In the bone-chilling, snow-white ice fields, clear skies were a rare sight. The oppressive gloom of the overcast sky mirrored the current atmosphere within the Wolf Race: sullen, rigid, and seemingly calm, but in reality, a storm was brewing.

“Clan Leader, Edeli confessed that Joanna has maintained close contact with the Vampires for a very long time.” The werewolf in charge of the investigation was Annel, an elder tasked with Helen’s security and her most trusted confidante. “Even when she was just a warrior of the Wolf Race, she conspired with the Vampires in several attacks, all with the aim of gaining your trust.”

A majestic, pure-white eagle stood on the table. Helen raised a hand to stroke its hard feathers. The white gauze covering her eyes seemed to mask her emotions as well. “Was she involved in the attack on the Elf Race?”

Annel nodded. “Edeli said Joanna wanted the Elves’ Tree of Life.”

Helen’s hand, stroking the eagle’s feathers, did not stop. Her voice was calm, without a single ripple of emotion. “I see. Send Edeli’s body to Joanna.”

Annel acknowledged the order in a low voice but didn’t leave immediately. She glanced at Helen’s expression, her own filled with hesitation.

Helen turned her head slightly toward her and frowned. “Is there something else?”

Annel raised a hand to wipe away the fine sweat that had beaded on her forehead at some point. After a moment’s hesitation, she said cautiously, “He also said that Joanna was involved in the surprise attack on you by the Vampires…”

The Vampires had never been ones to honor agreements. Having fallen into Helen’s hands, Edeli knew he had no chance of survival, so he had told them everything without even needing to be tortured.

But how much of Edeli’s testimony was credible remained unknown, especially his claim about Joanna’s involvement in the ambush on Helen… If it were true, then Joanna was a truly terrifying person.

To think she had been scheming since that far back.

Helen’s hand stopped stroking the eagle, and the pressure in the ice house dropped instantly. Annel subconsciously held her breath, lowering her head to stare at her own feet.

She had been by Helen’s side, protecting her, ever since the injury. She had seen with her own eyes how much Helen trusted Joanna. Colluding with Vampires for status and prestige within the clan, or coveting the Elves’ Tree of Life for personal gain—these things would only disappoint and anger Helen. But if Joanna was also involved in the ambush that had wounded her, it would be like a sharp arrow piercing Helen’s heart.

Centuries of trust would seem like a joke.

After what felt like an eternity, Helen finally broke the silence in the room. She withdrew her hand from the eagle’s back, poured a glass of water, and said flatly, “Olivia has invited me to her Guardian Ceremony and to discuss the attack on Thacker Plain. Go and gather the clan members in a while. We’ll set out at dusk.”

Annel waited a moment, and seeing no further instructions, she quietly agreed and turned to leave and make the arrangements.

After Annel left, Helen was alone in the room. A cold wind blew in through the half-open window, making Helen’s already pale face look even more haggard. She lowered her head, swirling the glass and listening quietly to the faint sound of the water. Her heavy cloak, draped over a nearby rack, looked somewhat lonely.

Upon returning to her territory with Edeli, Helen had immediately locked Joanna and all the elders of the Yakston family in the ice prison. With Joanna as the vice clan leader and the Yakstons being the second most powerful family in the Wolf Race after the Fields, Helen’s silent act of imprisoning them all had sparked panic within the clan.

However, the werewolves were generally loyal. Even though Helen’s strength had diminished due to her injury, her authority as Clan Leader remained. The panic lasted for a while but did not escalate into a rebellion. Of course, this was also related to the fact that all the Yakston elders had been locked up along with her.

No one had expected Clan Leader Helen to act so swiftly. The Yakston elders hadn’t, and neither had Joanna.

She had assumed that with their centuries of friendship, Helen would at least listen to her explanation, even if she was a suspect. But no. She was thrown into the ice prison without even seeing Helen’s face.

The ice prison was cold and damp. The werewolf power within Joanna and the Yakston elders was sealed by chains. Unable to use their power, the elders could only revert to their original forms to withstand the cold. Only Joanna maintained her human form. As if impervious to the chill, she sat alone in a corner, quietly reading a book, neither panicked nor flustered.

A long-stiffened corpse was thrown into the ice prison with a dull thud. The white wolves, huddled together for warmth, opened their eyes and glanced over. Upon recognizing the corpse’s face, their bodies stiffened slightly, and they instinctively turned to look at Joanna in the far corner.

Joanna gently closed the book in her hands. She gave Edeli’s corpse a casual glance before looking away and asking Annel outside the cell in a soft voice, “Is Clan Leader Helen’s health well?”

“The clan leader will not see you,” Annel said, glaring coldly at Joanna. “You must have already figured out how to defend yourself during your time in the ice prison, haven’t you?”

“You know Clan Leader Helen, so you know what to say to make her soften.” Annel snorted. “But Clan Leader Helen also knows you. She won’t give you that chance.” After speaking, she turned and left, afraid she would lose control of her anger if she looked at the traitor for a few more seconds.

Annel’s words made the smile on Joanna’s face freeze for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal. With a calm expression, she lowered her head and reopened her book, pretending to read intently, but the page remained unturned for a long time.

If Helen wanted to kill her, she would have done so already instead of keeping her locked up. Joanna caressed the page, her gaze sweeping over to Edeli’s corpse from the corner of her eye. Her expression darkened. She didn’t believe Helen would trust a vampire’s words over hers, to the point of refusing to even see her.

That wasn’t Helen’s character.

She could… continue to wait.

After deciding to establish the Gru Empire, Susan had thrown herself into the task with immense dedication. In addition to expanding her territory, she also had her people develop many long-barren lands to accommodate more civilians, building one city after another. In just a few short months, the Slade Sea Region and Ochester had been transformed. Only the city where the God Race resided remained unchanged, by Susan’s order.

Although Manden City hadn’t changed, the forest outside the city where Olivia stayed whenever she visited the God Race had undergone some alterations. Wooden houses, not extravagant but exquisitely crafted, were scattered throughout the forest. Flowers, planted at some unknown time but now in full bloom, added a splash of color to the verdant landscape.

This withered forest had been revived by Olivia’s awakening and had blossomed with life because of Cynthia.

“Why did Excellency Cynthia build so many wooden houses?” Polly stood behind Olivia, looking left and right. The natural aura of the forest made her feel comfortable, so her tone was very relaxed. “Hasn’t Her Majesty the Queen always rested on the bridge here?”

Olivia was looking down at the wildflowers blooming at her feet. Hearing Polly’s words, her expression became slightly strange, as if she had thought of something. “Living on the bridge grew monotonous after a while.”

Not wanting to continue the topic, she dismissed Polly directly. “I’d like to be alone for a bit. You may go.”

Polly blinked, then obediently turned and disappeared into the sea of trees with a few leaps.

She didn’t know if living on the bridge would become monotonous, but certain things were indeed inconvenient there. Olivia had heard Cynthia mention her idea of building wooden houses in the forest, but she hadn’t expected her to build so many at once.

There were enough for all the elf guards she brought with her each time.

Olivia hadn’t been in the forest long before Cynthia arrived. She had just finished discussing the attack plan with Darcy and the others. Although she hadn’t rested much for several days and nights, she seemed to be in good spirits. The robes she wore were free of any wrinkles, still clean and pristine.

“Why hasn’t Her Majesty the Queen chosen a wooden house to rest in?” Cynthia walked up behind Olivia, expertly wrapping an arm around her waist and inhaling her scent with a smile.

The two of them had done far more intimate things, so Olivia had grown somewhat accustomed to Cynthia’s affectionate gestures. However, the warm breath that tickled her ear as the other woman spoke still made her instinctively flinch. Olivia raised a hand to push Cynthia away slightly. She had intended to respond about the wooden houses, but when she turned her head to look at Cynthia, her gaze unconsciously fell upon her soft lips.

They were already quite close, and although Olivia quickly averted her gaze to hide her reaction, Cynthia didn’t miss the small movement. Her eyes darkened, and the hand on Olivia’s waist slowly tightened. “How about I pick one for Her Majesty the Queen?”

Cynthia glanced at a nearby wooden house, her red lips curving into a beautiful arc. She leaned in and kissed Olivia’s lips, murmuring between light pecks, “I have some flower nectar I brewed inside. Would you like to go and have a taste?”

Olivia, of course, understood such a clear suggestion. Not only did she understand, but she was also somewhat tempted. However, she didn’t respond directly, instead tacitly allowing Cynthia’s hand on her waist to wander higher.

Cynthia had personally prepared the decorations inside the wooden house in her spare time, but unfortunately, they were interrupted before she could take Olivia inside to admire them.

Sensing an approaching presence, Olivia placed a hand on Cynthia’s wrist to stop her. She opened her eyes slightly and looked in a certain direction, frowning. “One of your people is looking for you.”

Cynthia lifted her head from the side of Olivia’s neck and sighed inwardly at the faint mark she had just left on that expanse of fair skin. She had forgotten to remind Darcy and the others not to disturb them when they parted ways earlier.

It wasn’t realistic to send the person away now. Cynthia released Olivia and began to straighten her clothes while waiting for the God Race member to arrive.

Olivia’s clothes were only slightly wrinkled from Cynthia’s touch. She looked down at Cynthia, who was earnestly tidying her up. Her lips, which had just been kissed, still felt a little numb. She spoke softly, “Clan Leader Helen has received the invitation and has already arrived at the Elf Territory with her people.”

“She’s arrived so quickly?” Cynthia looked up and smiled at Olivia, her golden eyes filled with an unconcealable tenderness. “Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She’s in the Elf Territory…” Olivia looked at the pattern on Cynthia’s collar, choosing her words carefully. “Waiting for you… and the God Race to come over.”

The sentence was phrased strangely. Cynthia thought for a moment before saying, “Does Clan Leader Helen want to discuss the attack on Thacker Plain in the Elf Territory?”

“That’s fine, too. We have the Teleportation Array, after all.”

Although she had spoken somewhat cryptically, it was rare for the ever-perceptive Cynthia to miss the abnormality this time. Seeing Cynthia’s oblivious expression, Olivia suddenly lost the desire to tell her. She now wanted to see the surprised look on Cynthia’s face when she arrived at the Elf Territory.

Footsteps approached from a distance, and Darcy’s figure appeared in Cynthia and Olivia’s line of sight. Cynthia glanced to the side, then turned back to Olivia, about to say something, but she suddenly froze, her tone strange. “What is it? What are you smiling about?”

The corners of Olivia’s lips, which had been turned up, relaxed slightly. “It’s nothing,” she said flatly.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes, not quite satisfied with that answer, but Darcy had already arrived, so she had to drop the matter.

“Cynthia, the Morgan witches have arrived.” Darcy’s gaze shifted between Cynthia and Olivia. She raised a hand to rub her nose and cleared her throat. “That little witch from the Garcia Family came too, and she brought a little witch from the Anderson Family. She’s been saying she wants to see you.”

If Betty hadn’t kept asking for Cynthia, looking quite anxious, she wouldn’t have been so tactless as to come and interrupt.

The little Garcia witch had to be Betty. Recalling Betty’s state back in the witch territory, Cynthia’s brow furrowed slightly. She exchanged a look with Olivia, then nodded and said, “Let’s go. We’ll go see them together.”

It was a good opportunity, as she also wanted to learn more from Betty about the Temple of Darkness.