The foggy-edged group of individuals that Randidly had noticed turned out to be a score of serious-faced guards. They stood in a tight formation with one individual looking in each direction and the rest gathered in the middle. Their armor combination was haphazard; several factions appeared to be present. When their train led by Seeker Ozaer approached, these mysterious engaged in simultaneous low bows and indicated for the group to continue directly up the steepening slope. The Pinnacle Seekers nodded, as though this behavior was natural, and walked forward.

When they passed the guards, Randidly eyed their well-measured bows. Seems like there is a sort of chivalry amongst the Pinnacle Seekers...

The group continued to move forward through the cloud arches. For a few more minutes, Randidly kept his head down and toyed with the energy flows that were layered across the area. Gradually, he learned that there were some localized effects of his experiments: adjusting the flow in the barrier nearest to him would cause ripples everywhere, but the strongest ripple would flow through the spatial barrier that was the tenth outward from his current position. The only problem with taking advantage of this information was the fact that the layered barriers weakened his Grim Intuition to the point that Randidly couldn’t observe the phenomenon as well as he wanted.

There were ten sources then, in all likelihood. But to confirm it, he would need to see twenty spatial barriers away...

Randidly narrowed his eyes and pushed Revelations of Atramentous Threshold to its limits. Purple-black revelation flared to life around his eyes as tried to further attune himself to his surroundings. Yet even that wasn’t enough. So he tried something different: A light ripple spread from Randidly as he manifested the hunger of Stillborn Phoenix as a hunger for information.

For a few seconds, the effort didn’t yield many results, but then the Stillborn Phoenix seemed to get the hang of it and greedily reached out into the surrounding area for information. Randidly felt himself receiving some looks from the weeker Pinnacle Seekers behind him as he activated the image, but ignored them.

With the boost of the Stillborn Phoenix, seeing twenty barriers away was impossible. But he could make relatively concrete observations on the tenth distant energy flow.

Randidly was about to step up his experiments with his forcefully elevated perception when the group’s brisk walking pace brought them to the main group of Pinnacle Seekers. A massive building suddenly loomed out of the fuzzy space. The Stillborn Phoenix brushed up against an absolute massive image and recoiled, shivering.

For a second Randidly stopped dead, his chest invaded by a horrifying cold just from the split-second brush with the heavy image. Luckily, Yggdrasil’s core vital energy rapidly weakened and banished the invading chill. However, Randidly didn’t feel particularly good about that triumph; what he had been infected with was just spare image potency due to contact. Overcoming an actual attack from the owner of this image would not be so easy.

Congratulations! Your Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 327!

Congratulations! Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 343!

Congratulations! Your Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 328!

Randidly looked forward to the large building ahead of them with an uneasy gaze. For the first time… I can say with confidence that I’m about to meet a figure that might be just as powerful as Velio Dunn…

After moving forward another ten meters, it was possible to ascertain the details of the sprawling building and not just sense the image. But the visual was only more alarming. Because someone had erected a palace of ice in this dense area of layered barriers. Elegant and spiraled towers rose from the walls and pierced into the distorted sky. Even the walls were covered with swirling patterns that resembled the biting chill of winter winds.

A wide gate was about twenty meters in front of the group. There weren’t even any guards, just the noticeable drop in temperature in front of this building. Not that they needed them; somehow, Randidly doubted anyone would just wander into such an imposing location without permission.

From the back of the group, Claudette accelerated into a trot. She smiled politely at Randidly when she passed him, but was clearly distracted. And when they reached the icy walls of the palace, her smile widened. “Matriarch! I’ve returned!”

Due to the fact that the frost castle suppressed the barriers, the space within was clear of distortions. So once the group walked through the wide gate, Randidly saw about a hundred figures waiting in the center of the palace, underneath a high ice pavilion. His skin prickled as he observed at least twenty individuals that made him very, very afraid in the pavilion; truly, the Pinnacle Seekers were a group not to be underestimated.

Yet amongst them all, one stood apart. That figured look toward Claudette’s radiant and valiant figure and smiled with a cartoonish mouth. Randidly wasn’t sure what he had expected from the Frost Matriarch, but certainly, he hadn’t expected a tall creature that seemed more like a frost giant from Norse mythology.

First, the Frost Matriarch was almost five meters tall, dwarfing all but a few of the gathered Pinnacle Seekers. Second, she had no distinguishing facial or bodily features to speak of. She possessed no nose or ears and her mouth was just an elastic hole in her face. The Frost Matriarch was just a massive blue humanoid body with light blue skin and dark blue eyes. But there was no mistaking that expansive image of the cold that seemed to radiate off her skin.

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Third, for the briefest instant Randidly thought that the Frost Matriarch looked up from Claudette’s hurrying form and looked at him. Those heavy and bland dark blue lanterns she had for eyes seemed to be observing the individual who had thoughtlessly touched her image. The Stillborn Phoenix shifted uncomfortably in his chest. Yet due to the lack of features on that massive face, Randidly couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination or not.

But in the next instant, the focus of the gathering had fully shifted back to a heartwarming reunion. Claudette’s armored skirts somehow managed to flutter as she continued to run forward, only to be swept off her feet by the enormous and featureless Frost Matriarch. To Randidly, the whole experience was extremely surreal. All the fearful Pinnacle Seekers waiting in the center of the icy palace, notably a massive man with a jackal head, a Winged-Serpent that reminded Randidly of the Nemesis on Expira, and a horse-sized mouse with three-tails, all simply looked on and smiled kindly as the Frost Matriarch swept up Claudette in her arms.

Randidly’s eyes swept back and forth. Inside the fortress of ice, the air was cool enough to leave his skin clammy. Looks like they all acknowledge the Frost Matriarch’s leadership… but how could they not when her image is powerful enough to do this…?

Whether we continue deeper with the Pinnacle Seekers will all depend on her attitude...

After the Frost Matriarch set Claudette down and patted the blushing young woman on the head, the Pinnacle Seeker leader turned to Seeker Ozaer. When she spoke, the voice was echoing and powerful. Truly, it was the resonant voice of a giant. “Welcome Seeker Ozaer. You should be the last batch; we won’t wait any further. Prepare your troops.”

“Ah, so the Lady of Talons didn’t make it in time,” Seeker Ozaer showed a small smile. “How unfortunate.”

To Randidly’s surprise, that was that. The rest of the group wasn’t addressed at all. He truly began to wonder if he had imagined that brief look from the Frost Matriarch.

While Seeker Thunder Wing and Seeker Ozaer moved forward toward the cluster of powerful individuals, Randidly brought along his subordinates to follow Thunder Wing’s guards toward the larger group of subordinates brought along. But as he was walking away, the sonorous voice of the Frost Matriarch caught his attention. “Claudette, I understand you were ambushed by the Engraving Guild? Tell me the details.”

With his skin prickling again, Randidly paused and looked back toward the golden-haired Claudette. As though she had known his thoughts, Claudette had been waiting for his glance. Their eyes met, and this time Claudette looked away first, to look up at the Frost Matriarch. Then she began to speak slowly, explaining the situation.

But at the same time, Claudette sent Randidly a message. Since they weren’t separated by any Nether and Aether barriers, the messaging was still functioning. I’ll publically leave out the details of your assistance, but I’ll let the Frost Matriarch know in private. I suspect you would prefer not to have so much attention directed toward you, right now. And my mistress is a woman that always repays her favors.

Randidly tilted his head to the side. Such a gesture was… surprisingly thoughtful, from Claudette. There was a chance that she was lying and wouldn’t inform the Frost Matriarch about his contributions at all, but Randidly didn’t think she was that type of woman. It was a deft move that was clearly aimed to deepen their relationship through a shared secret.

But it served Randidly purposes, so he accepted.

Considering the mysterious actions of Claudette, Randidly settled down on his haunches near the other Pinnacle Seeker subordinates. They were a pretty regimented group, with clear deviations depending on which Pinnacle Seeker they followed. To Randidly’s surprise, fully half of the people here seemed to belong to the Winged Serpent race. They hovered in a localized area, looking at the new arrivals with cool eyes before turning back and using their wings to draw elegant patterns in the air.

Shrugging, Randidly ignored the surroundings and concentrated on the energy flows. Flying under the radar was better for him anyway, and the Frost Matriarch forcible suppression of the space meant he had a rare opportunity to view the patterns of these spatial barriers with a wider view. Let alone twenty barriers, Randidly could see almost fifty barriers worth of space from within the frost palace.

Honestly, the power of the Frost Matriarch’s image was somewhat overwhelming. He couldn’t even sense the faintest ripple from her body.

But just as he was about to get down to work with these precious few minutes, Lay’mel stepped up before Randidly and coughed lightly. With a frown spreading across his face, Randidly looked up at the elfen man. “...yes?”

Without needing Randidly’s prompting, Helen drifted closer to the duo and began staring at Lay’mel with her arms folded across her chest.

“Ahem. I have been tirelessly gathering information during our journey here,” Lay’mel began self-righteously. When he saw Randidly press his lips together, he continued much more hastily. “I’ve basically been listening while the group was gossiping about Claudette. And I just wanted to share with you… part of the reason why she is treated so graciously. Her father is one of the two custodians of Alymian, the Land of Dreams.”

Randidly was originally annoyed at Lay’mel for the interruption, but that last line caught his attention. “He’s a custodian…? Does that mean he was not the individual who reached the Pinnacle and created it?”

Lay’mel shook his head. “N-no, not as far as I can tell. They didn’t say it directly, but… some of the things the Pinnacle Seekers said seemed to imply that no one really knows who the second person to reach the Pinnacle was. Perhaps because that individual refuses to step forward… there are two custodians who handle the details of Alymian. One is Senior Beigon. The other… is Solomon Rex.”

Randidly rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It was an interesting bit of information, but it asked more questions than it answered. Who was this mysterious individual that had reached the Pinnacle and created Alymian then? Had they been eliminated by Elhume perhaps, due to fear of a rival?

And also, if Claudette’s father was close to Solomon Rex, the father of the very same Nether-gifted Neshamah that Randidly had encountered, why had she so helpless before the Engraving Guild trap?

Randidly pressed his lips together. Or was Claudette never in any danger the whole time, which was why she dared to be so unforgiving and aggressive…? Or perhaps the two custodians are rather competitive with each other…

Bah, these sort of complicated situations just serve to make me paranoid...

Eventually, Randidly’s speculations had to come to an end; he didn’t want to miss this chance. He activated his Nether Core and used the Stillborn Phoenix to study the area without letting the images brush the icy fortress.

Very soon, the Frost Matriarch raised her massive hand and the Pinnacle Seekers marched forward. Randidly pulled back his senses and rolled his shoulders. The time for their advance had begun.