Free Web NovelMac was then led into the pine forest. He was surprised to see that the forest was much more spacious than before. Many areas were empty and without trees. Many still had their stumps remained.
But the Frine Village seemed to be actively removing the tree stumped.
Mac didn't understand why. He thought that leaving the stumps was better because the tree could regrow.
"Why are your village removing the stumps?" Mac said.
"That is none of your concern." The guard said. He wasn't arrogant, only direct in his tone.
But many could recognize this as a form of disrespect, which was exactly what Mac did.
But he didn't say anything though. He kept a smile on him.
'Heh. Arrogant bastard. Just wait until this place is ours. I'll be sure to make your life hell.' Mac thought silently.
They walked some more and Mac was even more surprised. Because he saw many hunting stations and logging camps. Each was placed strategically to space out the structures and avoided the work to be overlapped.
Whoever decided to build these structures, they had a good mind.
'At least their leader is not an idiot. Then it should be easy for them to surrender.'
The group marched deeper into the territory of the Frine Village. The deeper they got the more houses there were. These weren't just working structures, but living quarters or community locations. The Frine Village was really trying to build a good place to call home.
"Woah. You guys built a lot of structures. Aren't you afraid the hellbeasts would attack? It is the norm to build a small village within a wall to protect yourself." Mac said.
The guard looked up and recalled. Mac wasn't wrong. The Frine Village and Blice Village followed that route in the past. But now, it really wasn't necessary.
The hunters were so dedicated at their jobs and lowered the numbers of the Hellbeasts greatly. Before, they encountered one every few steps. Now, they had to actively track these animals and hunted them.
"I don't think it will be a problem." The guard said and didn't elaborate any further, leaving a confused Mac.
Then they arrived at the Mountain Range. The structures of this place were even more crowded. Mining colonies, ores melting factory, storage houses, etc.
To ensure the resources were processed correctly, many minor logistics structures were built. And even though they had the craftsmen workshop, the craftsmen couldn't do anything and parts of the work had to be split.
Mac silently squinted his eyes. 'These people... They are very capable. If we let them continue like this, they can become a threat for the Whitow Village in the future.'
Finally, the group arrived at the main village, the area that the original Frine Village stayed at.
Mac was shocked. This place was busy and alive. People rushed back and forth carrying weapons, items, or pushing carts.
"The villagers seem... busy." Mac commented.
The guard sighed, "You are correct. Our men power is spread pretty thin at the moment. Once everything settles down, we will try to solve that issue."
Solve that issue by invading other villages. That was the plan that Mater wanted to do. Everyone knew it. But the guard refrained from telling it because of the presence of outsiders.
"Please step inside. Our Queens are inside." The guard stood beside a lovely little iced structure.
It was the tallest structure Mac had ever seen and it was made with great artistic design and craftmanship. Whoever made this, they had extreme control over ice.
Mac didn't think that the Frine Village made this. He only thought that this place was made by a Wight long ago and they left it here. The Frine Village was only lucky to get it.
'Maybe they also get some kind of technology left behind by the Wight. That is why their society develop so quickly.'
Mac stepped inside the dangling ice curtains.
When the other scouts tried to get in, the guard stopped them.
"Only the messenger is allowed to be inside." The guard said.
One of the scout frowned. "You can't be serious? We come from Whitow Village."
"No exceptions." The guard squinted his eyes. The air went colder.
Mac smirked but quickly returned to a tame expression.
"Stay out here. I will be alright." Mac said and went inside.
The scouts were unhappy but they did as they were told.
The interior of the iced structure was a beautiful crystal palace. Everything was smooth and reflective. The floor was covered in snow to avoid any slippering.
Mac continued on until he found himself in a large hall with staircase leading up to two thrones.
At the time, only one person was present. She sat on the white throne.
The young woman was beautiful. The prettiest that Mac had ever seen. She had hair as white as snow and skin so smooth he thought it was fake.
The humans in Eternum never had smooth skin. They were white, sure. But most of the time it was wrinkling or cracking because of the cold and dryness of this world.
Someone with smooth skin was only a person that grew up in wealth and never had to lay a finger themselves.
What more striking of her was her unique uniform. Technically speaking, Aurora wasn't wearing anything. Instead, she had glowing white ice pearls spreading on her body. They covered just enough for the viewer to be desperate for more.
However, in the opposite of her alluring presence, her expression was cold and indifferent. She leaned to the side and rested her chin on her knuckle. Her eyes were lazy.
"So... You are Mac of the Whitow Village." The woman said. Her cold tone spread like a snowstorm.
Mac gulped. He could feel her overwhelming presence. He didn't know how strong she actually was and couldn't actually comprehend her power.
However, he thought that she was at best a Rank-2 like the Elders of his village.
Whitow had more than a hundred Rank-2. That gave him confidence again.
He took a deep breath and gazed upon Aurora. His newfound confidence allowed him to run his eyes on her without constraint.
"I am here to negotiate, leader of the Frine Village. The negotiation of this village's submission."
