We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 355 Dark Ice and the Lord of Cinder

"This is……"

Upon seeing the silver pocket watch, An Bing's cold expression suddenly changed, and he asked in a cold voice.

Where did you get this?

"give it to me."

As she spoke, she actually reached out to take the pocket watch.

【Fleeting Moments】is related to the secret of Shaun's time travel and return to the past, and even concerns the life and death of Lyra, so it is extremely important to him.

Shaen would certainly not hand it over so easily.

So he took a step back, dodging the outstretched hand of Dark Ice.

"Miss Dark Ice, what are you trying to do?"

At this moment, Anbing was no longer as calm and composed as before; instead, she became unusually impatient and angry.

Dark Ice looked at [Fleeting Time] and repeated, "Captain Xia En, give it to me."

Xia En frowned slightly, and his attitude became somewhat serious.

"…What if I say no?"

Unlike the other crew members, his relationship with Dark Ice was merely a fleeting encounter.

If it weren't for Yan Yan's influence, Xia En might not have been able to rescue the Great Yan Princess.

If Dark Ice tries to snatch the silver pocket watch from him, Xia En will not tolerate it.

Anbing also sensed a resolute attitude from Xia En's words.

However, this pocket watch also held extraordinary significance for her.

After hesitating for a moment, a determined look flashed in Anbing's eyes, and she said, "Then, please let me challenge you."

"If I win, give me this pocket watch, as well as the spot in the operation."

Xia En's expression changed again. He did not directly accept Dark Ice's challenge, but instead asked a question.

"you sure?"

"Not to mention that this is a one-sided bet, even if I win, I won't gain anything from it."

"Secondly, it was I who awakened you from your long slumber. Is this how the Queen Consort of Great Yan treats her benefactor?"

If it were a complete stranger, Xia En would certainly have accepted this unreasonable challenge and taught her a lesson in the most violent and direct way.

However, Anbing is the queen of Da Yan and Yan Yan's wife!

If Anbing really insists on challenging herself, Xia En will have to examine whether this foolish woman is qualified to be Yan Yan's wife.

As he said this, the aura that Xia En had previously suppressed was once again released without reservation.

As his aura erupted, the soldiers and secret cultivators around him couldn't help but change their expressions, looking at Xia En with a mixture of fear and apprehension.

Previously, in the eyes of these onlookers, Xia En's aura was not particularly strong.

Combined with rumors of him "avoiding war," many people subconsciously developed a dismissive attitude, thinking he was just a gigolo who lived off women.

People were more interested in watching the drama and gossip surrounding the conflict between Xia En and An Bing, hoping to see Xia En make a fool of himself!
Only then did they realize that things were not like that at all!

Having just completed his promotion, Shane still carried the aura of the [Old Flame], the [Secret Sea], and... the [Great Law].

All three of these are beings that exist outside of the Seven Seas World.

His position was far higher than people could imagine.

Even the faintest trace of his aura made Xia En appear as if he were a bottomless abyss.

That man, seemingly standing before them, was actually standing in a higher dimension, quietly observing the changes in the galaxy and civilization.

In the eyes of some perceptive individuals, Shane emanated a distorted radiance.

The color of that light transcended all other colors in the world, almost indescribable in any words or language, containing infinite mystery and eeriness.

Just gazing at that light sends shivers down one's spine.

"What happened?"

"The aura emanating from that man... is terrifying! It's just like the oppressive feeling of a legend."

"I remember now, Xia En seems to have a record of killing a sixth-tier Mystic Path user."

Someone said with surprise and doubt, "Back then, he was only at the fifth level."

"Could it be, as that woman said, that he simply went into seclusion to advance his cultivation?"

"But this doesn't look like a sixth-tier item at all."

Another person couldn't help but complain, "Even a legendary expert wouldn't have such a terrifying aura, would they?"

In the end, among those who traverse secret paths, strength is what truly matters.

As Xia En revealed his aura, everyone's attitude completely changed.

Meanwhile, Benny had just escaped his frozen state and regained his mobility.

His expression was unusually complex.

When Benny first saw Shane, he wanted to challenge him directly.

After all, if we can't beat this mysterious Dark Ice, surely we can beat Xia En?
However, this sudden surge of power forced Benny to swallow his words.

—It seems he really can't beat him!
After reaching this conclusion, Benny felt a strong sense of frustration and depression.

In the military, he almost never encountered anyone his age who could hold his own against him.

Who would have thought that two guys who could easily defeat me would suddenly appear at this moment!
Benny thought to himself, "This male and female are both monsters!"

at the same time.

The focus of everyone's attention.

Looking at Xia En in front of him and feeling his vast and profound aura, An Bing's expression changed several times before finally letting out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Captain Shane, I acted impulsively."

"However, even if I were to challenge you, I wouldn't be your match."

"I will explain the matter of [Fleeting Time] to you in detail."

Looking at the onlookers around him, Anbing said.

“This is not the place to talk, Captain Shane, please come with me.”

With that, Anbing turned and walked into a barracks, and Xia En followed.

Although the two didn't actually fight, some onlookers were somewhat disappointed.

However, the aura that Xia En had previously exuded made people realize that another top powerhouse below the legendary level had been born.

This news is bound to spread in a small circle.

This also made the name of Captain Shane of the Black Swan remembered by more people!

Similarly, due to the appearance of Dark Ice and Shane, as well as Benny's defeat, the soldiers realized that there were also formidable strongmen and geniuses outside the army.

The slightly arrogant atmosphere within the Federal regular army was thus somewhat curbed.

In a way, Moritz's request was fulfilled.

……

……

After entering this enclosed barracks.

Dark Ice first glanced at Joey behind Xia En.

Noticing her gaze, Xia En immediately understood what she meant and said directly, "It's okay."

“Joey is someone I completely trust.”

“If it’s something you can tell me, there’s no need to hide it from her.” Hearing this, Joey’s lips curled up slightly, and her gaze toward Xia En became even more affectionate.

Upon hearing Xia En's words and seeing Joey's expression, An Bing immediately understood everything.

A hint of envy flickered in her expression.

"So that's what your relationship is like..."

"It's so good to have someone you can completely trust, unlike me and Xin..."

Halfway through her sentence, Anbing seemed to realize she had spoken out of turn and shut her mouth, as if she didn't want to talk about the topic anymore.

Xia En, however, was itching to try it.

He hates people who only say half of what they mean. Isn't that just deliberately arousing people's curiosity and being irresponsible?
Anbing composed herself and continued.

"Captain Shane, I apologize again for my actions just now."

"It's just that this 'Fleeting Moment' is so important to me that I lost my composure for a moment."

"Also, I learned from Irina how you woke me up, so please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you."

After saying that, Anbing bowed deeply to Xia En.

Given her former status as a princess, she had almost never done anything like that.

For her, this not only required considerable courage, but also the ability to let go of her former pride.

However, Dark Ice did it anyway.

Seeing this, Xia En's opinion of the Great Yan Queen changed.

Her desire to steal "Fleeting Time" was probably not due to a relaxed personality, but simply a momentary impulse.

After accepting Anbing's bow with composure, Xia En said.

"Let's not talk about the past now."

"More than that, I'd like to know how much you actually know about this pocket watch?"

Anbing didn't mince words and said directly, "Actually, this pocket watch called [Fleeting Time] is actually my mother's keepsake."

"……Um?"

Upon hearing this, Xia En raised an eyebrow.

"Your mother's belongings? This..."

This statement truly surprised Xia En.

He had speculated about the origin of "Fleeting Time" several times, but Anbing's explanation was something he had never anticipated.

As far as Shane knows, the [Fleeting Time] is a relic used by the King of the Kingdom of Shudon to prevent members of the royal family from turning into coral.

However, it is clear that it did not originally belong to the King of Sudden, but was obtained by the Kingdom of Sudden by some coincidence.

Even so, isn't it too far to travel from the far north where the Great Yan Kingdom is located to the Xiudun Kingdom on the mainland?
Anbing ignored Xia En's reaction and continued talking to herself.

"The story actually begins with our family's marriage alliance with the King of Cinder..."

"Marriage?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow again.

But on second thought, it's actually quite normal for a king like the King of Cinder to form a marriage alliance.

Free love is practically impossible.

But what about the family that Anbing belongs to?
"Captain Shane, you may have noticed this as well..."

"The abilities I use are completely different from the fire magic of the Lord of Cinder; they are, in fact, two completely different extremes."

When talking about the past, Anbing's expression was unusually complicated, and her tone was tinged with sadness.

“This is related to the family I come from.”

“Unlike Lord Cinder and others who were exiled to the Far North, my family are native to the Far North.”

"At that time, the people on the mainland called us the 'Ice Clan' or the 'People of Ice and Snow'."

"Our people are naturally endowed with the ability to control the cold and be close to ice and snow. The icy and snowy Far North is actually our paradise and sacred place for cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Xia En was immediately startled.

This was the first time he had ever heard of the term "People of Ice and Snow."

But upon closer examination, the existence of indigenous people in the far north is quite normal.

Just like the Inuit people from high-latitude regions in a previous life.

Since he was an indigenous person, Shane could roughly guess what would happen next.

"However, as time went on, wave after wave of outsiders came to the [Far North].

"At first, our family didn't care about this. The refugees who were exiled here often couldn't adapt to the environment of the Far North. Those who were lucky enough to survive could only establish small villages and settlements."

“We even helped them out of compassion.”

A hint of sarcasm crept into An Bing's expression.

“Originally, this situation might have continued for many more years.”

"Until... a man appeared."

"That man was engulfed in flames, burning himself like kindling to bring warmth to the people and lead them to establish a new home in the far north."

"Over time, people gathered around him, and his numbers grew and his power increased."

"From a village to a town, and then to a country."

"And those who followed him truly revered him and called him..."

"【Lord of Cinder】!"

At this point, Anbing's tone became incredibly complex.

"To be honest, our family never imagined they would grow so fast."

"So much so that by the time we realized the threat posed by the Lord of Cinder, the nation called [Great Flame] had already become an existence that we could hardly resist."

Joey, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

"Resist? Why resist?"

"Isn't it a good thing that there's a prosperous country in the far north?"

Dark Ice replied, "For most people, this is indeed a good thing."

"But for our family, the appearance of the Great Yan Kingdom has caused the temperature in the entire Far North to rise, and the ice and snow to begin to melt."

"In the eyes of the elders in the family, this is an act of blasphemy!"

They believe that the King of Cinder and the Great Yan Kingdom have damaged the environment of the Far North and defiled their homeland.

"They even once wanted to attack the Great Yan Kingdom and destroy this newly established nation."

"However, after the King of Cinder made a solitary night visit to the family, the elders all became more obedient and realized the gap between their family and the Great Yan."

Xia En's lips twitched upon hearing this.

"Visiting the family alone at night?"

He found it hard to believe that the kind and cheerful Yan Yan he remembered would do something so arrogant and conceited.

But if it were the King of Cinder in that photo, perhaps that's what he would do?
Judging from the Dark Ice family's reaction, it seems that the Lord of Cinder really did manage to suppress the entire family single-handedly.
However, it is clear that this crude approach will undoubtedly leave some hidden dangers.

Dark Ice nodded and said.

Yes, just as you think.

"Since then, the hostility within the family towards the Great Yan Kingdom and the King of Cin has never been eliminated."

"This marriage was arranged precisely to lower the King of Cinder's guard."

(End of this chapter)