Chapter 2169 - Cold Palace (2/2)

Snowbird Duke was very sensitive to such emotions, and she immediately noticed Han Sen’s discomfiture. But she misunderstood what was making him uncomfortable. “Stop wondering. Icebird Duke is my little sister.”

“I see. That is why you two look so similar.” Han Sen then went on to ask, “How come I’ve never seen you before?”

“Before Knife Queen accepted you as a student, I was sent away for work. I returned only a little while ago, so of course we haven’t met.” Snowbird Duke didn’t seem too interested in talking with Han Sen. She simply stood up and said, “Follow me. Queen told me to escort you to Cold Palace.”

Han Sen, noticing her brusqueness, did not respond. He simply followed Snowbird Duke to the backdoor of Cold Palace.

“Cold Palace is not in the palace?” Han Sen asked.

“No,” Snowbird Duke answered emotionlessly.

The question had been rhetorical. Han Sen sighed and continued following Snowbird Duke until they reached a mountain behind the palace.

Han Sen was wondering where Cold Palace was when Snowbird Duke stopped just short of the mountain slopes.

“That is where you need to go. I do not have permission, so my guidance must stop here.” Snowbird Duke pointed up the mountain to a waterfall. Nestled beside it was a small stone house. It looked to have been built from rocks, and it was surprisingly short, probably two meters tall at its highest point.

Looking at the stone door, it seemed that Han Sen would have to bend double just to avoid bumping his head.

The old stone house made Han Sen confused, though. “Is that Cold Palace?”

Han Sen thought that this little shack surely couldn’t be the palace he was supposed to guard, but there was a sign over the door frame that read Cold Palace.

“Queen said that you must come here on the first and fifteenth of the month to guard the entrance of Cold Palace. You must protect it for a whole twenty-four hours. Aside from those times, you may do whatever you please. But do not be tardy when you are expected to guard here.” After that, Snowbird Duke turned and left.

Han Sen had no choice but to hike up to the waterfall alone. The waterfall was pretty, and it was very wide. It felt as if an entire galaxy was descending from the space high above. The sound of surging water was deafeningly loud, but despite that, it carried the wonderful fragrance of trimmed grass.

When he neared the stone house, however, Han Sen noticed the temperature drop. It didn’t affect him, but it did seem fitting for the title of Cold Palace. It was a sharp contrast to the humidity and heat of the rest of Planet Blade.

Han Sen looked at the stone house, but he did not see anything too strange about it. Aside from the lower temperature, it looked like a fairly ordinary house. It looked old and rarely-visited, but other than that, it was unremarkable.

“Why was a stone house like this built here with not even a fence around it? What could it contain that’s actually worth protecting?” Han Sen wondered.

But today was neither the first day nor the fifteenth, so there was no point in him being there. He looked back over the way he had come to memorize it, then turned to leave.

But just as Han Sen was about to walk back down the mountain, his heart jumped. His body tensed as he looked down the mountain path.

Someone was coming up that path, and while he seemed to be meandering along, the power he carried was like a tsunami. Every step he took felt intimidating. It felt like the ground was rumbling beneath him.