He walked all the way here?!
Hysilens couldn't help but show a slightly bewildered expression upon hearing this answer. To put the difficulty into perspective, it was roughly equivalent to walking from China to France in her previous life—frankly, it was utterly absurd.
Yet this man, despite being blind, seemed to sense her emotions. He said, "This humble Daoist possesses some skill. With patience, such a journey is not impossible."
Even with his explanation, Hysilens couldn't help but stare at his attire. Dressed so sparsely in this freezing, snowy landscape, any normal person would have long since frozen to death. Yet this man remained perfectly composed, as if nothing were amiss. By any measure, he was clearly no ordinary person.
But how could such an extraordinary individual have nearly starved to death?
Hysilens pondered, "Do you eat fish?"
He shook his head. "This humble monk subsists solely on vegetarian fare, abstaining from meat."
That makes sense, Hysilens thought. Without any ill intent, she asked out of pure curiosity, "What if I said I have no vegetarian food here, only fish? Would you rather starve to death than eat it?"
Upon hearing this, the man actually nodded. He pressed his palms together, bowed deeply toward Hysilens, and said, "Though it is regrettable, it cannot be helped. Benefactor, would you grant me one final wish? This matter is of utmost importance, concerning the very safety of this world."
As he spoke, he removed a prayer bead bracelet from his wrist. "Please deliver this to..."
Before he could finish, Hysilens interrupted him. "For something so crucial, it would be safer if you handled it yourself. I actually have vegetarian food here. Come with me."
Hysilens genuinely hadn't expected him to take her casual question so seriously, even preparing his last words. It was rather surreal.
Moreover, the cliché of a dying character entrusting a vital quest item to the protagonist, who then gets entangled in a series of fetch quests, was too classic. Hysilens had no desire to take on such a task. This important item should be delivered personally!
At that moment, Hysilens's location wasn't far from the Northern Territory center. During their journey, they exchanged a few more words, and Hysilens learned the man's name: Pan Ming, a distinctly Eastern Ancient Kingdom name.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the outskirts of the Northern Territory Empire. In the distance, they could see a vast expanse of lush green fields—or, more accurately, potato fields.
As they approached, Hysilens bent down and casually plucked a potato from a drooping flower. Cipher's earlier lie had been, "The flowers bear fruit, and the fruit is potatoes." However, potatoes are quite heavy, so when ripe, their weight caused the flower stems to snap and drop to the ice with a crisp crack.
Thus, a peculiar phenomenon occurred on the seventh day when the potatoes matured: the fields resounded with continuous crackling sounds, like firecrackers popping incessantly.
Hysilens turned and handed the potato to Pan Ming, saying, "This..."
Before she could finish, he had already taken a bite and began crunching noisily.
Chewing vigorously, Pan Ming nodded at Hysilens and declared, "Not bad! Delicious! Thank you!"
Hysilens: "?"
Dude, what the hell...?
Even Barbarians, when first encountering potatoes, would ask whether to eat them raw or cooked. After all, potatoes don't exactly look like something you'd eat straight from the ground.
It was only then that Hysilens realized Pan Ming was blind and couldn't see what a potato looked like. It wasn't strange that he'd just grab it and eat it. But for him to say it tasted good afterward? That was truly bizarre!
In truth, some Barbarians had attempted to eat raw potatoes before, but the absurdly bitter, fishy flavor quickly dissuaded them. If one had to describe it, it would be akin to the Honkai: Star Rail game's droma feed—something utterly inedible for humans.
Barbarians traditionally valued food highly; they could even stomach Aria's grilled fish (Little Owlbear: Blegh!), but raw potatoes were simply unpalatable. This alone spoke volumes about how dreadful the vegetable tasted.
In the brief moment Hysilens stood frozen in shock, Pan Ming had already devoured the entire potato in rapid bites. He pressed his palms together, bowed in Hysilens' direction, and said, "Madam Hysilens, I am deeply grateful for your generosity. Though I cannot see your face, I imagine your outer beauty must match your kind inner nature. You must be a truly beautiful and lovely person."
"In my homeland, there is an ancient saying: A drop of kindness deserves a spring of repayment. This humble monk still possesses some meager strength. If you ever need assistance, please do not hesitate to ask."
Now that the conversation had reached this point, Hysilens realized she actually did have something she wanted to ask Pan Ming about: the Eastern Ancient Kingdom.
After all, in her previous life, she had been a citizen of China. In this world, the nation most similar to China would undoubtedly be the Eastern Ancient Kingdom. Her curiosity was piqued, but the place was shrouded in mystery, with only scraps of information available.
As for Tribios being able to use the Century Gate to directly reach the Eastern Ancient Kingdom? That was true in theory, but... frankly, she just couldn't be bothered. Now that the opportunity presented itself, she naturally had to ask.
However, it wasn't Hysilens who would ask the question, but Cerydra. So Hysilens said, "This potato was just something I picked up casually. You should thank the Barbarian who planted it and the Imperator, who ordered them to do so, more than me."
Pan Ming replied earnestly, "But you brought me here and gave me the potato, so I must still thank you. However, you make a valid point. I will express my gratitude to the one who planted it and to the Imperator you mentioned as well."
After hearing his words, Hysilens fell silent for a moment. In every sense of the word, this guy was truly bizarre.
Just then, a nearby Barbarian overheard their conversation—or rather, it was hard to ignore the presence of Hysilens, the universally renowned God of the Ocean.
The Barbarian burst out laughing and declared, "Hey buddy, who planted this potato? Nobody knows! If you ask me, you should thank our empress, the Boss Imperator directly! Because of her, we can all eat our fill, dress warmly, and live better than we ever dreamed!"
Pan Ming followed the sound of the voice and remarked, "So that's how it is? It seems Her Majesty the Empress is truly a benevolent ruler."
"Absolutely!" the Barbarian declared. "Boss Imperator is fair, just, and... dashingly handsome! She's absolutely incredible!"
When Northern Barbarians spoke of Boss Imperator, they always mentioned her "cute" and "handsome" qualities. However, Pan Ming clearly wasn't a local, appearing to be a newcomer. Even the dimmest Barbarian knew to praise their leader's virtues to outsiders. Thus, the Barbarian omitted the "cute" part, focusing solely on her "handsome" qualities.
Pan Ming exclaimed in awe, "What a true hero! I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to meet this Empress in person and express my gratitude."
Hysilens replied directly, "You will. Come with me."
She had originally intended to bring Pan Ming to Cerydra, though the actual process had deviated slightly from her expectations. Still, it shouldn't pose any major problems, right?
Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the Magnificent Mansion Spell. Cerydra was seated on an elevated stool, her legs crossed casually, while behind her stood a row of burly, bald-headed men, each over 1.9 meters tall and wearing solemn expressions.
At first glance, the scene gave off an uncanny impression of a mafia boss surrounded by her henchmen.
However, Cerydra wasn't sitting here waiting for Pan Ming. By pure coincidence, another Clan Leader had been captured and brought here. Cerydra was attempting to persuade him to switch allegiance, but her efforts were proving largely futile.
"What Northern Territory Empire? A puny runt like you, whose waist is thinner than my arm?"
"Get lost! Go back to playing house in the South!"
"I'll never betray Boss!"
In short, the captured Barbarian, though a Clan Leader himself, still had another boss above him. Having already sworn loyalty to someone else, convincing him to pledge allegiance to Cerydra was an almost impossible task.
This barbarian swore allegiance to the Falcon Clan, one of the most powerful tribes in the Northern Territory.
While the Northern Territory Empire had an endless supply of fish beneath the ice, drawn by Hysilens's powers, they also had abundant potatoes on the surface, ensuring no shortage of food or drink. For other major clans in the Northern Territory, gathering large populations would have drastically increased the strain on resources.
However, the Falcon Clan's core membership numbered only fifty thousand, but they commanded numerous subordinate clans and vassals. Many clan leaders had sworn fealty to the Falcon Clan, bringing their total force to at least three hundred thousand when including these vassals.
Given the Northern Territory Empire's relentless expansion, encountering such a major power in the Northern Territory was hardly surprising.
As Cerydra pondered how to handle the Clan Leader, Hysilens and Pan Ming arrived. Pan Ming immediately stepped forward, pointed at the Clan Leader, and declared, "Sir, withdraw your disrespectful remarks at once!"
He then turned to Cerydra, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Majesty the Empress, it is an honor to meet you. You are exactly as the legends describe: majestic, gallant, and strikingly handsome! A true hero, rarely seen in this world!"
Pan Ming's words silenced the entire scene for several seconds. The captured Clan Leader stared blankly at him. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you blind? She's just a puny little girl! Where's the 'heroic majesty' in that?!"
Pan Ming replied with utmost seriousness, "As the defeated, even if you refuse to submit, you shouldn't resort to insulting and attacking someone's appearance. I urge you to retract your disrespectful remarks and apologize to Her Majesty the Empress."
It was clear that Pan Ming's fondness for Cerydra had grown significantly after eating the potato and hearing the Barbarian's earlier tales. He naturally felt compelled to defend her when others launched personal attacks.
Immediately afterward, the bald Barbarians standing behind Cerydra chimed in: "You wouldn't understand Boss Imperator's majesty!"
"Anyone who dares insult Boss Imperator will have their horse killed!"
"Take back your words! Or you won't leave this place alive!"
The captured Clan Leader opened his mouth several times, but each attempt was cut short, as if he were choking on his own words. "You... I... all of you..."
After a long pause, he finally roared in fury, "Fine, fine! So all of you are ganging up on me, huh?!"
Even as he spoke, the Barbarian Clan Leader suddenly lunged forward, aiming to seize Cerydra. Perhaps he believed that taking the dwarf boss hostage would give him a chance to escape?
But the moment he moved, Pan Ming reacted instantly. His right hand shot out with lightning speed, gripping the Clan Leader's hand with pinpoint accuracy despite his blindness. He seized one of the Clan Leader's fingers and twisted it gently.
Thud!
The Clan Leader, who had just stood up, collapsed to his knees, his face contorted in agony. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. Though Pan Ming was only holding one finger, it was as if he had paralyzed the leader's entire body, rendering him utterly immobile.
Simultaneously, Pan Ming calmly advised, "Please calm down, Benefactor. Violence should always be the last resort."
The Barbarians behind Cerydra had been poised to intervene, but witnessing this scene, they erupted in amazement. "Wow, how did he do that?" one exclaimed.
"Impressive, brother!" another chimed in.
Though the Barbarians couldn't see, both Cerydra and Hysilens could sense a surge of energy flowing from Pan Ming's palm into the Clan Leader's body, penetrating his limbs and bones, and completely immobilizing him.
This wasn't Magic Power, but a force known as Qi. The Monk, one of the twelve main classes, specialized in cultivating Qi.
Pan Ming, who hailed from the Eastern Ancient Kingdom, was a Monk, so his mastery of this energy was no surprise.
Pan Ming slowly increased the force in his grip, saying, "Please, Benefactor, retract your earlier words and apologize."
However, the Clan Leader remained defiant, gritting his teeth and declaring, "If you've got the guts, kill me! Apologize? Never!"
Seeing this impasse, Cerydra sighed softly and said, "Release him."
Hearing Cerydra's voice for the first time, Pan Ming was momentarily taken aback. Despite her deliberate attempt to lower her voice, it still sounded soft and sweet, almost endearing—a far cry from the imposing "overlord's voice" he had imagined.
However, he quickly chastised himself inwardly, reflecting that a person's voice was beyond their control. How could he judge someone based on their voice alone?
Who had decreed that a majestic, 1.8-meter-tall Empress couldn't have such a charming voice?