Two days later, the convoy slowly approached the Heaven's Capital, where towering walls stood.
At this moment, Toki was inside the carriage, leaning over a notebook and writing.
"Although the Wano Father and Mother told me about has already disappeared, Frost Island has been born anew upon this land. I have personally witnessed how deeply the people here admire Saint Valthior. Such pure and sincere feelings undoubtedly prove that Saint Valthior's rule is close to the people. He must be a great and merciful ruler."
"Ever since the Kozuki family betrayed the Twenty Kings more than eight hundred years ago, Wano closed its borders and never opened itself to the outside world. This was completely different from the Wano Father once described to me. Because of that, during my previous jumps through time, I could never reach Wano, nor could I obtain any news about it. Thinking about it now, the Kozuki family truly deserved death. They sealed off the country only to make their own power more secure and to keep the people from learning of their betrayal…"
"And now, Wano… no, Frost Island, under Saint Valthior's leadership, has once again regained its open posture. It no longer seals away information from the outside. It opens its arms, accepts the world, and joins with it. In the prosperous markets, I saw merchants from all over the world and travelers of many races. The winter may be bitterly cold, but the smiles on everyone's faces cannot lie."
"I think that although I missed the rotten country ruled by the Kozuki family, it is not bad to encounter the reborn Frost Island of today."
"Perhaps this is fate."
"I was fortunate enough to meet Saint Valthior's retainer, Mr. Spandine. Under his guidance, I will soon go to pay my respects to the great descendant of the Twenty Kings—the young master of the Jaygarcia family, Saint Valthior. Our Amatsuki family, as loyal warriors of the Twenty Kings, once shed our blood more than eight hundred years ago. In that war against the tyrant king, we gave our lives for the Twenty Kings. Yet we never had the honor of being received by them. Now, to finally meet a descendant of that great royal bloodline, I feel unexpectedly excited. Father, I will strive to let the glory of the Twenty Kings shine upon the Amatsuki family once more!"
As she was writing, Spandine's voice suddenly came from outside the carriage.
"We are about to arrive at the Heaven's Capital."
Hearing this, Toki put away her notebook, lifted the curtain, and looked outside.
At the end of the convoy in the distance, a grand white wall stood tall and imposing, as if it reached all the way into the sky.
She knew that within this wall was Frost Island's ruling center—the Heaven's Capital..
It was also where Saint Valthior's palace, the Seireitei, was located.
After the carriage team passed inspection, they were soon allowed through and entered the walls.
And for the first time, Toki truly saw the Heaven's Capital.
At the very center stood an ancient and enormous cherry blossom tree. It had already been completely frozen. Above its crown was a vast and majestic palace complex—that was the Seireitei everyone spoke of.
Throughout the Heaven's Capital, pale colors such as pure white, silver-white, and icy tones seemed to be everywhere. Buildings, carriages, streets, and even shop signs were almost all done in those light colors, with other colors used only as accents.
In sharp contrast, most people wore darker clothing, mainly black, dark gray, and brown.
From her earlier conversations with the people of Frost Island, Toki already knew why.
The Shogun favored those colors, and over time, the people had come to favor them as well.
As a result, the city looked almost as if it were divided into black and white.
From what her father had told her, Wano's buildings were mostly made of wood. Here, however, wooden structures were surprisingly rare. Almost every home was built of stone.
With immigrants from all over the world and many races besides humans living here, the city's architecture had never settled into a single style. Every street looked different, yet somehow it all fit together, giving the Heaven's Capital a charm unlike anywhere else.
Here, Toki saw members of the legendary Mink Tribe, Fish-Men, and even Merfolk going about their daily lives.
She even caught sight of Giants making their way through the city.
There were Sky Islanders as well, with wings on their backs.
People and cultures from every corner of the world came together here, creating a city full of life.
Toki had heard that, besides this place, there was another nation in the New World called Totto Land. It was much the same, welcoming people of every race and culture.
If she ever had the chance, she wanted to see it for herself.
As Toki took in the sights of the Heaven's Capital, a sudden commotion broke out near a plaza in the distance.
The excitement quickly spread, drawing in people from all along the street.
At first, nothing changed much.
But after a short while, someone said the Shogun had arrived—that after inspecting the arms factory, the Shogun happened to be passing through this way on his return to the Seireitei.
In an instant, the entire crowd became restless.
The street vendors could not even care about their stalls anymore. One by one, they rushed excitedly toward the plaza. Shop owners also closed their doors one after another, calling loudly for their clerks and workers to follow them over.
The street was wide enough for eight carriages to travel side by side, yet in an extremely short time, it became so packed that no one could move forward.
Sitting inside the carriage, Toki looked at the excited people and felt deeply shaken.
"Ahhh! Shogun!"
"It is the Shogun!"
The people raised both hands high, their faces filled with excitement. Tears welled in their eyes while their feet kept bouncing in place, as if they had nowhere to release the emotion bursting inside them.
Then she saw him.
A figure dressed in a proper black noble suit, riding a silver-white warhorse. He wore a gentle smile and kept waving to the people. Holding the reins, he slowed the horse's pace, seemingly afraid of bumping into the eager crowd.
Amid those cheers, he gradually headed toward the giant ice-crystal cherry tree.
"The people welcome him in the streets, and wave after wave of enthusiasm follows. So this is the Shogun who rules Frost Island? Indeed, just as that merchant said, although Frost Island has fallen into eternal winter and the cold never ends, they have their own sun. That sun is Shogun Valthior—the warmth that helps them resist the cold," Toki murmured with emotion.
Spandine, who stood guard beside the carriage, heard her murmur and smiled to himself.
It's settled.
There were simply too many people around. Although he had wanted to step forward and greet the Young Master, he held himself back.
After Valthior and his group returned to the Seireitei, the bustling street gradually returned to normal. The crowd slowly dispersed, and the convoy continued on its way.
When Toki finally arrived at the foot of the Seireitei and looked up at the solemn stone staircase, its countless steps seeming to stretch into the sky, she was once again left in awe.
Until now, what she had seen through the people of Frost Island was Shogun Valthior's kindness and the closeness he shared with his people.
But standing before these stone steps, she could finally feel Saint Valthior's majesty and the weight of his status.
Everything here carried an air of dignity that commanded respect.
At that moment, Toki finally understood what it meant to be a descendant of the Twenty Kings—the bearing of a true Celestial Dragon.
Just as Toki was staring blankly at the stone steps, Spandine walked over excitedly from not far away and said happily, "I have already reported your situation to the Young Master through Den Den Mushi. As expected, the Young Master is very interested in you. Come with me. I will bring you to pay your respects to the Young Master right away. You need to pay attention—the Young Master's status is noble, so the etiquette for ordinary people meeting him is…"
Although she had long known she might be able to meet that noble descendant of the Twenty Kings, and had even thought she was already prepared, now that the moment had truly arrived, Toki's heart pounded hard. She grew increasingly nervous.
Her mind seemed to slowly turn blank.
Like a puppet on strings, she dazedly followed behind Spandine and entered an enclosed space.
Then a feeling of weightlessness came over her.
Toki suddenly came back to herself.
"This is?"
"This is an internal elevator. Do you know what an elevator is?" Spandine explained.
"Ah... yes, I know," Toki nodded.
Elevators had existed in her era too.
In fact, she felt the technology of her own time was even more advanced than what existed today.
She had only failed to react because she had been too distracted by everything around her.
After stepping out of the elevator, Toki immediately saw the full view of the Heaven's Capital below.
No—not just the Heaven's Capital.
From this height, she could see the entirety of Frost Island, with her gaze stretching all the way to the distant sea. The palace, with its pure white walls and black roof tiles, appeared exceptionally solemn.
Following behind Spandine, Toki continued passing through the palace complex.
The security here was extremely strict. Guards wearing full armor and holding sharp blades stood almost every few steps.
And it was not only these guards serving as sentries. In many hidden places, surveillance Den Den Mushi could be seen hanging.
After a long while, Spandine finally stopped.
Only then did Toki turn her attention to the grand hall before her.
The first thing she noticed was how spacious and empty it was.
It was strange. After entering the courtyard of the grand hall, the heavily guarded atmosphere from before had completely vanished. The guards who had been stationed everywhere earlier were nowhere to be seen, and there were no surveillance Den Den Mushi either.
What was even somewhat amusing was the sight of two snowmen standing in front of the hall.
One wore a straw hat.
The other had a red nose.
They looked rather cute, completely out of place with the solemn palace.
Just then, a bright, hearty laugh came from inside the hall.
"Ahahahahaha! Spandine, you've worked hard. Tell me, just how many beauties did my old man arrange for me this time? Can I send them back?"
Valthior walked out from the hall, laughing loudly. "I think I saw you on the street just now…"
"Working for you, Young Master, is never hard. Saint Saturn arranged seventy-six women from royal and noble families all over the world for you. He hopes you can choose at least three or five from among them… As for the rest, there is no need to send them back. They may all remain on Frost Island," Spandine replied first.
Then he smiled again.
"We did indeed pass you on the street just now. However, the people were far too enthusiastic…"
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