Chapter 149: First Arrival in the Dimension

Velrando: Volstold - Snow Wolf Plains:

The boundless wind and snow made it nearly impossible to see the path ahead. Even Sivil, who had undergone bloodline infusion, wrapped herself tightly in a gray cloak and forged ahead with heavy steps across the snowy expanse. She raised her head to gaze into the distance, exhaling a long plume of warm breath, its vibrant life force causing the vapor to gather rather than disperse.

This physical attribute had undoubtedly crossed the threshold of the Bronze tier. For someone of the Ice-Snow Clan, whose focus was primarily on mental power, this greatly exceeded the average baseline.

Sivil had been walking through this vast, snowy wilderness for two days now. The harshness of the environment truly surpassed her expectations. If she continued like this and failed to find a place of habitation soon, she might genuinely run into serious trouble.

Being a member of the Ice-Snow Clan did not mean immunity to cold; rather, this demographic simply favored such an environment. Because the low-temperature climate resulted in low atmospheric activity and stable energy molecules, it was ideal for research. Consequently, most academic-minded Ice-Snow Clan mages liked to build their mage towers in cold regions. In other words, their nickname was given to them by outsiders. Their physical constitutions were not inherently extraordinary, at least not to the extent of being immune to ice and cold.

Sivil was a prime example. Having walked in the snow for so long, her physical stamina was gradually failing her. Yet she dared not rest casually in the open snow; if she failed to keep moving and rested out in the open air, she might very well freeze to death!

Fortunately, Sivil finally spotted a sparse gathering of people in the distance.

As she drew closer, Sivil realized the population was not actually small—numbering at least five hundred in total, though they were quite scattered, each busy constructing their own snow huts.

Things like snow huts had also existed in the history of Planet D, but as global warming melted the poles and made them uninhabitable, the craft gradually faded away with the evolution of time.

The so-called snow hut was a unique architectural structure built by snow-dwellers using snow bricks of various specifications. Quick to construct and effective at retaining warmth, snow huts were generally built by snow-dwellers as temporary shelters when the weather turned too cold for tents. When the climate warmed, the lifespan of the snow hut came to an end. This craft was generally an essential skill for any snow-dweller.

Sivil stood in a prominent, elevated spot and waited quietly. This group appeared to be tribal in nature. In Sivil's experience, most tribal people were relatively hospitable. Even though everyone was busy, if she approached to ask for assistance, most would likely respond. However, her goal was not merely to find a place to rest, but also to gather intelligence. Intelligence was best sought from those of higher status; ordinary tribesmen tended to have average levels of education, whereas chieftains and leaders were far more erudite and capable of better communication.

Her attire was vastly different from theirs, yet exquisitely crafted. Combined with her inherent demeanor, merely standing in a prominent place would naturally draw the attention of others, with a high probability that the leader of this settlement would personally come to meet her!

Sure enough... not long after, an elder appearing to be over sixty years old, accompanied by two attendants, walked up to her, crossed his arms, and saluted: "A traveler from afar, what brings you here?"

It was quite logical for the other party to instantly recognize her as a traveler from afar due to the stark difference in attire. The clothing of snow-dwellers was mostly crafted from animal pelts as raw materials, and their dressing style was entirely different from other regions. Typically, the upper body was clad only in a thick fur coat without any undergarments. The fur coat was lightweight; although open at the bottom, warm air naturally rose, preventing heat from escaping downward. The fur coat featured an attached hood, tied tightly to prevent heat from escaping from the top.

This unique style of dress was exclusive to snow-dwellers, so discerning individuals could tell at a glance that Sivil came from afar.

"Greetings, elder!" Sivil also bowed and returned the salute. The etiquette of the Ice-Snow Clan was concise and graceful, lacking the elaborate complexity of the Elves and the arrogant posture of the Undead, appearing both humble and naturally endearing.

Returning the bow, Sivil said warmly, "My homeland has suffered the ravages of war, and I have fled here to escape the disaster. Seeing signs of human habitation, I came out of curiosity to take a look!"

"Man-made calamity?" The elder nodded. "Our guest certainly knows how to pick a place; this region rarely sees the scourge of war." He then gazed up at the sky, sighed, and said, "Yet we mortals are born to suffer endless hardships; if not by human hands, then through natural disasters."

"Natural disasters?" Sivil asked with curiosity.

"Our guest comes from afar and perhaps hasn't noticed." The elder gave a bitter smile. "Here, Winter is coming!"

Winter is coming? Sivil paused for a moment, looking around. In this weather, was it not still autumn?

"It will get even colder?"

"Far more severe than our guest can possibly imagine!" The elder sighed, then adopted a gentle expression. "My snow hut has already been constructed. If our guest does not mind, would you care to come inside and sit for a while?"

"I am deeply grateful!" Sivil bowed once more.

The elder nodded with a smile. Although his tribe was relatively hospitable, what caught his attention was Sivil herself—not referring to her beauty, but her strength. The elder, as the chieftain of the tribe, possessed some discernment. For a woman dressed in such attire to travel alone through the snow in this kind of weather meant she was certainly extraordinary. Moreover, seeing the vapor from her breath from afar had made him even more certain that she was a capable individual.

In the snowy wilderness, it was easy to judge a person's physical strength by their exhaled breath. Judging by Sivil's breath, even the royal knights the elder had once encountered in the capital could not exhale such concentrated vapor that held together like an arrow several meters away!

Capable people would be respected wherever they went; that was an inevitable truth. Yet he could not have anticipated that this single correct choice would bring him and his tribe unimaginable rewards in the future!

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Just as Sivil found her first resting place, Guo Lang also stepped into this plane. Unlike Sivil, the place where he arrived could be considered a relatively normal starting point—it appeared to be a fairly prosperous city.

Guo Lang's party consisted of four people in total. Aside from Guo Lang and Alice, there were also Abel and Kelly. Guo Lang's home plane was developing smoothly, but because it was still in the early stages of construction, Guo Lang could not mobilize too many people. Ultimately, apart from Alice, who possessed the strongest combat prowess, there was Abel, who had just advanced to a Tier-2 unit, the Wild Druid. The Night Elves possessed the heritage of Druids, but units and heroes were two entirely different concepts; the former had significant flaws compared to the latter. However, this type of unit was one of the few Night Elf units capable of direct frontal combat, and Guo Lang intended to gather a large number of troop sources in this plane for Abel to train such units.

Then came Kelly. Actually, because of Thomas, Guo Lang originally did not want to call her along. Thomas was responsible for soldier training and drilling units, so he naturally could not be easily reassigned. As Thomas's lover, Kelly was naturally not easy for Guo Lang to mobilize either. However, this time Kelly had actively requested to follow Guo Lang to this plane, which made Guo Lang perceive that some issues seemed to have arisen between the two. He hesitated at the time, but ultimately agreed; in his absence, the fewer conflicts within the base, the better.

Guo Lang looked around, his brow furrowed deeply. The surrounding atmosphere felt very wrong; the sprawling streets were practically devoid of people. Judging by the density of the buildings and the display racks in the surrounding markets, this city should have been quite prosperous, yet at this moment, not a single person was on the avenue. Almost everyone was hiding indoors, and Guo Lang keenly spotted several pairs of eyes peering out from inside many of the houses.

Something is wrong! Guo Lang's heart sank. At that moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly echoed. Exchanging glances, the group quickly scattered to hide behind various buildings. They were all draped in cloaks, which made them quite conspicuous. The rhythmic sound of those hooves most likely belonged to local knights; becoming entangled with them would lead to great trouble.

It wasn't that Guo Lang and his companions intentionally wanted to dress this way, but having just arrived in this plane, they lacked local attire. Were they supposed to stroll around here wearing Adidas? That would draw even more attention. Wearing cloaks might occasionally turn heads under normal circumstances, but generally, it wouldn't cause any major issues, as an occasional traveler in a cloak could be seen on city streets.

However, the place currently seemed to be in a sensitive period, which meant the attire of their group could become rather problematic. Thus, Guo Lang and the others had no choice but to temporarily hide and observe in secret.

"Xiaotao, analyze our positional situation!"

"Master, you are located in St. Landburg, one of the six northern cities of the former Ross Empire in this plane. However, this region has been occupied by the Byla Royal Court for a decade, and the citizens here are subjects of the Byla Royal Court. Nevertheless, according to the latest intelligence, the Fourth Prince of the Ross Empire seems to be leading an army to reclaim the lost territory!"

"So it's a war zone?" Guo Lang nodded. That explained the situation outside, though he certainly had chosen a terrible time to arrive.

"Master, please note. Having just entered the plane, bound by protection protocols, I can remind you that there are worshippers of a hostile faction in your vicinity. Please prepare yourself!"

"A hostile faction?" Guo Lang paused. "Where?"

"Unknown, please locate them yourself. One more reminder: the intelligence system of the opposing faction should also alert them. Good luck to you!"

Guo Lang: "................"