Book 7, 64: Infiltration (1)
Clang!
A steel shortsword chopped cleanly through a wooden stake.
“Well done!” the onlookers began to cheer.
“Young Master is the best!”
“Well done, Young Master.”
historical
“Young Master is a genius!”
A cacophony of praise could be heard through the air.
Frost Fabino calmly sheathed his shortsword.
He had heard this kind of praise all too often.
He had just turned seven this year, but the strength he could display was equivalent to that of an adult. This was partially because lifeforms in this world matured earlier (reaching full maturity at the age of twelve). The other reason was because of his innate talent.
The illusory blood essence had vastly increased his vitality. Even though it was not fully activated yet, it would still allow him to advance at breakneck pace. He was truly a genius. Even though his servants’ words were full of admiration, the content of their praise was accurate.
Even so, these words were totally pointless to Frost.
Seven years. He had been in this world for seven years already.
His main body was still floating around the Primordial Continent, sealing the Barrier’s fractures and delaying the return of the gods.
The Barrier, which should have been destroyed in two years, was further sustained for a period of time.
This delay, however, was like treating a terminal illness. Its eventual destruction was inevitable.
Another few years, give or take, and the Barrier would begin to fully collapse.
He needed to find a way to extend the delay before that happened.
Actually, there was in fact a way for him to do so.
Su Chen had learned from the Lord of the Dreamrealm that the gods were actively working to wear down the Barrier. Each god was attacking the Barrier to accelerate its destruction.
In other words, as long as he could keep those gods occupied for some time, the Barrier’s decline would slow down significantly.
Of course, that was easier said than done. At the very least, it was not something that little Frost could do by himself.
Thankfully, there were also a few other possibilities......
Frost asked, “When will Father return?”
One of the servants bowed and said, “Duke Fabino has just returned and is in his study.”
Frost turned around and began to head for the study.
Fabino’s study was actually off-limits to anyone without prior permission.
Frost, on the other hand, was an exception.
A frown was on Fabino’s face as he read over the reports that had been left on his desk.
When Fabino saw his son enter, his countenance improved significantly. “My son, your sword skills have significantly matured, and your abilities have far surpassed those of your peers. From this point onwards, you are a true warrior. This is probably the best news I have gotten all summer.”
In the Kun’s territory simple system, a level one warrior was the foundation to the supernatural. There were a total of ten levels. Beyond that was the legendary tier. In some sense, this system was quite similar to the Arcana Technique system.
The fact that Frost had managed to reach this level at the tender age of seven clearly demonstrated his outstanding talent.
Frost calmly replied, “Then what about the bad news, Father?”
“Those bandits have reappeared in the Lonely Forest,” Fabino sighed, holding the corresponding scroll in his hands. “Another group of merchants was robbed by them yesterday. My guards have basically become a bunch of good-for-nothings. I can’t believe that there was nothing they could do!”
“That’s not a surprise, Father,” Frost replied. “After all, they’re the demonic forces that occupy the Lonely Forest.
The Lonely Forest was a forest right next to Fabino’s duchy. The forest seemed to be imbued with a mysterious power, making it a forbidden area for anything alive. Any living creature that stepped foot inside would be in grave danger; perhaps only one in every ten individuals returned alive. This was where the forest got its name from, as it was perpetually deserted and eerily silent.
The demonic forces, however, were an exception.
They were able to take up residence within the Lonely Forest, entering and leaving as they pleased. This rendered Duke Fabino’s forces completely helpless against them.
They had attempted to bait the demonic forces out of their hideout many times, but unfortunately their ploys had been seen through every time. It was as if they had some all-seeing eye.
This upset Fabino quite a bit, and became a prick in his heart that bothered him incessantly.
“They are causing too much damage and losses to us. Do you have any good ideas, my Frost?” Fabino asked his son.
This was not too strange. Even though his son was only seven years old, he was already displaying an astonishing intellect. His genius was not limited to practicing martial arts; his political skills were quite impressive as well. Frost had demonstrated this numerous times during the past seven years.
“Have the Church’s men take care of it,” Frost replied. “The Lonely Forest’s power most likely comes from some kind of curse. Their clergymen should be able to handle it quite easily.”
“But they cost too much to hire,” Fabino replied as he rubbed his forehead.
The demonic forces occupying the Lonely Forest never touched the Church’s cargo, so they had never offended the Church either.
An expensive offering was needed under such circumstances to have them act.
Fabino should have been able to muster up the funds under normal circumstances, but not too long ago some misunderstandings had cropped up between him and one of the Church’s bishops.
This misunderstanding was not necessarily a big one. Bishop Olik had taken a shine to one of the maidservants under Duke Fabino’s rule. Duke Fabino was not stingy and agreed. That night, however, the maidservant mysteriously died.
Forcing oneself onto someone and then killing them was an extremely common thing for a noble to do during this period of time.
The bishop mistakenly believed that Fabino had selfishly refused to give the maidservant to him, choosing to kill the maidservant instead.
Their relationship soured as a result.
Duke Fabino had a grievance he could not air, and there was no way he could possibly explain what had happened. After all, he had indeed gone to visit the maidservant that evening, and he had also drunk some wine......
In any case, Bishop Olik was extremely displeased, and had issued Fabino a price for his services that Fabino simply could not accept.
The demonic forces grew bolder by the day.
Upon hearing Frost’s reply, Fabino shook his head.
“I’m not talking about the Winter God Church,” Frost replied.
“What?” Fabino was stunned.
“I’m talking about the Moon Goddess Church,” Frost said.
“That’s impossible!” Fabino immediately leapt to his feet.
Each deity had a range in which they operated. The Eternal Treaty’s restrictions prevented any one deity from casually intruding on the territory of another deity.
The land that was now under Fabino’s control had exchanged hands countless times before, but the Winter God had ruled over it this entire time.
This was a rule that could not be broken.
Upon hearing Frost’s proposal, Fabino’s immediate response was to reject that idea.
“We’re not asking them to proselytize. We’re just asking them to exterminate a few bandits,” Frost replied.
Not to proselytize, just to exterminate bandits.
This territory did belong to the Winter God, but the Moon Goddess’s soldiers could still come to their aid.
Hm, this was a valid excuse.
Fabino mulled over the matter a little. “Will they agree?”
“We will be paying them. In any case, exterminating evil is part of their duties.”
Even though the Moon Goddess Church did not have the same standard of righteousness that some of the other Churches possessed, their viewpoint was more or less the same.
Those upstanding, righteous Churches had mostly fallen during the Dusk of the Gods. The Moon Goddess, who had absorbed the divine power of multiple races on the Primordial Continent, was the standard of righteousness in this realm.
Righteousness from darkness!
This was the Moon Goddess Church’s standard of justice.
The Moon Goddess Church’s disciples were more than happy to participate in the extermination of evil.
Fabino thought for a moment before nodding. “I will make a request to Bishop Surrey.”
“Not Bishop Surrey - Bishop Thor,” Frost replied.
“Thor?”
“Yes, a friend that I made recently. He is a new Bishop that was recently appointed over the Plum Orchard territory, and he is eager to share in your difficulties,” Frost said.
Fabino chuckled. “So you were already prepared for this.”
“I still need your permission.” Frost respectfully lowered his head.
Fabino gazed at his son with satisfaction. “Well done. The Heavens have indeed blessed me if I have such an outstanding son. I agree with your proposal. If that’s the case, I will send you to Plum Blossom territory to make an official invitation.”
“Yes, Father. I will go and prepare immediately.”
“You’re in such a hurry?”
“We don’t have much time, Father.”
Fabino sighed, “Yes, we don’t have much time. But I’m still a little hesitant about sending you all on your own. You are only seven years old, after all.”
“I will be protected by my subordinates, and I have become an official warrior as well. Father, please give me an opportunity to prove myself.”
“You proved yourself a long time ago, my child,” Fabino gazed at Frost, his gaze filled with some suspicion.
You will know very soon how big of a mistake this is very soon, Frost thought to himself as he stared back at Fabino.