Chapter 185: Chapter 134: The Month of Storage and Cold

Ai Jin, of course, knew better than to press the issue.

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Lu Cang, you truly are an esteemed guest... To think such a wondrous Enchantment Refining Method exists in this world."

"It seems I was truly uninformed."

"Perhaps I really should get out more..."

Ai Jin stared at the bracelet under the lamplight. This had to be the best Storage Bracelet he had ever forged.

Its storage space was comparable to that of a small town.

And it could even hold living creatures.

Without Lu Cang’s assistance in infusing the soul, this masterpiece would have been utterly impossible to complete.

A new Enchantment Refining Method...

’Indeed, I’ve been using the old methods for too long. I really should expose myself to more new and novel refining techniques.’

"Uncle Ai Jin, about the price..."

"Ah, Little Lu Cang."

"Don’t keep talking to your uncle about money. From now on, whatever materials you bring, I’ll refine them for you for free."

"Even if you bring me a lump of mud, I’ll refine it for you without charging a thing."

Ai Jin understood the situation perfectly.

’A genius like Lu Cang, what kind of equipment could he possibly lack?’

’In the future, he’ll be the one constantly hunting High Tier Demons and seeking me out for enchantments and forging.’

’My own path of advancement as an Enchanter will likely depend on Lu Cang giving me a push.’

As for bringing him a lump of mud?

That was just a figure of speech.

Of course, if Lu Cang really did bring him mud, Ai Jin would still cheerfully help him enchant and refine it.

"Then, thank you, Uncle Ai Jin."

Ai Jin nodded.

He placed the bracelet in Lu Cang’s hand.

Looking at the translucent bracelet, Lu Cang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

’Finally...’

’I don’t have to give up on the Thousand Army Ant Mountain.’

If he had abandoned the Thousand Army Ant Mountain this time, there was no telling when he would find a suitable replacement Demon.

Besides, if it could hold living creatures,

it could be used for many other functions beyond just storing the Thousand Army Ant Mountain.

Time passed, and Iz and Chi Cheng finally returned.

Their efforts had been fruitful; they had completely wiped out several of the Death Church’s most troublesome core strongholds.

Afterward, Iz and Chi Cheng finally had some downtime.

This gave Lu Cang the opportunity to discuss the manuscript left by An Zheng with Iz and to learn Combat Skills from Chi Cheng.

「October 20, 5025 A.D.」

The Month of War and Fire was more than halfway over. Lu Luwei joined the Legendary Adventurer’s Guild, officially becoming a member.

The work concerning the Death Church had also come to a close. The remaining miscellaneous tasks no longer required Kumironi’s personal involvement.

Lu Cang had placed the Thousand Army Ant Mountain into the Space Bracelet.

Inside the Space Bracelet, it continuously produced Black Ants, and surprisingly, the Thousand Army Ant Mountain was even absorbing the Demon tide from the outside, right through the spatial barrier.

He hadn’t expected that storing the Thousand Army Ant Mountain in his Storage Space would have such a wondrous effect.

It was as if Lu Cang himself was constantly purifying the Demon tide from the outside world...

Unfortunately, Lu Cang’s magic couldn’t directly enter the bracelet’s interior.

To extract their souls, Lu Cang had to build a fire by the roadside, release all the Black Ants at once, and burn them to a crisp.

Fortunately, the process wasn’t too troublesome.

With everything settled, they left the City in the Circle.

They continued northward. Kernoya was located in the eastern part of the Ruelun Continent, toward the north.

To the west lay the territory of Ruijia.

In addition, there were the Calib Kingdom, the Hida Kingdom, the Alkari Kingdom, and others.

Compared to Ruijia and Lorren, these kingdoms were much smaller.

Most were overseen by only one or two Level 5 Reincarnators.

Reincarnators tended to gather together.

After all, Adventurers formed guilds with others of similar strength. Level 5s only played with other Level 5s.

Besides their own native Reincarnators, Ruijia and Lorren also had many Reincarnators from other lands.

Lorren’s territory was vast, so explorers often needed to enter its lands to rest and resupply.

After leaving the City in the Circle, passing through the Half-Grey Forest, and crossing a mountain range, they stood on a cliff and saw the fires of war raging in the distance.

They had heard that the distant region was a collection of Chaotic Countries—a chaotic land where many small nations were founded.

Armies clashed, and people slaughtered one another.

Lu Luwei sat atop the carriage, watching the meaningless slaughter unfold.

’Lives, withering away just like that.’

’A lifetime of adhering to one’s principles, all turning to dust with death.’

’Humans killing humans... it’s so foolish.’

Along the way, they saw fires of war everywhere.

They hadn’t felt it while inside the City in the Circle.

Only after leaving the city did the brutality of the Month of War and Fire become apparent to Lu Cang.

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

He had originally thought these countries started wars merely to avoid the negative effects of the War Moon.

But seeing it now, he realized that wasn’t the case.

These people were probably looking forward to the War Moon’s arrival; they were fighting with the sole purpose of annihilating the other side.

He had read in books that the dynasties of this world’s kingdoms changed frequently.

War never ceased in this world.

He had assumed that was outdated information, just a thing of the past. After all, since arriving in this world, the people and events he’d encountered had been mostly harmonious.

But now, seeing this region of Chaotic Countries, he realized it was still true.

’It turns out I just hadn’t been transported to a chaotic place.’

Iz and the others, however, showed no intention of intervening in the war...

And what would interfering accomplish?

Helping one side kill the other?

After they passed through the Chaotic Countries, the scenery became much more peaceful.

The following days consisted of normal travel and adventure.

Along the way, they dismantled several Death Church strongholds according to their plan.

Nothing unexpected occurred.

They also came across many wild Dungeons en route.

Izparut had heard about the matter of sacrificing Dungeons, but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.

When he saw twelve Nation Destruction Level Demons spawn simultaneously in one Dungeon, even he stared wide-eyed.

An excited expression appeared on his face.

The Month of War and Fire gradually drew to a close.

Snow had begun to fall from the sky, and the once-scorching temperatures were rapidly cooling.

The Month of Storage and Cold was approaching.

「October 31st.」

Lu Cang and his group finally found a Tier Five Dungeon.

After conservatively sacrificing 50,000 souls, they saw three Nation Destruction Level Tier Five Demons inside the Dungeon.

They were true behemoths, each large enough to cover an entire city.

Lu Cang was the one who dealt with one of them.

Lu Cang had thoroughly mastered Chi Cheng’s Invincible Stream, but unfortunately, he lacked Chi Cheng’s Invincible Extreme Intent.

He couldn’t unleash its deepest essence.

It turned out that after mastering an Extreme Battle Intent, one was supposed to create their own unique style based on it.

Body and mind as one.

That was the ultimate Mystical Technique of a Warrior.

’Well... even without my body and mind being one,’

’relying on Combat Skills with Level 301 Skill Proficiency is more than enough, even if I’ve only scratched the surface.’

...

「November 1st.」

The Month of Storage and Cold arrived.

A bone-chilling cold set in. This chill was not just a physical sensation but a mental one as well.

It felt as if his soul was coated in a thin layer of ice, and his passion for everything had cooled slightly.

Besides, it really was cold. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Even with his Magic Robe’s cold-warding enchantment, he could still feel a faint chill.

He woke up to find a vast blanket of snow covering the road, and the visibility between heaven and earth was terrifyingly low.

It was a vast expanse of white, making it easy to get lost.

If Adventurers were still wandering in the wilderness at a time like this, they would likely get lost in the snowstorm.

Even though the Month of Death and Destruction had not yet arrived, it already felt so dangerous.

Fortunately, they were very close to the Capital of Lorren.

They estimated it would only take another day or two to arrive.

This level of cold wasn’t yet life-threatening.

Lu Cang couldn’t help but think of Pari.

After October 12th, Pari had vanished from the City in the Circle, leaving no information for him and the others to find her.

’I wonder where she’ll be in the future?’

’But if we don’t run into her, it also means I won’t have to ask her for a Divination, and I won’t have to pay that ten-million-coin confidentiality fee.’

「November 3rd.」

In the distance, they saw a city adorned with white snow. It was noticeably more magnificent than the already grand City in the Circle.

Several towers of varying designs stood tall within the city, and he could feel dense fluctuations of Magic Power and Elements in the air.

They had arrived at Kernoya, the Capital of Lorren.