"Hiss, hiss, hiss! Hiss, hiss, hiss! Achoo! Hiss, hiss, hiss!"
Inside the airtight armored vehicle, the temperature might have been slightly better than outside, but it certainly wasn't much of an improvement.
Several people were inside the vehicle, including Mujik and her maid, and a man with short brown hair, wearing a red robe and with his chest exposed.
"Useless! Can you stop hissing! You've been shivering the whole way, it's so annoying! Why don't you just get out of the car!"
The brown-haired man finally couldn't hold back his angry roar.
Mujik rolled her eyes at him, then looked at a staff in the brown-haired man's hand.
It was a staff with a Ruby embedded at the top, and wisps of heat enveloped its user, which was why the brown-haired man wasn't cold.
She envied it, but it was useless.
The Holy Fire Staff, a Mystic Code with a grade very close to a Noble Phantasm, had a market price that would surely make Mujik's liver tremble. Even the Gordolf Family, before they bought Chaldea, would have to clench their teeth to buy it, let alone the current Gordolf Family.
And that Tinder Robe was also a high-quality item. This brown-haired man, decked out in luxurious gear, was Bartholomew Flender, whom Mujik detested.
Mujik was also angry but dared not speak, so she just kept her head down, activating her Mana to try and make herself feel a bit better.
This submissive attitude made Flender look down on Mujik from the bottom of his heart. In his opinion, Mujik was too weak. A true strong person should be fearless and forge ahead!
But to be honest, Flender's attitude had already softened a bit. The reason was simple: among the 900 people in the team outside, 200 Homunculi were Mujik's subordinates.
Compared to those who fell behind, not a single one of Mujik's Homunculi team fell behind. Indeed, these Homunculi were sturdier.
With these 200 Homunculi, Flender decided to give Mujik some face to avoid conflict, as no one would benefit from it.
Once they reached Chaldea, if Chaldea resisted, he would have Mujik lead the attack! At that time, it would be Mujik's people who were consumed! He could reap the benefits!
Thinking this, a smile played on Flender's lips, as if he saw victory beckoning to him.
The South Pole also has nights, known as polar nights.
Coincidentally, as Mujik's team marched, the South Pole began to darken, entering the time of polar night.
The temperature plummeted, giving the previously prepared mercenaries a taste of hardship.
By the time they reached the base of Chaldea's mountain, the South Pole was completely dark.
It was as if they had returned to the time of Humanity's Incineration, when everything turned into black silence.
Mujik, wrapped in a fur coat, stepped out of the armored vehicle and looked up at the mountaintop, but saw nothing.
Her maid took out a map, glanced at it, and confirmed, "Chaldea is up there, Master."
With the maid's confirmation, Mujik nodded, raised a hand, and was about to give an order, when suddenly—
*"Buzz!!"*
Large, brilliant lights appeared in the sky, green and purple rays descending from the mountaintop, like a curtain covering the sky and sun.
"Aurora!"
Mujik exclaimed. It was a spectacle that others might not encounter even after dozens of visits, but she had just gotten out of the car and encountered it. This must be a good omen!
"Hahaha! It seems God is blessing us! Everyone, prepare!"
At Mujik's command, 200 Homunculi quickly formed a team.
"Move out!"
Mujik glanced at the others who hadn't moved, snorted coldly in her heart, and led the way up the mountain.
However, the aurora in the sky continued to descend, quickly breaking the lowest record for auroras. The maid noticed something was wrong and grabbed Mujik, and then those auroras shot into the snow!
*"Boom!"*
A loud bang! Mujik was stunned. Could auroras be so powerful?
But then he understood! This must be Chaldea's defense mechanism! To prevent them from going up the mountain!
"Bastards! What do you mean by this! Do you know I paid you!"
Mujik immediately cursed. He was Chaldea's current master! Everyone living in Chaldea now were "tenants" who were about to be kicked out!
And as soon as Mujik's voice fell, the light on the green curtain in front of them rippled, finally transforming into Romani's image.
"Hello? Can you hear me? You can hear me, right? Good. Now, everyone, listen to me."
Romani projected himself and appeared before everyone.
"My name is Romani, and I am the master of this Temple of Time. You have now trespassed into my territory. I'm giving you three minutes to evacuate. Otherwise, no one will be left! Left! Left! Left!"
Romani's voice echoed naturally, reverberating among the nearby tall mountains, and then—
*"Rumble!!"*
An avalanche!
Several surrounding mountains simultaneously experienced avalanches. An incalculable amount of snow, mixed with rocks and ice, rushed down!
"Ah, did I mess up?"
Romani frowned, looking at the avalanche, seemingly not having expected it either.
The mercenaries felt the ground shake, witnessing the mountain collapse before them. Aside from the Homunculi, everyone else's faces changed!
"Take flight!"
Flender roared! His subordinates immediately began using various methods to ascend into the sky!
Some used Magecraft, others relied on tools. Nearly half of the 900-person team quickly took to the air.
As for the remaining half, 200 Homunculi swiftly surrounded Mujik, forming three layers deep, then collectively activated a Magecraft Boundary Field.
A brilliant blue barrier enveloped all the Homunculi, but those who couldn't fly were in trouble.
"Rumble!"
Ice and snow rolled down, passing the faint green light barrier before engulfing everything. Ignoring the pleas and screams of those people, it directly crushed them all beneath it.
A few minutes later, the avalanche stabilized, but everything was already covered in ice and snow.
Mana pulsed from Flender's shoes, and a pair of transparent wings constantly flapped at the heels, keeping him airborne. At this moment, his face was ashen. He glanced back, thinking of the team of over 1,000 people he had started with; now less than half remained.
"Chaldea!"
Flender roared! But the surrounding mountains vibrated, and he immediately shut up, fearing he'd trigger another avalanche.
He was filled with intense hatred. Never in his life had anyone made him feel such failure. That person named Romani! He swore he would never let him go. What did he say, that this was the Temple of Time? A child's tale! Today, he was determined to take Chaldea! To acquire that miraculous Spiritron Conversion technology! With it, he would have the chance to travel through time! To return to the moment the family head was chosen! And then he would tell all the elders!
That he was the most suitable head of the Bartholomew family!
"Boom!"
As he fumed, the ice and snow not far away suddenly exploded. A slightly disheveled Mujik coughed continuously as he emerged from it; he had almost suffocated to death.
Accompanying him were one hundred and fifty to sixty Homunculi. The barrier they were in ultimately couldn't withstand all the impact, and the outermost Homunculi were destroyed, but he himself was unharmed.
Seeing Mujik completely unscathed, Flender's anger intensified.
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