The Record of Unusual Creatures

Hao Ren noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with the negotiation between Graeme and the soldiers guarding the city. The Knight of the Broken Blade returned with a slight blow. “What’s wrong?” asked Hao Ren.

“Something unexpected,” Graeme said, shaking his head. “…It is different from what I knew when I set out. Princess Constance and the Grand Duke of the North have advanced their plans, more than a little. The Knights of the Broken Blade from other parts of the empire and insurgents who responded to the call likely lost touch with the front line.”

Graeme looked puzzled. Apparently he did not know why Princess Constance had launched the attack in a hurry.

“The situation does not appear to be very optimistic,” said Vivian. “To launch an attack in advance without adequate preparation is a big no-no. There is only one possibility for her to do so—she was forced by current circumstances…”

“Shall we enter the city?” asked Lily. “Or just turn around and go after the princess?”

“We’re going to spend the night in the city,” Hao Ren said. The had been feeling exhausted the whole way.

Hao Ren also planned to rest in the city. Not only was he a little tired from the journey, but more importantly, a lot of the intelligence he had just gathered needed to be sorted out. And he wondered if any clues would be found in Snowfrost City, the closest place to Gorgon’s Abyss.

Graeme nodded back. “Right. I hear there’s a snowstorm tonight. While our wagons are protected, there may be some bogeymen out there in the snowstorm, so it is not a good idea to keep going.”

“Do we have lodging in the city?” Vivian asked curiously.

“The Knights of the Broken Blade have a garrison in Snowfrost City. But if Your Highness Charlemagne and Awenna do not mind, I can arrange for you to go to the post house, which is reserved for important diplomatic envoys. It will be more comfortable there,” Graeme said chivalrously.

“Thank you. We have come to the land of Princess Constance, and I trust that my sister and I are safe here,” Charlemagne nodded and said.

So, guided by Graeme, they finally entered the largest fortress in the north, Snowfrost City.

After they passed through the massive entrance of the fortress, which consisted of a large number of enchanted stones and defensive machinery, the true face of Snowfrost City was revealed to them. The thick layers of walls covered the “mountain city” like a protective shell, but it was not dark inside. On the walls, clusters of crystals were arranged in elaborate arrays, channeling sunlight from the outside into the first layer of the city, and on the first layer, more clusters of crystals grew along the buildings. Those clusters extended all the way to the hollowed-out mountain, bringing in light…

The entirety of Snowfrost City shone with the light outlined by the ice crystals.

Due to its special structure, the city was arranged in three dimensions. The post houses for important envoys were located near the grand duke’s castle. It was near the top of the mountain, but visitors did not have to climb painfully up the winding stone stairs between the buildings. As many as 122 lifts operated around the clock like the public transportation system, providing convenience for the people who lived in the city.

They crossed the traffic area at the bottom of the city and entered a lift that circulated along a sloping ramp, hidden in the mountains. With a soft whir of mechanical friction, the large lift began to accelerate smoothly toward the peak.

“This platform is designed for guests who need to visit the peak. It does not stop on the way, and it is twice as fast as the other platforms,” explained a northern soldier who was leading the way, proudly introducing the city. “You can see a transparent passage in the middle. It is made of ice with a permafrost effect. You do not have to worry about falling, and you can see the inner area of the city inside the mountain.”

The platform ran briskly in the inclined elevator passage, and every once in a while, some kind of light would sweep across the surrounding area. It was the buried crystal clusters in the mountain, through which the outside sunlight was sent to the inner area of the city just like a natural fluorescent tube. And soon, Hao Ren saw that transparent passage.

It looked like a glass tube for tourists, allowing Hao Ren to see the inner city through the crystal-clear ice wall. He saw a large number of buildings arranged in an orderly manner within the mountain, including factories and other facilities. But probably because the army had set out, the city was not as busy as expected. After all, every city in the north was first and foremost a military fortress. The removal of large numbers of soldiers naturally slowed down its operation.

Suddenly, Hao Ren’s attention was drawn to a striking building in the city. It was a large building in the heart of the mountain cavity, built of black stone. It had towers arranged neatly like spears, and the main part of it was a three-story palace.

The palace was distinctly out of place among the nearby buildings. It was surrounded by a wall, and soldiers could be seen patrolling and guarding it. Had he not known that the grand duke’s castle was on the top of the mountain, Hao Ren would have almost thought that the palace on the mountainside was his residence.

“What’s that?” Lily also saw the black palace.

“Ah, that is the old palace,” Graeme replied casually. “His Majesty lived there thousands of years ago.”

“The old palace?” Lily was curious now. “Wait… you said the capital of the Dragon Empire had moved to another place, and the old capital was in the north, so…”

“Do you not even know that?” The soldiers looked at Lily with some surprise. “Snowfrost City was the old capital of the empire, but that was thousands of years ago.”

“They do not know much about the history of the Dragon Empire,” Graeme said, changing the subject. “In fact, much of the city has been remodeled, rebuilt exactly like a fortress, quite different from what it used to be. Of course, the old palace you see is still in its original form, and there are a few other monuments that have remained as they were in their old days. If you are interested, I can take you there tomorrow.”

Hao Ren looked at the old palace and whispered to himself, “Thousands of years… and it’s still standing intact. That’s kind of interesting.”

“What’s more interesting is that there are some weak pulses of energy coming out under the old palace, and the energy samples are quite complicated,” the MDT sounded in his head.

Hao Ren nodded slightly and answered telepathically, “We should explore the city.”

Hao Ren was looking forward to settling down in the post house and starting his own exploration.

Before nightfall, they finally settled down in the warm post house near the castle and had a big meal by the warm fireplace in the hall.

It was their first proper meal in that world, in a safe environment.

After dinner, everybody was physically and mentally exhausted. They had no interest in any other activity, and Hao Ren also returned to the guest room.

The hilltop platform where the post house was standing was not cut off by the city walls, and the cool night light came in through the wide French windows. The fiery glow of Gorgon’s Abyss mingled with the night as if the air was filled with blood.

The city was quiet now, but the wind from the plain had grown stronger and was roaring through the sky. In that wind, the shadow of the snowstorm could already be seen.

Hao Ren tapped on the MDT and said, “Synchro vision. I wanna look around.”

The MDT flickered, and Hao Ren’s field of vision switched abruptly.

A world of thunder and fire appeared before him.

The view was coming from probe No.3. Current location, the periphery of Gorgon’s Abyss.

The first thing that appeared in front of Hao Ren was the extremely huge wreckage of a starship, on which there were striking words.

“The Revelation.”