Mist Empire’s Rise: Fake Noble to Fog Queen

Snow buntings are birds native to the far north, widely distributed across the permafrost regions and coastal cliffs. They prefer to perch on bare ground, like the exposed rocks before them.

But snow buntings are migratory birds.

While it's normal for migratory birds to appear here in summer, it's quite strange for them to stay during winter instead of flying south.

Troy caught on: "Are you suggesting someone is keeping them here?"

"You're getting smarter, Troy." Luo Wei raised her delicate eyebrows in praise.

Troy's ears turned red: "I just thought it was odd that they kept circling here when there's no food on the ice field."

"Your suspicion is correct," Luo Wei pointed to the stone houses around them, "And look at these houses - they're as empty as if no one ever lived here. Would bandits have the patience to clean everything out so thoroughly?"

Not a grain of rice or piece of cloth remained - this kind of meticulous work was beyond what bandits would do.

"Then where could they be hiding?" Troy asked curiously. He hadn't seen a single person when he entered the castle.

"Where they're hiding," Luo Wei smiled mysteriously, "Perhaps only these snow buntings who act as their lookouts would know."

She immediately ordered: "Troy, blow the whistle!"

"Ah? Oh."

Troy blew the bone whistle, and a shadow drifted down from the sky.

"Screech—"

The griffin, which had been wandering in the distance, returned at the whistle's call and looked down at the ground.

"Screech screech—"

Why call it back?

As the terrifying creature shrieked overhead, several snow buntings frantically flapped their grayish-black wings and dove toward the ground.

Luo Wei's eyes followed their movement intently, a flash of surprise crossing her face.

Those snow buntings had fled right under the castle gate.

It truly proved the saying - the most dangerous place is the safest place.

In the entire castle, only the weathered soil under the gate was suitable for digging a cellar. Anyone stepping through the gate could be heard by those below.

The mountain rocks were too hard to excavate without iron tools.

Luo Wei quickly walked down the stone steps and returned to the gate.

She hopped around on the stone-paved path like playing hopscotch, tapping the ground with the heel of her lambskin boots. She discovered a loose stone slab with a rat hole on its side.

"This is it."

She turned back to look at Troy and said quietly: "Get your sword ready, we're about to go exploring."

Troy drew his sword and nodded solemnly.

Luo Wei crouched down and called under the stone slab: "Is anyone there?"

She spoke in a gentle voice: "We're passing through and would like to stay here for the night. Would that be alright?"

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

There was complete silence beneath the stone slab, not a sound could be heard.

Luo Wei called again: "You don't need to be afraid, I'm not a bad person. We promise we'll leave after just one night!"

Still no response.

Luo Wei vaguely felt something was off in her estimation. She stood up and stepped back: "Troy, move the stone, but watch out for hidden weapons."

"Alright."

Troy bent down and easily lifted the stone, tossing it aside.

A large hole appeared in the ground, just big enough for an adult to crawl through.

Luo Wei took out her magic wand and lit a small flame, extending it into the hole to illuminate the narrow space below.

A pair of brown eyes stared back at her in terror before the little boy quickly shrank back out of her line of sight.

The air in the hole was unbearably foul. Luo Wei covered her nose with a handkerchief: "Troy, go down and check. There seem to be children inside."

Troy jumped into the hole, triggering frightened screams from below.

"What's the situation down there?" Luo Wei extended her magic wand into the hole to provide light for Troy.

After a few seconds, Troy's voice came from below.

"There are six children and one corpse."

Luo Wei let out a breath: "Move aside a bit, I'm coming down too."

She jumped down holding her magic wand, landing on a soft layer of sandy soil.

The stench of excrement grew even stronger after jumping down - every breath was torture.

Pinching her nose, Luo Wei held up her magic wand to illuminate the surroundings.

It was a small cellar less than ten square meters, cold and foul-smelling. A pile of feces sat in the left corner, earthen jars lined the right wall, and the middle was packed full of items.

All the vessels, food and clothes that had vanished from the stone houses had appeared here.

Behind that pile of things hid several small children - pairs of frightened eyes could be seen peering through gaps between the stacked vessels.

Luo Wei walked a few steps forward and saw an old man with graying beard and shriveled skin lying beside them - or more accurately, an old man's corpse.

He was covered in thick animal furs, his skin a bluish-gray color, clearly dead for some time.

"Children, come here," Luo Wei beckoned to them, "Come, tell big sister - is it just you here? Where are the adults in your family?"

A sweet childish voice came from behind the pile: "Big sissy, all the grown-ups are gone."

"Emily, don't talk to her! She might be a witch!" another voice said sternly.

"But sissy is so pwetty!"

"Even if she's pretty, she could still be a witch in disguise!"

"Brother, I'm hungwy~" a third child whined.

"Aiden, you already ate this morning."

"Brother, I'm hungry too..."

"Brother, Emily's tummy is hungwy too!"

Suddenly there was a chorus of hungry voices from behind the pile.

Luo Wei approached quietly, finally getting a clear view of the situation.

There were six children in total, the oldest only six or seven years old, the youngest not even two and still unable to speak clearly.

The oldest boy was frantically trying to comfort his younger siblings. When he looked up and saw Luo Wei approaching, he immediately moved protectively in front of them.

"Stay back!"

Luo Wei stopped: "Alright, I won't come closer. But, do you plan to keep living here with them? You must not have much food left, right?"

The little boy tried to sound fierce despite his fear: "So what!"

"Without food, you'll starve to death," Luo Wei stated the cruel fact.

The boy stubbornly replied: "We won't starve! We'll go out and find food!"

"Find food?" Luo Wei shook her head, "With those little arms and legs of yours, going out into the ice and snow to find food? The only food you could find would be those little birds hidden in the jars behind you."

The boy immediately tensed up: "You can't eat them! They're my friends!"

"I didn't say I would eat them. I'm just thinking from your perspective about what you would eat when you run out of food."

The boy pressed his lips together tightly and said nothing.

"I told you, I'm not a bad person," Luo Wei pressed on, "I can help you get out of here and give you food. You don't need to be so defensive like I'm an enemy."

"I don't believe you. Why would you want to save us?" The boy lifted his chin. "Grandpa Pigo said people who are nice to us for no reason always want something from us. We have nothing to give you!"

"Because I'm a follower of the God of Death and Time," Luo Wei put on a merciful expression, "The god tells us to save those who suffer and help those in need."

"I ask for nothing in return."

The little boy immediately translated her words: "I get it - you want to convert us."

My, what a clever little mind.

Luo Wei raised an eyebrow: "You could say that."

The boy became even more wary: "What if we don't believe in your god?"

Luo Wei deliberately said: "Then I might not be able to save you."

"Hmph, I knew it," the boy snorted coldly, "The god you speak of must be an evil god. True gods wouldn't act like that. I'll never believe in some God of Death and Time - I believe in the God of Wisdom!"

Luo Wei's smile faded slightly as she straightened her back, her dark eyes looking down at him.

"Evil god? True god?"

"Little one, why hasn't your true god come to save you then?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
patreon.com/BZDXG - Unlock a HUGE stash of advance chapters now!
Dive deeper into the story ahead of everyone else!