Without a doubt, besides Casaric—the Demon Lord in the distant Burning Capital who was still fixated on him—no other Demon would be bored enough to pay such a steep price just to assassinate a little Slime like him.
This also proved that the Demons knew about the rifts’ existence.
Thankfully, Olivia and Silver Sparrow were guarding this place. Otherwise, if this Shadow Demon had actually slipped silently into the heart of the Kingdom, who knows what kind of chaos it would have caused.
The extensive network of rifts brought the Kingdom unprecedented convenience and strategic advantages, but it also posed a massive hidden threat.
Outsiders—be they humans, Elves, or Demons—could theoretically use these rifts to freely enter and exit the Kingdom’s domain, or even arrive directly in its core regions.
’I need to strengthen the defenses and surveillance of the Snowfield, especially around the rifts. At the very least, I can’t let another enemy sneak in so quietly...’ Chen Yu thought to himself.
Olivia took another delicate sip of her sweet tea, the look of pleasure on her face deepening. She was clearly satisfied with the perfect level of sweetness. She set down her cup before speaking in a slow, measured tone:
"The Demon did leave something behind when it died. Your Majesty should go take a look in person. Perhaps you’ll find some loot worthy of your attention."
Chen Yu wobbled his Gel head. He was indeed curious about the Demon’s remains under the iceberg. With a mere thought, he prepared to depart using Sword Control.
"CAW! This Count is going too!" The moment Count Brand heard the words "spoils of war," his feathers fluffed up in excitement, and he insisted on tagging along.
"I..." Arthur stood up as well, apparently intending to accompany them as a guard.
But Chen Yu and Count Brand had already vanished from the living room entrance in a streak of emerald light, leaving only a single sentence echoing in Arthur’s mind.
"Follower, I’m leaving this brilliant and wise lady for you to entertain. His Majesty and I will be right back."
"..."
Arthur silently sat back down. His sluggish mind couldn’t conjure a single appropriate pleasantry for the longest time.
A subtle silence instantly fell over the living room, broken only by the CRACKLE and POP of the Magic Flames in the fireplace.
Ultimately, it was Olivia who broke the awkward silence, her interest piqued. She leaned back against the soft sofa cushions, crossed her arms, and regarded Arthur calmly with her silver eyes.
"You’re very different from a typical High-level Undead. Have you been exposed to nature?"
Arthur remained silent and nodded.
"Very good. I see now." Olivia nodded knowingly. "It seems you’ve met Violet."
"But she’s always so mysterious. I doubt she told you what the next step on this path is, did she?"
She was patient. She knew Arthur would be interested in this topic.
...
Beneath the iceberg, Xiaoka beat its dark wings. The resulting gale, like an invisible giant’s hand, swept away the sharp ice spikes and accumulated snow from the ground, revealing the hard, flat permafrost below.
It descended slowly, its heavy body making the ground tremble slightly upon landing.
Around the iceberg, a dozen or so Slimes, their bellies filled with warming stones, were drilling into the ice. They worked diligently with sharp drills and chisels, SQUISH, SQUELCH, trying to excavate the Demon’s remains frozen within.
Nili, who was directing the work on-site, was hugging a Slime with a similarly bulging belly to keep warm.
She was wrapped in a thick fur coat, but her cheeks and the tip of her nose were still red with cold. There was even a glistening drop of snot threatening to run from her nose.
When she saw Chen Yu and Count Brand descend, she and the few Stone Race members beside her, who were also shivering uncontrollably, quickly waved their arms in welcome.
"Your Majesty, you’re finally here," Nili said, her voice trembling slightly as she forced a smile.
Chen Yu hopped down to join Nili. He took in her miserable, frozen state, noting how she had insisted on waiting out here in the icy wasteland. A flicker of confusion passed through his small eyes.
’This doesn’t seem like something she would normally do.’
Nili seemed to see through Chen Yu’s confusion. Her little scheme exposed, she didn’t seem embarrassed. She just rubbed her stiff, frozen hands together, leaned in closer, and whispered, "Um... Your Majesty, you’re not angry that we failed to stop this big guy from getting in, are you?"
Chen Yu puffed out his round, jiggly chest and replied magnanimously, "Do you take me for such a petty Slime!"
Besides, he couldn’t really blame Nili and her crew. The Demon, Abaddon, was on par with an Extraordinary being; it was perfectly normal that even an Elite Professional couldn’t have stopped him.
"All of you, stand back," Chen Yu commanded, shooing away the nearby Slimes and Stone Race members.
Then, he had Xiaoka position itself before the largest of the icebergs.
Xiaoka shook its head and a gurgling sound rumbled in its throat, as if it were brewing something. It opened its maw and first exhaled several puffs of dark green toxic mist, which carried a pungent, acrid stench.
Next, Spiritual Power rapidly gathered in its mouth. Beneath its jet-black scales, a faint, dark red light began to flow.
BOOM!!!
A torrent of searing, dark red flame erupted from Xiaoka’s mouth like a volcano, slamming into the translucent iceberg.
SIZZLE!!!
The iceberg’s surface instantly melted and vaporized, sending up vast clouds of scorching white steam. As the steam hit the frigid air, it rapidly condensed into fine frost and Ice Crystals that drifted down like snow.
And just like that, under the scorching heat of the Dragon Breath, the massive iceberg shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye.