Ch. 8
Chapter 8
"As you can see, this is Lady Mercury's territory, sealed away in ice."
Lilian stopped beside a massive gate and raised her hand to introduce it to Luo En.
The gate and the walls extending from its sides were all covered in thick layers of ice.
Looking past these walls, one could see the houses behind them, frozen like ice sculptures.
Standing nearby, even just breathing would produce white mist.
Luo En, dressed lightly, felt like he was on the verge of freezing solid, and Moruna behind him was in the same state.
But Lilian, who was also dressed scantily, showed no reaction to the cold at all.
However, she could tell that the two humans in front of her were about to freeze stiff, so she snapped her fingers.
A barrier enveloped them, blocking out the biting cold wind.
Luo En looked at the transparent barrier in astonishment. "What is this?"
"Dragon Breath," Lilian explained simply.
"Dragon Breath?" But Luo En couldn't comprehend it for a moment.
After all, in his understanding, dragon breath meant a dragon's exhalation, which should involve spewing fire or ice.
"Mr. Luo En, all of a dragon's abilities are called Dragon Breath," Lilian said, glancing at him.
Hearing this explanation, Luo En suddenly seemed to realize something, and his expression changed slightly. "Then why can you use Dragon Breath?"
Lilian looked like she'd heard a very foolish question, her expression a bit helpless.
But as an excellent maid, she maintained her elegant demeanor and politely said, "Mr. Luo En, that's naturally because I am a dragon."
Luo En's eyes widened, and he frantically summoned the System in his mind.
[Otherworlder, the creature in front of you is very powerful and not something you can deal with right now.]
[According to the System's assessment, there is over a 98% chance she is a giant dragon.]
"What about Lady Mercury?" Luo En asked subconsciously.
"Lady Mercury is naturally a dragon as well," Lilian said with a graceful curtsy, slowly revealing the shocking truth.
That meant he'd just been chatting amiably with a dragon? This was indeed another world, full of surprises everywhere.
He realized that after learning the truth, he felt no fear at all, which even surprised him.
But then again, standing before him was a dragon maid—what was there to be afraid of?
If anything, it was better that Lilian was a dragon.
"Mr. Luo En, if I may be frank, you seem like you don't know anything at all," Lilian said.
Luo En was honest about it and didn't hide anything. "I really don't know anything."
Lilian's ruby-like eyes widened imperceptibly. "Then, may I ask you a few questions, Mr. Luo En?"
"Please, go ahead," Luo En said, making a welcoming gesture.
Lilian posed a basic question. "Do you know the name of this world?"
"Of course I do. This is the Bicolor Realm." Luo En had heard Lilian mention it earlier to Lady Mercury.
"Then do you know what a spell is?"
Lilian stood with her hands clasped in front of her skirt, like an examiner.
"..."
"Then do you know what a prayer is?"
"..."
"Then do you know what currency humans generally use?"
"..."
"Then do you know what mana is?"
"..."
With each question, Lilian came to understand one thing—Luo En knew absolutely nothing about the Bicolor Realm.
So she didn't continue to trouble him; after all, he looked like he was about to short-circuit.
She pushed open the ice-sealed gate with one hand. As it opened, shards of ice scattered to the ground, but they were all blocked by the barrier.
Once the gate was open, the scenery inside the territory came into clear view—ice sculptures everywhere.
Not only had the houses turned into ice sculptures, but the people on the land were frozen solid as well.
They were preserved in the poses and expressions they'd had right before freezing to death, scattered sporadically along the streets.
The ground was littered with shattered birds, probably frozen mid-flight.
"All the people in this territory are dead?"
"No, half of them left in advance."
After hearing Lilian's answer, Luo En stepped into the territory.
But he noticed Lilian wasn't following; she was standing off to the side of the gate.
Luo En looked at her in confusion. "Why aren't you coming?"
"I'm just your delicate maid. This investigation should be carried out by you, Mr. Luo En," Lilian said, lifting her skirt in a very proper manner.
She had only come to Luo En's side as an observer for the Dragon Race; investigating the territory wasn't her duty.
And if Luo En ran into danger along the way, she still wouldn't intervene.
"But I'll provide you with a place to rest comfortably," Lilian added. With that, she struck down a nearby large tree with one palm. "Please wait a moment; I'll build it for you right away."
At the same time, she draped a coat over Luo En's shoulders to keep him from freezing.
Luo En entered the town-like place helplessly, but then he heard rustling footsteps behind him and quickly turned around.
Moruna was following close behind him like a little duckling, saying nothing and doing nothing.
"If you're her maid, then looking after her is part of your job, right?" Luo En said to Lilian.
Lilian gave a slight nod. "Of course."
Moruna put up a little resistance at first, but after a moment, she went still.
Once Luo En had handed her over to Lilian, he stepped back into the town.
The one who'd frozen the entire territory solid couldn't possibly be hiding out in the fields—he had to be somewhere in here.
Truth be told, Luo En hadn't expected to make any progress on his very first day.
Lady Mercury had sent people here before, after all, and even she hadn't managed to sort it out yet.
For now, he was just planning to get a feel for the lay of the land, to make things easier down the line.
It was freezing in here. He wouldn't be able to stick around the town for long.
"An hour, then I'll head back," Luo En muttered to himself.
He scanned the frost-covered streets, edging sideways through the ice sculptures.
The past few days of wandering had at least taken him through places buzzing with life.
But a spot this eerily silent? He'd never set foot in one before—not in his old life, and not since crossing over.
After he'd walked a ways, he caught the sound of animals nearby.
Following the noise, he spotted a few fluffy creatures tumbling about in the street.
They noticed him right away and bolted from view in a panic.
Luo En had figured the town was totally devoid of life, but apparently he'd been overthinking it.
It was just cold—colder than hell—but not an actual wasteland.
He tilted his head back, breath fogging the air. "Might as well take it as a chance to soak in some otherworld scenery."
On the plus side, this was basically a free vacation. An isekai tour, no less.