The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

"Alright, Lady Trovik, please give your orders," Emilia replied softly, though slightly puzzled by Teresa's impatience.

"First, get someone to fetch clean white snow and put it in a pot, then have Ryan turn it into water. Quickly," the sorceress finally gave up on wearing her tight pants. She pulled a blue velvet dress from her spatial ring and changed into it, then covered herself with a blanket.

Emilia said nothing more. She filled a pot with snow and brought it to Ryan. "Lady Trovik asked me to bring this to you and have you turn the snow into water."

"Okay." Ryan extended a hand, and with a surge of psychic power, blue flames appeared in his palm. The snow in the pot quickly melted, turning into warm water, which he handed to the maid. "Here, hurry up. The water cools quickly in this weather."

"Yes."

The carriage became quiet, allowing Ryan to focus on other matters. He understood why the danger in Hordaland Mountain was lower: the area was too flat and open. On clear days, Ryan could easily see everything within several kilometers from his horse, leaving bandits and monsters with nowhere to hide since the mountains were covered with meadows and snow.

Bandits and beastmen relied on ambushes and surprise attacks, constantly attacking supply lines and cutting off human lines. In such open terrain, the caravan's safety was assured.

Taking this opportunity, the White Wolf Knight pondered his next steps.

Ryan was also a history enthusiast in his previous life and had read many books. This world's background resembled Western fantasy, with swords and magic, blood and fire, and a medieval feudal system.

But it wasn't exactly the same as what he had read. Ryan was familiar with the settings of "The Lord of the Rings" and Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

The world of "The Lord of the Rings" was interesting; it was a low-magic world where the forces of order always seemed to be on the verge of being overwhelmed by evil. Human kingdoms were besieged by armies, and it seemed like countless improbable efforts were needed to finally defeat the evil Sauron.

However, reading the original text revealed a different picture.

The main antagonist, Sauron, the big boss of Middle-earth, was merely the lieutenant of the true big boss, Morgoth. And Morgoth was just one of the more powerful beings among the Valar (the gods in "The Lord of the Rings"), with power limited and always inferior to that of Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme deity whose power was infinite.

Summing it up in simple terms:

Gandalf: Eru Ilúvatar, will Aragorn become the human king?

Eru: Yes.

Gandalf: Do the Valar also support him?

Eru: Of course!

Thus, the Fellowship of the Ring always managed to survive against the odds. Numerous forces did their utmost to help them because Aragorn's future kingship was ordained, decided by a council of gods. Even if Gandalf died fighting the Balrog, Eru could resurrect him in full health, upgrading him to the white-robed wizard. 

It seemed dire, but it was stable. With Eru and most of the Valar's support, the forces of order held the advantage. Even if things went awry, Eru would step in to clean up (in truth, nothing in "The Lord of the Rings" could threaten Eru; even Morgoth's final battle couldn't force the One God to intervene).

The D&D background was more chaotic. Lower planes like the Abyss and the Nine Hells seemed overwhelmingly powerful, with the forces of order and evil each holding half the sky.

But that was just the surface. Ryan knew the forces of order were much stronger than those of evil. Higher plane beings and gods simply preferred to keep their distance, driving the evil forces into lower planes. When needed, the forces of evil could still be crushed. Angels of Mount Celestia had once rampaged through the Abyss, and the Nine Hells were just a contractual agreement. In D&D stories, unnamed adventurers often destroyed powerful demons in the Abyss, and a group of paladins once conquered an entire Abyssal layer, becoming its rulers.

Compared to "The Lord of the Rings," D&D's supreme god, AO, was incredibly powerful but not invincible. Some gods had once approached AO's power but later relinquished their duties (like the ancient death god Jergal) or faced setbacks and reincarnated (like the first magic goddess).

Unlike "The Lord of the Rings," D&D was a high-magic world where a god's anger could destroy a kingdom with a thought. No number of minions could withstand a god's wrath.

This world was entirely different.

As a White Wolf Knight, Ryan had visited the White Wolf City and read the White Wolf Canon, which recorded much history. During the First Chaos Invasion, the White Wolf War God had descended to fight the Chaos army. According to the canon, Ulric, wielding his warhammer and clad in silver-gray wolf cloaks and divine armor, led his holy White Wolf Knights into the Chaos ranks. Ulric himself killed over thirty Chaos champions and demon princes, single-handedly taking more than five hundred Chaos warrior heads, with countless lower-ranked soldiers. The canon described Ulric's presence as "invincible, burning the land like white flames in winter."

Impressive, but nothing more. Compared to D&D's gods, who could casually destroy cities, the White Wolf War God's power was surprisingly weak, much weaker than Ryan had imagined. Yet, even so, Ulric was one of the most battle-hardened human gods.

Ulric hated lies and deceit, so his followers wouldn't lie in the canon. This data was likely accurate, leading Ryan to conclude that the gods of this world were much weaker than expected.

During the First Chaos Invasion, Emperor Charlemagne gathered almost all the forces of order on the continent, excluding the elves, and several descended gods and their holy armies. Even so, the forces of order were nearly pushed to the brink.

Moreover, the one who ultimately killed the Chaos Chosen, Morkar, wasn't a god but Charlemagne himself. This led to three deductions:

First, Morkar was extremely powerful, beyond the capabilities of descended gods.

Second, Emperor Charlemagne had power comparable to or exceeding the descended gods.

Third, the Chaos Gods did not intervene directly.

Thus, Ryan deduced that the forces of evil in this world were far stronger than the forces of order, significantly so.

"Mr. Ryan?"

It seems... I've been drawn into a giant cage. My fate is either to defend myself and eliminate evil or perish with this cage.

"Mr. Ryan?"

The first step in this world is to obtain my own territory. Relying on adventuring to fight Chaos is a fantasy. I must climb the extremely conservative and closed noble system of the medieval world.

"Mr. Ryan!" A voice snapped Ryan out of his thoughts. His unfocused blue eyes regained their sharpness. "What is it?"

It was Rost. The barbarian looked curiously at Ryan. "Mr. Ryan, were you thinking about something?"

"Yes, something troubling," Ryan sighed deliberately. "I was thinking about how the caravan has only one female mercenary. How do these men usually manage?"

"Hahaha! Mr. Ryan, you don't need to worry about that. Mercenaries, even us, have our old flames~" Rost laughed heartily, his braids and beard swinging. "In Winter City, I have an old flame. She's got a great figure, good looks, and we've been together for years. Only twenty silver dinars a night, and I visit her every time I'm in Winter City!"

"Hahaha! That's nothing, Rost. I've seen a bard whose old flames not only gave him a place to stay but also money!" Ryan grinned mischievously, making a gesture with his hands. "So, Rost, when your old flame starts paying you, that's when you'll truly have skills!"

"Ah, that's impossible. Last time I went to Winter City, I found my old flame gone without a trace. She left no message, and the innkeeper said she earned enough to marry a merchant and live out her days!" Rost scratched his head. "It takes years to cultivate an old flame. I don't think I can do it."

"Don't rush to find one among humans," Ryan winked. "Why not try a night hag?"

Just then, the carriage curtain lifted, and a massive ice spear shot out, aimed at Ryan's head. "Shut your mouth, Ryan!"

"Oh! My gods!" Rost instinctively jumped off his horse, rolling a few times on the soft meadow. He looked up to see Ryan casually extend a finger, flicking the ice spear away. It embedded itself in the meadow. "Eavesdropping isn't a good habit. What you need most now is rest."

"I don't mind men talking about this, but please do it away from my carriage!" Teresa's beautiful face appeared in the curtain. "Or do you want me to tell Lord Norman about your interest in night hags, Ryan?"

Night hags weren't demons but forest creatures resembling fairies, with goat-like legs and hooves but otherwise beautiful human female appearances. They fed on male life force.

"Alright, we won't discuss this, Teresa. I think this journey has been quite interesting," Ryan said, riding close to the carriage. He noticed the maid wasn't inside. "I remembered a knight novel I read. The protagonist's mentor was named Annon."

"Unknown? No name?" Teresa asked curiously. "Who would have such a name?"

"Anyway, in the story, the mentor was known as the continent's best knight, but his performance was always lackluster because he was

 never in top condition."

"Not in top condition? Explain."

"He appeared in several key battles but never won. He was either poisoned, lacked the will to fight old comrades, or old wounds acted up. Despite being called the continent's best knight, he never showed his strength, always losing to minor foes." Ryan smirked. "But the author kept emphasizing his title, which I found quite ironic."

"Are you mocking me for always having issues?" Teresa quickly caught on.

"No, I'm saying you often can't fight in peak condition, so you need to save and conserve your magic as much as possible, instead of wasting it arguing with me," Ryan said, looking at Teresa. "Lady Aurora should have told you the consequences of using spells indiscriminately in town."

"I know." Teresa, feeling unwell and guilty, didn't argue.

After a brief lecture, Ryan's expression softened. "Feeling better?"

"More or less. I need to meditate."

"Alright, I won't disturb you." Ryan didn't want to argue with the sorceress. Her emotions were unstable, and it was best to say less. Based on experience, resting for a day would greatly alleviate her pain... hopefully.

As the sun began to set in the west, the caravan crested Hordaland Mountain. Ryan rode to the middle of the caravan. "Mr. Oliver, where's our planned campsite tonight?"

"There's a relatively flat area in the valley. We'll camp there tonight," Oliver replied. "By the way, Mr. Ryan, did you see Aik when you came from the rear?"

"No," Ryan shook his head.

"That's strange. Where could Aik be?"

As they wondered, a roar shook the ground, making Ryan feel the earth tremble.

"Roar!!!!"

The sound came from the east.

"Draw your swords! Prepare for battle!" Ryan shouted. The caravan halted, and the sound of swords being unsheathed echoed through the valley.

Rapid footsteps approached. Aik, battered and with his armor damaged in several places, ran towards the caravan, panicked. "It's a bear monster! My gods, there's a bear monster here!"

Today's chapter included some musings on different Western fantasy settings. Hope it's okay! (Runs away!)