Chapter 30: Eternal Life

According to legend, the Snow Demon from another realm froze the continent of Dragonmire, plunging everything into a deadly silence.

It wasn’t until the dragons awoke, slashing through the snowfields and breaking the icy blockade that they created oases where humans could thrive and reproduce.

The Dusklight River Valley is one such small oasis.

Of course, it flourished due to the power of Clay Dragon Ross, but ultimately it was the Shadowflame Giant Dragon’s influence on the land that made it possible.

The power of the Shadowflame Giant Dragon radiates outward, protecting the entire Shadowflame Grand Duchy, and Clay Dragon Ross concentrated some of that power, giving birth to the Dusklight River Valley – an oasis where the warmth of spring lasts year-round, which became the ancestral land of the Fluorescent Mushroom Family.

“As for the snow ghosts…”

In the kitchen, the male servant, Ram, animatedly recounted the ancient legend. “The Snow Demon’s dark power is sealed in the snowfields. Once someone is killed by the Snow Demon, they are corrupted by its dark energy and come back to life, becoming a Snow Ghost!”

“Are the snow ghosts black or white?” the kitchen maid, Barbara, asked innocently.

“Well…” Ram had never seen a Snow Ghost, but he had to maintain his scholarly persona in front of the maids, so he replied, “Of course they are white. How else could they be called Snow Ghosts?”

“I thought they were called Snow Ghosts because they turn into ghosts in the snow,” said maid Olivia.

“That’s also possible,” Ram wasn’t sure, so he quickly deflected. “But that’s not important. What matters is that the Master killed a whole bunch of snow ghosts this time, and there was even a three-meter tall one among them!”

“Three meters? How tall is that?” Barbara gestured to her own height, about 1.5 meters, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Olivia was confused. “But how can Snow Ghosts, who are just people, be that tall? I’ve never seen a human so tall.”

Ram thought for a moment. “Maybe people from other areas are three meters tall.”

“Wow, I would love to meet a person that tall. If only I could travel out of the city just once in my life,” Barbara sighed wistfully.

At that moment, Mrs. Moore, the cook, came in with a basket of vegetables and scolded them loudly. “Are you still dreaming of leaving the city? You don’t have to worry about snow ghosts or snow demons eating you; the wild wolves in the snowfields can tear you into a pile of bones. Now stop slacking off and go wash the vegetables!”

“Sorry, I’ll go right away,” Barbara took the basket and hurried off to the washing station.

Mrs. Moore gave Ram a sharp look. “Oh, the master’s trainee personal servant. If you’re so free, why don’t you think about how to serve the master better instead of hanging around the kitchen making fun of the little maids? William’s been eyeing you.”

“William is no match for me. He’s clumsy and awkward,” Ram retorted, but he didn’t dare stay in the kitchen any longer.

“What a bunch of troublesome people,” Mrs. Moore muttered to herself.

Olivia didn’t leave. As she wasn’t one of the kitchen maids, she wasn’t under Mrs. Moore’s supervision, so she felt free to ask, “Mrs. Moore, do you know about the Snow Ghosts, the ones the Master killed?”

“Older people know all about the snow ghosts. I’ve seen them more than once.”

“Oh, you’ve seen those white ghosts?”

“White? Who told you that snow ghosts are white? The dead who come back to life as Snow Ghosts are all a bluish-green color.”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Damn it, I knew Ram was making things up.”

“Never trust a man’s word, dear.”

“I heard that Snow Ghosts are the souls of people trapped inside their bodies. Once you kill a Snow Ghost, the human soul turns to smoke.”

“I don’t know. They’re all just cursed beings,” said Mrs. Moore, no longer curious about Snow Ghosts. “But I do know that when you kill a Snow Ghost, it leaves behind an Ice Hail Pearl, and that thing can make a person immortal.”

“Immortal? Oh my God, will the master become immortal?”

“Of course not!”

“But the master killed a snow ghost, so he must have an Ice Hail Pearl.”

“Silly girl, the Ice Hail Pearl is just an Ice Hail Pearl. To achieve immortality, you’d have to give it to an alchemist who would use countless Ice Hail Pearls to create an elixir of eternal life,” Mrs. Moore replied, though she was just repeating what she had overheard. Still, it was enough to startle Olivia.

Mrs. Moore added, “You just have to understand that in many places, Ice Hail Pearls can be used as currency, dear.”

In the kitchen, the servants discussed the Snow Ghosts and Ice Hail Pearls.

Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor of the manor’s annex, Russell and his companions, having enjoyed their lunch and gotten drunk, were now relaxing over afternoon tea.

With his thumb and forefinger pinching the high-quality Ice Hail Pearl left behind by the death of the great Snow Ghost, Russell, slightly tipsy, sighed, “It’s hard to imagine that such a small pearl could contain a knight’s entire strength.”

“Yeah, isn’t it fascinating?” Charles, also drunk, chuckled. “Let’s say Eric died in the snowfields – eventually, all his martial arts energy would condense into a little ice pearl like this.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “If I’m going to die, I’ll cut off my own head!”

Knight Commander Chris spoke up, “Cutting off your head wouldn’t help. The Snow Demon’s power would cause your corpse to move and reattach your head. The only way to completely remove the Snow Demon’s influence is to crush the skull.”

After a brief pause, he added, “But be careful that your corpse doesn’t touch another head. Otherwise, a dog-headed snow ghost, a pig-headed snow ghost, or even a bull-headed snow ghost might be born in the snowfields.”

“Hahaha!” Charles burst out laughing.

Russell also chuckled a few times; the Snow Demon’s power was truly extraordinary.

Only Eric remained serious, his expression grim. He silently swore that if he ever died in the snowfields, he would make sure to instruct others to turn his body into a pile of mush, not giving the Snow Demon any chance to use it.

Especially not to allow a head swap.

If a head swap were necessary, it must never be with a pig’s or bull’s head. A dog’s head, though, he could accept begrudgingly.

After the laughter died down, the group chatted casually and drank tea.

Russell held the high-quality Ice Hail Pearl up over his head, peering closely at it through the sunlight streaming in through the window. Inside the pearl, he could see fine strands swirling within it like smoke.

These strands were probably the manifestation of a knight’s lifetime of martial cultivation.

Snow Ghosts are human beings, but only those who have cultivated martial energy during their lives. After they die, their bodies are corrupted and revived by the Snow Demon’s power.

The martial arts energy in their bodies is transformed into another type of power that brings the corpse back to life as a snow ghost. This power is called Ice Hail.

When a Snow Ghost is killed, the Ice Hail condenses into an Ice Hail Pearl.

According to the market value, even an ordinary Ice Hail Pearl could be used as a gold coin, and high-quality Ice Hail Pearls could be exchanged for ten or twenty gold coins.

In other words, killing snow ghosts could yield gold.

“By the way, is it true that Ice Hail Pearls can be refined through alchemy to extract the Snow Demon’s power and grant immortality?” Russell put down the high-quality Ice Hail Pearl and asked.

Charles shrugged, burped, and said, “Not sure.”

Chris, the Knight Commander, had heard some rumors: “I don’t think it’s possible. Although the Snow Ghosts are transformed by the Snow Demon’s power, they are fundamentally different from the Snow Demon’s actual power. The difference can’t just be made up by quantity.”

“But Ice Hail Pearls are valuable, right? I hear that there are people secretly buying them.”

“Maybe you should ask the Baron,” Chris suggested.

“Alright,” Russell decided not to dwell on the Ice Hail Pearl for now, treating it as just currency for the time being. His warm smile faded and he spoke more seriously, “The Snow Ghost invasion has been dealt with, but how are we going to deal with the lone wolf, Lisbon, who lured the Snow Ghosts?”