After all, the Northern Territory was truly desolate, offering nothing but ice and snow—there wasn't a single decent place to be found.
Cerydra pondered for a moment, then said, "Forget it. Just come with me."
Since there was no good place, they might as well pick any spot and establish the first settlement in the Northern Territory from scratch!
As for the specific location, Cerydra thought the central region where they had just teleported was perfect. There was no particular reason—she simply believed that building a city, a capital, in that location would allow their influence to spread more easily throughout the entire Empire once the Northern Territory was unified.
With Cerydra leading the way, Hysilens trailed half a step behind. Then came Aria, Cipher, Feidric, and Douglas, while the remaining Barbarians silently brought up the rear. The entire formation resembled a neat, tiered arrangement, from small to large.
Finally, after spending the same amount of time returning to their starting point, Cerydra raised her hand and brushed the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping away nonexistent sweat.
Physically, she wasn't particularly exhausted, but mentally, her short legs had been working overtime, leaving her truly weary.
For others, covering the same distance required just one stride, but she needed two! And she couldn't even run—after all, the Empress was leading the way with a light jog while everyone else followed at a walk. The image was frankly absurd.
So Cerydra could only quicken her pace, and one could imagine how frantically her legs had been moving to cover the distance. And let's not forget she was wearing high heels! Though... for her current self, high heels felt more natural than flats, adding surprisingly little difficulty. The real challenge remained her short legs.
In any case, I need to find a way to acquire some kind of transportation, she mused inwardly.
Then, Cerydra turned to address the crowd behind her, declaring in a clear voice, "This is the place! From this moment forward, we will settle here and establish the first city of the Northern Territory!"
Upon hearing this, Dirk and the other Barbarians dispersed, immediately setting up tents on the spot. These weren't the ordinary tents used by adventurers in the wilderness, but rather large, sturdy yurts similar to the Mongolian yurts Cerydra remembered from her previous life.
Barbarians began hammering thick metal stakes into the ice to secure their tents against the night's biting winds.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The resounding blows echoed in Cerydra's ears, transforming the area into a makeshift construction site. She glanced at the scene before quickly averting her eyes, certain she would never stoop to sharing yurts with these brutes.
She turned to Aria and the others. During their previous adventures, Aria and Douglas had always been responsible for setting up camp: two tents, with Aria and Cipher sharing one, and Douglas and Feidric the other.
This time, however, things were different. Aria and Douglas hadn't brought any tent-pitching equipment. Feidric stepped forward, positioning himself before the group and slowly began chanting, his hands weaving arcane gestures.
"Seventh-Level Conjuration School, Lorenzo's Magnificent Mansion!"
The moment the spell was completed, a closed wooden door materialized before them, appearing out of thin air like the Anywhere Door from Doraemon, standing starkly alone in the wilderness.
True to its name, the magic conjured a magnificent mansion within a demiplane that would persist for 24 hours. Inside were at least twenty bedrooms, complete with every imaginable amenity, including an enormous hot spring.
The Seventh-Level Magic spell Create Demiplane could permanently conjure a barren realm where anything could be done. A peculiar wizard named Lorenzo took this spell as a foundation and, through various modifications, ultimately devised this extravagant spell.
The spell's abstract nature was truly remarkable. Despite being a Seventh-Level Magic spell, its effect—summoning a luxurious mansion—seemed absurd when compared to other Seventh-Level Magic spells. In the Necromancy School, for instance, the Seventh-Level Magic spell Death Finger could instantly kill an enemy. Yet this mansion spell's sole purpose was to conjure a comfortable house?
Moreover, when Melly first mentioned this spell, Tribios had puzzledly asked her why they couldn't simply use the Create Demiplane spell and build their own mansion within the demiplane.
After a moment's hesitation, Melly replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but maybe they found it too much trouble to build a house manually? Plus, the Magnificent Mansion Spell only lasts 24 hours, so it doesn't matter how messy you make it. There's no need to clean up at all—once the spell expires, the next time you cast it, you'll get a completely fresh mansion."
At first glance, this explanation seemed reasonable enough. But the problem was, shouldn't inventing a brand-new spell from scratch be far more difficult than simply building a house?!
One could only conclude that the wizard who invented this spell was utterly eccentric. Then Tribios suddenly remembered that long ago, when Castorice was in Chaos City, she had encountered another similarly bizarre spell: Lorenzo's Elastic Sphere, an equally abstract Fourth-Level spell from the Abjuration School (Chapter 87).
But then again, though she mentally ridiculed the spell, the moment Cerydra pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside, gazing at the opulent mansion before her, she suddenly felt the spell wasn't so bad after all.
Once you master this magic, you can create a hot spring and a soft bed in any harsh environment, without worrying about external dangers. How awesome is that?
Cerydra couldn't help but say to Feidric beside her, "Well done, Dux Humilitatis."
It had to be said, Feidric's decision to learn this magic was truly absurd.
Cerydra continued, "Once the North Wind Clan finishes setting up their tents outside, bring them all in. I'm holding a banquet here to celebrate my first harvest of subordinates in the Northern Territory!"
Feidric couldn't help but ask, "But don't banquets require wine and food? We don't seem to have any wine..."
Cerydra replied, "You don't need to worry about that. Dux Gladiorum will handle it."
Dux Gladiorum? Another nickname?
When Feidric first heard this, he wore a puzzled expression. His gaze swept across everyone present, eventually landing on Hysilens through a process of elimination. Hysilens gave him a subtle nod in acknowledgement.
Feidric paused, surprised. Despite being fellow Demigods, these two clearly had a hierarchical relationship.
After issuing her orders, Cerydra turned and left. She randomly chose a room, pushed open the door, and, seeing the plush bed before her, lunged forward without hesitation.
Her petite frame bounced slightly upon landing on the bed before settling into its softness.
"Mmm~"
With an utterly adorable groan, Cerydra hugged the nearest pillow and nuzzled her cheek against it. Who could understand the sheer bliss of collapsing onto this bed after trekking through frozen wilderness for countless hours? This feeling of salvation—who could truly comprehend it?
As time drifted by and dusk began to fall, the North Wind Clan barbarians finally finished setting up their tents. Dirk wiped the sweat frozen into ice crystals from his forehead, glanced around, and realized that Cerydra, the boss he'd just sworn allegiance to, and the others were nowhere to be seen.
After a moment of stunned silence, Dirk suddenly realized something. Instead of scanning the surroundings horizontally, he lowered his head and began searching the ground around him.
Just then, Douglas pushed open the wooden door of the Magnificent Mansion Spell and stepped out. He spotted Dirk wandering around with his head bowed and couldn't help but look puzzled. "Hey man, what are you doing?"
Dirk replied bluntly, "We finished setting up the tents. Have you seen Boss Imperator?"
So you were looking for Cerydra all along?! Douglas nearly lost his composure. He stammered, "Uh... well, um, gather everyone. Come with me. Boss Imperator is throwing a banquet to welcome you all."
At Dirk's summons, all the Barbarians gathered together, and Douglas led them through the wooden door of the Magnificent Mansion Spell.
The moment they stepped through the portal, the Barbarians were stunned by the sight before them:
"Holy crap, what is this place?!"
"It's so warm in here!"
"What a fragrant aroma! I've never smelled anything like it before!"
"Holy Mother of God, this place is absolutely incredible!"
Everyone gawked like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time, their heads swiveling left and right in the spacious hall. Round tables were laden with exotic delicacies and fine wines they'd never seen before. Even the plates were exquisitely carved with intricate floral patterns, and the tables and chairs themselves were crafted from the rarest and most expensive woods by master artisans.
Of course, aside from the food freshly prepared by Aria, Feidric, Douglas, and others, the plates, tables, and chairs were merely illusions conjured by the Magnificent Mansion spell. These objects could only be seen within the demiplane; they couldn't be taken out. Anything from the mansion would vanish the moment it left this pocket dimension.
Cerydra stood at the head of the hall, waiting for everyone to enter before raising her voice. "To celebrate your joining our cause to unify the Northern Territory, I've prepared this banquet! Please, make yourselves at home! Enjoy the food and wine to your heart's content!"
With that, she lifted a goblet of wine, tilted her head back, and drained it in one smooth gulp. Though her current body wasn't fond of alcohol, a single small glass wouldn't hurt.
Perhaps she drank too quickly, because after setting down her cup, a blush rapidly bloomed on Cerydra's cheeks, visible to the naked eye. She even let out a soft burp in front of everyone, causing her aura of majesty to plummet while her cuteness factor skyrocketed.
In the Northern Territory, alcohol was undeniably the most beloved thing among the Barbarians.
Just as wearing less clothing made a man more manly, the ability to drink more made a man more manly. This was a deeply ingrained tradition. Anyone who passed out after just one cup or got drunk immediately would likely be ridiculed as a weakling.
However, no one dared to mock Cerydra at this moment. Firstly, she wasn't a man at all, but an immature demigod girl. Secondly, the North Wind Clan hadn't tasted alcohol in ages, so this rare opportunity to drink was too precious to waste on mockery!
Dirk strode to a nearby table, grabbed a cup, and roared, "Boss Imperator! I raise a toast to you!"
He lifted the cup and drained it in a single gulp.
The moment the liquor hit his palate, his eyes widened to the size of copper bells, his face contorting in utter astonishment. After swallowing, he exclaimed, "This drink... I've never tasted anything like it! It's beyond belief!"
Thump!
Before Dirk could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground with a clearly audible snore.
The once lively banquet hall fell silent for a few seconds. Then, a Barbarian suddenly laughed, "Heh, look at the weak man!"
Cerydra nearly burst out laughing at the sight. The wine, of course, had been brewed by Hysilens. Compared to the earlier version that had felled Heinrich and Melly with a single sip, Hysilens had deliberately lowered the "proof" this time around, making it less potent.
However, despite the reduced potency, the wine remained a significant challenge for these "ordinary" Barbarians. Sipping it slowly might not have caused such a dramatic effect, but Dirk had downed it in one gulp. It was no wonder he'd fallen asleep instantly.
The Barbarian who had just mocked Dirk stepped forward, picked up a goblet, and took a sip. "Let me see what the fuss is about!"
He gulped down a large mouthful, his eyes widening in shock. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, thump! He collapsed even faster than Dirk.
If the first coincidence was a fluke, the second instance of the same thing happening would be enough for even the most dim-witted Barbarians to realize something was wrong with the wine.
The other Barbarians scattered to find empty seats, picked up the wine glasses on the tables, and took small sips. The moment the taste hit their tongues, expressions of utter shock spread across their faces.
They had never tasted such exquisite wine in their lives! The flavor was indescribable; for these uncultured Barbarians, only a resounding "Holy shit!" could capture their current mood.
In that moment, every sip of wine they had drunk in the first half of their lives tasted like shit!
But simultaneously, a tsunami of alcohol and intoxication swept through the Barbarians' consciousness. Fortunately, the later arrivals had taken only small sips, preventing them from collapsing into immediate unconsciousness.
Only now did they truly appreciate the significance of Cerydra's ability to remain standing after finishing her first glass. Fueled by the wine, one Barbarian staggered to his feet and roared, "Boss Imperator! You're the real deal! If you call me weak, I won't even argue back!"
-
New Jeanne Arknights fic out on profile!