“Praise the Holy Light!”
Mike finished the last bit of popcorn and handed the box to Cerberus.
Under the purifying effect of the holy water, the once vast river of blood was now reduced to mere droplets.
And the nine-tier Lord-tier vampire prince’s tier had plummeted.
Now at level 60, he couldn’t even defeat a dog.
As the vampire boss’s form solidified, Mike gave the order.
“Tripod, go!”
“Avenge your brother!”
A shadow pounced.
Cerberus swatted the vampire down with a paw, and with three mouths, it tore into the vampire’s body, leaving it riddled with wounds.
“How dare you!”
This vampire, whose background was no less prestigious than Vladimir’s and whose strength was at the peak of prince-tier, had never suffered such humiliation.
He struggled and roared in fury.
With Thor’s permission, Vladimir stepped forward and stomped on the vampire’s old face with his boot.
“How dare you!”
Thud, thud, thud-
Vladimir pounded the vampire’s head into the icy plain like a pile driver.
With the rhythmic pounding, Vladimir suddenly felt he understood Thor’s joy!
“That’s enough.”
Mike looked at the nearly lifeless vampire, deep in thought.
Kill him?
It seemed wasteful.
As the boss of the twentieth floor, he clearly had unresolved mysteries.
Take him away?
There was already one Vladimir at home.
Vladimir’s daily role was as a backup blood bank, so this guy would be the backup blood bank’s backup?
Seeing Thor’s thoughts, Vladimir offered, “The dungeon under our castle would be perfect for holding him.”
The basement of Mistveil Castle indeed had a dungeon.
Vladimir continued, “Though his tier and strength are severely damaged, he’s still a prince- tier vampire at heart, producing hundreds of drops of prince-grade blood daily.”
Mike immediately decided, “Take him back. I have questions for him.”
“Got it!”
With Mike’s approval, Vladimir raised his right hand, blood-red runes appearing on his white glove.
As he chanted, countless blood shackles fell on the vampire, and a silver coffin was summoned, trapping the severely injured vampire inside.
After finishing, Vladimir pulled out a sharpened wooden stake and drove it through the vampire’s heart!
Any other vampire would be dead after Vladimir’s routine.
But the vampire in the coffin, eyes blood-red, could still let out muffled roars.
The coffin then disappeared into the sky, returning to Mistveil Castle.
Vladimir had to follow the coffin, keeping a close watch on the vampire.
Before leaving, Mike instructed,
“Make sure to thoroughly investigate his background. I’ll quiz you later.”
Vladimir, very obedient this time, said, “I wouldn’t dare hide anything from you, esteemed master.”
After a slight bow, Vladimir’s figure slowly vanished.
His mission was complete.
With the vampire prince gone, the curse of winter on the icy plain naturally dissipated.
The world seemed to awaken at dawn, the warm sun melting the ice, revealing black soil.
Mike calculated in his mind, “The Ice Village’s Exploration Rate requires solving hunger and cold.”
For hunger, Mike created [All Things Grow], bringing life back to the land.
Even before the curse of frigid was lifted, seeds could sprout into buds.
Now, as Mike walked the icy plain, he gently waved the Force of Nature, “All Things Grow!” Thor’s Sea appeared, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, Chaotic Lightning accompanied by thunder, Reincarnation Shadow flickering.
The land Mike walked on was covered in green, full of life.
Taking this opportunity, Mike also familiarized himself with the effects of [All Things Grow]. All Things Grow required the consumption of water from Thor’s Sea, usable up to three times! This water could be replenished by Thor’s Sea in the private space, costing Mike nothing. Of course, consuming some precious materials could speed up Thor’s Sea’s recovery. Thor’s Sea could be seen as another form of mana.
After using All Things Grow twice in a row, even Mike felt a bit tired and put away Thor’s Sea.
He had the [Blessing of Thor’s Sea], doubling the effects of all skills relying on Thor’s Sea.
With the effects of All Things Grow and some food left behind by Mike, the Ice Village could survive the initial hardships.
Afterward, whether farming or fishing, they could live prosperous lives.
Mike’s faction Exploration Rates appeared before him:
[Ice Village faction Exploration Rate: 100%]
[Cetus faction Exploration Rate: 100%]
[Fisherman Harry faction Exploration Rate: 50%]
“Huh, Harry’s Exploration Rate is still at 50%?”
Mike’s figure flickered, quickly finding Harry.
Harry stood at the dock, waving his frail arms, greeting Cetus.
“You’re here, child of destiny.”
Seeing Mike, Harry bowed slightly, respectfully.
“I don’t like the term ‘child of destiny.’ Or rather, I don’t believe in destiny.”
Mike asked,
“Do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”
“Yes, I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
Golden sunlight bathed Harry’s face, the blue sea before him, and Cetus playing happily with
Cerberus.
Harry spoke again, “May I see the Sea of Life?”
“Sure.”
Mike paused, then explained, “The Sea of Life was brought out from your dream.”
So, in a sense, Harry was the first to see the Sea of Life.
“I see, it’s been three hundred years…”
Harry squinted, lost in thought, murmuring,
“That man came and went, and three hundred years have passed.”
Mike raised an eyebrow, “You mean First Bro Morpheus?”
“Is he your Bro?”
Harry looked at Mike in surprise, shaking his head, “Probably not. You two look completely
different.”
“Let’s go.”
Mike didn’t want to continue the topic and took Harry to Cetus’s back.
Cetus set off again, heading to the Sea of Life.
When Harry truly saw the sea, he was once again lost, his eyes full of bewilderment. He
muttered, “What an ugly heart shape.”
[Fisherman Harry faction Exploration Rate +49.99%!]
“This might sound shameless, but may I ask one last favor?”
Harry sincerely said, “Please take Cetus away. It’s a pure child and doesn’t need to stay in this
sorrowful sea.”
Mike didn’t immediately agree but looked at Cetus.
“What do you think?”
Cerberus pressed Cetus’s head, making it nod.
It even mimicked Cetus’s call: “Blub-Blub-”
“Don’t be so shameless.”
Mike lightly kicked Cerberus, giving it a thumbs-up in private.
Well done!
Cetus: “Blub-Blub-”
It agreed.
As Harry said, this was a sorrowful sea.
In the past three hundred years of cycles, Harry wasn’t the only one with memories.
[Fisherman Harry faction Exploration Rate +0.01%!]
Finally, Mike completed the 100% Exploration Rate for all three factions, concluding the
twentieth-floor storyline.
After sending Harry back to the icy plain, Cetus bid farewell to him and was temporarily
placed in Thor’s Sea in the private space.
After finishing everything, Mike summoned the core crystal of truth, and with a flash of
lightning, he disappeared.
Harry watched Mike disappear, countless images overlapping in his mind.
Over the past three hundred years, he had met four unforgettable people.
A kind man named Morpheus, an unnamed black-clad swordsman, a silent middle-aged man.
And then, the violent mage he just met.
The figures appeared one after another before Harry, and he muttered to himself, “Is there
really no such thing as destiny?”
What Mike didn’t know:
Three hundred years ago, Morpheus first came to the icy plain.
After meeting Harry, they searched for the Sea of Life together.
They faced many setbacks and challenges, and Harry once chose to give up.
He accepted his destiny.
“Maybe this is the destiny of the icy plain, an inescapable cycle, the destiny of all of us!”
But Morpheus chose to set sail again.
Before leaving, they had one last conversation.
Morpheus adjusted the sail, standing on the small boat, shouting,
“Even if there is destiny, let it boldly appear before me!”
Harry asked, “Even if it appears, what can you do?”
Morpheus grinned, his face seemingly forever sunny, “I’ll ask destiny one question.”
Harry was puzzled, “What question?”
Morpheus wanted to ask destiny: “Tell me, do you dare to face your nightmares?”
