Chapter 596 - An Unjust Treatment (2/2)

After calming himself and dousing the flames of righteous anger over the injustice of his treatment in his head, Link then continued his climb.

Half an hour later, Link finally reached the top of the ice wall.

At the top of the ice wall, there was a small platform no wider than 20 feet. There was a steep hill behind it. Sharp icicles lined the hill’s path. It looked like a sea of swords from afar. Pristine white clouds floated at the end of the path, blocking off Link’s view. From where he stood, besides the white clouds in the distance, Link could not see anything else.

Link made a mental note of the circular platform’s coordinates. After looking around, he began walking forward. The slope of the hill was at most 60 degrees. There were places which were as slippery as a mirror. One could easily slip and tumble towards one of the icicles in front.

Here, Link walked with extreme caution.

After walking 50 feet down the hill path, he finally entered the sea of clouds. He could only see no more than 100 feet in front of him. Link had no idea what awaited him up ahead. For now, he could only walk on through the thick mist with his head bowed low and find out for himself.

After traveling 1000 feet, he suddenly heard a distant rumble up ahead. He could also feel the clash of dragon and light auras. After a while, he heard the Red Dragon Queen’s shriek.

There was a hint of desperation in the high-pitched shriek as if it had been made by someone on the verge of dying. This did not bode well for the Red Dragon Queen.

Aghast, Link picked up his pace. However, after taking ten steps, he slowed down. “Halino must have found Gretel. It’s clear she’s not his match. She may already be beyond saving at this point.”

Link let out a sigh. “Goodbye, Queen of the Dragons.”

The queen’s death would be a lamentable outcome. After all, they were still friends. If there was still a chance to save her, Link would take it by any means necessary. However, they were now pitted against each other in an unusually brutal testing ground. He could not afford to be lax in the face of such powerful opponents.

There was nothing he could do.

After a few steps, Link felt that his emotions were still in turmoil. He decided to find someplace to rest for a bit. He then began practicing the Soul Furnace technique on the spot.

His movements were slow as he carried out every step of the form. Five minutes later, he let out a long breath. He finally managed to regain composure.

Then, he continued walking forward.

Another five minutes later, Link reached the bottom of the hill. Here, the mist had thinned considerably. Visibility had increased to at least 500 feet. From there, he could see mountains and towering precipices in the distance. There was a wide, flat path between the mountains.

The path was at least 80 feet wide and spread out in all directions. From where Link was standing, he could see at least three forks branching off the main path.

Link did not know which was the right path to take. The place was like a maze.

An ordinary person would resort to trial and error, blindly taking each path until he found the right one. However, Link was Magician. Naturally, he had his own way of finding the right path.

He stood at the intersection, his hand holding an exquisitely crafted compass.

This was the Compass of Ultimate Truth. A magical gear imbued with Secret magic, it was also an imitation made by Link. The real thing was in Eleanor’s hands. Link instantly took a liking to it and made an imitation for himself. He had also added precognitive powers to it, making it even better than the original.

There were three adjustable wheels in the face of the compass. 64 symbols had been etched on each wheel. Calmly, Link set the outer wheel to the symbol of a tree, the middle wheel to “hand” and the inner wheel to “book.” He then cleared his mind of all thoughts and slowly channeled his Magical Power into the compass.

This was to ensure that his own thoughts would not interfere with the compass’ function. Unobstructed by his thoughts, his unconscious mind was able to ask the compass the question that Link wanted answers.

There was a needle in the middle of the compass. A few seconds later, it began to tremble violently until it pointed at the leftmost road.

The needle had been guided by the mysterious hand of fate. Link kept his compass and headed for the left fork without hesitation.

After walking 1000 feet, another intersection appeared in front of him. Sharp icicles had sprouted on both sides of the road. It was as if Link had entered a crystalline forest.

Suddenly, Link sensed that he was being watched by someone.

“I’ve been spotted.”

He stopped in his tracks. His hand now holding the Ode of a Full Moon sword, Link felt for the presence of his unseen enemy with his five senses spread out in all directions.