Chapter 137 The Successor of the End (Part 6)

The snow was falling, melting halfway down. Led by Xiong Ling, the villagers headed north. Despite traveling a long way, the ground temperature seemed to rise day by day, and the air was hot and dry. Even the snowflakes didn't want to stay there.

The demons' power is growing stronger every day, and the Hell Clan plans to settle in the north. It is said that the area around Brand Mountain is almost as hot as a volcano.

The crowd huddled inside the tent, listening to Tobas tell the story of the hero Podrolott.

He immediately imitated the tone of the Hero King and said, "Fear of alliances is the reason for the Allied forces' defeat, but we will not. The Bear Spirits are our friends. Their territories occupy three of the four highest peaks on the continent: Snow Eagle Peak, Ice Wolf Peak, and Ice Bear Peak. Our friends are probably the strongest race on the continent. Each Bear Spirit tribe has the spirit of an animal, Snow Eagle, Ice Wolf, Ice Bear, and many other unknown animals that have become loyal friends of the Bear Spirits."

He then mimicked the emperor's temper, saying, "Such a thing is impossible! You simply don't understand why the demon legion would invade the ice plains. Your ancestors certainly didn't consider the same question either. Why would the enemy want to compete with the Bear Spirits for this barren land? If they just wanted to increase their territory, the demons wouldn't have chosen the ice plains, which offer them no benefit whatsoever."

He also mimicked the merchant's shrewdness: "Demons are not to be trifled with, nor are bear spirits. People often say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but what I'm thinking about is food. Food is extremely scarce in the north, and its value is equivalent to gold. Once the barren land can no longer grow more food, humans will only be waiting to starve to death. Therefore, exchanging weapons with the bear spirits for food is the best option."

In the end, he even imitated the opening lines of a bard: "How happy it is to marry such a noble woman in the poor snowy mountains! To live a life of peace and happiness is truly a blessing from heaven, for he was able to select the virtuous from among the lowly and become a king, and everyone praises his insightful views. This king is indeed rare in the world."

Everyone was impressed by Tobas's ability to imitate; it seemed as if the journey would not have been possible without him.

Mien always kept his head down and hid at the back, completely unable to integrate into the group. When everyone applauded Tobas's speech, he showed disgust on his face.

Mien began to hate Tobas and felt that she had let Tobas down.

The migration team was still more than 900 kilometers away from Hyperion, and many elderly people in the team could not withstand the severe cold and collapsed.

Tobas proposed holding a funeral for them, and before anyone knew it, he had become the de facto leader of the procession.

Everyone worked together to dig a snow pit. After the burial, a totem was placed on the snowdrift. As long as the creatures living in Molière saw the totem, they would not disturb the resting soul.

In this way, more and more graves appeared, and the number of people in the procession dwindled until a new grave appeared every few steps.

Tobas gave them unwavering confidence: "The people of Podlot never give up hope!"

He is the light of hope, the future of the Podrolites.

Every night, Mien would sit by the campfire and think about one thing: his body was so weak, why hadn't he frozen to death? Was it because God wanted him to live and witness the miracle that happened to Tobas?

This is probably more unbearable than death.

Wake up, stop deceiving yourself, express your feelings.

'Fear isn't just your problem; doesn't Tobas feel fear too?'

'Cursing yourself, okay, do you really want to do it?'

'You probably don't realize it yet, but you're getting closer and closer to your true home.'

Every night, Mien is plagued by countless nightmares. In his dreams, the same void always appears, empty and dark, with only one thought wandering in the void. This thought seems to be his own, yet it also seems to belong to someone else.

After countless nights like this, the Podrote people, led by Tobas, finally overcame numerous difficulties and met Hyperion.

Hyperion, the most fortified wall in the world, moved the Podrote to tears when they saw its full form, as if entering the wall would bring them salvation.

A completely unfamiliar icy world! I can't describe the overwhelming excitement I felt at that moment, the serene colors, colors that originated from the aurora borealis in the sky.

Even if you've been here before, or heard about it from stories, the snow-covered ice world has an unimaginable visual impact.

The bear spirits and dwarves live together here, with huge golems standing on either side of the city gate like two invincible stewards.

Thanks to the craftsmen's skill, the city is equipped with the strongest armor and the sharpest melee weapons. Combined with advanced golem technology, Hyperion truly deserves its reputation as the most impregnable fortress.

This place is also home to the bravest king of the North.

The Podrolites entered the tavern and received the king.

The tavern was filled with floating mist and evaporating heat. In the center was a long corridor about a hundred meters wide, with two rows of low and wide ice racks on both sides. Ice mist and haze swirled around the ice racks, while fragrant heat rose up. Above them hung roasted meat, sausages, and roasted legs, all glistening with oil and steaming hot.

The next two rows were also ice racks, but instead of food, they were hung with sharp weapons, gleaming and yellowish.

A gust of wind blew in from outside, carrying the aroma of burning wine and meat. The frozen wooden staircase had five or six hundred steps, and each level had tooth-shaped candlesticks.

Two or three hundred people were gathered in the tavern. Their bodies were so strong and sturdy, both men and women, as if they had grown up under the same gravity.

They were all dressed in the same white animal skins, and many wore horned helmets or were completely naked. Each pair of feet stood on wooden planks as hard as stone. Each face was broad and flat, with a flat nose. Their skin was pale in the firelight, as if they had albinism. Their brown eyes shone brightly. Some stared at the doorway, while the rest all looked at the central corridor, where a spectacular fight was taking place.

The two warriors were wrestling on the floor, their muscles pressed tightly together. One held the other's chin with his hand, while the other locked his throat with his leg. This position had been maintained for a long time.

Some booers poured wine into the brazier, and the exploding sparks landed on the two men's bodies. The man who was pinned down seemed to be encouraged and suddenly lifted the other man over his head, a gesture that clearly represented victory.

Seeing that the place was full of savages, Mien dared not go in.

Seeing so many guests arrive all at once, the atmosphere in the tavern reached its climax, and everyone started singing, their voices becoming more and more powerful.

"Where are you, true hero? You are right here! You are the role model for children, the guardian of Valhalla. Your name is found from East Silverback to West Silverback. We have carved your name on the ice and learned to fight like you from childhood. Humanity has learned to fight from your totems. You, the guide of true history, are destined to be invincible on the ice plains!"

The onlookers on both sides all stood up and poured the remaining wine into the brazier. The warrior in the central corridor lowered another warrior off his head, and the two sang side by side.

Tobas's eye sockets were shaken by the masculine muscles, and now everyone had to take off their clothes and pay homage to the innermost niche.

When they first came in, they couldn't see what was at the end of the corridor, but now they finally could.

The tavern is supported by twenty-three pillars, the two innermost of which are ice pillars. Further in is a circular niche made of ebony with mixed patterns. To the right of the niche is a set of steps, with a row of exquisitely crafted ice blocks standing on either side. The top of the niche protrudes outward like a wooden canopy. A little to the left is a pulpit, on which sits a person who slowly walks down from what is half ice cave and half palace toward the central corridor.

He is the King of the North.

When everyone saw this king, they were all speechless with surprise.

This was an old man, dressed in a long animal-feather garment, whose eyes seemed to be unable to see anything, only able to stare at the fire pit in the sky.

He was so old, his hair was completely white, and he had a long beard, like a venerable elder.

Someone nearby shouted the names of the two warriors down below, and the old man's face suddenly came to life, as if he had just woken up from his daze.

He knelt before the Northern Dynasty, like a king bowing to his subjects, and removed his beast-patterned robe, revealing a horrifyingly skeletal frame: "I'm thinking, it's time to wage war against the demon legions!"

"The enemy fears the cold, but fears freedom even more!"

"Let the bear spirits open the door to the Hall of Heroes, for we will drink there after we die!"

“We love fighting, we can’t sit still any longer. We will never be like the Podrol Empire, whose weapons are only for facing the enemy.”

"What are we waiting for? The demon legions have defiled angels, slaughtered humans, tamed the Naga, and burned down the World Tree. Are we just going to watch them stand beneath the walls of Hyperion?"

"Yes! We must take the initiative! I can't wait to enter the Hall of Heroes!"

It had been a long time since I had heard such passionate voices. The last time I heard similar slogans was during the preaching of the priest of Podrote. Tobas fell in love with this place at once, and the King of the North also decided to learn more about the people of Podrote.