Dawn stretched on endlessly.
The morning sun, climbing from the horizon, shone upon a world wrapped in silver and white, making everything shimmer. Yet the snow still fell as it always had.
Ever since that day she peacefully broke with all her ministers, Huan Xuezhi had not attended court again… It wasn’t laziness; with a mortal enemy bearing down on them, what meaning was there in such things?
After setting aside state affairs, the Illusory Snow Queen clearly had much more free time.
Over the past two days, Huan Xuezhi had personally visited her younger sister, Huan Moxi, more than a few times.
Although Xi’s first question was always asking where Weilin was…
The Illusory Snow Queen had also used the divine power of the Mourning Snow Divine Crystal to help Airi rapidly break through her Mana rank, boosting her by a full 10 levels. Now a Lv55 Archmage, Airi could freely conjure Ice Element arrows. With gun, sword, and bow… she was becoming more and more like a true Ranger.
However, these were merely insignificant things Huan Xuezhi could do…
The greatest hope for resisting the Empire was entrusted entirely to Weilin alone.
…This was the responsibility Weilin had volunteered for. I didn’t force her. Huan Xuezhi thought this to herself, and so… for a moment, she felt a subtle sense of being perfectly justified.
And indeed, Weilin did not disappoint her.
That day, just before noon, Huan Xuezhi received a snow pigeon message from Weilin.
‘Your Majesty, come to the training grounds.’
She straightened the message strip. A line of elegant, small characters ran down it.
The Ranger beside her also glimpsed the words and immediately grimaced, making a face. “What’s Weilin up to? Couldn’t this wait until after Your Majesty has eaten? Doesn’t she… get hungry…?”
Ignoring the exquisite dishes being placed onto the table one by one, Huan Xuezhi stood up without hesitation. “Let’s go.”
“Your Majesty, people are iron, food is steel!”
“I’m not hungry.” The Illusory Snow Queen paused, then added, “Besides, she hasn’t eaten either.”
Watching the coldly beautiful back of the Young Majesty, Airi pouted slightly and asked, “Then… Little Xi misses Weilin every day. Should I call Xi to come along too?”
“…Fine.”
?
?
The military training grounds.
Besides the ten thousand Ice Snow Guards, there were also over eighty Trolls and over three hundred Hobgoblins (not all of them had entered the mine shaft last time).
Though they were hideous Demonic Beasts, at this moment, they were arrayed in perfect order, possessing the impressive bearing of a disciplined army… though an ordinary army would be no match for them.
The Troll Clan had massive, imposing physiques, standing at least four or five meters tall. The weakest among them, at the “Platinum” realm, required at least three to five human cultivators of the same rank to match.
“Trolls… and Goblins…??”
The Illusory Snow Queen’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. The Ranger and Huan Moxi, however, reacted as if facing a mortal enemy, badly startled.
Because they had never seen such creatures before. It was only after an explanation from Weilin’s sister, “Shi Luo,” that the two learned that these monsters, clad in armor and bearing sharp weapons like warriors, were “Trolls.”
“Correct, they are Trolls. But I swear on my name, they are all good Trolls willing to fight for Your Majesty.”
Standing before all the Trolls, the Troll King, a towering ten meters tall, was nearly at eye level with the three of them standing on the watchtower. His colossal body, covered in dark patterns, emanated a bloodthirsty and brutal aura. The oppressive pressure made the Ice Snow Guards hundreds of meters away tremble in fear… but the moment his gaze met Weilin’s, he instantly became as docile as a husky…
“This is the Troll King, the direct leader of this Troll clan. Although he only recently broke through to the Saint Realm (Lv71), an average human Saint Realm cultivator is no match for him.”
Before Huan Xuezhi could show her shock, Weilin shifted her finger, pointing towards the Shaman, whose withered, hunched body seemed dwarfish compared to the Troll King.
“This is the Troll Shaman, Legendary Peak, and also the strategist of the Troll Clan. Don’t let his appearance fool you; he is simultaneously a Legendary Peak Warrior. If necessary, he could easily beat someone to death with a single whack of his staff.”
Weilin made a hand gesture.
In an instant, the vast horde of Trolls and Hobgoblins prostrated themselves in unison, like wheat flattened by a fierce wind. Their oath of allegiance nearly scattered the clouds above.
“—We vow to fight to the last drop of blood for the Snow Kingdom!!”
Several hundred meters away, those ten thousand Ice Snow Guards didn’t dare make a sound. How could they ever have imagined they’d fight alongside Trolls and Goblins one day? It was utterly terrifying…
The Illusory Snow Queen had anticipated Weilin would bring in outside help, but Trolls… though powerful, this was far too unexpected! After all, they were an evil race in the eyes of the world.
“The Troll King is indeed a combat asset capable of shouldering great responsibility…”
A hint of faint relief appeared in her serene eyes, but… it was still far from enough. Thinking this, the Young Majesty shook her head slightly again. “However… the average strength is still far too lacking.”
“Mhm, I know, I know.”
“…You know…?” The Young Majesty blinked with slight surprise, her curiosity inadvertently piqued. She asked, “Then does Minister Weilin have a good plan?”
Since Weilin had called Her Majesty here, she naturally had already made thorough preparations.
“I don’t have a clever plan, but the method to close the gap in strength is actually quite simple.” Weilin raised her smooth, jade-like chin, her demeanor radiating confidence. “We surpass… no, we overwhelm them in the very area they pride themselves in the most!”
“The area they pride themselves in most…” The young woman in snow-white robes murmured, “Paradise… Armament?”
“Exactly! As long as we produce equipment that surpasses the Paradise Armament, won’t that tip the advantage back in our favor?”
Weilin’s gaze swept down, emitting an authoritative light. She shouted from her high vantage point, “Hey, those two Trolls, step forward!”
Soon, two Trolls emerged from the ranks, one on the left and one on the right, arriving at the center of the training grounds under everyone’s gaze.
What was special about these two Trolls was their equipment.
It was neither iron nor steel, but a short sword of a bizarre, pure white. The short blade had a fluid-like gem slot.
“Fluid-like” meant that no matter what shape or size of gem was placed into it, the slot would transform into a perfectly tailored fit, allowing the gem to be embedded flawlessly.
Besides the weapon, there was also pure white plate armor with the same “fluid-shaped slots.”
But… no, the appearance made it look like a brittle, paper-thin plastic shell…
“…What are these?”
Facing a war blade and armor that gave off a cheap, plastic vibe, even Weilin felt her cheeks burning, let alone the Illusory Snow Queen, who frowned and voiced her doubt.
“Er… this is a Blank Battle Blade, and Blank Armament.”
“Blank? What do you mean?”
“Blank means blank. Based on the properties of the crystals embedded, it custom-creates weapons and armor with different characteristics and types.”
“Don’t be fooled by the fact it’s just a broken sword; once a crystal is embedded in a Blank Battle Blade, you can freely alter its form into anything: saber, spear, sword, halberd, axe, hook, war hammer, staff, bow, Fuuma Shuriken… even a firearm.”
“And this Blank Armament, despite its look, actually has complete functionality: automatic protective shielding, flight, defensive counterattacks, everything you need.”
“Their only downside is—”
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