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After settling our subordinates and exchanging greetings with the officials of the War God Shrine, we were informed that the Pontiff would receive us the day after tomorrow. Afterward, Katherine, Siegfried, and I left the War God Shrine and headed to the "Thousand Sea Ice House" at the rear of the "Tianwu Palace" to pay our respects to the "War Saint" Leimen.

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Records of Gods in the Ten Thousand Springs

The Thousand Sea Ice House remained as austere as it was two years ago. However, I didn’t expect that old lion Leimen’s giant wooden room would have two other guests. One was a bull-headed warrior from the ox tribe, as massive as a mountain, with two horns protruding from his head. Next to him was a beautiful middle-aged tigress, whose beast characteristics were minimal, with only three stripes on each cheek. Both sat respectfully below Leimen, displaying proper decorum.

"Master, hello. Brother Guli Tongshan, Sister Chiyu, hello," Katherine and Siegfried greeted them immediately upon seeing the two, allowing me to learn that these two warriors were the experts who had led the reinforcements to Fontainebleau under Leimen’s orders. The towering warrior, Guli Tongshan, was the top expert of the ox tribe and had joined Leimen’s disciples earlier than the Beast King Samanda. He had held the title of Sword Emperor for over thirty years, a far cry from us who had just entered the realm of Sword Emperor. The tigress, Leilan Chiyu, had joined Leimen after Samanda and was once a renowned martial genius. It was said, albeit rumored, that she had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Katherine’s father, Carter. After the death of the former Beast King, she had lost hope and joined the War God Shrine, becoming an instructor and leader of the "Demon Armor Knights."

"Master Leimen, it is a great honor," I greeted Leimen and then turned to the two Sword Emperors to express my gratitude. "I am deeply grateful for your rescue of Fontainebleau."

"No need. It is good that you have brought the Minotaur tribe back to the battlefield," Tongshan replied, shaking his massive ox head with a deep, resonant voice. "Please convey to Chief Bloodhoof of the Minotaur tribe that the ox tribe is willing to apologize in any way for the atrocities committed in the past."

I smiled bitterly, understanding the implication of this warrior, whose status surpassed that of the ox tribe’s leader. During the previous human Holy Ossian Empire’s attack, this ox Sword Emperor and Leilan led the War God Shrine’s knights to reinforce Fontainebleau, breaking the siege. However, when they intended to stay for defense against a possible human counterattack, they were strongly opposed by the Minotaur elders led by Chief Bloodhoof. When the beasts retreated to the north in defeat, the ox tribe had slaughtered tens of thousands of their fellow Minotaur tribesmen for food and driven the remaining survivors into the half-beast wasteland where the aftermath of the forbidden spell still lingered. Ultimately, only a hundred or so survivors of the Minotaur tribe escaped into the mountains. For the descendants of these survivors, the hatred had never been forgotten, and "not coexisting with any enemy on the same plains" had become a Minotaur ancestral decree. Even though the ox tribe had been trying to make amends and heal the old wounds, they had never received a response from the Minotaur ox people. Later, Sword Saint Tongshan had no choice but to lead the knights back to the Holy Capital. Subsequently, the Holy Ossian Empire did launch a precision strike on Fontainebleau with a small elite force. Chief Bloodhoof, in defending against the human Sword Saints, sustained hundreds of wounds and spent over three months in bed. Those in the know had no reason to blame the old chief, for faced with such genocidal hatred, no one could have done better. Even I was helpless in the face of this dispute, only hoping that a future opportunity might arise to resolve the conflict and reconcile the two sides.

The tigress Sword Emperor, Leilan, however, was not concerned with our issues. She pulled Katherine to sit beside her and examined her carefully before saying with a smile, "A month ago, when I received your letter, I learned that our Holy Capital’s most beautiful woman had married so quickly. It’s quite unexpected. However, your husband is indeed an outstanding individual. Without any master’s guidance, he became a Sword Emperor before the age of eighteen and even created his own battle qi technique, much to the admiration of Master Leimen." She then turned to me and said, "However, Lord Blizzard, although the lion tribe has always practiced polygamy, and Katherine seems quite enamored with you and won’t restrict you, you must not let her down."

"Lady Leilan, I, Xuanfeng, pride myself on not being someone who makes my beloved sad, but your words seem to carry another meaning. It would be best if you clarified."

"Well, if you really want to know, I don’t mind telling you. The chief of the Snow Wolf tribe, Aiha Frost Moon Wolfor, has come to the Holy Capital, intending to marry her daughter to you and have you marry into the Frost Moon clan as the successor of the Snow Wolf tribe."

"Lady Leilan jests," I replied, slightly stunned and shaking my head. "Chief Aiha’s son, Parran Frost Moon, is thirty years old, has distinguished himself in battle in the Northern Lands, and has long been recognized as the tribe’s heir. What reason would the chief have to suddenly marry her daughter to an outsider and have me take over her son’s position?"

"Heh heh, you already guessed it but refuse to admit it, you sly young man. As the saying goes, ‘A magical beast does not share its mountain.’ Although the Blizzard Tribe is vast, it cannot accommodate two cores. Your martial prowess and battle achievements far surpass Parran’s, and now you are about to become a ‘War God Knight,’ holding a strategic pass to the human world. Your status and influence are closing in on the Snow Wolf chieftain. Previously, the chieftains and elders of the Blizzard Tribe were stationed in the Northern Lands, so your rise in the south didn’t matter much. But now, with the great victory in the Northern Campaign, the Snow Wolf Knights, numbering one hundred thousand, are returning south, aiming to expand their influence in future wars. To do that, they need to establish a good relationship with you. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Snow Wolf army be stuck on the Snow Wolf Plains?" Leilan, the female Sword Emperor, said with a light smile while looking sideways at me.

"This… Lady Leilan overestimates me. The Snow Wolf tribe, along with its vassal races, numbers in the hundreds of thousands. How could someone like me, a newcomer, possibly interfere in such matters?" I laughed heartily, neither confirming nor denying the topic.

In truth, Katherine and I had already anticipated the issue that Leilan raised. Originally, due to the centuries of war in the north, eighty percent of the Snow Wolf tribe had relocated to the northern tundra, leaving only peripheral civilians far from the major noble families on the Snow Wolf Plains. Even so, every year, large numbers of young wolf knights were dispatched to the north. If I hadn’t established my own stronghold in Fontainebleau, I would likely have had no choice but to join the northern army. Now, with the southern migration of the Snow Wolf legion, most of the tribal residents who had resided in the north have also moved south. When we left Fontainebleau, we saw tens of thousands of residents beginning to establish villages on the Snow Wolf Plains. At present, they are still focusing their efforts on the Red Wolf, Gray Wolf, and Black Wolf Clans that have encroached on the Snow Wolf Plains. However, once they settle down, the significant interests represented by Fontainebleau and the Star Hosts Sea, along with their geographical advantages, will become the spark for conflicts. After all, who has ever seen a reasonable wolf?