Chapter 1 The faint white light of four o'clock in the afternoon slanted across the city walls of Kingston, and the chill of the snowy plains gradually deepened.

Walking along the road, the edges of the entire city wall were still covered with fine white snow. This layer of silver-white coat that had not melted for a long time made the texture of the stone bricks appear brighter in the sunlight.

Ranchi's meeting with the lords was also coming to an end.

Tomorrow, after finishing the final handover tasks that only he, as governor, could complete, he would leave Snowfield Province and head to the far northern Border Province.

"Speaking of which, from Professor Mekki's incident, I heard that an investigation team came from the capital. It was because of the information you revealed to these guests from the capital that you further misunderstood him as me. I'm a little curious about what exactly they told you."

Ranchi turned his head and asked the city-state lords.

The lords immediately looked a little embarrassed.

After the final investigation, this Professor Mekki was actually a cadre of the Spectre Party, who had once taught at the Protos Royal Magic Academy. After resigning, he went to live in Box Hill Province. Taking advantage of the current situation, the information gap, and his extremely strong煽动 (shāndòng - incite) ability, he found a good opportunity and almost infiltrated the high-level ranks of Snowfield Province.

If Professor Mekki and Viscount Boone had really colluded and taken control of Snowfield Province, the consequences would have been disastrous. They probably would have paid an irreparable price before they even had a chance to find out the truth.

It could be said that in this matter, no matter how the governor who saved them punished them, they would not have any complaints.

The lords briefly exchanged glances, and finally Viscount Levin Kingston spoke first.

"Recently, there has been a rumor that Boone City in the far north received unidentified refugees. They claimed that something terrible had happened in the north, but after we sent people to contact the northern Border Province, we found that this was not the case. We couldn't even find the identity that the refugee claimed to have. It was as if this person had been fabricated out of thin air. And his mental state was obviously very wrong. He was quickly sent to the hospital, and then he committed suicide."

"Did you go to the north for on-site inspections?"

Ranchi stroked his chin and nodded.

In fact, from the conversation with Viscount Kingston, Ranchi knew that the investigation team had orders to prohibit the disclosure of information, so directly asking might cause the lords to be vague or make it difficult to ask for all the key information.

Judging from the investigation team's route, Ranchi had some guesses. It was likely related to the northern Border Province, which was the final destination that Chloris had entrusted him to investigate. Even Chloris's father, Duke Morodian Berenhard, the holder of the [Primordial Tablet - Necromancy], had disappeared in this northern region.

"This matter is too absurd. It is said that not only our Snowfield Province, but other northern city-states have also received similar refugees, which ultimately attracted the attention of the capital and led to the dispatch of an elite investigation team led by Major General Van Reik."

A lord next to him added.

"Major General Van Reik..."

Ranchi murmured to himself.

Ranchi had heard of this imperial general in the capital. He was born into a noble family in the Protos Empire and received strict military training and strategic education from an early age. He showed extraordinary commanding talent and combat capabilities in his youth. Now, at only thirty-five years old, he was already a well-known seventh-tier expert and an imperial major general.

The empire's dispatch of Major General Van Reik suggested that the potential threat of the situation was greater than it currently appeared on the surface.

"Now it's terrifying. Residents cannot contact the south, and transportation to the north has been temporarily suspended. The communication stations in the north are often unstable. We are very worried that enemies we cannot resist will emerge from the north at any time. The main garrisons are in the northern Border Province and the northwestern Province. It is unlikely that the empire will allocate forces to concentrate on this Snowfield Province, which is mainly snow-covered and has a relatively small built-up area."

"At that time, the railway was still operating, and our dispatched spies confirmed that there were no problems after arriving at the local site for verification."

While Ranchi was thinking, another lord sighed and said.

In fact, there shouldn't be too many problems, because the war has not yet begun, and the northern defense line has sufficient garrison strength, so nothing should happen.

After speculation, the greater possibility was that spies from enemy countries were trying to spread panic and suspicion in the north.

"What kind of terrible thing is it that makes you care so much?"

Ranchi asked again.

Now that everyone was together, linking this matter with Professor Mekki's烏龍 (wūlóng - blunder), they naturally did not dare to perfunctorily answer. Seeing that someone had broken the ban and spoken, they had nothing to fear and could say everything openly.

His sharp question was like a cold dagger, making everyone present feel the tense atmosphere in the air.

The nobles looked at each other, their eyes filled with unease and hesitation. Some swallowed lightly, while others subconsciously stroked their clothes.

In this silence, there were only slight breaths and exchanged glances.

Finally, Levin Kingston slowly stepped forward. His eyes became firm, and the wrinkles on his face and his silver-gray hair added a touch of composure and majesty.

"That refugee said..."

Viscount Levin Kingston paused, finding it difficult to organize the specific words.

"The northern Border Province was subjected to a massacre and has already been dyed a scarlet land."

He said in Ranchi's ear.

Although no one would easily believe this absurd news, it sounded too frightening to them, especially in the current wartime atmosphere. Once it spread, even if the authenticity was low, it might cause a lot of panic.

"..."

Ranchi was silent and lost in thought once again.

He stood on the city wall, looking into the distance. The ice and snow mountains were faintly visible in the frost and snow, unable to reveal their outlines.

The place where even Chloris's father had disappeared seemed extremely dangerous.

If he went alone, he would probably face certain death.

He originally thought that being with the Batian Church would be absolutely safe, but it seemed that continuing north might lead to dangers that even the Batian Church might not be able to handle.

Something seemed to be brewing in the far north, and it was invisibly approaching the critical point.

"Askesang, is it you who wants to harm the empire?"

Ranchi whispered, facing the frost-covered north, his emerald eyes like a bright lamp.

If there was a problem in the north guarded by Bishop Jiemie, the primary responsibility would undoubtedly fall on Bishop Jiemie Askesang.

He, Grand Governor Locke McCarthy, would definitely investigate everything and make all the sins public in the capital, Helrom!

(End of chapter)