Ronan patiently listened to Soraya's ramblings. Setting aside her identity as a third-level wizard, Soraya was also an elderly woman in her twilight years.
Her entire family had already passed away, leaving her as the sole survivor in this world. She could only find solace in memories of the past, and she desperately needed this emotional release.
As Soraya's emotions gradually calmed down, Ronan finally revealed the purpose of his visit.
"I came to bid you farewell, Aunt Soraya. In a few days, I might leave the south and head to the 'Elemental Ring' in the central region."
"I know."
Soraya didn't seem surprised by Ronan's words. Instead, she nodded in agreement, "The south is indeed too small for you. You should go further and see more of the world."
After a moment of thought, she flipped her hand and took out an exquisite silver box from her space ring, handing it to Ronan.
Ronan opened it and saw a black obsidian ring, a brown leather notebook, and a beautifully crafted ice flower brooch inside.
With a quick scan of his spiritual power, he determined that the ring was a new storage ring, its internal space about five times larger than the one he currently used. It was filled with a large number of high-grade magic stones and some rune stones.
The notebook contained Soraya's recent findings in her bloodline transplantation experiments over the past few years. As for the ice flower brooch, it was just an ordinary brooch.
It was clear that Soraya had prepared this long ago.
"Sorry, Ronan, this is all I can give you..."
Ronan saw the guilt and fear in Soraya's eyes, as if she was worried he might be dissatisfied.
"I left the family too early, and I don't possess the subsequent inheritance of the 'Frozen Soil' lineage... If... if there are any surviving members of the Lanster Family, this brooch can prove your identity..."
"It's alright, what you've given me is more than enough..."
Ronan held Soraya's hand and gently comforted her.
The missing inheritance of the Lanster Family's 'Frozen Soil' lineage was something Ronan had anticipated.
He didn't feel any regret about it. In his current spell system, the 'Frozen Soil' lineage was no longer the most powerful. After reaching the Dawn level, he could obtain fourth-level ice spells from other sources.
The 'Elemental Ring' was known as the encyclopedia of wizardry, so he believed he could find some general-purpose spells there.
"By the way, Aunt Soraya, there's one more thing..."
After putting away the silver box Soraya had given him, Ronan pulled open the collar of his wizard robe, revealing his clean and firm collarbone.
Soraya squinted her eyes and quickly understood.
"The ice ring? Did you lose Yarilis' necklace?!"
"No."
Ronan shook his head, "It shattered on its own and merged into my body."
Ronan briefly explained the process of the ice ring necklace shattering. Soraya was stunned, and her tone suddenly became urgent.
"You unlocked the secret of the ice ring?! No, it chose you? Incredible..."
Soraya stood up and began pacing rapidly by the fireplace, looking even more excited than when she learned Ronan was a peak third-level wizard. She kept muttering incoherently.
"What secret does the ice ring hold?"
This was the first time Ronan had seen Soraya like this, and he couldn't help but ask.
Soraya gradually calmed down and finally walked up to Ronan, looking at him with an incredibly strange expression.
"The Ice Emperor! The inheritance of the Ice Emperor Chagus Conner! Legend has it that the ice ring is the key to unlocking this inheritance!"
"The Ice Emperor Chagus Conner..."
Ronan repeated the name Soraya mentioned, a thoughtful expression on his face as he murmured, "The Whale Eater?"
"Yes."
Soraya nodded, "In ancient language, it means 'Whale Eater.'
The Ice Emperor Chagus Conner is hailed as the greatest ice wizard of all time. His power was enough to freeze the sun! He once established an eternal frost empire on the frozen soil and even led the cold-blooded to invade other worlds..."
"Other worlds?"
Ronan's expression shifted slightly, "Are you referring to the Middle Ring and the Lower Ring continents?"
"I'm not sure..."
Soraya shook her head, "It's just a legend from the far north. There are too many songs about the Ice Emperor, with various versions. No one can trace their authenticity... But one thing is certain: the Ice Emperor once stood at the pinnacle of the wizard pyramid. He must have already crossed the Dawn level..."
"Tsk..."
Ronan took a light breath and gently touched the spot on his skin where he used to wear the ice ring. He could clearly sense the mark of the ice ring within his soul.
This mark had helped him survive Moriel's Nirvana Flame. He had guessed it was extraordinary, but he never expected its origin to be so grand.
"So... what should I do?"
Ronan calmed his emotions and looked at Soraya, who simply gave him a helpless expression.
"I don't know. The secret of the ice ring is known to only a few. The Frost Leaders have studied it for a long time but couldn't crack it... That's why I say it chose you. Be patient and wait..."
Soraya gently patted Ronan's cheek and said kindly, "It will guide you to the next step in due time."
Ronan nodded and said nothing more.
"When do you plan to leave?"
Soraya asked him.
"I still need some time."
"Then stay a few more days and keep this old woman company..."
Soraya sighed inexplicably, her expression somewhat downcast, "Who knows when we'll meet again."
"Alright."
Ronan suddenly remembered something and, after a moment of thought, spoke up:
"There's one more thing I need your help with, Aunt Soraya."
In the vast snowy forest, a massive ice tornado, like an ancient white serpent, roared and raged under the gray sky.
Suddenly, a deep blue light shone through the ice tornado, and the once snow-white tornado became transparent and radiant.
The wind and snow in the sky intensified, and large swathes of dark clouds rolled in, with faint deep blue lightning streaking down. At this moment, the center of the massive ice tornado was a scene of serene fantasy.
Ronan stood in the eye of the frost hurricane, countless law domain energies intertwining all over his body.
He raised his hands, and between his ten fingers, a deep blue ice sphere several meters in diameter floated quietly.
All the terrifying icy aura emanated from this ice sphere. The space around it had crystallized into a strange, frozen state, as if something had completely frozen it.
"[Snow Country in the Palm]!"
Ronan narrowed his eyes and looked up at the deep blue lightning streaks occasionally falling from the sky.
That was the sign of a "Taboo."
The closer a spell's power approached the "Taboo" domain, the more it could trigger celestial anomalies. This was the terrifying aura of the "Forbidden Magic Domain" pulling on the free energy of the world, or perhaps a manifestation of natural laws.
Ronan had once mastered two true "Forbidden Magic Domain" powers, so he had some understanding of this.
"After integrating the third-level ice spell into the Snow Country, the power of [Snow Country in the Palm] has approached the Taboo domain..."
"Phew—"
Ronan gently exhaled, blowing away the layer of frost mist surrounding the ice sphere in his hand.
Inside the crystal-clear ice sphere, one could vaguely see the outlines of miniature glaciers and snowfields.
Compared to the time of the Prodigy Contest, Ronan's abilities in all aspects had improved significantly, and his control over this move was naturally incomparable.
Coupled with the third-level ice spell inheritance he obtained from Soraya, the power of this move had risen to its current height.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Ronan closed his fingers, and the exquisitely crafted ice sphere's surface began to show cracks. The miniature snow country inside collapsed, and with a "bang," it exploded into countless scattered ice shards and light points.
The towering hurricane tornado dissipated, and the gathered energy turned into a vast snowfall that spread in all directions.
Ronan's wizard robe fluttered as he calmly floated down from mid-air and landed lightly on the snow.
"The subsequent inheritance of the Lanster Family's 'Frozen Soil' lineage is no longer important to me..."
Because after creating the secret technique [Snow Country in the Palm], Ronan had already set a goal for the future development of the 'Frozen Soil' lineage ice spells he practiced.
The core of the 'Frozen Soil' lineage was like building a house, stacking higher-level spells layer by layer. Ronan had constructed the concept of the [Snow Country in the Palm] spell on this framework, and even he was very satisfied with it.
"The subsequent inheritance of the 'Frozen Soil' lineage might not surpass [Snow Country in the Palm]."
"Paths are walked by people. Why can't I create a new ice spell lineage myself?"
Ronan had seen Herams' arrogance as he swallowed the galaxy and looked down on the world. Unconsciously, his perspective as a spell practitioner had expanded immensely.
The current [Snow Country in the Palm] was just a prototype.
In Ronan's vision, the future [Snow Country in the Palm] would not only be used for attack. If it could incorporate the mysteries of space and mirror spells, it would also possess abilities like sealing and trapping.
This secret technique had infinite potential and, to some extent, carried his extraordinary ambitions in ice spells.
"Ronan..."
A soft call drifted into Ronan's ears with the wind and snow.
Ronan looked up and saw a gray figure rapidly approaching from the distant sky, landing on the snow in front of him in the blink of an eye.
Soraya, with her silver hair tied up high, exuded a more dignified aura than usual. Despite the wrinkles on her face, one could still discern some of her youthful elegance.
"Aunt Soraya."
Ronan greeted Soraya, who nodded slightly and spoke kindly, "What you asked for has been taken care of."
Ronan's expression shifted slightly, "Thank you, Aunt Soraya."
Soraya shook her head and asked, "How do you plan to handle them?"
Ronan thought for a moment and said, "Let them go in their original location."
Soraya showed a faint look of confusion but didn't say anything, just nodded.
A few hours later, in a vast snowy forest, two frost-scaled serpents, one large and one small, with ice crystal horns on their heads, hissed softly. They took a deep look at the two people behind them and then quickly slithered into the endless forest.
"With their ancient Ice Crystal Demon Serpent bloodline, as long as they are exposed in the wizards' sight, they will attract covetous eyes and will eventually be captured again..."
Soraya looked at Ronan and spoke calmly.
Ronan watched until the two frost-scaled serpents completely disappeared before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
"It doesn't matter."
He shook his head.
He did all this to fulfill a promise he once made to a certain serpent.
He had promised the Ice Crystal Demon Serpent that one day, he would rescue its kin from the hands of the major wizard families of White Stone Fortress. Now he had done it.
Although now, the Ice Crystal Demon Serpent, which he had never even given a name, might have long been consumed by Hekalto.
"Thank you. You must have paid a considerable price."
Ronan thanked Soraya again, but she just shook her head, "Not much. Three days ago, when we visited together, your talent and strength intimidated them all. Compared to offending a future Dawn-level prodigy like you, two frost-scaled serpents with a trace of ancient Ice Crystal Demon Serpent bloodline are nothing..."
Ronan nodded and said nothing more.
After releasing the two frost-scaled serpents, Ronan had completed his last task in White Stone Fortress. Perhaps sensing his impending departure, Soraya felt inexplicably sad.
"Ronan..."
She hugged Ronan again, kissing his forehead like a grandmother, "Good child, keep moving forward. Don't look back too easily... I'll always be watching you from behind..."
Ronan remained silent.
In the gradually falling snow, the two stood quietly facing each other, saying nothing more.
After bidding farewell to Soraya in White Stone Fortress, Ronan returned directly to the secret realm space he shared with Benigo.
Studying the "Ancient Star Book," inheriting Herams' Law-Controlling legacy, practicing spells, meditating, and physical training... Ronan's life returned to its regular and peaceful rhythm.
He had thought this peace wouldn't last long.
He had been waiting for the Silver Magic Ring to send him a notice to head to the central region, but he waited and waited. Time passed until he almost thought the matter had been forgotten.
"Whoosh—"
Under the cascading waterfall, the mist from the water hitting the rocks created faint golden ripples that spread out, showing a dreamy rainbow-like color in the sunlight.
A figure floated quietly in the mist, with all the faint golden ripples emanating from his body.
The figure stood tall, with a black wizard robe, smooth as silk and edged with silver, hanging down on both sides. A slightly glowing black book lay open on his knees.
"Hum—"
With a strange vibration, the golden ripples suddenly stopped and disappeared. The figure floating in mid-air gracefully descended and landed lightly on a moss-covered rock.
"Snap!"
Ronan closed the "Ancient Star Book" in his hand, gently rubbing his temples with two fingers. His half-closed eye
s revealed an unmistakable deep fatigue.
"Almost... still failed."
Ronan had already forgotten how many times he had attempted star chart deductions in the past year.
He had studied the "Ancient Star Book" to the point where he even dreamed of the galaxy's rotation in his sleep, but until now, he couldn't complete even the most basic full deduction.
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