Chapter 786: Section 574: Ice Lake National Policy (700 bonus Chapters this month for reaching 700 monthly votes)
The ancestors of the Snow Elves who first migrated here settled near the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake.
The Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake is the largest resource point on Ice Sculpture Island, second to none in terms of Grade!
The extremely rich, uniquely endowed icy elements and the time laws brought about by the Divine Dragon’s corpse combined together to create this unparalleled natural wonder.
Divine Officers worship here, construct temples, and propagate doctrines.
Fighters hunt and reproduce here, and the flesh of the ice and snow Magic Beasts is an excellent tonic for the Snow Elf fighters.
Mages set up Alchemy Rooms and Mage Towers here, absorbing the abundant natural elements to transform into mana. They study the unique ecology here and gain knowledge. They also utilize the rich resources to build their homes.
Before the Ice Sculpture Kingdom was even founded, a large number of mages had already made arrangements here.
Around the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake, there were too many conflicts and seizures, too much plotting and scheming. Countless people bled, cried, and even sacrificed their lives for it.
In the end, the Barbarians retreated, and the Snow Elves became the masters of this place.
The kingdom was established.
At the beginning of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, the Royal Family balanced all factions and announced a policy to jointly develop the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake.
This was a national policy.
The development of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom to its current state today, this national policy has been crucial. To exaggerate a bit, without this policy, there would be no Ice Sculpture Kingdom today.
The policy stipulates that the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake is not the sole property of the Royal Family, nor will it ever be owned by one powerful family in the future.
The Ice Lake belongs to everyone.
Every year, qualifications are issued to allow Mages, Fighters, and Divine Officers to settle within the Ice Lake.
Of course, the majority are Mages.
It is conservatively estimated that each year, more than three hundred new Alchemy Rooms are established in the lake.
Since the founding of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, countless Alchemy Rooms have been accumulated. The Royal Family cannot even keep track of them all, in part because there are many Magic Beasts in the lake making it difficult to oversee everything, and on the other hand, many facilities have been in place since before the founding.
The unique ice sculpture technology of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom was developed in these Alchemy Rooms.
Almost every year, these Alchemy Rooms and Mage Towers develop eye-catching new alchemy techniques, or innovative creations from scratch.
These achievements continuously propel the Ice Sculpture Kingdom to great heights in the field of alchemy.
So much so that today, in the frost areas of alchemy, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom stands unmatched, even surpassing the vast Holy Bright Empire.
"Our Guild has set up a headquarters in the Royal Capital, long ago. At our peak, we had branches in several major cities of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom."
"After the old Chairman was assassinated by the empire’s conspiracy, the Alchemy Guild and other forces of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom also took the opportunity to attack, seizing the market share that our Guild had worked hard to establish here."
"Caught between internal and external pressures, we were unable to continue operating, leaving only the headquarters in the Royal Capital struggling to survive."
"The Alchemy Room here was a previous achievement left by our Guild. Honestly, obtaining an Ice Lake Alchemy Room permit here is not difficult."
Elder Yuan Ci explained while driving the submarine, gradually approaching a massive block of ice.
The ice block was at least the combined size of three blue whales.
As they approached, one corner of the ice mechanically transformed, revealing a passage.
Elder Yuan Ci drove the submarine through the passage, into a short underwater metal corridor, leading to the docking bay.
Once the exit closed, the chamber drained the water and pumped in breathable air.
Then, the top cover of the submarine opened, and Elder Yuan Ci and Zi Di both stepped out.
The two entered a metal corridor, with Elder Yuan Ci leading. He introduced, "This is a skating research lab built by the Guild."
"Its exterior is camouflaged to look like a giant block of ice, but in fact, it is a Golden Level demon-powered ship."
"Unlike normal demon-powered ships, it has no power source on its own but uses the abundant icy elements outside, through a technique of dense elemental flow, to power the demon ship."
"Because of this, it is very naturally disguised, and even if it wanders through the Ice Lake, it would not be detected by the keen-eyed."
"The empire’s spies have never discovered this place."
"The place where you were trapped just now was the empire’s spy’s Alchemy Room. The Alchemy Room is fixed, stationed above the thousand-year-old ice."
Zi Di nodded slightly, "So, we are now between the thousand-year-old ice and the hundred-year-old ice."
Clang!
As her words fell, two metal gates slammed down, blocking her path and, along with the metal walls on either side, formed a prison.
Zi Di was slightly startled but quickly relaxed.
This reaction from Elder Yuan Ci was one of her expectations.
Zi Di was not too worried.
If they had wanted her dead, they would not have risked rescuing her.
Since she had been rescued and brought here, the sincerity had been shown.
Of course, there might be a third party with ulterior motives.
But it does not matter.
Bringing Zi Di here, after much trouble, must have been for a purpose.
Zi Di was still safe for the time being, much better than hanging by a thread between life and death before.
Elder Yuan Ci said, "Sorry, I still can’t truly trust you yet, even though you were the one attacked."
Zi Di nodded, her tone calm, "I understand."
Elder Yuan Ci narrowed his eyes, "I tend to believe that your identity is positive, and now I need you to prove yourself as much as possible. Just a kind reminder, the following conversation is very important, and it will determine whether you live or die."
Zi Di shrugged, "Actually, I also need to verify your identity. Let’s use that method, the one that works most immediately."
Although not explicitly stated, Elder Yuan Ci raised his eyebrows and looked at Zi Di again, "Can you also create a Level 0 Purple Vine Secret Command?"
Zi Di nodded, "Of course."
Moments later, Elder Yuan Ci brought alchemy materials and passed them to Zi Di through a small opening in the metal bars.
In front of him, Zi Di refined the Purple Vine Secret Command.
The Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce organizational structure was divided into ten grades, ranging from 10 for the Chairman, 9 for the Vice Chairman, 8 for the Supreme Elders, 7 for the Elders... down to 3 for the Stationed Officers...
On the surface, there was no Level 0.
But actually, there were Level 0 Purple Vine Secret Commands. To refine these, the creator had to have previously signed a special Purple Vine Secret Contract and never breached it.
Elder Yuan Ci saw with his own eyes, how Zi Di refined a Level 0 Purple Vine Secret Command in front of him, and his expression greatly softened.
"Anyone who can sign the Purple Vine Secret Contract must be a trusted confidant of the Chairman. I’ve never seen you, nor have I heard of you," Elder Yuan Ci exclaimed.
Zi Di shrugged slightly, "After all, I am an Undead Mage."
Elder Yuan Ci nodded slightly, accepting Zi Di’s excuse.
"Now it’s my turn," Elder Yuan Ci said and in front of Zi Di, he personally refined a Level 0 Purple Vine Secret Contract.
The two contracts touched each other, both emitting a purple magic glow.
The light initially formed two separate spheres but soon fused into one. This involved divine arts and alchemy techniques, greatly proving that both parties’ Purple Vine Secret Commands were genuine.
After seeing this, Elder Yuan Ci sighed in relief, joy apparent in his expression.
He laughed loudly and with a wave of his hand, he raised the metal bars again, freeing Zi Di, "Hahaha, it looks like I bet right this time, I didn’t save the wrong person!"
"I knew it, I’ve never seen those dogs so anxious and making such a big fuss."
Zi Di looked at Elder Yuan Ci, her gaze noticeably softer, her guard significantly lowered.
Zi Di walked up to Elder Yuan Ci and introduced herself proactively, "I am Ghost Vine, in direct contact only with the old Chairman, not responsible for daily affairs."
"Usually, I cultivate using the undead resources supplied through Guild channels, secretly nurtured by the old Chairman."
"This time, I came to the sea to search for the missing Miss Zi Di."
"Little Zi Di," Elder Yuan Ci nodded and sighed, "I know, she had become the new Guild Chairman and had disappeared at sea several months ago."
"I also tried to deploy people to investigate for over a month but after achieving nothing, I decisively called off the search."
"I tend to believe that this was a deliberate ploy by the enemy to lure out the remnants of our Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce."
"You see, Mage Ghost Vine, you came to the sea upon receiving this information and were ambushed by the empire’s spies, nearly dying."
Zi Di remained silent, her mind swirling with thoughts as she considered rapidly before speaking, "In fact, after my investigation, Miss Zi Di indeed disappeared."
"Along with her, the next head of the Hundred Needle Family, Zhenjin."
"And Fat Tongue, an eighth-grade elder of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce."
Elder Yuan Ci shook his head, "The Hundred Needle Family, although once great nobles of the Empire, has now declined."
"The current Clan Leader, known as ’Iron Knee’ and ’Unkneeler’, is now merely a Golden Level cultivator, the last glory and dignity of the Hundred Needle Family."
"The next Clan Leader, Zhenjin, despite becoming a Holy Temple Knight of the Great Emperor, could not hide his deficiencies in ability and his timid nature."
"Such a family has a dim future, and for little Zi Di to enter into marriage with them was a desperate move."
"Zhenjin could not serve as her protector, and even this maritime disaster was likely a strike by some major power within the Empire against the Hundred Needle Family, with little Zi Di possibly getting involved innocently."
At this, Elder Yuan Ci sighed deeply, "Little Zi Di fell into their trap."
"She actively took over the position of the old Chairman, becoming the new Guild Chairman. This was actually a result deliberately allowed by the enemies."
"They wanted to use Zi Di to find us, the remaining forces, and then what they most wanted—the Purple Vine Secret Treasure!"
Zi Di was inwardly shaken.
The fact that she had been trapped was something she had speculated about earlier, and it was no surprise.
However, hearing the name "Purple Vine Secret Treasure" again sent a shock through her heart.
The first time she heard of the Purple Vine Secret Treasure was from Qing Xin. Later, she found Fat Tongue to verify it, and Fat Tongue told her that he had only heard of it and knew no details.
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