Chapter 34

Yesterday, a heavy snowfall occurred.

Flipping through the calendar, winter had already arrived a month ago.

Gongsun Murong and Nalasha had been busy since the start of school.

They studied writing.

They listened to their teachers talk about history and geography.

They borrowed notes from the magic class and observed the places where combat techniques were taught.

They went to the magic supplies store to broaden their horizons and bought a few small items to study.

After dinner, they rested for half an hour.

Then the two of them would take the food they had prepared to visit a certain teacher and give gifts.

To seek private tutoring.

Most of the gifts they gave now were still the claws of the monsters from Danghun Lake.

Cut into slices by Gongsun Murong and roasted, they served as snacks.

The body parts of the monsters had long been divided into countless portions by the steward and distributed to other nobles residing or staying in the capital.

So, during this month, Gongsun Murong and Nalasha's lives were very peaceful.

No one came to cause them trouble.

There was no sign of any student provoking them.

Nalasha enjoyed her current life, always wearing a sweet smile, finding everyone she met to be kind.

On the contrary, Princess Lucia felt bored.

She returned to the palace yesterday after the snowfall and came over early in the morning.

She said that Hilary Francis, the Marquis who had always been at odds with her grandfather, had joined forces with other nobles to distribute bread and porridge in the various squares of the capital.

To help those who came to the capital and couldn't find food.

"They have their two sons spreading propaganda, pretending to be good, making people despise them. There are merchants promoting their goods and giving out food at the squares," Lucia said angrily.

She pouted and added, "If they really wanted to do good, they should go outside the city. Outside the city, there are people who can't enter due to various troubles and need help."

Nalasha nodded, looking at the sky that had not yet cleared, and said, "The snow is still falling. The people outside the city are very cold and lack food."

She glanced at Lucia.

The two of them, as if sharing a telepathic connection, said simultaneously, "Let's go outside the city."

Lucia mobilized some people and bought fatty meat that the wealthy didn't like at a low price.

Gongsun Murong set up a few large pots, added seasonings, and stewed the meat.

They found a large iron water tank cart and poured the pots of meat into it.

Gongsun Murong also took the time to make a large stack of scalded flour pancakes.

Before noon, the group drove the cart toward the western city gate they had entered through.

The snow showed no signs of stopping.

The snow in places that had not been cleared had already reached the knees of adults.

On the main streets, diligent city sanitation workers were observing, sweeping the snow every time it accumulated to a centimeter to ensure the main roads remained clear.

By the time the group reached the western city gate, an hour and a half had passed, and many people in the city had already eaten lunch.

Outside the city, many people were queuing up.

Some were caravans that had come to the capital but couldn't contact buyers, and their goods had no place to be stored.

Some were people visiting relatives but couldn't produce identity documents or pay the entry fee.

Others claimed to be refugees fleeing famine, making it difficult to determine their status, requiring officials to review them.

Even long-term loiterers, beggars, brokers, and laborers were present.

Among these people, there were those who were truly desperate, and any help given to them would be greatly appreciated.

There were also those who did not need pity and were willing to work hard to earn their living.

And there were those with dark intentions, who would not be satisfied even if they were killed a hundred times.

Nalasha and Lucia were confused. Who should they give the stewed meat and pancakes to?

"Good people, please help us. We will praise you. Kind as you are, you should receive the protection of the gods. Who will help us?" a hoarse, elderly voice called out.

Nalasha and Lucia looked over.

They saw an old man in a thin coat, his face full of wrinkles, shivering as he walked.

He slowly approached, begging for help from everyone on the road.

Lucia thought she had found someone who needed help and ran over, pulling Nalasha with her. "Many people are cold and hungry in the snow, right?"

"Yes, kind lady, would you be willing to give us a little help? Just a little," the old man's cloudy eyes showed a glimmer of hope.

"That's right," Nalasha agreed. "We brought a lot of food. Have them come over and eat."

"Oh, thank you so much, thank you so much. But, as you know, we have come from far away and have no strength left. They are waiting over there," the old man said, grateful, but then looked troubled.

"Okay, okay, where? We'll go over. I believe everything will be fine," Lucia said excitedly.

She even had someone help the old man onto the cart, and the group followed his directions.

After about forty minutes, they could indeed see a group of people gathered in the snow by the roadside.

"Are they the ones?" Lucia asked.

The old man nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes, they are. We have finally waited for help. Praise the gods, and you, kind lady."

The old man urged them to continue moving forward.

However, Nalasha suddenly spoke up. "Why are so many people lying in the snow? Wow, there are people on this side of the road too. Aren't they cold?"

"Prepare for battle," Moses and the others reacted the fastest, drawing their weapons and releasing their combat auras, adjusting their positions.

Lucia's guards were a second slower, holding their weapons and looking around in panic.

Then they remembered the old man by the princess.

But when they looked at him, the old man's combat aura flickered and then stopped. His head had been pierced by a sword.

Gongsun Murong's hand was on the sword hilt, his gaze calm and expression indifferent.

Numerous figures instantly stood up from the snow on both sides of the road, each holding a crossbow.

"Miss in the center, double-line movement in opposite directions," Moses shouted. The desert adventurers instantly formed two circles, the outer circle moving clockwise and the inner circle counterclockwise, protecting Nalasha and Lucia in the center.

At this moment, their combat skills were evident. The adventurers knew how to disrupt the vision of the ranged attackers.

They used a method of constantly changing positions to affect the attackers' vision.

Lucia's face was pale.

Nalasha's long hair fluttered, and various lights flashed, landing on her guards.

Then, with the group at the center, a whirlwind rose, and the snow howled.

Then the sound of crossbows rang out, but the bolts could not hit anyone. They were caught in the whirlwind and chased by the snow.

"Lucia, don't just stand there, help too," Nalasha said, creating over thirty ice shields while reminding the frightened Lucia.

"Oh, oh," Lucia responded. She realized that if she had been in the desert, she would have been dead by now.

In the desert, when fighting adventurers, they wouldn't announce their attacks or show a fierce expression. They would smile one moment and attack the next.

Nalasha and Gongsun Murong were not used to it at first, but under the threat of death, they had to learn how to fight.

Moses and the others were still circling, communicating with each other while moving.

"Six knives on the left side of the road."

"Four crossbows on the left side of the road, ready."

"Three two-handed swords on the left side of the road, quality four."

"Nine one-handed swords on the left side of the road, quality four."

"Two black iron hammers on the right side of the road, quality unknown."

"Three pairs of daggers on the right side of the road, be cautious of close combat."

"Right side..."

"Watch out above, high-altitude attack..."

"Switch to bows."

"I'll do it."

"I'll assist."

"Resolve."

"Confirm."

An object that had just been thrown from above was deflected by an adventurer's arrow and entered the whirlwind.

Nalasha immediately raised the height of the whirlwind.

Lucia's guards could only stay by the princess's side, listening to the adventurers and thinking about how to counterattack.

Usually, they didn't think much of Nalasha's guards, considering their combat aura ranks to be low.

But now they understood that adventurers who could survive in the midst of death were not to be underestimated.

"In... um! Again, under the guidance of the Divine Mage, water spirits of the world, hear my call—Rain of Ice Spikes."

Lucia calmed down slightly and quickly launched an attack, creating dozens of ice spikes to attack the enemies outside the whirlwind.

As the ice spikes formed, hundreds of ice blades like dagger blades appeared, flying in all directions with the ice spikes and able to change direction.

This was another water-based spell—Dancing Ice Blades.

As these attacks appeared, countless ice spikes and ice blades were generated, and a large number of people with glowing combat auras rushed from the direction of the city.

"Reinforcements are here, Miss Nalasha, hold on," the guard leader shouted.

Lucia's personal guards knew who had joined the attack. It was the team protecting the ninth princess, usually following at a distance.

Under normal circumstances, they were enough to protect the princess.

But no one expected the attack to come so quickly. From the start of the attack to now, it had been less than fifteen seconds.

He was afraid that Nalasha's mental energy would not be enough. This was a large-scale spell cast instantly, requiring a high level of skill from the mage.

Nalasha, controlling the ice blades, reassured the guard leader, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

The battle situation on the field had changed.

The ambushers, who had been the killers, became the ones being killed. They were first attacked by a group of ice blades and ice spikes, then by the mages and warriors rushing over.

But even so, they did not retreat, drawing their close-combat weapons and fighting fiercely.

Just as they were about to be killed, Nalasha looked up at the sky and said, "A ship is coming."

As she spoke, a small black dot appeared in the sky in the distance, gradually growing larger.

"Gods, how did the Mitchell Empire's ship get here?" the guard leader shouted in terror.

"Run, Nalasha, it's a battle ship with large-scale attack weapons," Lucia called out.

The guards were desperate. How could they run? Could they outrun a ship?

Especially now, surrounded by wheat fields, the battle ship had magic cannons that could destroy large areas with a single shot.

They regretted it, not for their own impending death, but for the loss of the genius ninth princess of the principality and the even more talented Nalasha.

The loss to the principality would be enormous. The ship was valuable, but it could be rebuilt with money. Geniuses, however, could not be bought with money.

Despair was evident on almost everyone's face.

******

From now on, I will update three times a day, with each update being over 3,000 words. Today's second update is actually 4,000 words.

I won't ask for favorites and recommendations every chapter, just every few days. This is all I can do. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who have supported me.