mesbooks Chapter 577 Return to Star Moon City
Chapter 577 Return to Star Moon City
Shadow energy flowed from his fingertips, exploding within the Ice Armor Rhinoceros's body with a muffled bang.
The second Ice Armored Rhinoceros's health bar reached zero. Its body swayed, like a wall being pushed down, before crashing to the ground, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
[System notification: You have killed 2 Ice Armor Rhinos.]
Lin Tian did not stop.
Continue south.
Along the way, they encountered a few more scattered Frostclaw Beasts. These agile magical beasts were a bit more troublesome than the Ice Armor Rhinoceros; their movement speed was so fast that they were difficult to catch, and their claws were as sharp as knives, but they were no different from Lin Tian.
A Frostclaw Beast darted out from the bushes to the side, moving as fast as a white shadow and creating a gust of wind as it headed straight for Lin Tian's throat.
Celia reached out from Little White's shadow, and a dark thorn sprouted from the ground, precisely wrapping around the Frostclaw Beast's hind leg. The barbs on the thorn dug deep into its fur. The Frostclaw Beast's body suddenly stopped, losing its balance in mid-air, tumbling and crashing to the ground with a painful howl.
Xiao Bai finished him off with a breath of ice dragon's breath.
The Frostclaw Beast was frozen into an ice sculpture, crystal clear, still in the position of roaring with its mouth open.
Another one.
After clearing out four or five waves of monsters, Lin Tian finally emerged from the monster-infested area of the wasteland.
The frozen ground beneath my feet gradually turned into ordinary soil, no longer making a crunching sound when I stepped on it. The biting cold in the air also dissipated, replaced by the slight chill of early winter, carrying the fresh scent of dried grass. Clumps of withered yellow grass grew along the roadside, swaying precariously in the wind. Occasionally, a field mouse would peek out from the roots of the grass, only to quickly dart back inside.
In the distance, the city walls of Star Moon City came into view.
The greyish-white city walls shimmered with a faint golden-red hue under the setting sun, as if coated with a thin layer of light. The patrolling guards on the walls appeared as small silhouettes, moving back and forth.
Lin Tian passed through the city gate.
The light inside the city gate dimmed and then brightened again, and footsteps echoed on the stone bricks.
......
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The gates of the city lord's mansion appeared at the edge of the field of vision.
The two heavy wooden doors were tightly shut, their iron knockers gleaming coldly in the twilight. Guards stood ramrod straight on either side, their armor reflecting an orange-yellow light in the torchlight.
"I've come to see the city lord," Lin Tian said.
The guard nodded, stepped aside to make way for the doorway, and reached out to help him push open one of the doors, the hinges making a low creaking sound.
Lin Tian reached out and pushed open the door, stepped inside, passed through the porch, and then entered the council chamber.
The dark red carpet made no sound underfoot, as if swallowing all footsteps. On the stone pillars on both sides, the emblem of Star Moon City appeared exceptionally clear under the light, and the relief patterns were distinctly light and shadow.
Behind the long table, the old man sat there.
He sat in the same spot and in the same posture as last time, as if he had been sitting there the whole time since he left, without ever moving. His hands were resting on the armrests, and his gaze was fixed on an open, thick book on the table.
The old man raised his head.
The moment he saw Lin Tian, his eyes lit up—not in an exaggerated way, but his pupils contracted slightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth twitched, like a small pebble being thrown into a calm lake.
He knew that Lin Tian had gone to the North Wind Barrier, and he also knew how serious the situation was in the North Wind Barrier.
He didn't expect Lin Tian to come back so quickly.
"You're back?" the old man asked.
The sound wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the quiet hall, and the echo gently reverberated between the stone walls.
"I'm back," Lin Tian said.
He walked to the long table, stood there, and looked the old man in the eye. The candlelight cast a faint shadow behind him.
The old man looked him up and down. Lin Tian's clothes had burn marks and cuts from ice crystals. Although the wound on the web of his left hand had healed, a shallow scar could still be seen, like a mark left by a thin thread.
"Is it resolved?" the old man asked.
"It's solved," Lin Tian said.
The old man was silent for two seconds, then slowly nodded.
The nod was light but forceful, as if confirming something very important.
"Sit down." The old man raised his hand and pointed to the chair opposite the long table.
Lin Tian pulled out a chair and sat down.
The chair was made of solid wood, with a soft, dark red velvet cushion and a perfectly angled backrest. He leaned back, relaxing his tense shoulders and back, and let out a long breath.
The old man stood up.
This time, he stood up faster and more nimbly than before. He walked around the long table to the opposite side of Lin Tian, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked intently at Lin Tian.
"Tell me," he said.
Lin Tian briefly recounted the situation regarding the North Wind Barrier—from entering the ice wall to finding the crack, to the giant beast's corpse, to the entire process of repairing the barrier. His tone was calm, without embellishment, but every step was clearly explained.
The old man remained silent for a long time after listening.
The council chamber was so quiet that you could hear the crystal chandeliers gently clinking together, like the soft tinkling of wind chimes coming from afar.
Then the old man straightened up and walked back behind the long table to sit down. He leaned back in his chair, and the fingers of his right hand tapped lightly on the armrest, making a rhythmic, subtle sound, as if he were thinking about something.
The old man took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, the rise and fall of his chest carrying a sense of relief and calm.
"You did a great job."
The old man spoke those four words calmly, yet they carried great weight. He wasn't one to praise people easily, especially young people. These four words were the highest compliment he could offer.
He raised his right hand and tapped a crystal ball on the table.
The crystal ball lit up, light emanating from within and forming lines of fine characters on its surface, floating and shimmering slightly. The old man glanced at them for a few moments, then nodded.
"I've already sent the application to the first-tier main city," he said. "They've confirmed it and will send someone to pick you up. The timing is uncertain, but it should be within the next day or two."
Lin Tian nodded.
A system notification sounded in his ear.
[System notification: "Investigation into the anomaly of the northerly wind barrier" has been completed.]
[Task Rating: SSS]
[Quest Rewards: 10,000,000 Experience Points, 50,000 Gold Coins, 5000 Starmoon City Reputation, and Level 1 Main City Access.]
Access to Tier 1 main cities has been unlocked.
[Starmoon City Reputation: Honored (8300/12000)]
The moment the experience points were credited, Lin Tian's level jumped.
I'm more than halfway to level 71, almost level 72.