Frostmoon City was a place with strong regional characteristics of the Sun Moon Empire's northern territories.
It lay only two to three hundred li from the Extreme North, and was covered in snow and ice all year round—a veritable city of ice and snow.
To retain as much warmth as possible, all buildings were constructed with thick stone bricks and insulated with special heat-retaining coatings. Fireplaces and heating-type soul tools were essential commodities found in every household here. After all, the average temperature hovered around minus thirty to forty degrees Celsius.
The city's architecture, primarily adorned in frosty blues, exuded northern charm. Especially those ice lanterns lining the streets—each one added a crisp, wintry beauty to the city.
Of course, under the reign of the ruthless and exploitative Northern Duke, commoners here had suffered immensely. In shadowy alleyways of the city, it wasn't uncommon to find frozen corpses—young and old, strong and weak, all reduced to death by exposure and hunger.
In stark contrast, the Duke and his circle of nobles lived in opulence within the grand Frost Palace at the city's heart. While blizzards raged outside and people perished, inside there would always be another brightly lit banquet in full swing.
All of this cruelty, however, came to an end when the two major northern soul engineer legions were destroyed, the civil war hastily concluded, and the Northern Duke fled with the Third Prince to the Douluo Three Kingdoms.
Once Xu Tianran appointed a royal family member to govern the North, the first order of business was unlocking the storages of food and winter supplies the Northern Duke had hoarded. Everything was distributed freely to the poor across all northern cities.
Thus, when Huo Yuhao and his companions arrived in Frostmoon City, they found the local people full of praise for the royal family, the new leadership, and Xu Tianran himself.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. 'Xu Tianran may not be a benevolent ruler, but there's no doubt he's a brilliant strategist. Everything he does is in service of his own name and power. Unlike short-sighted tyrants, his methods are precise and far-sighted.'
"Two lovely young ladies and a handsome young man—surely the three of you must be important folks from Mingdu?"
In a tavern in Frostmoon City, Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen were sipping on the North's famously strong liquor (Auspicious Beast had been forced to drink fruit juice because she was 'too young'), when the tavern's dashing proprietress spoke to them with a smile.
Huo Yuhao downed the entire contents of his large mug and looked at her, surprised.
"Hehe, surprised, are you, young master? Honestly, the difference between northern folks and those from Mingdu is pretty easy to spot. Your speech, your manners—they're different from ours. Welcome to Frostmoon City. This round's on me."
Meng Hongchen also finished her drink in one gulp, glancing at the proprietress with visible respect in her eyes.
Since the Northern Duke had fled like a dog with its tail between its legs, Mingdu's status in the eyes of northerners had risen significantly. And with the new government's merciful policies, it had reached the point where every northerner now revered anyone who came from the capital. The central authority of the Sun Moon Empire had never been higher.
"Thanks so much! Another round, please!"
Since the proprietress insisted, Meng Hongchen didn't hold back and cheerfully ordered another round. The wine was bold and sharp—exactly her taste.
Huo Yuhao shook his head in mild exasperation. 'She's definitely using soul power to neutralize the alcohol. With a drink this strong, she'd be out cold after just a sip otherwise.'
Auspicious Beast listlessly sucked on her juice, shooting a jealous glance at Meng Hongchen's glass. 'I wanna drink too! I'm ten thousand years old, how am I "too young"!?'
But in human form, she did indeed appear like a young, green-haired girl—clearly underage.
Even though Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen weren't all that old either, their mature appearances suggested they were around fifteen or sixteen, which, in the northern Sun Moon Empire, was old enough to legally drink.
The proprietress happily filled both their glasses again and continued.
"You three must be distinguished soul masters or soul engineers, right?"
Huo Yuhao shot her another surprised look but then glanced down at his clothing. Instead of replying, he simply nodded.
Indeed, in this frigid place, he was dressed in a light shirt, and both girls wore skirts that left their legs exposed. No ordinary human could dress like this and survive.
With their ice-attribute martial souls, Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen naturally didn't fear the cold. And Auspicious Beast, infused with the bloodline of the Golden Dragon, had no issues either.
As midnight drew near, more locals entered the tavern to drink, and the trio quickly became the center of attention—clearly not from the area. Surrounded by friendly locals, they were soon engaged in lively conversation.
In these discussions, Huo Yuhao didn't forget the reason they had come. He managed to gather some useful information.
The most valuable piece was that the Frost Palace would be hosting a major royal auction tomorrow. The event, led by the imperial family, would sell off items once belonging to fugitive nobles like the Northern Duke. Among them were soul tools, rare herbs from the Extreme North, and even soul bones.
'This might be our chance,' Huo Yuhao thought. 'Finding materials to help purify Meng Hongchen's bloodline isn't guaranteed here, but it's worth a shot. Especially with Auspicious Beast around—our luck should be better than usual.'
Other intel he picked up was mostly about local customs and regional details. The group treated it as light conversation, useful for broadening their horizons.
And so, the tavern visit continued until midnight. When Meng Hongchen finally passed out after forgetting to use soul power to counteract the alcohol, Huo Yuhao sighed, picked her up, and carried her to the nearest inn for the night.
(End of Chapter)
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