Chapter 77: Royal Court Dispute
“Come, Sidlipha, drink up!” Nuo said with a beaming smile, holding the Frost I potion.
“Uh, about that…” Sidlipha hesitated. “Didn’t I just take the Ancient X potion not long ago?”
“Digested it yet?” Medea asked.
“Hmm…” Sidlipha tilted her head. “I think there’s still a little bit left?”
“Is that so?” Nuo said with a playful smile. “Ellie, Sidlipha says she still has some potion left to digest, come help her out!”
“Wait, wait!” Sidlipha hurriedly exclaimed. “It’s an illusion! Just an illusion! After those battles with the Crusaders, I’ve completely digested it!”
Even if she was naturally a bit slow, after being beaten up by everyone all afternoon, she realized something was off.
It was as if Asker had specifically chosen her for intensive training, forcing her to take the next potion as soon as possible.
“Really?” Nuo said skeptically, turning to look at Medea.
“Well, it’s not exactly a lie.” Medea read her superficial thoughts. “There might be a little bit left, but it’s negligible.”
“Then drink up.” Nuo handed her the Frost I potion and gave Medea a look. The latter understood immediately and left Furnace Island.
Sidlipha looked at the potion with a mournful face and downed it as if accepting her fate.
Seeing her cooperate so readily, Nuo hummed a cheerful tune.
In her spirit vision, she saw countless angel spirits floating down, humming a melodious tune along with her.
Angel’s Song, activate.
As the Frost I potion went down, Sidlipha immediately felt her body temperature dropping rapidly, as if she was immersed in icy seawater, constantly losing heat.
First, her lower abdomen went numb, then her legs and chest, then her arms and neck. A deep purple began to spread upwards, clashing with her consciousness at her neck.
Nuo placed her hand on Sidlipha’s forehead, using her “Spirit I” ability to soothe the fluctuations of her spirituality.
Sidlipha remained strangely conscious, uneasily feeling the cold surging from deep within her abdomen, and then… gradually receding.
“Ah~” she moaned comfortably. “It’s like taking a cold shower after a good workout.”
Sidlipha officially reached level 3.
Nuo suddenly felt a pang of jealousy, as she was still lingering at level 2, even though she already had the “Mind I” potion in hand…
“Now that you’re stable, you have to work hard to digest this potion.” Nuo said with a smile, waving over Eleanor and Peggy. “Ellie, come and spar~”
“Eh! Why do I have to fight you after taking the potion…” Sidlipha wailed.
…
The Spartan Royal Court.
Once the council of elders, the Spartan Royal Court was now surrounded by agitated Spartan warriors.
Their fury was directed at the mercenary leader inside.
When did the martial Spartans need outside mercenaries to protect them?
“I am Andrea, leader of the Iron Cross mercenary group’s Eastern division. I am here because of the anomaly on Mount Taygetus.” Andrea spoke eloquently. “Our mercenary group has brought 100 men this time, including more than 20 Transcendents, all experienced in dealing with anomalies.”
“Sparta needs no outside help,” King Cleomenes, the current king of the Spartan city-state, said coldly.
“This is not help.” Andrea smiled faintly. “This is merely an employment offer from the Iron Cross mercenary group. You provide the funds, we provide the manpower, each gets what they need.”
Cleomenes fell silent, exchanging glances with Lysander, the other Spartan co-ruling king.
The supernatural creature that came down from Mount Taygetus was a monster called a “Snow Monster,” possessing abilities of the “Frost” Sequence.
It wasn’t that the Spartan city-state didn’t have Transcendents, but as a democratic city-state with a strong martial culture, their Transcendental paths were mostly physically oriented, which was precisely countered by the “Frost” Sequence.
When Transcendents fought Snow Monsters, the low temperature of the frost would be transmitted to their bodies through metal swords, shields, and armor. In less than ten seconds, the hands holding the swords or shields would become stiff and numb, then lose consciousness. Spartan warriors tried wrapping their arms in cloth or cotton, but the effect was minimal.
The most effective method, of course, was to switch to ranged attacks, such as gunmen or Transcendents of the Arcane Sequence.
However, this went against the Spartans’ cultural customs. The Spartan culture was a culture of warriors, of direct confrontation. Asking them to seek help from the Siris mages they used to look down on? Impossible!
At least for now, most traditional Spartan warriors still strongly resisted the involvement of outside forces.
Of course, the Spartans were reckless, not stupid. Once most people realized that the Snow Monster couldn’t be defeated through close combat, and the mainstream opinion in the city shifted, then the two kings could request aid from Olympia without too much opposition.
However, the arrival of the Iron Cross mercenary group’s Eastern division had prematurely intensified the conflict in the city regarding whether to request aid.
“Get these northerners out of here!” A shout came from the crowd outside.
“Who just objected?” Andrea turned around and asked with a smile, spreading his hands gracefully.
“Me! Agesilaus!” A young Spartan warrior pushed through the crowd and pointed at the Frankish noble. “Sparta can handle its own affairs, we don’t need your interference!”
“This young man seems very confident, very good.” Andrea nodded. “However, judging by your unscathed appearance, you haven’t fought the Snow Monster from Mount Taygetus yet, have you?”
The young warrior, Agesilaus, immediately blushed upon hearing this.
The answer was obvious. If he had fought the Snow Monster, he wouldn’t have said that “Sparta doesn’t need help.”
“Your Majesties,” Andrea said with a smile, “perhaps we can conduct a simple experiment to assess whether Sparta needs our help.”
The two kings looked at him silently without speaking.
However, in this situation, silence meant consent. Andrea keenly sensed this and clapped his hands, calling in another mercenary from outside the crowd:
“Hermann!”
A gloomy-looking blond young man with a sword at his waist and a short axe on his back walked in from the crowd. He wore a cloth robe with the Iron Cross emblem.
“Hermann is a high-ranking Transcendental in our group, currently mastering the Frost Sequence.” Andrea said with a smile. “Although his physique is not as strong as the Snow Monster’s, if this Spartan warrior can defeat him while enduring the effects of frost, then we will consider that you have the ability to fight the Snow Monster alone.”
The two kings remained silent, just shifting their gazes towards Agesilaus.
Agesilaus immediately took the bait, drawing his sword from his waist and saying:
“Alright!”
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