Hao Ren noticed that something seemed to go wrong in the negotiation between Kaim and the soldiers guarding the city. The Knight of the Broken Sword, who seemed particularly confident along the way, came back with a slightly shocked look, which made him couldn't help but ask:
"Having a problem?"
"It's a bit of an unexpected situation," Kaim shook his head and told him the information the soldier told him, "...This is different from the plan I knew when I set out. Her Royal Highness the Princess and the Grand Duke of the North have advanced their marching plan, and it's advanced.
This way, the Broken Sword Knights who came from other parts of the empire and the rebels who responded to the call are likely to be disconnected from the frontline offensive."
Cam had a confused expression on his face, obviously he didn't know why Princess Constance launched the attack so urgently.
"It seems that the situation faced by Her Royal Highness the Princess is not very optimistic." Vivian smelled something bad from this incident for the first time. "It is a taboo for military strategists to launch an attack in advance when there is insufficient preparation.
, there is only one possibility for her to do this, and that is forced by the situation..."
"Aren't we going to enter the city?" Lily blinked and looked at Hao Ren and then at Shuangxue City, "Should we just turn around and chase the princess?"
"Go to the city and rest for the night." Hao Ren patted Lily on the head, telling the husky girl to give up the idea of running directly into the snowfield and running for hundreds of miles to the front line. Although he also understood that this guy with a background as a sled dog was not satisfied when he saw the ice and snow.
The excitement felt at the time, but the team was not all ice and snow fools like her. Charlemagne and others were ordinary people with mortal bodies. They followed the team from the southern border of the empire, passing through the border and passing through the black pine forest.
After being bombarded by ancient weapons and aerial bombs all the way, they were already exhausted. At this time, if they were dragged across the snowfield for hundreds of miles to the front line, the steel man would have to kneel down...
And Hao Ren himself really planned to take a rest in the city. Not only was he a little tired from the experience along the way, but more importantly, a lot of the intelligence he had just collected needed to be calmed down for sorting, and it was the closest place to the Gorgon Abyss.
place, he was also curious about whether there would be any clues found in Frost Snow City.
Kaim also nodded: "This is best. I heard that there is a snowstorm tonight. Although our car is protected, there may be wandering monsters from the North in the snowstorm. It is really not a good idea to continue on the road."
Vivian asked curiously: "Do we have a place to live in the city?"
Cam said in a knightly manner: "The Knights of the Broken Sword have a station in Frost and Snow City, but if Charlemagne and His Highness Alvina are willing, I can arrange for you to lead them to the post house specially prepared for important envoys. There will be more information."
Be more comfortable.”
Charlemagne nodded: "I'll excuse you. We have arrived at the land of Her Highness Constance. I believe that my sister and I are safe here."
So under the guidance of Kaim, an active Broken Sword knight, Hao Ren and his party finally successfully entered Frost Snow City, the largest fortress in the north.
After passing through the extremely thick fortress entrance, which was composed of a large number of enchanted stone bricks and defense machinery, the true appearance of Frost Snow City appeared before everyone's eyes. The layers of thick walls covered it like a protective shell.
The appearance of this "mountain city", but the inside of the fortress is not dimmed because it is covered by the city wall. On the multi-layered city wall, there are a large number of ice crystal-like crystal clusters arranged in an exquisite array, making the outside
Sunlight is introduced into the first layer of the city, and on the mountain on the first layer, more crystal clusters can be seen growing along the buildings. Those crystal clusters extend all the way into the hollowed-out mountain, bringing out the light from the outside again.
Import...
The entire Frost and Snow City shines brightly in the miracle of light outlined by ice crystals.
Due to Shuangxue City's special "living on the mountain, digging out the mountain to build" structure, the city can be said to be arranged three-dimensionally, and the posthouse prepared for important envoys is located near the lord's castle, which is close to the top of the mountain and is connected to the lower part of the mountain.
The residential area has a height difference of thousands of meters, but visitors do not need to climb up the winding stone stairs between the buildings, because there are as many as 122 elevators in the mountain.
It operates around the clock, just like the public transportation system, providing convenience to people living in this city.
Hao Ren and his party put away the vehicle again, accompanied by Kaim and several northern soldiers, passed through the traffic area at the bottom of the city, and entered the elevator hidden in the mountain that circulated along an inclined ramp.
There was a slight sound of mechanical friction, and the large-scale lifting platform began to accelerate smoothly, moving towards the top of the mountain.
"This platform is specially prepared for guests who need to visit the top of the mountain. It will not stop midway and is twice as fast as other platforms," a northern soldier in charge of the reception proudly introduced the city, "
You can see a transparent passage in the middle, which is made of ice with a permanent freezing effect. You don’t have to worry about falling, and you can see the inner city inside the mountain through it.”
The platform runs briskly in the inclined elevator channel. Every once in a while, a light source will pass by. It is a crystal cluster buried in the mountain. The outside sunlight is sent into the city through the crystal cluster, just like a natural lamp.
It was like a tube. Not long after walking, Hao Ren saw the "transparent passage".
It was like a glass tube specially reserved for tourists. Through the crystal clear ice wall, Hao Ren saw the inner city of Frost Snow City. He saw a large number of buildings arranged in an orderly manner within the mountain. Among them
There is no shortage of factories and other facilities, but probably because the army has already set off, the inner city is not as lively as expected, but feels a bit deserted: after all, every city in the north is first and foremost a military fortress.
Yes, after a large number of soldiers are mobilized, the city's operation will naturally slow down.
Suddenly, Hao Ren's attention was attracted by a particularly eye-catching building in the inner city: it was a large building standing in the center of the mountain cavity. It was built of black stones and had neat, spear-like structures.
Like a tower, the main part is a palace divided into three floors.
The palace was obviously incompatible with the surrounding buildings. It was enclosed by itself. Not only was there a wall around it, but soldiers could also be seen patrolling and guarding it. If Hao Ren hadn't known that the Duke of the North's castle was located on the top of the mountain, Hao Ren would have almost wanted to
I thought that this palace located in the heart of the mountain was the lord's residence of Frost Snow City.
"What is that?" Lily also saw the black palace with sharp eyes and couldn't help but asked curiously.
"Ah, that's the old palace," Keim replied casually, "thousands of years ago, His Majesty the Emperor lived there."
Even though he was already on the side of the "rebels", Kaim didn't feel unnatural at all when he mentioned the words "His Majesty the Emperor", and even had a touch of respect in his tone, while the surrounding northern soldiers responded to this
There was no strange behavior, which made Hao Ren couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
"Old Royal Palace?" Lily's curiosity became more intense, "Wait a minute... you said before that the Dragon Empire moved its capital, and the old capital was in the north, so..."
"Don't you even know this?" The accompanying northern soldiers glanced at Lily in surprise, "Frost Snow City is the old capital of the empire, but that was thousands of years ago."
"They don't know much about the history of the Dragon Empire," Kaim took over and changed the topic, "In fact, most of the city has been remodeled and rebuilt completely in the way of a fortress.
It is completely different from the old capital back then. Of course, the old palace you see still retains its original appearance, and there are several other commemorative places that also maintain the appearance of the old capital. If you are interested, I will
I can take you to visit these places. Except that you are not allowed to enter the palace, many places are open to the public."
Hao Ren looked at the old palace, which was almost out of sight, and whispered to himself: "Thousands of years of history... it's really interesting that it can still stand intact."
The voice of the data terminal rang in his mind: "What's even more interesting is that there are some weak energy pulses released from underneath the old palace, and the energy samples are quite complex."
Hao Ren nodded slightly and answered in his mind: "This city is worth exploring."
Then he quickly added: "I'm talking about the kind that won't explode!"
Data terminal: "...What, this machine hasn't said anything yet..."
Hao Ren: "..."
With Cam's recommendation and the "identity certificates" brought by Charlemagne and Aviana, the group's stay in Frost and Snow City went very smoothly.
In fact, Hao Ren didn't care at all about how Keim, Charlemagne and others negotiated with the temporary governor in the city. He just looked forward to settling down in the inn and starting his own investigation.
Before nightfall, everyone finally checked into the warm inn near the lord's castle and had a sumptuous meal in the warm fireplace hall.
This can be said to be the first serious meal that Hao Ren and his party had in a stable environment since entering this world.
If Vivian and Hao Ren hadn't pressed down together, Lily would have almost eaten the whole table...
After dinner, everyone who was physically and mentally exhausted naturally had no interest in participating in any sightseeing activities. Hao Ren also said good night to others and returned to the guest room arranged for him.
The mountaintop platform where the post house is located is not blocked by the city wall. The cold night shines into the house through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, and the fiery red light of the Gorgon Abyss is also mixed in the night, as if filled with blood.
The city has quieted down, but the wind from the plains is gradually strengthening and roaring across the sky and the earth, and in the wind, the shadow of the blizzard can already be seen.
Hao Ren knocked on the casing of the data terminal: "Synchronize vision, help me keep an eye on the surroundings."
The data terminal flickered for a moment, and then Hao Ren felt his eyes blurred and his field of vision suddenly switched.
A world filled with thunder and flames appeared before his eyes.
The field of view comes from Probe No. 3, the current location, the outer area of the Gorgon Abyss.
The first thing that appeared in front of Hao Ren was an extremely huge starship wreckage with eye-catching words on it: