15 The Queen of Snowland

Darrell Mura instantly flew into a rage, lifting his fist and releasing a wave of energy. 

Although merely a wood-related sculptor, being a member of a level 30 elite team, he still possessed some offensive capabilities.

"A nobody under level 20 dares to act so brazenly in front of me."

Seeing a conflict brewing, the members of Darrell Mura's team slowly began to converge on the scene.

"This young man," started the team captain, clearly siding with Darrell Mura, a hint of greed flickering in his eyes, 

"my teammate just wanted to inquire about the origins of your gold-tier set."

"After all, the ice dragon from the first phase of the quest was slain by our team, but the final reward never reached our hands."

"If you happened to pick up this set by accident, returning it to us would be reasonable. I'm willing to offer compensation."

"For instance, a few silver-tier items, which would be more suitable for your current level."

Hearing their thinly veiled threats, Henry smiled calmly: "Thinking a few silver-tier items can send us away, you really have the nerve to say that."

"This gold-tier set, regardless of how it came to be, is worn by me. It has nothing to do with your pathetic team."

Darrell Mura retorted coldly, "Kid, it's on you now, sure, but once you're dead, it might not be."

"You'd better be sensible and hand over the set. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what I might do!"

The other members of the elite team also looked down on Henry with an air of superiority, as if they had already secured their victory.

"You better not force me to act," Henry said, utterly disregarding their threats. 

Wearing the gold-tier set confidently, he clearly had his own assurances.

On his journey to the Magus Domain, he had received a piece of yellow paper from an ancient and mysterious entity. 

In any dungeon related to magi, this paper could be ignited to summon that entity. 

Since Snowland was a domain prepared by the powerful magus Algado, it naturally had connections to magi. 

If this elite team dared to force a move, he could directly summon that mysterious existence.

"It seems you prefer punishment over a polite refusal," Darrell Mura suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch at Henry. 

Anna and Emily, despite the significant level gap, rushed to block the blow for Henry.

Just then, fine snow began to drift across the square. 

Darrell Mura suddenly found his movements slowing, his blood rushing to his head, turning his face beet red.

"No!" 

In a powerful internal explosion, Darrell Mura's head burst, flying off to an unknown destination, leaving his headless body to collapse on the ground in a grisly scene.

"Darrell!" 

The members of the elite team cried out in horror, unable to believe their teammate had just died before their eyes.

"Faith in religion must be pure. To dare to unleash slaughter on the square of Snowland, one must also be prepared for inevitable death," a voice, cold as ice, floated over to them. 

Henry looked towards the source and saw a woman clad in icy blue garments, her face stunningly beautiful. 

She wore a crown sculpted from ice, adorned with carvings of flowers, birds, fish, and insects, accompanied by several attendants dressed as maids.

As soon as this woman appeared, all NPCs on the square immediately became terrified, bowing respectfully to her.

"Queen Adele."

An old man, clad in an archbishop's robe, hurried onto the square, disregarding his somewhat disheveled attire. 

He addressed Queen Adele, "Respected Queen, your faith elevates our religion to a nobler plane. The deities of Snowland will forever protect you."

"Please, do not be angered by the conflict these outsiders have caused."

Queen Adele silently glanced at the archbishop, her eyes seemingly wanting to convey something, but she remained quiet in the end.

Her attendants lifted her voluminous gown as Adele slowly walked towards Henry and his companions. 

Her gaze fell upon the golden ring on Henry's hand.

"Lucky outsider, to have obtained my golden ring."

"Thank you for your protection, Your Majesty. We owe our safe journey to your blessing," Henry praised Adele unabashedly.

"In my heart, you shine as brightly as the sun, as profound as the starry sky, as serene as the moon."

"You're quite the talker, interesting," Queen Adele commented, looking at Henry meaningfully but not swayed by his flattery.

"Why did conflict arise among you here?"

"They tried to take my gold-tier set!" Henry spoke up first.

The members of the elite team paled, hurriedly adding, "Your Majesty Queen Adele, that's not the whole truth."

"We toiled to kill the ice dragon in the Frigid Region and brought it back."

"Yet, the giant erroneously awarded the gold-tier set, which should have been ours, to these few."

Queen Adele looked emotionlessly at the captain of the elite team.

"I'm aware of the blacksmith's task. The reward for you should have been a near gold-tier item, not a gold-tier set."

"They received the gold-tier set as a reward because my ring generated favor with the blacksmith."

"The dragon might have been brought back by you, but that doesn't necessarily mean you killed it."

The elite team was baffled. 

How could the ice dragon not be slain by them, given all the effort they had put in? 

Yet, they dared not voice their dissent.

After explaining, Queen Adele's gaze shifted to Henry. 

"My palace houses many fine wines. Would you care to join me in the palace for a drink to our heart's content?"

What does she mean? 

Henry was utterly confused. 

Could it be she wanted to connect more deeply? 

This thought emboldened him, and he boldly glanced several times at Adele's ample chest.

Emily and Anna, both women, felt a deep hostility towards Queen Adele. 

They internally cursed this shameless woman for her act of stealing a man.

One of Adele's trembling maids reminded her, 

"Queen Adele, His Majesty is not in the palace tonight. It might be improper to bring an outsider back to the palace."

Queen Adele's gaze turned icy, and in an instant, the maid was transformed into an ice sculpture.

The NPCs and awakeners on the square all felt a chill. 

To decide life and death on a whim, this woman was indeed terrifying. 

Henry, who had just been titillated by Adele, suddenly became much more sober. 

Distance, he must keep his distance. 

The level of this woman was unknown, and even if he used that yellow paper to summon the mysterious entity, it might not be enough to match her.

Henry couldn't help but step back.

Adele, apparently annoyed by her maid's interruption, lost her interest in drinking and turned to leave. 

Only then did the NPCs and awakeners on the square breathe a sigh of relief.

The members of the elite team dejectedly picked up Darrell Mura's body and left. 

Henry now had a connection with Adele due to the golden ring. 

If they still harbored thoughts about Henry's gold-tier set, that madwoman Adele might come out again, potentially creating another headless corpse for their team.

The archbishop in white robes followed the queen out of the square, speaking in a gentle tone, "Fellow followers of the deity, let us forget the recent unpleasantness."

"I will recite a passage of the deity's words, which have the power to bring peace. Everyone, please read along with me."

The archbishop spread his arms, basking in the sunlight.

"The brilliance of Death no longer exists; only the true deity can command the earth."

"He is the father of all creatures, the supreme magus, and the great creator."

"Without him, we would still be mere ants in the Realm of Death. Let us pay homage to him, our great deity."

"Algado!"

...