Four Barbarians each escorted a member of Aria's team (the Hero Party) in four different directions. Aria, Douglas, and Feidric were all sufficiently strong by now, and Cipher's capabilities went without saying.
The Barbarians were essentially acting as guides. Simple persuasion would never work. What kind of guy shows up out of nowhere and expects our boss to follow him to meet some "Northern Territory Empress"? You've got to be kidding me!
In the end, Aria's team would inevitably have to resort to physical intimidation.
After the four groups departed, Cerydra turned to the remaining Barbarians, pondered for a moment, and then declared, "As for the rest of you, start building the settlement."
Although the Northern Territory was covered in ice, building on ice might seem counterintuitive. However, the ice layers here were incredibly thick—over a meter deep in some places—and exceptionally hard. Constructing buildings on this ice was virtually no different from building on solid ground; the structures would be just as stable.
The only thing to keep in mind was that building here couldn't use wood; it had to be stone and brick. As for the source of these materials, a golden Century Gate materialized beside Cerydra, continuously dispensing building materials.
Everyone present was astonished by this sight. One Barbarian even asked, dumbfounded, "Boss Imperator, creating something from nothing! Is this also part of your Authority?"
Cerydra retorted, "Authority or no Authority? Didn't these bricks just grow out of the ice themselves? Stop fussing and get to work!"
At her words, most of the Barbarians immediately moved to the piles of stone and brick and began preparing for construction. However, a few remained rooted to the spot, genuinely pondering her words. They glanced down at the icy ground beneath their feet, then back at the towering piles of building materials, and muttered in disbelief, "Things can... grow out of ice?"
Then, these skeptical Barbarians nodded with conviction. Though the concept defied logic, if Boss Imperator said it grew out of the ice, there must be a reason. Faith was all that mattered!
If Boss Imperator said it grew out of the ice, then it grew out of the ice!
Cerydra had no idea what these people were brainstorming. Instead, she went over to the pile of bricks and started directing the construction. These barbarians had never built a house before, their experience was zero. She couldn't just let them mess around!
She could have asked Tribios to airdrop an architect, but since Cerydra could teach them herself, there was no need. She would create a prototype, and the barbarians could simply copy it.
"Put this one here! And that one over there!"
"Watch this part! Make sure it's straight, not crooked!"
Soon, the basic structure of a small brick house took shape before everyone's eyes. Cerydra stood with her hands on her hips, nodded, and felt quite satisfied.
However, one barbarian asked doubtfully, "Isn't this house a bit too small, Boss Imperator? Shouldn't your palace be built more grandly?"
Cerydra frowned slightly. "What do you mean 'my palace'? I'm building this for you."
The barbarian replied, "Boss Imperator, we can keep living in tents for now. We should definitely build your palace first!"
Cerydra scoffed, "No need. I still have the Magnificent Mansion Spell from Dux Humilitatis. Isn't that far better than this trash heap you're building? Your current skills are pathetic. Train harder and improve your techniques. Once your craftsmanship reaches a decent level, then we can consider building me a palace."
The barbarian stammered, "But... Boss Imperator, didn't you direct us to build this house?"
"..." Cerydra froze, realizing she'd accidentally cornered herself. Her words sounded like she was insulting her own architectural skills! After all, these barbarians were just laborers; she was the true architect behind this ramshackle dwelling.
Cerydra coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, what's it to you? Just do as you're told! Now get back to work!"
The barbarians instinctively shrank back, then lowered their heads and resumed building the house. Of course, hushed discussions continued. After pondering for over ten minutes, one barbarian finally exclaimed, "Oh! So Boss Imperator was actually looking out for us! That's why she said that—to prioritize building our houses first!"
"I knew Boss Imperator wouldn't actually think her own architectural skills were trash! So that's the reason!"
"Boss Imperator is so cute..."
"Hey, keep it down! She's clearly super dignified, okay?!"
Cerydra watched the Barbarians whispering among themselves. Though she couldn't quite make out their words, she could guess their general sentiment. Crossing her arms to suppress her inner embarrassment, she maintained her "utterly dignified" facade and barked, "Hurry up! Not full yet? Why are you dawdling like this? Move it!"
In any other context, this might have sounded like a foreman bullying workers, but the Barbarians present didn't see it that way at all. Instead, they redoubled their efforts, all thinking how adorable their Boss was.
Truth be told, Barbarians revered strength above all else. Tall, muscular men were traditionally their objects of admiration. Yet, despite Cerydra's petite stature and lack of muscle, her overwhelming power was undeniable.
The North Wind Clan Barbarians suddenly realized that a petite Boss who combined both dignity and cuteness might not be so bad after all. And to think, they had only known Cerydra for such a short time!
Perhaps, given a bit more time, Cerydra would subtly reshape these Barbarians' fetishes.
-
Meanwhile, Hysilens stood on the ice. With a mere thought, a "gateway" melted open in the ice before her, and she stepped forward, plunging directly into the sea.
Splash!
This was the Northern Territory, after all, where the underwater temperature was frigid. Even the strongest Barbarians wouldn't dare enter without hesitation. But for Hysilens, it made no difference. She found little difference between the waters of the Northern Territory and those west of the Dragon Ember Empire.
If she had to distinguish, the Northern Territory's seawater tasted like mint tea, while the sea west of the Dragon Ember Empire resembled green tea.
Adjusting her clothes to suppress a fleeting sense of discomfort, Hysilens chose a random direction and began swimming rapidly.
Like Aria's team of four, who had split up to search for other Clans, Hysilens was using the same method as finding schools of fish. To avoid overlapping with others, she deliberately ventured farther afield.
Ah, swimming underwater is so comfortable! she murmured to herself, darting forward an immeasurable distance in the blink of an eye.
During her journey, she encountered numerous fish schools, but none slowed her pace until a peculiar group caught her eye.
This large school of fish was swimming in tight circles, creating an underwater vortex that resembled a miniature tornado.
Hysilens cautiously approached. The fish showed no fear of her; in fact, many swam right up to her, brushing against her clothes and skin.
As she passed through the vortex, at its calm center, Hysilens spotted a small, silver fishhook.
Hysilens: "?"
Activating her Perception ability, she sensed the emotions of the surrounding fish. Many expressed affection and fondness toward her, while a few sent cautious warnings, as if urging her to stay away from the fishhook.
Hysilens gazed in astonishment at the golden fish beside her. Their radiant scales and evident intelligence suggested they belonged to a distinct species. They seemed much smarter than the other fish she had encountered.
But none of that was the main point. The real significance was that if there were fishhooks here, it meant someone must be fishing above. There was likely a Barbarian Clan nearby.
Despite this realization, Hysilens didn't immediately swim to the surface. Instead, she studied the fishhook before her, silently extending her right hand. With her thumb and forefinger, she gently pinched the hook and tugged downward.
The next moment, a faint tug came from the fishhook, as if the angler were testing whether something had really taken the bait. Hysilens didn't let go; instead, she slightly increased the force of her grip.
Now convinced something was on the line, the force from the hook grew stronger, and Hysilens matched it with equal force, the two locked in a tug-of-war.
In reality, when fishing, you shouldn't yank with all your might the moment you hook something. You need to slowly tire out the fish, reeling it in bit by bit. Otherwise, the fish is likely to slip free.
But the person on the other end was clearly a novice. Unable to budge the catch, they simply applied more force, heedless of whether the fish might break free or the rod might snap.
However, Hysilens stopped increasing her force after a certain point, instead acting as if she were losing the tug-of-war and being slowly reeled in.
As she neared the surface, Hysilens could hear the voices above:
"This is definitely a big one! I've finally caught a fish! And it's a huge one!"
"It's so strong! Someone help me! Hurry!"
"Hey, you! Widen the Ice Cave! This fish is massive—we don't want it getting stuck at the entrance!"
"Ughhhhhhh!"
Listening to this guy's ramblings, Hysilens could barely contain her laughter. Teasing the fisherman was proving surprisingly entertaining.
After a grueling three-minute struggle, Hysilens was slowly pulled near the surface. The Barbarians on the ice could now see a massive, human-like shadow emerging from the depths. The fisherman, beside himself with excitement, exclaimed, "Look! Look! Who said I couldn't catch fish? Here it comes..."
Before the man could finish his sentence, Hysilens, propelled by the force of the pull, leaped out of the water. The crisp clack of her high heels landing on the ice echoed through the cave.
After suppressing the laughter that had been bubbling up underwater, Hysilens tilted her head slightly, her expression composed yet tinged with curiosity, and addressed the surrounding Barbarians, "Hello~?"
There were five Barbarians gathered around the Ice Cave. One, still holding a fishing rod, had been thrown backward by the force of hauling Hysilens out of the water, landing heavily on the ground.
Another Barbarian, also gripping a fishing rod, appeared to have been helping him haul the catch. The remaining three Barbarians were hacking at the ice with their ice picks, each blow resounding with a metallic clang.
Shocked by Hysilens's sudden emergence from the sea, the Barbarians' faces froze in stunned silence. Yet their hands continued moving mechanically, each strike of their ice picks echoing through the cave.
After a moment of stunned silence, one of the ice-chopping Barbarians stammered, "B... Boss, i-is this a fish?"
Another ice-chopping Barbarian added, "Such a... big fish..."
The angler burst into angry laughter. "Are you all blind?! This is clearly a person!"
But Hysilens interjected, "Actually, in a way, I am a fish~"
At her words, the angler finally took a closer look at Hysilens. She wore a fishbone-like ornament in her hair, faint fish scales glimmered at the corners of her eyes, and a pearl earring dangled from her ear. Moreover, a distinct fishy scent emanated from her—the lingering aroma from the goldfish that had rubbed against her underwater.
In a certain sense, Hysilens possessed quite a few fish-like elements. Could she truly be a fish?
But the angler cursed immediately, "Like hell you're a fish! Do you think I'm blind? Seriously, where did this weird woman come from? Are you crazy? What were you doing grabbing my hook underwater?!"
As he spoke, the fisherman scratched his head. "Damn it, I'm so pissed! I really thought I'd caught a big one this time!"
A Barbarian standing nearby tentatively remarked, "But Boss, you're still pretty impressive in your own way. Even though you've never caught a fish, last time you hauled up a cloak, the time before that you hooked an axe, and now you've even reeled in a person! None of the rest of us could ever manage that."
The fisherman's forehead immediately creased into a visible "井" character. "Get lost!" he roared. "Who the hell wants this crap? I just want to catch a damn fish!"
After calming down for a moment, the fisherman turned his suspicious gaze back to Hysilens. "So, who exactly are you? And why are you here?"
The fisherman hadn't realized it at first, but now that he thought about it, the struggle alone had lasted at least five minutes. That meant Hysilens had been underwater for that long in freezing temperatures? No normal person could survive that.