Chapter 472: Ice and Snow Queen

Chapter 472: The Ice and Snow Queen

Gusewei led Levi down to the foot of the steps.

She bowed and called out, “Your Majesty.”

Levi paused briefly before returning the gesture with a common mage’s salute.

“A pleasure to meet you, Queen of Ice and Snow.”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

The Ice and Snow Queen slightly raised her hand and said, “Rise.”

Seeing that there were no paladins lying in ambush within the room, Levi secretly let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Though, admittedly, such a thing posed no threat to him at all.

The Ice and Snow Queen gazed at Levi with a faint smile and said, “Master Mage, do you truly intend to speak with me through this magical construct forever?”

“Ah?”

At those words, Gusewei turned to look at Levi in surprise, instinctively glancing his way.

For a moment, she failed to grasp the meaning behind the queen’s words.

Only when the Levi beside her dissolved into mist and vanished did she finally understand—

The person standing next to her had never been Levi at all. It was merely an illusion.

And she hadn’t noticed even the slightest hint.

Confusion welled up inside Gusewei. When had Levi switched his real form for the fake one?

She hadn’t sensed a thing.

Creak—The palace doors opened once more.

Monis and Guze, who stood outside, looked on in bewilderment and uncertainty as Levi walked back into the room again.

Bang!

As the doors closed behind him, the two exchanged glances, each sensing the same confusion in the other’s eyes.

Hadn’t Levi already gone in earlier?

Why was there another Levi now?

But since the palace doors had opened, it meant everything remained under the watchful eye of the Ice and Snow Queen.

Since Her Majesty hadn’t issued any command, Monis made no move.

She simply stored her doubts deep within her heart.

Gusewei stared at the approaching Levi with a complex expression.

Levi smiled lightly and bowed again. “Impressive perception, Your Majesty.”

The Ice and Snow Queen paid no mind to Levi’s little trick. She fixed him with a questioning gaze and asked, “Oh? Would you care to tell me what exactly you’ve done to provoke the Church of the Light into sending legendary paladins after you?”

Hearing this, Levi felt a chill run down his spine.

He too was taken aback—he hadn’t expected the Church of the Light to deploy someone of legendary rank.

Until now, he hadn’t even known that among those pursuing him were individuals of such caliber.

Yet this also indirectly confirmed something else:

If he really wanted to flee, not even legendary-level opponents might be able to catch him.

Despite his inner shock, Levi showed nothing on his face.

After a brief pause, he replied casually, “Not much, really. I borrowed the Tears of the Goddess from the Church of the Light, accidentally broke it, couldn’t return it, and thus became their target.”

Upon hearing this, the Ice and Snow Queen fell silent.

Gusewei stared at Levi, mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a single word.

The Ice and Snow Queen looked at Levi, puzzled by how he could treat such a grave matter so lightly—as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

That was the Tears of the Goddess—an artifact sacred to the Holy Temple itself!

Even she had heard of its power.

Most importantly, this man had actually broken it.

Although she didn’t know how he managed it, just that fact alone justified the Church of the Light sending a legendary paladin after him.

It *was* a holy relic, after all.

A fleeting thought crossed the queen’s mind:

Should she hand Levi over to the Church of the Light? His troubles seemed greater than hers.

But she quickly dismissed the idea, her eyes lighting up instead with a look that clearly said, *This is exactly the kind of person I need.*

Better for Levi to carry heavy burdens—it would make him less afraid of taking on even more trouble.

No matter how great the danger, surely none could surpass being hunted by a legendary paladin.

In that light, Levi was precisely the sort of candidate she desired.

Levi found himself somewhat perplexed—he could sense the shift in the Ice and Snow Queen’s attitude, from silence to admiration.

The Ice and Snow Queen decided not to pry further into Levi’s affairs.

She feared learning anything else that might shake her delicate sensibilities.

Instead, she looked directly at Levi and said, “You must realize why I summoned you—I have a request to make.”

Levi straightened immediately; they were getting to the point.

“Ice and Snow Queen, your influence spans the entire Frozen North. Even the Church of the Light relies upon your strength. What small task could possibly require my assistance?”

“This is no trivial matter,” the queen replied solemnly. “It concerns the fate of every living creature in the Frozen North.”

Levi blinked in mild surprise. “What?”

The Ice and Snow Queen asked, “Have you ever heard of the Abyss of Eternal Frost?”

Levi nodded slowly. “Yes.”

Inside, however, he was surprised—the queen’s request involved the Abyss of Eternal Frost?

She continued, “Then surely you’ve also heard of the Ice Emperor.”

Levi nodded again.

“A thousand years ago, the Ice Emperor slumbered within the Abyss of Eternal Frost. Now, a millennium has passed—and someone seeks to awaken him. Should the Ice Emperor rise, he will bring catastrophic ruin upon the entire Frozen North, perhaps even affecting lands far to the south.”

“If the Ice Emperor awakens, it will spell disaster for the whole northern realm. Worse still, those who seek his revival plan to use his power to seize control of the world.”

“If they succeed, the consequences will be dire for us all.”

“Freld City will bear the brunt of it first.”

At these words, Gusewei wore a shocked expression—she had never heard the Ice and Snow Queen speak of such matters before.

Levi, however, remained relatively calm after listening.

He had grown rather indifferent to the so-called world-ending disasters and crises.

It was the same back when the legendary lich raised the undead scourge.

But in the end, nothing came of it—they didn't even manage to breach the Storm Wall.

Part of that was also because that legendary lich had no desire to break through the Storm Wall and plunge deeper into the Middle World.

Li Wei looked at the Ice Queen and said, "In that case, shouldn't you be telling the Holy Light Church instead? Aren't they the ones specifically tasked with handling apocalyptic threats?"

The Ice Queen gave a bitter smile and replied, "I told those paladins, but they said they were here solely to pursue you. They have no intention of getting involved in this matter, not even bothering to report it to the Holy Light Church."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei wasn't particularly surprised.

During his time with Lancelot in Storm City, Li Wei had already seen through the true nature of the Holy Light Church.

Everything the Holy Light Church did was for the sake of pleasing their gods.

The Ice Emperor hadn't even touched upon the interests of the Holy Light—these two matters were completely unrelated.

Therefore, from the perspective of the Holy Light Church, this was something that could be utterly ignored.

They didn't care if the entire Northern Realm was turned into a frozen wasteland by the Ice Emperor.

Li Wei said, "Even if the Holy Light Church won't act, couldn't you report this to other supernatural powers like the Adventurers' Association or the Mages' Guild?"

The Ice Queen fell silent for a moment before saying, "If the one who wishes to exploit the Ice Emperor's power is among those very people, what do you think would happen then?"

Murder to silence witnesses?

(End of Chapter)