The winter night was especially quiet. In the glow of the streetlights, large flurries of snow continued to fall, and a nearby dead branch, burdened by the snow, snapped and fell to the ground with a soft "thud."
Wen Wen followed behind Boyeve, holding vodka in his hand, occasionally taking a swig.
Although his constitution didn’t require alcohol to stay warm, snowy days went better with vodka.
It was already midnight, yet the area around the Ritual Center was still brightly lit. Usually, at this time, you’d see sparse pedestrians on the road and some street vendors selling traditional Polar Bear snacks, but today there was nothing.
Because of the actions of Wen Wen and Boyeve tonight, everyone in the vicinity had to evacuate the area. It was much easier to let them leave in advance than to erase their memories and calm them afterward.
The timing for this operation was also carefully chosen; during the day, the Ritual Center was too crowded, and part of the Polar Bear Forbidden Palace was a tourist spot — even Emperor Weitu had to buy tickets to enter. Sealing it off during the day would have too great an impact.
Boyeve walked ahead, his large footsteps making "thud, thud" sounds, which were slightly grating, like nails scratching on metal.
In his hand, he held a bottle of Polar Bear specialty tea with an alcohol content of seventy-two. With this tea in hand, he showed no interest in the vodka offered by Wen Wen.
Unaware that the area around the Ritual Center had been evacuated, even the guards at the Forbidden Palace entrance were all given a day off.
Tonight, the Klim Ritual Center would be a thief’s paradise, but if they really came to steal, they’d surely be in for a surprise.
The creature inside the abandoned palace, once its power was activated, could indiscriminately affect all life within five kilometers. Being close to that thing and standing one or two kilometers away didn’t make much difference in the intensity of the attack.
The two proceeded without any hindrance into the Polar Bear Forbidden Palace, where Wen Wen saw a group of over a hundred fully armed knights in the inner layer of the palace.
All these knights rode on gigantic polar bears, and each had an aura of a superpower user. Although most weren’t strong, the size of this hundred-man group was still somewhat astonishing.
They were the Polar Bear Royalty’s guard, and even now, with a change in dynasties, they continued to undertake their protective duties.
The leading knight drove his giant bear to Wen Wen and Boyeve’s side and jumped down, while the other knights disappeared from Wen Wen’s sight in a gallop.
"I am Klim, captain of the Polar Bear Guard. I will accompany you throughout this operation."
Boyeve shrugged at Wen Wen and said, "After all, this is their ancestral home. Even if everyone else has left for you to catch the monster, someone has to stay behind and watch the house."
Wen Wen smiled at Klim and, after exchanging some pleasantries, headed towards the deserted palace.
Advancing seven hundred meters, the three arrived at a desolate courtyard. The buildings inside had already collapsed, with a pile of two to three meters of snow in the middle.
Around the courtyard, there was an iron wire fence, which seemed to be electrified.
Klim drew a thin sword at his side and, with a few gentle swings, cut an opening for entry.
Klim then smiled at Wen Wen and Boyeve, "Wish you both good luck. I’ll wait for you here."
"Generally speaking, just entering this wire fence could result in being affected by that creature. Entering the courtyard would wake the creature, but it might not do anything until it feels genuinely threatened and initiates a range attack."
After saying this, Klim let his polar bear lie down, lying on the bear’s belly with his back to the courtyard.
Wen Wen glanced at Boyeve, then slipped into the courtyard. Boyeve whispered to Wen Wen, "That guy is just afraid of making a fool of himself, so he stays outside. Unlike me, who’s afraid of nothing."
Although Boyeve whispered, Klim could hear him clearly. However, he wasn’t provoked by Boyeve’s words and continued to enjoy his rest on the bear’s belly. Anyone who’s tried it knows how sweet that spot is.
The two of them passed through the wire fence and walked another dozen meters to the courtyard door before stopping. Wen Wen spread out his perception and found that the only life response nearby was in that snow pile, which should be his target.
Wen Wen tentatively took two steps forward without any reaction. Thinking it over, he picked up a long stick and poked the snow pile.
After the snow pile shook twice, a long sigh could be heard.
"Alas... My great Polar Bear Empire, it’s fallen... fallen..."
Upon hearing this, Wen Wen’s scalp tingled slightly, and he stepped back to Boyeve’s side.
"Is this the former emperor of the Polar Bear Empire you call a remnant of the past dynasty?"
"Isn’t this Elder Weitu’s ancestor? After I catch it, Emperor Weitu won’t inject bone blood into me, right..."
Wen Wen really didn’t want to inexplicably provoke other Catastrophe Level Powerhouses. Regarding the emotion of sadness, finding other substitutes would work just as well, with perhaps only a slight loss in effect.
"Don’t worry; it’s not the old emperor... It’s just delusional." Klim’s voice drifted over from afar.
"My great Polar Bear Empire, vast and rich, the world paid homage..."
"How could such a large empire just fall like that?"
The voice inside the courtyard did not stop even after Wen Wen retreated. Instead, it began to ramble incessantly, narrating its tale.
With the lamentations, an inexplicable power seeped out from within the courtyard. Wen Wen opened the Warehouse Manager’s Badge, but it was ineffective; he still felt inexplicable sorrow, with tears of sadness rolling down his cheeks.
He seemed to see an immensely large empire gradually crumbling, while he sat on the throne, pulling out all the stops but helplessly witnessing the decline.
Watching the troops of the Capital District storm into his palace, pull down his flag, and kick over his food bowl...
Wen Wen wasn’t particularly moved by the scene, but an unexplainable sadness surged up, plunging him into sorrow and leaving him with no mind to think about how to catch what was inside.
Beside him, Boyeve sat on the ground, tears rolling down like beans as he wailed to the sky, seeing the same scene as Wen Wen.
Since he was from the Polar Bear District, the scene impacted him even more deeply than Wen Wen.
Outside, behind the brown bear, Klim burst out laughing. Staying outside was the wisest choice. Otherwise, he’d be sitting on the ground crying like Boyeve.
As long as there was no perceived threat, the power of the thing inside wouldn’t extend too far, keeping him safe for now sitting here.
But if he ever wanted to take action against that thing, he too, would eventually get caught up.
So Klim took out a strip of cloth and bit down on it to ensure he wouldn’t embarrass himself later.