?Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Aina Wants to Elope with her Brother, and Doesn’t Want her Sister Anymore (Looking for First Subscription!) _2 Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Aina Wants to Elope with her Brother, and Doesn’t Want her Sister Anymore (Looking for First Subscription!) _2 Luo Xi quietly tapped the screen twice.


    He mustn’t be seduced by the Damn Text.


    Wei’er looked up at the oppressively dark sky and said, “The Divine Tree’s blessing should hold out for a while longer, let’s hurry.”


    Traveler, you asked, “Will we be safe once we enter the core protected area of Winter City?”


    Cat Cat glanced back at you and said solemnly, “After all, that is the place truly safeguarded by the Divine Tree. The wind disaster ten years ago pierced through the Divine Tree’s Glory, demolishing almost the entire Grey Stone Street. Although many died within Winter City, the vast majority of casualties were those living outside, not a single resident under the true Glory of the Divine Tree perished.”


    ——


    Outside Winter City, within the grounds of a vast mansion that spanned hundreds of acres and featured a variety of winter flowers.


    Compared to the dilapidated Grey Stone Street, this place was practically paradise.


    However, as this land was not within the Inner City, it was still quite cheap, and anyone with money could easily build vast and luxurious residences.


    At this moment, outdoors amidst falling snow, a group of servants burned a stove to dispel the cold, providing warmth for two people in a pavilion.


    Rat King Noss placed a black chess piece on the board with a smile on his lips.


    “Delkus, your game has deteriorated. I win this round,” he said.


    The old man across from him with a shifty appearance frustratingly slapped down his white piece and scoffed,


    “Heh, you’ve won by just one piece, and to call me so early to play chess is outrageous. If I hadn’t slept poorly, I’d definitely have beaten you!”


    “Don’t be hasty.”


    Noss took a sip of tea that was almost frozen and smiled, “Delkus, I came to see you this time to ask about your stance. Will you stand with me, or with Mazar?”


    The old man suddenly fell silent, his sullen eyes glancing at Rat King Noss as he said in a dark tone, “I stand nowhere. Three years ago, I stood with you, but what did that get me? Has it shortened my life?”


    Rat King Noss laughed heartily, “You’ve become quite bold since becoming the Chief Justice of the Judicial Court. I’ve heard that in recent years, you’ve sentenced many people to death without sufficient evidence, just to maintain your ‘forest of corpses.’ Is that the Omen you need for your Skill Practitioner path to Sublimate and break through to Tier Four? Is the reason so many Variants were allowed into the city today that you’ve made some sort of agreement with Mazar?”


    Delkus suddenly stood up from his stool and bellowed,


    “Noss, I just want to live a few more years. Don’t force me to reveal your true identities. If the City of Light knew how thoroughly your Church of Truth has infiltrated this city, even coveting the True Canon of the Winter Divine Tree, what do you think your end would be like?”


    “We’re in the same boat. Your actions are even more despicable than Mazar, that hypocrite. What do you think the City of Light will do to you after they’re done with us? And my relationship with the Church of Truth is merely a partnership.” S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Rat King Noss stared straight into Delkus’ murky eyes and smiled, “But I’m different from you. You fear death, whereas I do not. In my heart, there are things that must be done even at the cost of death.”


    Delkus roared, “What things? Tell me, Noss! Let me see what you’re thinking!”


    Noss’ eyes abruptly changed to different colors—one dark grey, the other deep green—as his voice deepened immeasurably,


    “I will completely reshape this world into what I desire. For that goal, I am willing to pay any price, even my own life!”


    Delkus’ momentum suddenly fell.


    He said weakly, “Mad, you’re crazier than Mazar. If it hadn’t been for that woman turning against you at the Festival three years ago, you probably would have completed your plan, wouldn’t you?”


    “Yes, but this time there is no Liya, the old City Owner is no longer with us, and the Noah Church has evacuated entirely due to the Origin Disaster,” replied Noss.


    Rat King narrowed his eyes and said, “You should know that my goal is different from Mazar’s. He wishes to become the absolute ruler of this place, but he can’t give you what you truly desire.”


    The old man asked, “And what can you give me?”


    “Didn’t you say it? The True Canon,” answered Rat King.


    Rat King smiled, “If you could study the Truth of Divine Tree, it would help complete your Necromancy Omen to some extent, wouldn’t it? Right now, the young City Owner Hill is in Mazar’s hands, while the two keys to unlock the seals that Liya set years ago are in mine. Mazar and I are temporarily balanced, so I need you to stand with me as the deciding factor for victory.”


    Delkus exclaimed in shock, “I thought you just wanted control, but you aim to destroy…”


    Rat King Nos sneered, raising his hand to interrupt the old man’s speech, “The moment I get my hands on the Truth of Divine Tree, I will use the characteristic of the calamity factor within my body to devour the power of the True Canon and directly step into the peak of Mutation Tier Four, glimpsing into the domain of a Tier Five monarch with my mortal flesh! Even if you still can’t complete the Sublimation Omen, I can help you find the fragments afterwards!”


    “You will die! That thing is not meant for humans to…”


    “I will certainly not die!”


    Nos gazed at the old man before him and said in a deep voice, “On the eve of approaching the twilight of life, don’t you want to gamble? Mazar can’t help you with this, you should know he is someone who settles for status quo! He can’t help you much.”


    Delkus fell silent for a long time, then suddenly said, “What about the commander of the Winter Legion, Signo? That Powered Armor Legion under his control is a big problem, have you roped him in?”


    Nos shook his head and said, “That guy is stubborn as a mule, loyal only to the old City Owner, I can’t persuade him, and he has already been suspicious of us.”


    Delkus asked, “What about the two keys you hold?”


    “I always carry one with me, and the other… I was planning to bring her into the city today, but unexpectedly, she sneaked in last night.”


    Nos smiled and said, “Well, that saves me some trouble. Speaking of which, aren’t you a pure-blood proponent? You never use Variants for experiments, so why have you partnered with Mazar this time? Don’t say you haven’t, I know for sure you’re also involved.”


    The old man shook his head, “Actually, he also made me a promise…”


    Suddenly, both of their bodies trembled at the same time.


    Nos narrowed his eyes and looked up into the dense shadows above the canopy.


    Delkus exclaimed in surprise, “What is that? Locust Disaster Lakast? How come it’s so soon?”


    The timing of this Origin Disaster’s aftermath is not right.


    According to the news from the last affected city, this significantly reduced aftermath should have been at least half a day away from their location. Why had it arrived at Winter City so much earlier?


    Not good, Wei’er is still out there; I have to bring the child back. The thin Divine Tree Glory of the Outer City of Winter can’t possibly withstand the prolonged erosion of the locust disaster.


    “Damn!”


    Nos suddenly cursed loudly, leaving Delkus utterly puzzled.


    “What’s wrong?”


    “All the rat spies I sent out are dead again! Who did this?! Was it discovered by Mazar? Weren’t they very alert?”


    “That…”


    Delkus pointed at a winter tree nearby, which was rapidly frosting over, the faces of many servants also showing frost, shouting in panic.


    “Is it possible that your rats were frozen to death?”


    “Frozen?”


    Nos felt the temperature around him and narrowed his eyes to closely observe the surroundings, where many items exposed to the outdoors were suddenly covered with ice.


    He remembered a phenomenon once recorded.


    Nos suddenly stood up, his voice low, “Delkus, I think I know why Lakast is half a day ahead. There’s only one possibility, something of its caliber must have driven it on its path here.”


    Delkus’ expression froze, “You mean, besides Lakast’s aftermath, another unknown Origin Disaster has appeared?”


    “If I’m not wrong about this cooling and freezing trait…”


    Rat King Nos, with a profound look in his eyes, said, “Thirty years ago, a disaster that froze over three cities of the size of Winter City, an Origin Disaster known for bringing ice and desolation—The Third Origin Disaster, Snow Disaster Mislat. Right now, these signs are probably just the prelude. If it is the actual entity arriving this time, I’m afraid we are all done for.”


    The old man gasped.


    Then he suddenly thought of something, leaped up from the stone bench, and ran out like crazy, not at all like a man in his sixties or seventies.


    “Damn! My forest farm!”