Chapter 515: Trapped Beast

Chapter 515 Trapped Beast

Levi's words sowed deep seeds of doubt in Gusev's heart.

She could not fathom what Levi truly meant.

If it was merely a matter of summoning Monise back, that was trivial.

Gusev quickly issued the command, dispatching a messenger to convey the order to Monise.

Had the Ice Queen still been present, such tedious measures would have been entirely unnecessary.

The Ice Queen could easily establish a connection with anyone within the city walls.

"Very well, Monise should return in a short while," Gusev said.

Then, turning her puzzled gaze upon Levi, she inquired, "What did you mean just now? Confronting her about who the real rebel army is? Could there actually be a counterfeit rebel army?"

Levi related everything Ardi had told him to Gusev.

Incredulity washed over Gusev's face. "That is impossible, is it not? Monise would never do such a thing..."

Levi replied calmly, "That is precisely why we must summon her back for a confrontation, to see whether it is truth or falsehood. This might also be a smokescreen intentionally deployed by the enemy."

In his heart, however, he found that possibility rather slim.

Ardi's reaction had not seemed feigned in the slightest.

Suddenly, Levi recalled the few individuals who had always been Ardi's teammates.

How were they faring?

If those people could be found, perhaps he might unravel what had transpired during this period.

Before that, Levi looked at Gusev and asked, "Have you sensed anything abnormal happening recently?"

Gusev pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "I believe not. It is just that dealing with the affairs of Fred City for the first time makes it feel as though trivial matters are piling up. The abnormal events you speak of do not seem to exist."

Seeing this, Levi stopped counting on Gusev to provide any useful information.

She likely had not even stepped outside the Ice Jade Palace, remaining entirely oblivious to the situation down in Fred City.

Whatever news she did receive consisted entirely of second-hand information filtered through Monise.

It was all exactly what Monise desired her to know.

Levi said, "Wait here a moment, I am going down the mountain. Stay cautious while you are alone in the Ice Jade Palace."

Gusev nodded and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

Levi replied, "I am going to seek out a few people."

At this, Levi suddenly thought of Gu Ze and hurriedly asked, "Where is Master Gu Ze?"

Monise undoubtedly knew that Gu Ze was Gusev's brother.

She might very well abduct Gu Ze to blackmail Gusev.

Sensing the worry embedded in Levi's words, Gusev smiled and said, "Brother is fine. He arrived at the Ice Jade Palace long ago, and entered seclusion just a few days after you did. These matters should not affect him."

Levi breathed a sigh of relief. "That is good then. Let us not speak of these affairs to Master, lest it breed needless worry."

"Well, I am off."

Levi departed from the Ice Jade Palace and made his way down the mountain.

Treading upon the steps sculpted from glacial ice, Levi pondered a single question.

Why did Monise want to kill Gusev?

What was her ultimate motive?

Without unraveling this, one could not comprehend the purpose behind Monise's actions.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The freezing wind howled past Levi's face, bringing a subtle, biting chill.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and raised his eyes to gaze at the city nestled beneath the mountain.

The sky was dim, and fires had already been lit within the city, resembling starlight strewn across the night sky.

Levi extended his hand, as if intending to grasp the entire city within his palm.

He smiled faintly; did Monise's motive truly matter?

It did not matter at all.

As long as Gusev remained unharmed, that was sufficient.

If Monise chose to become an enemy, then he would simply deal with her in the manner one deals with an enemy.

There was no need to overthink it.

When dealing with enemies, Levi had only ever possessed one method—reducing them to ashes.

Even if Monise held some connection to a demon god, it would not deter Levi from striking.

Arriving in the city at the foot of the mountain, Levi noticed that the flow of people upon the streets was rather sparse.

On his very first day in Fred City, he had encountered Xiong Er.

Xiong Er had treated him to a meal, and Levi could be said to have wandered through the night market once.

On that occasion, the crowds upon the streets had not been as thin as what lay before him now.

Scarcely a soul could be seen.

Levi sensed an aura of "panic" permeating the city.

Stepping into a restaurant, he found only a handful of patrons within, everyone eating with lowered heads, devoid of conversation.

A waiter approached and inquired in a low voice, "What does the guest require?"

Levi casually ordered a few dishes, sat down, and asked, "Has something occurred in the city recently?"

The waiter glanced at Levi with some surprise, stealthily eyed the surrounding patrons, and said, "It is rumored that the Ice Queen has vanished. Many gangs have cropped up within the city with no one to govern them. Everything is in utter chaos now, fewer people venture out to hunt, and the price of grain has risen significantly of late."

Levi nodded, producing a gold coin which he proffered to the waiter.

"Speak in greater detail, what else has transpired."

Beholding the gold coin offered by Levi, the waiter's eyes shone with absolute brilliance.

He hastily accepted the gold coin, rubbed it, and took a bite to verify its authenticity before carefully tucking it into a hidden pocket.

Having received such a handsome tip, the waiter did not hesitate to divulge everything he knew to Levi.

Half an hour later, Levi had eaten and drunk his fill, and he stepped out of the restaurant.

The information bought with a single gold coin was worth far more than its price.

In a mere half hour, Levi had grasped the transformations that had overcome the City of Ice and Snow within the span of a month.

The genesis of it all lay in the rumor that the "Ice Queen had vanished."

"Ahahaha! Do not even think of running, stop struggling..." "Ugh, help me!"

Raucous noises echoed from not far away, causing Levi to turn his head to look.

A handful of orcs pursued a human girl, causing the onlookers to flee in avoidance, none willing to lend a helping hand.

Levi's gaze narrowed; had the City of Ice and Snow fallen into such absolute chaos already?

Vines of Ice!

Sizzling! Crackling!

Frost spread and transformed into vines, winding tightly around the bodies of the orcs.

The frigid tendrils instantly pinned the orcs to the spot, rendering them utterly motionless.

Trapped against the freezing vines, the orcs shivered uncontrollably from the biting cold.

Seeing this, the girl cast a glance at Levi, her savior, but without a word of thanks, she promptly plunged into a pitch-black alleyway.

The frozen orcs stared at Levi, their hearts pounding with terror.

A gnoll orc blustered, trying to save face: "Human, don't do anything rash. This sector is our orc territory. If you lay a hand on us, Lord Bloody Hand will certainly not let you off."

"Bloody Hand? Orc territory?"

Through the waiter's prior explanations, Levi had more or less grasped the current situation within the City of Ice and Snow.

The Ice Jade Palace's control over the City of Ice and Snow had declined drastically.

On the surface, the Ice Jade Palace remained the supreme ruler of the city.

In reality, however, the territory within the City of Ice and Snow had long been carved up by several large factions.

Human gangs, orc gangs, dwarf gangs, goblin gangs...

Essentially, the divisions were drawn entirely along racial lines.

Deprived of the Ice Queen's iron-fisted suppression, the conflicts between the different races had erupted violently.

On the other hand, the acute food shortage forced everyone to do everything in their power to snatch more provisions.

Scarcity of food had always been the number one crisis in the City of Ice and Snow.

Even when the Ice Queen was present, it was merely alleviated slightly, leaving everyone with barely enough to survive.

Now, due to the chaotic state of affairs, the number of hunters venturing out had dwindled.

They had also lost the unique hunting channels exclusive to the Ice Queen.

As food supplies steadily diminished, the anxiety in everyone's hearts was pushed to a boiling point.

These were all matters of which Gusevi remained entirely oblivious.

The Ice Jade Palace existed in aloof detachment, untouched by the city at the foot of the mountain, so Gusevi, staying within its walls, could not perceive these changes.

Levi looked at the speaking gnoll and said, "Take me to see this Bloody Hand you speak of."

The gnoll froze in place, never expecting the human before him to be so insolent.

Crack!

The ice vines binding him shattered, cascading to the ground as a pile of frozen shards.

Having regained his freedom, the gnoll nodded in agreement without a second thought.

"Human, follow me."

Bloody Hand was the chieftain of the largest orc gang within the City of Ice and Snow.

His moniker originated from how, after every slaughter, his hands would be dyed crimson with blood.

Over time, he adopted it as his title and intentionally dyed his hands red.

When others saw his blood-red hands, their immediate reaction was panic and flight.

Bloody Hand's ego had inflated accordingly, leading him to believe he had become the master of the City of Ice and Snow.

Today, he remained within the stronghold of the Bloody Hand Gang, fretting over the matter of food.

Compared to the other factions, his orc gang was the least adept at rationing food.

They possessed absolutely no system for managing provisions; whatever food they plundered would be entirely devoured by the gang members within a few days.

Bloody Hand had a massive headache over this, pondering whether to wage war against the goblins' Cannon Gang to steal some of their stored food and alleviate the crisis.

Bang!

The main door was violently kicked open, and Bloody Hand looked up to see a human standing at the threshold, with a courtyard full of his orc lackeys already strewn across the ground outside.

Bloody Hand was momentarily stunned before a wave of fury surged into his heart.

"Curse you, human, you court death!"

Without hesitation, Bloody Hand leapt onto the table and launched a flying pounce toward Levi.

His strength was by no means weak, relying on his orc lineage combined with his warrior class levels.

Among fourth-rank practitioners, he could be considered a formidable powerhouse.

Regrettably, the adversary he faced this time was far beyond anyone he could afford to provoke.

Bang!

Bloody Hand flew backward at an even greater speed, smashing the only table in the room to splinters.

Levi lowered his right foot and walked toward Bloody Hand.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Bloody Hand lay amidst the shattered wood, blood spraying from his mouth and nose, feeling as though his bones had been completely snapped by that single kick.

He stared at the human before him, consumed by sheer terror.

How could such a powerful master appear in his territory?

Levi stepped onto Bloody Hand's chest, forcing his newly raised torso back down to the floor.

Bloody Hand looked up at Levi, sensing an overwhelming pressure and a suffocating aura.

Death was a hair's breadth away.

Levi looked down at him and smiled faintly. "Answer my questions. If I am satisfied, I will let you go."

Bloody Hand swallowed hard with great difficulty and nodded hastily.

"I hear the Bloody Hand Gang is connected to the Rebel Army. What is that about?"

Bloody Hand replied in a rush, "It was just that when the Bloody Hand Gang was first formed, there was a tiny bit of contact with the Rebel Army. Even though our Bloody Hand Gang burns, kills, and plunders, doing everything bad, we are good citizens. We would absolutely never conspire with the Rebel Army, let alone attack the Valkyries and the Ice Guards."

Levi stared intently at him. "Answer truthfully."

Cold sweat poured down Bloody Hand's back as he lowered his eyes and whispered, "Ah, it is nothing much, really... just that the Rebel Army asked me to help them with a few tasks..."