Chapter 45: The Foundation of the Great Ice Plain

Chapter 45: The Foundation of the Great Ice Plain

On the vast square, a beautiful, magnificent crystal fountain continuously sprayed sparkling mist.

The steaming droplets mingled with the ancient, castle-like buildings, creating a stunning tableau that made countless onlookers stop in awe.

"No matter how many times I come here, I can't help but marvel," the man gently removed his silver glasses, "Incompetent people have built such a wonder. It's truly astonishing. Don’t you think so, boss?"

"After all, they were once guided by a great being. It’s not surprising that the power of Qiongqi created a royal academy," said the man in a holy white robe, standing with his hands behind his back.

He wore an incredibly luxurious white robe, densely embroidered with intricate gold threads, forming a flock of jubilant doves flying from the cuffs to the shoulders and neck. Below the birds was an exquisitely crafted golden round/circular clock.

Gears of various sizes intertwined, creating an indescribably beautiful clock with an aesthetic of complex elegance.

The long and short hands both pointed in the same direction at the very top.

"Your Excellency, the Bishop." A group of mages, passing by the figure standing under the tree, turned their steps, approaching to bow respectfully.

Their billowing white robes were magically embroidered with the faintly glowing words “Elbilir City.”

"Your Excellency, the Bishop." Another group of mages in white robes also lined up in turn, bowing to the person under the shade of the tree.

They were from the city of Alaraph.

More and more groups of mages from different towns stopped at the same spot, calling out the same name and performing the same bowing ritual.

In the entire Assyrian Empire, the only person who could be called "Bishop" was this man before them—the true ruler of the Royal Academy, so revered that even the Emperor himself bowed in his presence, Theodore of the Holy Church.

"The trial is about to begin," Theodore's golden pupils seemed to be filled with dazzling sunlight, "I hope today, you won’t disappoint me."

Watching the group of mages, each with their own thoughts, depart, the silent man put on his silver glasses, his words quickly dissipating in the wind.

"Boss, Clifford has failed. The women living underground suddenly attacked our base in Elbilir City, and Clifford used magic upon his departure, alerting them."

"It's of no consequence, Budapest," the archbishop looked up at the towering golden academy, "Sacrifices are necessary to fulfill our desires. Rather, it's the true gods who are sifting."

"The incompetent have no right to ascend that upward staircase." Theodore opened his palm, and a tender green leaf was brought to his hand by the early spring breeze.

He stroked the leaf's veins, speaking slowly and deliberately, "But those women, they need to be dealt with swiftly. I granted Black Leyr such a vast expanse of the Ice Plain, even sent my most successful pet. All this time, and all he has made are useless puppets?"

"Mr. Black Leyr indeed hasn't achieved any notable successes, not even discovering the foundation of the Great Ice Plain, which you most desire. But—" Budapest changed his tone, "he remains loyal and has truly devoted much to the mission. I believe with just a bit more time, he will bring you satisfying results."

"After all, Mr. Black Leyr is the world's most powerful Dark Archmage."

"And that little bug flying around everywhere," Theodore gently pinched the tender leaf, the green foliage instantly turning into dust in his palm.

"That little bug that stirred chaos in Elbilir City," Theodore's golden eyes fixed on Budapest, "eliminate her, and the world's decay slows, today's trial being the prime example."

"Budapest, for the first time, something has slipped out of my control. Do you understand what that means?"

"Yes," Budapest bowed deeply, "I understand, and I will resolve all your troubles."

*

This orphanage had been operating for many years, and even with the aid of magic, Faye, who had been copying documents all night, was dizzy with exhaustion.

Not until dawn broke, and rustling sounds came from outside, did the insect shakily fly out of the principal's office.

The blizzard from last night had passed, and gentle sunlight once again graced the land.

To prevent the melting snow from refreezing on the ground, the children in the orphanage were called out early in the morning.

"Time to shovel the snow!" The cook and laundress shouted orders as the children lined up to fetch tools from the storeroom.

They were all sleepy-eyed, just like the little insect perched on the window.

"Jenny!" the cook suddenly singled out a girl from the crowd and pulled her aside, "You don't need to go. Lord Lans will personally come to pick you up today. You must get ready now; the principal will be here in 5 minutes."

Lans?

Hearing the familiar name, Faye forced herself to become alert and looked in the direction of the voice.

There stood a mature-looking girl, her expression as cold as the winter snow. She had uncommonly long, straight black hair that cascaded down like a waterfall.

In the entire orphanage, only she and another similarly mature girl wore their hair down.

Upon hearing the cook's words, Jenny simply nodded and briskly walked in the opposite direction of the crowd, presumably to "get ready."

Just as Faye was about to follow, she overheard the other children whispering.

"It's so lucky, being chosen by Lord Lans right upon coming of age, and getting a job at the academy."

"I want to go to the academy too someday. What a kind lord he is! I'd much rather stay by Lord Lans's side than be adopted!"

"Dream on, it's not that easy. I overheard the principal's wife saying to someone that Jenny is the first child from our orphanage that Lans has taken a liking to in many years!"

"Why can't I? I'll definitely make it too!"

"You should wait until you're of age first!"

Jenny, just come of age, chosen for a job—wasn't she just like those 12-year-old girls?

Wasn't this blatantly waving a flag screaming "I have a problem"?

Faye carefully recalled previous events.

Polly had once said that only she was special, transformed to avoid detection by the powerful senior witches by absorbing power from the Sea of Illusions.

Other witches didn't require such complex procedures.

But Faye had never seen one; she didn't know what ordinary witches looked like, or if they too were reduced to such a terrifying state of just a head.

Nor did she know what kind of mark would be left before becoming a witch.

She had only conducted a cursory check last night; there were no magical traces on the children.

Everything was unknown, but when the meal is served right in front of you, it’s not time to hesitate because of worries.

The insect followed Jenny as she went to freshen up, and then to the principal's office.

Coincidentally, an affable elderly man was also heading towards the office from the other side of the corridor.

"Good morning, Jenny," the old man greeted the girl with a smile.

Faye had seen this face in Lans's fate—the orphanage principal. A kind and gentle appearance with the endearing warmth typical of the elderly.

"Good morning, Mr. Marlen," Jenny replied.

The odd pause in her speech made the insect in the corner hold its breath.

The principal leisurely took out a key, just as he aimed it at the keyhole, he paused.

"The blizzard last night was quite heavy, wasn’t it?" the old man turned to chat with Jenny.

His hair was completely white, and because he often smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes were all curved.

Jenny didn't respond, just nodded her head.

Marlen then turned the key, opening the door.

A chill emanated from the room. Faye noticed Mr. Marlen intentionally pausing his steps, allowing Jenny to enter first before slowly following her in, leaving the door open.

"With age, movement becomes more difficult," Marlen muttered as he slowly sat down, pulling open a drawer at a leisurely pace and taking out a fresh magical scroll from the top.

"Once you're at the academy, listen to Lord Lans," Marlen spoke while writing on the scroll, "It's the first time in many years that Lord Lans has invited an outsider to the academy. You must work diligently. Even if it's just menial tasks like cleaning, do it with utmost dedication, understand? Now, write your name here."

Marlen passed the scroll over, revealing he had been writing a contract.

Once signed, Jenny would work at the academy for three years, and the academy couldn't dismiss her unilaterally. Violating the contract would lead to punishment for Lans.

Watching this scene, Faye remained silent.

Jenny wrote down her name, not uttering a word throughout the process.

"All right, now you can go and pack your belongings, change into clean clothes. Someone will be at the main gate to pick you up after lunch," Marlen politely ushered the girl out.

The elderly man then slowly shuffled back to his chair, sinking into it as if exhausted.

Faye's eyes widened.

After this, Marlen remained motionless, sitting rigidly in his chair as if paused.

A bolt of lightning struck Faye's mind.

This posture of the principal... was he like... a puppet?!

Instructor Belona had once mentioned during the interception of 12-year-old girls trafficking that some of the individuals involved were puppets of a Dark Archmage.

"Clumsy movements but highly proficient in ancient curses. Indistinguishable at a glance, but unmistakably apparent upon closer interaction." This was Instructor Belona's exact description.

"Normal humans, even when aged beyond recognition, can't sit motionless like wood for extended periods."

"Coupled with Malen's extremely slow actions, Fiya reasonably suspects a connection with the Dark Archmage."

"The Dark Archmage, a profession of the dark faction, is a fallen cleric proficient in black magic."

"Unlike witches with their high-damage, wide-range AOE skills, Dark Archmages focus on behind-the-scenes manipulation."

"Typically low in physical strength, they excel at crafting puppets for self-protection and manipulating others into servitude."

"Their black magic skills are usually targeted at single entities, but given enough time, they can conjure armies or even cities of puppets."

"In the 'Gods and Demons Continent' game, a group of unconventional Dark Mages preferred construction over dungeon raids and gear farming."

"Using black magic to control various monsters and elite mobs, they dragged them to vacant lands to build mini-towns, indulging their fantasies."

"The purpose of the puppets depends on the magic used by the Dark Archmage."

"Polly is a prime example of 'Curse Invasion,' likely the same for other cursed witches. They replace others' thoughts with 'control,' turning them into new puppets."

"They're akin to 'squad leaders' among puppets."

"The opponent faced by Instructor Belrona was most likely a combat puppet."

"No wonder Quincy conducts trades with Black Moon here; no wonder I found nothing. With the orphanage director being a Dark Archmage's puppet, is there even a need to hide useless records or clues? Perhaps the entire orphanage is his plaything."

"But if that's the case, why go to such lengths to perfectly manage the adoption and employment details of those children, leaving no flaws?"

"Who is this 'Director' performing these meticulous acts for?"

Fiya's mind flickered with a face, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

"Lance is barely level 60, while creating something like Polly requires a Dark Mage of at least level 90; it's like comparing grandparents to grandchildren, so why resort to such a roundabout and complicated method?"

Could it be... related to the "Foundation of the Great Ice Plain" that Lans argued about with his brother last night?

Still, the clues are too scant.

Acting rashly at this moment wouldn't be wise.

Once the insect confirmed the old man made no further movements, it finally fluttered its wings and left the principal's office.

However, as she completely departed, Marlen, who had been statue-like until then, slowly turned his head, staring intently in the direction where the insect disappeared.

*

Since Jenny wasn't leaving until after lunch, Faye followed the information she had copied to a cluster of buildings in the western district of Lulubi City.

There weren't many places in Lulubi City that adopted children or took in those nearing adulthood.

With three days left until her final exam, Faye decided to investigate each one.

In the western district, there was a family that had adopted children from the orphanage.

Faye sneaked in and found a family of three, quiet and busy with their own affairs.

The storeroom was stacked with frequently used ice chisels and climbing equipment, and the male head of the household's bedroom had a [Lulubi City Rescue Team] ID card hanging.

This family had adopted a boy, around 8 years old this year.

The second house was a bit south of the center.

The home was eerily silent, with a [Fishing Champion] trophy hanging above the woman's bed. The low cabinet below displayed several medals from her championship wins in various fishing competitions.

In the neighboring utility room, they also found several sets of fishing and snow shoveling tools.

This family had a 7-year-old girl with short hair.

Faye pondered thoughtfully.

She then visited a house in the northern district of the city.

Before even entering, she spotted a small wooden plaque hanging on the fence outside, labeled [Gold Medal Hunter], complete with the academy's magical seal.

The house was eerily silent, with recently used snow removal and climbing tools quietly drying in the empty living room, and a bow and quiver of about level 30 in the adults' bedroom.

This family had also adopted a boy, 11 years old.

Faye felt she was getting closer to something.

After visiting the fourth and fifth houses, she began to see a pattern.

Every family that had adopted a child shared an unsettling silence. Most crucially, the adults' professions were all related to frequent outdoor exploration, even excelling in their fields.

Similarly, the working orphans were placed in busy, information-rich environments like taverns and inns.

These children were also not fond of speaking.

Recalling what Instructor Sallyra had said about the man-made demon god, "It seems to be searching for something, quickly learning to conceal its presence after arriving at the Great Ice Plain."

From this, Faye formed a hypothesis—the Black Moon was searching for something significant in the Northern region.

Something that couldn't be obtained through slaughter or mind-controlling magic.

Their only option, apart from slight infiltration, was to search through sheer manpower.

Therefore, this item must be known only to a very few, specific individuals.

Black Moon wasn't sure who exactly knew the location of the Ice Plain's foundation—it could be someone in a prominent position or an inconspicuous person.

She felt she had grasped a key insight—the Dark Archmage made every detail of the orphanage perfect because even he didn't know who possessed the crucial information. He had to resort to the most rudimentary method!

Transforming so many people in the Great Ice Plain into puppets would take an enormous amount of time.

If he exposes himself over this small detail, startling the enemy, they might never get their hands on the real clues!

The insect lingered long on the window ledge of the inn, and Faye felt like she was solving a puzzle in a hellishly difficult detective game.

Her mind flashed back to last night when Lans unhesitatingly used a forgetfulness spell on her and his brother, making her genuinely admire his caution.

No wonder the Dark Mage was willing to stay in the cold North for so long, because he hasn't yet discovered the foundation of the Great Ice Plain.

He probably never imagined that the foundation's location isn't known to just a few, but that nobody knows it at all.

Last night's forgetfulness spell was the best proof.

Not even allowing himself to remember, that Ice Mage is truly ruthless.

But why hasn't Black Moon simply turned Lans into a puppet? As the head of the academy, he seems like the first one they’d want to control.

Is it impossible to invade Lans or Eugene? That's hard to believe, as Faye knows them to be only moderately strong, not exceptionally so.

Any random person from Black Moon could easily overpower them.

Possession of resistance items? Even less likely.

If that were true, the Dark Mage would have detected the problem immediately, and Lans wouldn’t have survived peacefully until now.

So why...

She calmly raised each hypothesis, only to immediately find reasons to dismiss them.

Until, in the end, only one guess remained lingering in her mind.

Even though Faye was reluctant to believe it, this seemed to be the only explanation.

—Could Lans already be an insider for Black Moon?

To avoid revealing himself in front of so many powerful figures, he might have found a way to make himself forget everything.

Suddenly, with this perspective, everything started to make sense.

This included the close relationship between Lans and the orphanage principal Marlen in the Wheel of Fate display; perhaps Lans was ostensibly helping to search for the foundation of the Great Ice Plain.

This could also explain why his impulsive younger brother managed to survive until now.

But this spell couldn’t be a permanent solution to forgetfulness, as evident from Eugene's angry argument yesterday.

He said his brother had used this spell on him before, but yesterday, triggered by a specific situation, he remembered everything, forcing Lans to cast it again.

So, Lord Lans not only outwitted everyone in Black Moon, single-handedly protecting most residents of the North, but also kept himself and his brother, who were at the eye of the storm, safe until now, rising to power in both the academy and the knights?

This truly shocked Faye.

The insect lifted its tiny legs, rubbing its head.

Traveling from Elbilir City to the North, staying awake for two days straight, her head felt like it was about to explode.

But it wasn't time to rest yet; there was still the unresolved matter of Jenny.

Why was the Dark Mage sending Jenny now, after such a delay? Was it because Lans was gradually losing trust, prompting Jenny to give him a nudge?

Thinking of Jenny brought Faye back to the other orphans she had just investigated.

They were both boys and girls, but none of them seemed to be cursed witches.

Only Jenny was different from the rest.

Jenny's odd sentence breaks reminded Faye of how she felt when Polly was halfway through invading her.

And then there was the peculiar, disheveled hair.

The orphans had daily chores, making long hair particularly inconvenient for girls.

If Jenny was a cursed witch, it meant that witches were specifically used to target people with strong magical powers, while ordinary people could be managed with just a few puppets.

A shadow fell across Faye's eyes.

Despite her reluctance to admit it, that orphanage was indeed a “breeding ground” crafted by Black Moon.

Rooted in the North, they transformed some children into puppets to infiltrate and gather intelligence among ordinary people. A select few special girls were turned into new “witches,” sent to other towns under the guise of adoption or employment.

Creating a few fake records was child’s play for a level 90-plus Dark Mage.

Otherwise, Faye wouldn’t have found the transaction records for Lulubi City at Quincy's.

A cloud of black mist fell to the ground, shaping into Faye as she slowly lifted her eyes.

The orphanage couldn’t be left as it was.

But now wasn’t the time to act.

Until the foundation of the Great Ice Plain was found, even if one orphanage or one Dark Mage was eliminated, Black Moon would surely send others.

Endless, like unkillable cockroaches.

She had to resolve this once and for all.

How? By finding the foundation of the Great Ice Plain.

A thin mist exhaled slowly from her mouth, Faye removed her gloves and scooped up some clean snow, forming it into a hard ball before placing it in her mouth to chew slowly.

The chill sharpened her mind as she unfolded a map of the North, comparing the marked areas with the map from her memory of the game.

Eventually, there was only one location that was completely different in reality compared to the game.

It was more accurate to say that while it was conspicuously present in the game, in reality, it was completely unmarked.

The name of that place was clear in Faye's memory—Holy Snow Mountain.

The moment she connected all the dots, she almost wanted to laugh hysterically.

The current Black Moon could never imagine that in the near future, not only would they uncover Lans's secret and the foundation of the Great Ice Plain, but they would also turn this experience into a game quest, repeated endlessly by players.

Every player's success was a complete mockery of Lans's current efforts.

Probably the Ice Mage's ignorance of his surroundings was driving Black Moon to frustration.

Thus, in the distant game world of "Gods and Demons Continent," a seemingly useless but still existing quest, [Repairing the Broken Holy Snow Mountain], appeared.

The snowy owl took flight again, heading straight towards the outskirts of the city.

Author's note:

My tendinitis is acting up... it's quite painful. I've scheduled acupuncture and physiotherapy for tomorrow. So, my dearest readers, I'm truly sorry, but I might not be able to write as much these next few days... I’ll try my best, but probably can’t write as much... I’m really sorry, thank you for understanding. orz