"They're in the Twilight Forest right now," Madam Ping said with a smile. "I heard they're going after the Snow Queen. If you leave now, you should still be able to catch up."
Lumine's eyes widened in shock.
"The Snow Queen?! They're going now? Ugh! Didn't they promise to wait for me?"
She jumped to her feet, grabbed Paimon, and swung her onto her shoulder.
"Madam Ping, we're heading out first! We'll talk more tonight!"
Without wasting another second, the group rushed straight into the portal, disappearing into the shimmering light.
Madam Ping sighed helplessly, shaking her head with a faint smile.
Then she turned toward her workbench to continue crafting tools imbued with Adeptal energy.
Right now, across Liyue and its allied nations, the demand for storage-type magical artifacts was sky-high.
Thinking of that, Madam Ping let out a quiet sigh.
"So much for retirement and peace of mind… seems I've been roped back into work again."
She chuckled softly.
"That little Ningguang really knows how to make use of people…"
With that grumble, Madam Ping returned to her work.
Twilight Forest — Aurora Palace
Deep within the shimmering halls of the Aurora Palace, Ryen and his team had just finished locating the Twilight Glacier.
It was an extraordinarily dangerous plateau — breathtaking in beauty, yet lethal to the unprepared.
The ice there gleamed like polished crystal, refracting the aurora overhead, but one misstep could send a person plunging into the glacier below, their body shattered beyond recovery.
Even Snezhnaya's harsh tundras paled in comparison to the peril of this place.
After braving fierce winds and treacherous terrain, the group finally stepped inside the palace, where they were immediately met with a host of Ice Crystals and Yeti Minions.
These monsters were far stronger than ordinary zombies or skeletons, and the deadly cold made combat even harder.
It took time — and no small amount of effort — before they managed to defeat them all without injury.
As the group was organizing their loot, Ryen suddenly froze, his expression shifting slightly.
He had just sensed a new linked constitution — a sign that another soul had entered the Minecraft world.
"Ryen?" Ganyu asked softly, her voice tinged with concern. "What's wrong? Why the sudden pause?"
The others turned toward him curiously.
Ryen waved a hand. "It's nothing. Lumine just came back — and she brought someone new into this world."
"Someone new?" Ningguang frowned slightly, thoughtful.
Still, she didn't seem too worried. Lumine knew how serious things were; she wouldn't bring outsiders here without good reason.
"Someone from Inazuma, perhaps?"
Ryen shook his head.
"Not sure. Probably. Doesn't matter for now — let's focus on the task ahead."
Setting aside his curiosity, Ryen raised his head toward the towering ceiling of the palace.
"The Snow Queen resides in the forbidden chamber atop the Aurora Palace."
"To reach her, we'll need to find a spiral staircase made entirely of ice."
Then, glancing at the Cryo Archon, he smirked slightly.
"By the way… you're fine with this, right?"
The Cryo Archon gave a quiet, amused laugh and shook her head.
"You mean the fact that the Snow Queen apparently looks a lot like me?"
"It's fine," the Cryo Archon said calmly, her icy gaze unwavering. "Even twins can have entirely different souls. I know I'm not her."
Ryen smiled faintly and continued in a steady voice:
"The Snow Queen's attack patterns are far more complex than any monster we've faced before.
And her strength… is on another level entirely."
He paused for a moment, then began explaining clearly, step by step.
"First — when we enter, she'll start summoning Ice Crystals.
During this phase, she won't attack directly, but she'll keep flying around, making it almost impossible to hit her.
So, our priority is to destroy those crystals as fast as possible."
He glanced around the group, making sure everyone was following.
"When the crystals are destroyed, she'll immediately launch a Dive Attack — something like a master-level spell called Snowcloud Descent."
"I don't need to tell you how powerful that is," he added with a wry smile. "You've all seen enough AoE bursts to know."
"Also — when she dives, make sure to lure her toward the edges of the room.
Her dive shatters the floor on impact.
If she breaks through the center, we'll have no footing left to fight on, and that'll be a disaster."
Ryen spoke slowly and methodically, allowing Ningguang and the others to jot everything down.
They'd likely need this strategy later when they challenged the Snow Queen again.
After a short pause to ensure everyone was ready, Ryen continued:
"She'll perform two or three dive attacks in total. After that, she'll start firing a Frost Jet — a horizontal ice beam that travels parallel to the ground."
"If you're unsure about dodging it, hide inside one of the craters she created earlier. The beam will pass right over."
"After that, she'll begin a new attack phase.
Our best chance to deal heavy damage is right after her dive, during the brief moment she's stunned from the impact."
"However," he added, tone serious, "the Snow Queen has an enormous health pool.
We're not going to one-shot her. Be ready for a long, sustained fight."
He paused for one last reminder.
"And the most important thing—"
Ryen's eyes narrowed slightly as he said,
"The Snow Queen has an ability called Ice Cloud.
When she activates it, she becomes completely immune to all attacks and gains flight."
"So when that happens, don't waste energy trying to hit her.
Instead, use the terrain — climb onto the surrounding ice platforms or even jump onto the roof if you can.
Once she loses her aerial control, she's much easier to handle."
"But be careful," he added dryly, "if she hits you midair, the fall damage will hurt just as much as her spells."
"Understood?"
Everyone nodded firmly.
Without further delay, the team began searching for the spiral staircase of solid ice that would lead them to the queen's chamber.
The Aurora Palace wasn't particularly large, but it was filled with tricky enemies that ambushed from time to time.
None were especially dangerous when faced head-on, but they could easily slow their progress.
Ryen led Nahida and Klee through the shimmering halls, their footsteps echoing across frozen stone.
After a few turns and another skirmish, Jean's voice came through the communication crystal —
she had just found the spiral ice staircase leading upward.
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20