BXBX NOVEL Chapter 306: North and South
Now, though, the difference was like night and day. The dark and depressing atmosphere was gone, revealing a massive mountain range whose peaks almost pierced the skies.
A thick blanket of snow covered most of it, making the environment really cold. It\'s as if somebody cast an eternal winter spell in this area. Despite its coldness, the northern region held a kind of beauty and elegance unique to it, making the travelers evidently drawn to it.
There is life here. There are trees that have evolved to endure and thrive in the cold environment, patches of snow grass, winter animals, and so on. Of course, this kind of environment holds innate dangers too, since it does not discriminate between friend and foe. In the face of the ice, frost, and snow, this perpetual winter treats all life equally.
About six months ago, the seed of a new civilization blossomed here.
A group led by Raven Armstrong of the Prime Earth Federation arrived at this ethereal place and stationed themselves here. The freezing temperature of this place was nothing but a fresh breeze of air to these war veterans.
They came here to lay the foundations for the federal base of the Northern Region as well as to plan out the future development of this area. They have to plan out where the base will be located, how to build the borders, where to build cities, what to name them, etc. Of course, there were also people here who came to study the ecology of this place since they had never seen anything like it.
This place was truly miraculous. Most people did not expect that this place would become like this once it was cleansed of demonic corruption. To them, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Raven Armstrong, the High Marshal who\'s previously assigned to the Northern Defense Wall and now promoted as the 1st Marshal of the Northern Region, thought so too, but he knew that there\'s a deeper story within the development of this area and that the footsteps of the Sun Sage were all over this place.
He does agree that this place is a miracle, though.
In his initial inspection of the region, done by flying all over the place, he discovered the traces of life and ecology in this place. He saw all sorts of vegetation that evolved to thrive in this perpetually cold environment, as well as creatures that could seriously give stray demons a run for their money: snow foxes, polar bears, ice trolls, yetis, snow owls, eagles, etc.
He knew that these were the Fierce Beasts of the North, existences that were purposefully left here to make this place more \'lively\'.
Raven also discovered natural resources such as clear snow springs filled with cold spiritual waters and snow lotuses, winter flowers that are considered Tier 9 alchemy ingredients, mineral lodes located at the depths of the mountains,.
And most importantly, three secret realm entrances, which he unhesitatingly marked as a priority on his task list.
Later, he would learn that these three secret realms were called the Winter Trials, the Imperial Ice Palace, and the Endless Hail. He would also discover that not all three would be open at the same time; each one has a designated period where they would accept visitors or challengers; outside of those times, they are closed and could never be forced open.
Amongst the people who came here, aside from Raven, who\'s incredibly enthusiastic to start building the Northern Region, Isabella Frostwind might be the only person who\'s just as enthusiastic as he was, but for an entirely different reason.
She\'s home. It\'s as simple as that.
The moment she took her first step into this place, this idea sprouted in her mind. The way she shivered in excitement as she felt the first cold breeze of air blow her veil, it\'s as if this place was welcoming her and warmly embracing her, which is ironic given how cold the environment was.
Like the people who came here with her, the coldness of this place didn\'t bother her, and she felt certain that it never would. Every inch of her body was celebrating as he went deeper into this place.
Her eyes held a child-like wonder and excitement as she surveyed the area. Thankfully, her face was covered by a veil, or else her expression would\'ve caused all the men around her to become her loyal and die-hard suitors.
When the fierce beasts of this place were either afraid, felt threatened, or became agreeable when they saw humans, they behaved rather friendly when it\'s just her. Even the ferocious Ice Trolls become as meek as a butterfly when she\'s around.
She felt as if this place was created specifically to become her home. Whether this was a coincidence or on purpose, she didn\'t care. All she knows is that she will live here from now on, and unless she was ordered to or was exiled from this place (which she just knew would break her heart into pieces), she will never leave at all.
**
Just like High Marshal Raven, High Marshal Cassandra has also been sent to her new station, which is the Southern Region.
Unlike the seemingly perpetual winter of the north, the southern region has a diverse climate and ecology.
There\'s this one place she named the Lightning Peaks because it\'s constantly struck by lightning, day and night. There\'s also the Storm Canyon, the Great Frigid Waterfall connected to the Icy Pond Lake, and the Storm Valley.
She, too, discovered all sorts of natural resources tucked away in the depths and corners of this region. There were even ones that specifically called out to her, making her feel an irrisistable urge to harvest them.
Cassandra shared Raven\'s enthusiasm to develop this region as soon as she can and bring in more people to populate this place. Her thoughts whirred as she planned where to build cities, roads, and infrastructure to maximize the natural resources around these parts.
Of course, this place also had its secret realms. It only has two, but the resources they offer don\'t lose out to regions that have more secret realms.
First was the Heavenly Tribulation Lake, a place of pain and pleasure. This place has the benefit of tempering one\'s physique with pure thunder and lightning energy, making it stronger and tougher. However, since this lake was constantly struck by lightning and the waters were energized by thunder, this process will obviously be painful.
The only exceptions are those who were born with a blessed physique that could somehow negate the pain of tempering.
In the depths of the lake were lightning and thunder crystals. These are natural resources that are formed by the sheer density of elemental concentration in this place. The deeper one goes, the better the quality and size of the crystals they can get.
The crystals could be used as an energy source and have a physique-tempering effect as well; they\'re milder, meaning they\'re less painful to refine, unlike soaking directly in the lake. However, using these crystals as a substitute will have a weaker effect than the former method of tempering.
The other secret realm was aptly called the Howling Depths.
It\'s a place that leads to a massive tunnel that constantly bellows stormy winds, causing a howling sound to constantly be emitted from the mouth of the tunnel. The deeper you go, the fiercer these winds become. It\'s obvious that people might die if they\'re careless here.
But beyond the dangers of this place, it is a great proving ground for hot-blooded warriors. Braving the stormy winds from the depths of this place could refine one\'s instincts and intuition. Also, there is a comprehensive rewarding system placed here that will bestow rich rewards on those who perform well in the trials.
The Howling Depths is a place where risks and rewards are equal. Making it a suitable choice for those who crave difficult challenges to triumph and are daring enough to go.
Among the first batch of people who entered this place was Garrick Stoneheart.
At first, he wasn\'t expecting much. He just wanted to travel the continent to see new sights now that it was safe and his first destination happened to be here.
And what a surprise this turned out to be!
After a swimming session on the Heavenly Tribulation Lake and a fierce clash against the stormy winds of the Howling Depths, Garrick doesn\'t want to leave anymore. To him, the Southern Region was an endless treasure bowl where he could unleash his complete ferocity and receive an equal response.
The best part is obviously the way he could feel himself getting stronger with each passing day he spent training, due to the special environment of this place.
The Southern Region was unlike anything he had seen before, and with the benefits he has received so far, it\'s no wonder why he didn\'t want to leave.