The Country of Cold Iron. A country that was both wintry and desolate.
Even up till now, no one was able to determine why their seasons tended to be so cold. It was as if it was willed by God himself.
Only the advent of midsummer could bring a degree of warmth to this otherwise icy country.
Though everyone had already gotten used to this bit of chilliness, they were never happy with it.
In the south, at the border between the neighboring Molten Steel and Cold Iron, there flowed an unusually warm river.
This unending source of warmth stems from the towering peaks nearby and as if they bore the winds of spring themselves, they filled the surrounding areas with warm air. Just standing there was enough for one to recall the gentle caress of midsummer.
The people of Cold Iron named this mountain, Burning Mountain and named the river that flowed down this mountain, Burning River.
In their eyes, this river and its surroundings were the biggest gift handed to them by Westrealm amidst a backdrop of unending coldness.
And yet, the people of Molten Steel did not view it as such.
Unlike Cold Iron, the country of Molten Steel was in perpetual state of summer heat.
If this was Earth, Cold Iron would be a temperate country while Molten Steel would be a tropical one.
Over half of their territories were lush jungles and they held the no.1 spot for the amount of overland water bodies.
With its rich natural ores and booming agriculture, Molten Steel was significantly more prosperous than Cold Iron.
Just like their burning climate, the people of Molten Steel grew to be active and as a result, their influence amongst the northern human countries was unrivalled.
In their eyes, the Burning Mountain and the Burning River were, without a doubt, their property.
It was this piece of borderland that sparked a conflict between the two countries that lasted since their ancestors.
Both sides were unable to come to an agreement over the river’s ownership so they would send out troops every few years or so.
Thus, the Burning River became the battlefield for history where countless lives were lost and even the waters of the river ran red with blood.
Cold Iron had always been a militaristic country with its military affairs forming the backbone of the economy as well. Lurking behind their booming arms industry were the shadows of numerous corporate groups.
While Molten Steel didn’t possess the same level of strength and passion for war, their robust economy allowed them to stand toe to toe with Cold Iron even in battle.
Till now, both countries weren’t able to gain the definite strength to wipe out the other side. In a sense, that was the result of external forces actively trying to stop that from happening.
Because of that, both sides had the custom of fighting a minor war every two years and one major war every five with no end in sight.
Yet in spite of all that, an independent city ,located near the head of the river, managed to survive till now.
Some of the original inhabitants of that region managed to put aside their national differences and found a city by the river known as Crossroads City.
In the eyes of the dovish factions, this city imperative to the start and resolution of a peace agreement. However, based on the current situation, that was more of a pipe dream than anything else.
This year, after building a round of reserves, the armies of both sides had began another large scale operation. Once more, the greed of men stirred and the waters of Burning River were destined to run red.
……
……
Right at this very moment, within a certain reception hall of the aloof Divine Hall’s Outer Ring, a long haired man sat impatiently atop a chair with brows knitted together. Even though his head was lowered, his gaze never once left the clergyman in front of him.
He was waiting for an outcome, an extremely important outcome.
Outer Ring(OR) Clergyman:……
OR Clergyman: About that—
Nine Heaven: Please, go ahead.
OR Clergyman: If you’re willing to live in the Divine Hall for a period of time and aid in our research, we might be able to reduce the effects of it.
Nine Heaven: …I don’t have much time, exactly how long will that take?
OR Clergyman: Because of how complicated this matter is, it will take at least half a year.
Nine Heaven: Half a year…
That’s too long.
Half a year was enough for the masses to forget about a person, unless that person was the equivalent of the champion of the Three Battles.
Yet, what was to be the battle he had the highest chance of winning, the Battle of Righteous, ended up being viciously cut short by that One’day High fellow.
There was no way he could accept such an outcome; spending that much time in the Divine Hall would allow the outside world to forget about him.
Nine Heaven: Then…if I were to make a wish to remove it directly, how much wish points would that take?
OR Clergyman: That…
OR Clergyman: If you wish to completely remove an unknown ailment without going into the specifics, 20 wish points would be your safest bet according to our experience.
Nine Heaven: 20 wish points…
‘That’s too much…gaining 20 wish points from the Divine Hall would take an unimaginable amount of money and time.’
‘Was there really no choice but to live with this burden forever? What about my life as a combatant then?’
That day, One’day High openly announced that secret so the number of warriors who knew of it wasn’t inconsequential. Should he ever reach a high enough position, there were definitely be those who would exploit this weakness of his.
‘To think that my life as a warrior would end up like a bunch of split sand, scattered with no chance of coming together ever again.’
Nine Heaven:…
OR Clergyman: If you can’t accept that, I suggest you find a specialist or a doctor to diagnose the root cause.
OR Clergyman: Looking for the relevant Middle Ring Clergyman would cost a lot as well, both in terms of money and time.
Nine Heaven:…I got it.
Nine Heaven: Well, I’ve intruded upon your hospitality for far too long…I’ll take my leave now.
Having left the reception hall, he then made his way towards the residential area in Skills, head hung slightly low and silent.
Whether it was Reitdarke’s residential area or Skills, choosing one or the other right now made no difference to him.
More than anyone else, he knew that he couldn’t stay here anymore. After all, there was no longer a way he could fulfill his wish by staying here.
As for conventional methods of treatment, he tried them all already but none of them worked.
‘Then, what was else there to do?’
‘Return to the financial world and try to earn another sum of money for the Sacred Rite?’
‘Putting aside whether or not they would even accept someone who had left them before, it would still be a colossal waste of life…’
However, if he didn’t first solve this problem, he wouldn’t even be able to display his talents. Even the exchange of day and night would induce a bout of cold or hot lightheadedness within him.
‘Should I make a move on One’day High? But rumors say he spends the most of his time with the Sword Soul, there’s no way to make a move at all.’
‘What if I choose to submit and beg him to undo this strange status?’
‘Would he even accept it…was he even able to undo it?’
As he mulled over those issues, he found himself turning into a familiar alleyway.
—-oof!
He knocked into someone.
‘Hah…this is just back then when I was in foul mood and met that kid…’
Nine Heaven:—!?
Nine Heaven: You…Di Qi Ju…
Di Qi Ju:Ah, that’s right, it’s me.
Di Qi Ju:I was looking for you, Nine Heaven.
‘Why was he looking for me after disappearing so mysteriously like that? What’s going on here?’
Nine Heaven:…what for?
Di Qi Ju:You’ve been a soldier for Cold Iron before, right?
Nine Heaven:…that’s right, what about it?
Di Qi Ju:……
Di Qi Ju: Come with me to Cold Iron.
Nine Heaven:…
Nine Heaven:Huh? What? Why?
Di Qi Ju:—that ailment of yours, I can fix it, with my wish points.
Di Qi Ju: As payment, come with me to Cold Iron.
Nine Heaven:……
Di Qi Ju: Who knows, you might just be able to find what you are looking for there, if that’s true, I’ll help you fulfill that wish along the way as well.
Di Qi Ju:…join me, Nine Heaven, there’s no better person than you to help me bear this vengeance.
Nine Heaven:…
Contemplation and even more contemplation.
To reject or to accept?
Terms, price, outcome, rewards.
As a citizen of Numbers and a former businessman, those were the only things that ran through his mind right now.
…in face of such benefits, even he would bite despite knowing its a lure.
He had no other choice already.
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