[Vol. 9] Chapter 50: Castaway on a Deserted Island
This time, the unlucky ones were Snowfeather Fortress and the Calamity Beasts. Who knows what will happen next?
Whether people want to do something is one thing, but whether they are able to do it is another. The Snow Empire, as one of the five great powers of the world, could never put its safety in the hands of whether the Austre Empire would act reasonably or harbor ill intentions.
So, on this point, Lian could not give in.
After a round of noisy chaos and a heated argument that was destined to bring no results, neither side dared to truly break ties on behalf of their superiors. In the end, they sat back down face-to-face and finally began to discuss the real matter of the search and rescue.
“Cough… In short, our fleet has already searched the whole area, but the deep-sea scans found nothing. If what you say is true, then that Holy Maiden candidate and the monster from under the Ice Sea are probably together. Since they are not in the nearby sea area anymore, they may have already slipped through the sea passage to the east, or else landed somewhere in the west. If we keep searching like this, it won’t be very meaningful.”
“By the way, are you sure that little girl isn’t already dead?”
Hearing Cassio say such outrageous words with a straight face, Lian couldn’t help but frown again, even though he had already expected this kind of attitude. Still, no matter what, as long as there was even the slightest hope, the Divine Temple would continue the search.
“The western and northern shores of the Ice Sea are under the control of the Snow Empire and its vassal states. We will arrange enough manpower there. As for whether Lady Moraya is alive or not, the Divine Temple naturally has its own ways to monitor the state of a Holy Maiden candidate. I will say it again, General Cassio, just focus on your assigned duties. I do not want a second Snowfeather Fortress incident. If something like that happens again, the cooperation between your Empire and our Kingdom will end here.”
“Hmph…”
Cassio curled his lips in annoyance, but this time he didn’t openly challenge Lian. He chose to accept the other’s warning.
As one of the Austre Empire’s admirals, leading the entire fully staffed Second Fleet all the way north, it was impossible that he was here just to help the Snow Empire search for a missing person. If he ruined a national mission because of a moment of temper, even Cassio could not take responsibility for it.
He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could say anything, a messenger soldier with an anxious face suddenly rushed into the council hall holding up a command token, interrupting the discussion.
“Urgent report! Lord Lian, urgent news from the west!!!”
The people of the Austre Empire didn’t understand what was going on, but the northern leaders, with Lian at the front, all immediately changed expressions. Some were even so excited they stood straight up on the spot, quickly pressing the soldier to speak.
“Is there news of the Holy Maiden candidate?!”
They didn’t recognize this messenger, but the command token in his hand was one specially made by the [Eternal Winter Temple]. It was only used in the most urgent situations. With this token, one could pass freely through every gate and checkpoint of the northern nations. Stopping such a messenger would be considered treason and a great offense.
Compared to the others, Lian, though young, was calm and steady because of his high position. Seeing the messenger out of breath from long travel, he immediately activated his divine seal to send a light that calmed the soldier’s blood and breath, then asked:
“What happened? Don’t rush, explain slowly.”
“Yes… reporting to the lords. I come from Gore Fortress, east of the Preston Kingdom. By the order of the fortress lord, I am here to ask for help. Icefang Island… has erupted in a riot!”
“What did you say?”
When they heard this name, the faces of the northern leaders changed again. Lian was the first to react, frowning.
“Icefang Island having trouble is indeed a big matter. But why did you come all the way here to ask for our help? Could it be…”
Before he could finish his guess, the messenger quickly nodded without hesitation.
“We have discovered traces of Lady Moraya, the Holy Maiden candidate. She is on Icefang Island right now. The information is absolutely correct. I beg you, my lords, please send aid immediately!”
…………………………………………
Now, let us rewind time a little, back to when everything had just begun.
Waves crashed against the rocks. Two young girls walked together along a rather desolate shoreline, staring at each other with wide eyes.
“So… where exactly is this place?”
“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask then? This is my first time in your northern lands too. Don’t treat me like I’m some all-knowing, all-powerful being, okay?”
It turned out that when Violet and Moraya came out from the sea and returned to the outside world, they landed nearby, only to realize that this place was not anywhere near the Nofenburg they knew. It didn’t even belong to the territory of the Ice-Sea Principality anymore. Instead, it was a coastline that seemed almost deserted.
Since there were no landmarks, they had no idea what this place was. But judging from the priestess’s sense of position and the location of a certain Dragon God, the distance between them was probably at least a thousand kilometers.
Walking lightly above the ground, the snow girl with six floating silk-like ribbons glowing with spiritual energy lifted her gaze to examine her surroundings. Since a certain someone was completely unreliable, she had no choice but to figure things out herself. After a moment, she asked again.
“Miss Violet, you said it’s already been half a month since the day of the Calamity Beast tide, is that really true? It doesn’t feel that long to me.”
“More or less… I didn’t really count carefully. Because of certain things, the rules of time and space in that inner world were distorted compared to the outside world. Even though we only stayed inside for maybe two or three days at most, the difference can easily stretch to much longer. The same goes for the coordinate shift. That’s just how the laws of the world work. You’ll get used to it later~”
Violet muttered lazily, with her hands folded behind her back, strolling casually along the shore as if it had nothing to do with her.
Of course, she wasn’t about to admit that it was actually her fault. The rampage she caused inside the forest had messed up the inner world’s rules, which led to this situation…
Since she acted so convincingly calm, Moraya didn’t notice her guilty conscience. After walking for a while longer and carefully observing the area, she thought for a moment and then said:
“The Ice Sea is, well, an Ice Sea. Its resources may not be as rich as the outer seas, but the coastal areas shouldn’t be this desolate. Look around, this kind of ruined environment clearly shows that almost no living creatures have come here for many years. It doesn’t make much sense.”
“I heard that in the northwest of the Ice Sea, there is a peninsula. That region is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with only a very narrow strip of land, just a few kilometers wide, connecting it to the outside. It is called the Endless Corridor. As for that peninsula itself, its shape looks like a sharp fang of a beast, so it was named Icefang Island.”
“They say Icefang Island is exactly like what we see now. Barren and lifeless, a harsh and desolate place. Maybe… we really did end up on that island.”