Chapter 3293: Temperature Crystal and Coat of Arms Wall

Miss Sabel activated the Fu Zhou according to Xia De's request and performed a simple incantation. Xia De observed her casting motions; the effect of her arcane technique was not to maintain or raise body temperature, but to adapt her body to the surrounding environment—he remembered Bella had used a similar technique to resist the "Special Light."

After both passed through the castle gate, the extreme cold made Xia De shiver again. He exhaled gently, and the water vapor instantly crystallized into tiny ice particles. Yet the true terror of this chill lay in its ability to freeze the soul; even Xia De had to continuously imagine Xiao Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya and Yi Lu Na to avoid becoming dazed.

After crossing the gate, Miss Sabel's previously flushed face turned pale at once. She stopped breathing as if suffocating; after several seconds, she managed to exhale a wisp of white smoke, but her entire body trembled like Xiao Leaving Xiao Leaving Xiao Miya shaking off water.

Xia De believed that, in this environment, only a Thirteenth-Rank Witch wielding Ice or Sun power could endure it—let alone this ordinary girl beside him.

Since he had saved her, he would not abandon her. He reached out and, using "Inner Fire," drew forth a pale golden light from his soul. This time, he did not press it into the girl's chest; instead, he gripped the glowing orb while simultaneously clasping Miss Sabel's icy, pale hand.

She shuddered violently once more, then her breathing gradually returned to normal. The steady warmth emanating from her right hand reminded her of childhood afternoons lying on tree branches, basking in the sun while reading. She did not pull away from Xia De's hand—she knew she needed this now:

"The temperature of the soul? How comforting."

This girl, only of the Middle Ring, felt only the technique's effect, yet profoundly understood its essence:

"Your soul's nature is unimaginably powerful—and you must be an exceptionally good person."

Then she met Xia De's puzzled gaze, and Miss Sabel, hunching her neck, muttered apologetically:

"I think I once studied soul-related topics—I must have spoken without thinking."

As she spoke, she cast another spell—but not upon herself, upon their clasped hands. This unknown secret art seemed rooted in soul energy; the continuous warmth Xia De's soul provided eventually solidified into a warm amber crystal in Miss Sabel's palm—she had crystallized the temperature of her soul.

Her beautiful pale golden eyes gazed at the tiny crystal, cradling it in her right hand, while her left finger pinched lightly—the soul's white mist transformed into an ornate silver ornament, binding the crystal. She then fastened the silver piece around her neck. The warm amber crystal would continuously supply her with warmth until it was fully depleted:

"Now I can endure longer. Thank you."

She thanked Xia De, who was astonished by her exceptional soul manipulation. He knew only Death's Grand Witch, the Owl Lady, and Archdeacon August could achieve such precision—and Miss Sabel was merely Middle Ring. A physician's soul control was never this refined.

Yet Xia De's display of soul temperature had greatly won her favor. Most Ring术士 who understood soul energy could judge a person's character by its signature—and this witch clearly possessed such ability.

Soon after, Miss Sabel received another scarf from Xia De, allowing her to stop hunching her neck and conceal the crystal. Still, the cold was not fully banished—only slightly eased—so they could not remain in the castle long.

Only now did they have time to observe their surroundings. Beyond the castle gate lay a luminous, opulent hall. The hall stood ten meters high, with magnificent ice-crystal chandeliers hanging from above, each candle burning with a deep blue flame.

Ahead lay a spiral staircase leading to higher levels; behind it stood two ice-made doors leading deeper into the castle. On either side of the walls were two more doors, each opening to different sections of the castle's battlements.

The grandeur and beauty here defied simple description. Though the chandeliers, paintings, stair railings, doors, and wall furniture were all made of ice, no one could deny that every detail, every pattern, every sliver of light and shadow was perfect.

Sunlight struggled to penetrate the great ice cap and enter the castle, yet the castle's mysterious internal light source was perfectly calibrated—neither causing excessive ice reflection nor failing to showcase the owner's complete artistic taste and aesthetic pursuit.

Compared to this, Yoder Palace was merely a commoner's house; any noble castle or estate would be considered a vulgar upstart's crude construction.

Notably, the carpet on the stairs and some window curtains were not made of ice. These non-ice items were predominantly red and blue, with the blue being very light—perfectly harmonizing with the castle's own hue.

The hall was not empty. Besides the maid awaiting them, over twenty ice sculptures stood in various poses throughout the room. These peculiar sculptures did not make the space feel cluttered; instead, they lent the icy, desolate castle a perfectly balanced sense of life.

"Typical early Fifth Era architectural style."

Miss Sabel's eyes swept over the ice sculptures, then rested on the interior decorations as she murmured. She expected Xia De to ask how she knew—but the young man beside her nodded immediately:

"Yes, and specifically early Fifth Era Northern Continent architecture. Closer to the Fourth Era, witches of that time still prepared for total war to defend civilization. Look at those seemingly decorative patterns in the corners—they are actually disrupted defensive Fu Zhou."

"Reassemble those runes when needed, and this castle becomes a standard war fortress. I understand ice magic somewhat—if I'm not mistaken, this castle was formed as a single unit. It must have been constructed by a Thirteenth-Rank or Demigod Witch of the Fifth Era, correct?"

He directed this question to the maid waiting before them. She bowed again with a smile:

"Yes, guest. You are most professional. Please follow me this way."

She led them past the ice sculptures toward the left door behind the staircase. Xia De and Miss Sabel walked side by side behind her; the wrapped-up witch, curious about this suspicious man, asked:

"You know much about the early Fifth Era?"

"I possess a certain temporal talent. I have witnessed stories from the early Fifth Era firsthand."

Xia De lowered his voice. The demon lurked within this castle; he must remain discreet until the so-called "trial" was complete.

"I know a bit about the Witch Empress and the Witch Council. Just follow my lead later."

He sought to take command of the group—this subtle display was just right. The lady with the tear mole raised an eyebrow, inhaled deeply, then choked on the freezing air:

"Didn't know you knew this... You're better than me. I'll follow you. How much do you know about the Witch Empresses?"

The maid ahead corrected him without turning: "Lady, address them as 'Your Majesty.' For witches below Demigod rank, this is basic courtesy."

Miss Sabel frowned slightly at the maid's back, surprised she had interjected.

Xia De shook his head:

"Only a little. Not much. Not sure if it'll help. But are you familiar with this place? Can you recall any memories tied to it?"

Miss Sabel stammered—her memories were not easily recovered.

The three passed through the ice door behind the staircase into a corridor, then were led by the maid to a room on the first floor resembling a dining hall.

A long ice table, large enough to seat over fifty people on either side, stood in the center. One wall was a floor-to-ceiling window, but since it, too, was made of ice and not fully transparent, they could only see dreamlike, hazy light. The opposite wall bore tapestries, alternating between "ice" and "silk" materials, each adorned with various coats of arms.

The maid gestured for them to sit and wait, then slipped out through a small door on one side—likely leading to the kitchen, judging by the castle's structure.

Miss Sabel and Xia De sat near the exit door. The ice-backed chairs could be pulled out, but sitting on them was certainly uncomfortable.

"Here."

Xia De handed the witch a cushion. She instinctively took it and placed it on the chair, then wondered how this mysterious "man" carried such a thing on his person.

But there was no time to ponder such trivialities now. After sitting, she tugged at her scarf, drew her legs up, curled them before her, and gave Xia De an apologetic smile, hugging her knees as she pointed toward the center of the tapestry wall:

"Look at that emblem—it's the holy symbol of the Old God 【The Maiden of Winter】. The former owner of this place was her devotee."

Xia De gazed nostalgically at the wall of coats of arms. He had seen these emblems, to varying degrees, in the encampment of Chloe when he last visited Binghu.

Of course, he would not tell a stranger he recognized every emblem here. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed to several, explaining:

"That fortress emblem represents this Witch Empress guarding the North. Beyond the far north of the Fifth Era Northern Continent was perilous—requiring a Demigod Witch to station there. This honor, inherited from the Fourth Era, was also a duty."

"That emblem above the open book, with runes floating from it, is a variant of the early Zalar Society's insignia. See the triple rings surrounding it? That signifies the owner held a rank second only to the Society Head. But since the rings are incomplete, she held no official position—only an honorary title."

"And that unicorn emblem? It's the insignia of the 'Friends of the Unicorn' Association. It means the owner maintained a unicorn herd exceeding one hundred, with over ninety percent of the voting adult unicorns holding her in high esteem. The three stars, one moon, one sun—likely indicates she received this honor continuously for thirty-three years."

(End of Chapter)