The great winter had just begun in Aier's territory, but there was a land where, during this cold event, there was scorching heat. This unique and incredibly hot area was at the edge of the continent, in the territory of Majnor.

The edge of the continent where he was currently residing was an elevated cliff. It was a dozen meters higher than the level of the sea. The cliff was mostly made of a stony, rocky area, but there were some patches of vegetation. They used to be green in the colder weather, but in this heat, these spots were all dried and had turned yellow. Probably the only thing keeping them still alive was the humidity in the air from the water.

As far as the eye could see, it was barren. Nothing could cast a usable shadow other than man-made objects, such as houses made of mostly stones and mud. Even these structures were in the distance. The largest structure behind the row of houses was a massive tower, similar to Aier's tower. It was just as tall, if not taller, and protected a large line of houses from the scorching heat.

Sitting at the top, one would be able to use the tower as a massive sun clock. The structure of the city was slightly different to Aiers, as this one had no walls, but other than the tower, it also had a barrier around it whose purpose was to protect the town from the heat.

The design of the top of the castle was also different. The top was quite flat, as Majnor occasionally used that to sunbathe, just like that one morning. He was just laying on a large piece of fine textile. He had his eyes closed as he enjoyed the heat. In the meantime, two young maids were holding large fans next to him and doing their best to blow cool air at him.

The maid's appearance was half human, half wolf. They had fluffy ears and tails, as well as sharp claws. They wore a set of swimsuits to be able to endure the heat. Still, they were sweating; they were pushing their bodies to their absolute limit and could barely wait for the next pair of maids to take a break from their work.

Suddenly, Majnor opened his eyes, sat up, slightly stretched his arms, and then looked back over his shoulders at the maids. His gaze was cold, almost dissatisfied. The maids started trembling, feeling his gaze.

"Felrien... I hope you have brought back great news; I have been quite bored over the past few days. Not even sunbathing could alleviate my boredom! You two leave; come back in about half an hour!"

Majnor declared and moved his hand dismissively. The maidens nodded and performed a small bow before they used the hatch to leave the top of the tower. And as they were climbing down, a small fairy-like creature flew past them and stopped beside Majnor. She looked just like Aier's loyal follower, Felfey.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Lord Majnor, that is correct! I have brought to you quite pleasant news. It is regarding that certain area... It seems Aier's daughter, Linyer, had been there and transported a human slave and a plant person away from that location."

Felrien explained as she started hovering behind Majnor, who, upon hearing the news, jumped up and, in that same motion, turned around. He glared at the girl who was floating in front of his chest, and then a slow grin crawled up on his face.

"They kept a worthless slave in that blessed area? Those idiots! What were they thinking when they let a feral human taint that land?"

Majnor said, his usual demeanour had completely changed. He spoke slowly and articulated well, which stressed just how angry he was. But deep down, he was happy as well, now that he knew he had the means and the will to straight up take that land back by force.

"Lord Majnor... We have been observing the area since the cold weather hit them... And we only ever saw three entities in that location. The last one is just a mere goblin."

Upon hearing those words, Majnor's expression once again changed. His face was full of disgust, but he quickly shook his head and regained his composure.

"It seems they are wasting that land by letting these maggots set foot on it! But fine! If they think a simple goblin could stop us, then we will oblige! Send the nearest goblin village's forces there!"

"But sire! That would be..."

"Do as I said! Aier's hands are full with the cold and lack of food due to his idiotic meat policy! We have the means to utilise that land; they do not! That is enough of a cause to invade! Now Go!"

Majnor demanded as he lay back down and closed his eyes. He didn't care about anything; he just wanted to get the land back as fast as possible.

"Before you decide on a rash plan, please take a look at this!"

Felrien spoke once again up, and as she snapped her fingers, a dark fruit appeared on the ground. She slowly descended next to it and looked at Majnor, who once again sat up and looked at her and then at the fruit.

"This fruit grew on one of the trees in that area... Its outer layer is edible, but it has some strange liquid that is inedible, based on our research. If you send in a force to invade that land, the tree might get damaged... And I believe that tree might be incredibly valuable."

Majnor glared at the fruit and then picked it up. It was a "Peteach" from Foin's tree, which was still blooming even in the cold weather.

"Is that true? This fruit does seem to possess a considerable amount of energy... Either way, it is one more reason why we must hurry and size that land! My order still stands: send the nearest goblin village, but order them to be careful not to damage any trees or plants!"

Majnor ordered, and he laid back down for the third time. But right before he closed his eyes, he spoke up again.

"Once you are done with that, inform Visgon! He needs to know this new valuable piece of information! If we utilise this fruit well, we might be able to defeat Aier once and for all!"