Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1214

A towering, continuous range of snow-capped mountains loomed ahead of the tracks. Technical limitations made it impossible to tunnel through, so the railway had been laid to wind around the gentler, lower hills.

After navigating a series of bends, the travelers had reached a higher elevation. Once they crested a particularly steep ridge, the vast, rolling mountains disappeared from view, replaced by a breathtakingly open snowfield. The expanse glittered silver under the sun, a brilliant sight that delighted everyone who had made the climb.

From their current altitude, they could see the vast expanse of the horizon and the cluster of buildings marking the town. However, that didn't mean they could reach it by nightfall. After all, three low, continuous mountains still separated them from their destination. In these frozen conditions, certain subtle features of the terrain were impassable, forcing the group to take long detours. At their current pace, they likely wouldn't arrive until dawn, two days later.

But that wasn't the real issue. The problem was that after rounding the bend to their current position, the main body of the tallest nearby peak, Mount Viltanin, had come into view.

This mountain and the other two were now completely covered in a thick layer of ice, smoothing over the cliffs, deep pits, and rugged river valleys that were impassable in summer. The path to the town was now laid bare, the three frozen mountains providing the most direct route. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI★Fire.net

Mount Viltanin wasn't a particularly tall peak; snow typically covered its summit only from October to May. According to the map, the mountain was completely desolate, with no signs of human settlement. But now, everyone looked up in astonishment at an ice palace shimmering in the sunlight. The light passed right through it, revealing the intricate patterns of the ice carvings in fine detail. The runes on the ice walls were likely more than just decoration.

It stood on the side of the highest peak, its towering, hexagonal, cone-shaped spires nearly level with the main summit. The main body of the palace rested against the side of the mountain, blending almost perfectly with its sunlit face. Wider at the base and tapering towards the top, a flight of ice stairs with carved railings could be faintly seen at the bottom, connecting the two ends of the valley.

Therefore, if the group had a sudden whim to abandon the path to the town and try ascending, they wouldn't need to climb the towering Mount Viltanin itself. They could simply circle around the side peak from their current position, climb at a near forty-five-degree angle up the glittering ice stairs, and arrive right at the palace gates.

"There's no record of any such structure on the map. Even if this edition of the military map is two years old, it's impossible for an omission to occur... Besides, with our current level of technology, it would be absolutely impossible to build something ."

This simple deduction was clear to everyone.

Ignoring it and moving on was certainly an acceptable option, but considering the strange snowman army and last night's incident, the group discussed it. They decided to halt and prepare lunch in a sheltered spot on the mountain, while Jenkins proposed going to take a look at the palace.

He wasn't being reckless; he just had a vague feeling that a force was calling to him. It wasn't the strange allure of a Mysterious Object; it felt like someone was genuinely inviting him for a visit.

"That's too risky. Our mission is to get to the town," Captain Sidorov said with difficulty. "As for this palace, we can send someone to investigate and then warn the locals once we arrive, but entering it will definitely lead to trouble." To be honest, she didn't want to oppose Jenkins unless it was absolutely necessary.

But contrary to what Jenkins expected, during the final vote, although most of the captains opposed his proposal, the two captains from the Church of All Things and Nature supported him.

"We can sense that the palace is the most naturally harmonious place in this entire region. Its appearance hasn't disrupted the natural environment of Mount Viltanin; in fact, it has promoted the mountain's natural cycle to some extent. This palace is no destroyer of nature. Whoever built it and whoever owns it cannot be wicked."

This was a rather hasty conclusion, even more so than Jenkins's own intuition. Thus, in the end, the idea of exploring the palace was not approved. They wouldn't even let Jenkins join the small team sent to observe the palace from a distance and scout the terrain.

"Because we are traveling with you on this trip, the Church contacted Nolan to explain the situation," Captain Ussia explained in a low voice. "A Miss Audrey there said that whenever we encounter a situation that might or might not be dangerous, it's best not to let you get involved. Otherwise, the probability of it being dangerous increases to a terrifying degree." Jenkins didn't insist on participating any further.

Since they weren't planning to approach the palace, the scouting team returned quickly. Not only had they suffered no losses, but they had brought back a body—the corpse of the Enchanter who had been replaced last night.

There were no obvious external injuries on the body, but after an examination by the accompanying Gravedigger from the Church of Death and End, the cause of death was confirmed to be cardiac arrest.

"Did you find the body near the palace?"

Jenkins went over to ask, but received the opposite answer:

"No, it probably has nothing to do with the palace. After going around the side peak, you have to go downhill for a stretch before you can start climbing again. That spot is also a fork in our path—one way leads to the ice stairs, the other leads down the mountain toward the town."

"During that time, we noticed a large new hole in the rock face on one side of the mountain path. The rock around the opening was covered in an unusual white frost. We didn't dare go straight in, so we found a way to climb up and just observed from the entrance. That's when we found the body..."

The speaker was the temporary leader of the scouting team, and also one of the captains of the Nightwatch Squad. Seeing that all eyes were on him, he continued his explanation:

"It's a seal, a very ancient one. Based on my observations, and the identification by the Scribe from the Church of Knowledge and Books, it was established before the 16th Epoch. I can clearly recognize the traces of a seal from the Lady of the Unlit Moon—that flowing moonlight essence is unmistakable. This was likely a seal established by our church's predecessors, but I don't know why there's no information about it in our records."

"How was the seal broken?"

"On one hand, geological shifts weakened the seal, which is quite common—it happens about once a decade. On the other hand, the surge of power that erupted in Ruen this past Tuesday struck the seal. The creature sealed inside also possessed distinct ice and snow abilities, and the two resonated with each other."