknown.
"You're actually calmer than I imagined. Do you have some hidden trump card?" Side asked with a faint laugh.
Although she hadn't seen Lanqi fight with her own eyes to this day, she was quite certain her Holy Son wouldn't be half bad in a combat role.
After all, whether someone possessed confidence or not produced a stark difference in their demeanor.
"I hope I won't have to use it."
Lanqi's emerald eyes were deep in thought, as if perpetually weighing right and wrong at every moment.
Even though his state of mind was as clear and tranquil as a lake's surface, endless ripples continuously drifted across it.
"I've known you for so long, yet I still don't know what your combat class is."
Thinking carefully about it now, Lanqi's brilliance had made Side overlook some of his basic vocations. Of course, even if Lanqi were merely viewed as an artist, she was already more than satisfied.
Judging by her guesses, Lanqi's physical constitution was certainly polar opposite to hers, but that meant they ought to complement each other well.
He would do best as a healer or a utility support.
Or perhaps a magic tank—the guy didn't even need magic to pull aggro; he seemed born with an entire arsenal of innate taunts.
As long as she nurtured him properly, he would be tremendously useful to her.
"I'm a Sealer," Lanqi candidly informed Sigrid of his vocation.
"Huh?" Side furrowed her brows and stared at him.
It had never crossed her mind that her Holy Son would turn out to be a Sealer—the very class she despised most.
She had never even imagined that one day she would take a Sealer as her Holy Son.
If the priests of the Domination branch ever discovered that the Holy Son of Domination was the exact same type of Sealer as the Bishop of Extinction, they would surely wonder if their bishop's mind had gone off the rails.
Yet after a moment's thought...
Sigrid felt that if such a rare, underhanded breed was on her side, he was actually remarkably endearing.
"I'd really love to raise you to Tier 6 as soon as possible so you can go butt heads with the Holy Son of Extinction." Sigrid accepted Lanqi's vocation with astonishing speed.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not that kind of gloomy Sealer from the Bishop of Extinction's mold. All of my sealing arts are warm and blazing; they were born for love and peace," Lanqi answered with utter conviction.
"I've truly never heard of such a Sealer." Side looked slightly perplexed.
Still, she couldn't be bothered to pry. Her Holy Son almost never encountered a situation where he needed to take action anyway.
In her memory, she had never seen Lanqi get attacked. He didn't even scurry around; once he locked onto an enemy, he would invariably stroll over at an unhurried pace, maintaining full poise and elegance.
Anyone else striving to put on an act every second wouldn't come close to matching her Holy Son's effortless swagger.
It happened to suit her tastes perfectly. In Sigrid's eyes, this was merely another point in his favor.
In the distance, the solemn military music finished one cycle, vanishing like snowflakes drifting gently onto the frozen continent. Then, a fresh movement of orchestral music swelled anew. The sorrowful melody abruptly turned tense and conflict-ridden; one could hear the clashing of metal and sense fire and smoke, making listeners feel as though they were plunged into that perpetual, lightless struggle between demons and humanity.
"Shall we set off?" Side loosened her limbs and indicated she was ready.
"Let's go, then."
Amid the wind and snow, Lanqi stepped forward toward the front-line city-state on the border.
Chapter 328