"If I can make the Arctic air turn cold again... Will you then allow me to change the location for the Jewel of Truth's construction?"
"Excuse me?" She twitched at Lloyd's question. Cocking her head, she added, "You're going to turn the air cold again?"
"Yes," said Lloyd in a firm voice.
"How?"
"I have a plan. If you give me permission, I can jump into action today."
"Immediately? Are you serious?" she asked in dismay.
"I am serious," he answered confidently.
She stared hard at him. "You're a mysterious human being."
"Am I?" He raised a brow.
"Obviously. I felt that there's something unusual about you compared to other humans since before."
"Ahahaha," He force-laughed. "That is very flattering-"
"Sometimes, I want to punch you for no particular reason," interrupted the queen.
"What... was that?" He widened his eyes.
"You're very clever and competent, yes, but that is also what makes you so spiteful."
"Um, well." He frowned. "Is that a compliment or an insult...?"
"Both," replied the queen with a wry smile on her face. The smile indicated that she somewhat had an idea of his intentions. "Come to think of it, you should be quite familiar with my kingdom since you've spent quite a time here. In other words, you should have identified what kind of situation we are in."
"Yes," affirmed Lloyd. "I will not deny that."
"And that must be how you came to bring me this offer that I can't refuse, right?"
"Please forgive me." He cast his head down.
"No," the queen replied, shaking her head. "You don't have to. I should confirm whether you're speaking the truth first. So, you can cool the temperature of the Arctic air immediately? Today?"
"Yes, my queen."
"Good. Prove it."
"I will." A faint smile hung on Lloyd's face. Things were going according to his plan.
The mermaid queen's heart is as large as her muscles. I did the right thing by going for a direct confrontation instead of beating around the bush.
He had made a direct offer without pulling any punches. He plainly and honestly revealed his thoughts on solving her dire dilemma. The plan was to zero in on that exact point.
Thankfully, my plan worked.
He felt relieved. "Then please come up to the surface with me."
He went out of the kingdom with her and rose up to the surface. They saw the Hell Gate blazing in the sky.
"I will get to it right away. Oh, please stay far away from me, my queen."
"Why?"
"You might get swept away by the frigid air."
"Hmm, I see." She swam many yards away.
Once Lloyd was sure that she was away, he took a deep breath.
Haah. Carefully. Slowly.
Ziiing... Lloyd circulated a three-strand mana circle, absorbing and amplifying the mana around him. In the process, he awakened his manaheart. To be exact, Lloyd stimulated the Heart of Winter's frigid air that was stuck to his manaheart when he used the Time Freeze skill. The mass of frigid air reacted right away, Bzz...
Eek!!
The mass of frigid air jerked and awakened its spiky energy. That invoked a feeling inside Lloyd like he had kicked a beehive or accidentally woke up a sleeping porcupine. It recklessly sprayed cold mana into his manaheart and around him. This, however, was something Lloyd expected.
The Ice Dragon told me. He said that the Heart of Winter would continue growing and its frigid energy would spread like cancer throughout my body after settling in my manaheart.
Just then, Lloyd recalled how Tyrannus had warned him about the Heart of Winter. He wasn't to use it recklessly if he wanted to live a long life. At the same time, he also recalled briefly practicing how to employ a mana circle on his way here behind Javier's back.
It's okay. I have already tested its safety. I'm using the frigid air that appeared as the result of using the Heart of Winter. Not the item itself?
Focusing himself, Lloyd used the mana circle to carve the frigid energy and absorb it. Afterward, he adjusted the direction of his mana circle from absorption to discharge. He then thrust his hands up and clashed the three strands of his mana circle against each other. Its collision created a fierce shock wave that jetted out from his hands. More precisely, the shockwave came from the triple mana blast he created from the frigid energy absorbed by him.
Fwoosh! He wondered if this was what becoming a smart converter air conditioner felt like. An oppressive volume of frigid air gushed toward the sky like a giant ice spear, as though it was aiming to destroy the sun. Relentlessly, it rose into the sky and spread out like a fountain of water.
Fwoosh! Trillions of ice particles spread into the air like pollen, each speck freezing the air molecule it touched in the air. The result was an icy storm that carpeted the sky and dropped the air temperature by dozens of degrees. The frigid air spread across the Arctic sky and sea beneath it.
Craaack...! Crack! Soon, the larger part of the sea thickened like a yogurt smoothie until it merged and solidified into an icy glacier. The terraforming, no, Arctic forming, was a success.
Huff, huff! Lloyd breathed heavily once he finished discharging the frigid air. He brought his shaky hands to his thigh and pinched it hard.
"Ouch!"
The bruising pinch on his inner thigh sharpened his senses. He hurriedly shook his head and inspected his insides.
Whew. I almost passed out on the spot. Dang, I should avoid using this again if I can.
It gave him the shudders. Lloyd had believed that discharging the frigid air in his system, which came as a side effect of possessing the Heart of Winter, would be possible if he amplified it with his mana circle. And that was why he had tested it on his way here on top of Yong Yong, rotating his mana circle and triggering the frigid air inside him. Now that he used it in real life, he learned the experience was poles apart from what he tried in practice.
I almost died there.
Lloyd clicked his tongue. It felt like his internal organs were being pulled out for display the moment the frigid energy left his body. On top of that, he even felt like his soul was being taken out as well. However, his efforts weren't without results.
Thankfully, the frigid energy stuck to my manaheart was reduced to a significant degree.
The amount of frigid air that came as a side effect of possessing the Heart of Winter was reduced by one-third. Lloyd figured it was because he had discharged a portion of it.
Well, this is an effect I didn't expect.
It looked like so. The frigid energy building inside him was an ill effect of absorbing the Heart of Winter. It stuck to his manaheart like cancer. But once he risked gushing some out through his mana circle, he was able to significantly decrease the amount of frigid energy inside him.
This could be useful if I put it to good use. I may be able to significantly delay or prevent this side effect from getting worse.
But since it would strain his body and could be only discharged when it was built up in his system, Lloyd couldn't release the frigid energy whenever he pleased.
Come to think of it, this might be the same as those aircraft games when you save up all your bombs before blasting them off simultaneously.
A wry smile escaped Lloyd as the thought popped into his head. On further thought, it really was like those kinds of games. Using the Time Freeze skill would build up frigid energy in his manaheart, but he could always discharge it through a mana circle.
So, in a way, I've gained one more lethal move I can use during emergencies.
This wasn't a bad outcome. With that, Lloyd concluded his thoughts. He turned and found the queen approaching his side.
"What do you think?" asked Lloyd as he crossed his arms.
“...”
"Do you... feel that the air is still not cold enough?"
"No, it's not that." The queen spoke, feeling slightly dumbstruck. "Who on earth are you?"
"My name is Lloyd Frontera. A friend of yours, the jjimjilbang constructor who looks quite handsome if you look closely and whose charming presence can be felt with a mere glance-"
"Cut the bullcrap. Are you a magician?"
"Well, something like that," Lloyd said with a wry smile on his face. There was no other way to explain what he just did. "It's all because I recently came to absorb a divine item that has proved to be quite useful. Though it puts a slight toll on my body, it allows me to utilize this trick. Anyway, what do you think? The way I see it, the weather has become quite cold."
"More than quite, it's excellent."
"Really?"
"Of course." She nodded as she surveyed around with a satisfying gaze. "It has been a long time since I enjoyed such a cool breeze up here on land. I feel cool. Refreshed, and also relaxed. But at the same time, I'm still concerned."
"Concerned?"
"I am assuming this cold breeze is only going to last a few months, Is that correct?
"Yes, it probably will." Lloyd nodded. Acknowledging her as he stared at the Hell gate, he said, "Since that thing is still hanging there."
"It should be. Even though the air has become cooler for now, the hot breeze will continue to come out of the Hell Gate."
"You are right, My Queen," Lloyd said. "What I did was a temporary solution that will only last a few months."
"Then what's the permanent solution?" There was eagerness in her voice.
"The Hell Gate will likely need to be closed. I can take care of that for you," he promised.
"Is there a way?"
"I will find it out once the construction for the Jewel of Truth is completed. I can ask for a solution then."
"Excellent." Now, the lines on her forehead have disappeared. But her eyes were still discreet. "Then are you going to make sure that the Hell Gate will be shut off once and for all? In exchange for building the Jewel of Truth in your fiefdom?"
"Yes, that is right. That is if your majesty is willing to cooperate."
"Hmm." The queen pondered, but not for long. "Okay. I will trust your words."
"Thank you, My Queen. Now, moving on..."
As soon as she nodded, Lloyd fished out two oiled pieces of paper from his pocket.
"This is a contract. Please check over it thoroughly."
“...”
"In exchange for constructing the Jewel of Truth in my fiefdom, I, Lloyd Frontera, will solve the warming phenomenon in the Mermaid Kingdom and Arctic Sea and close off the Hell Gate. In addition, once the Jewel of Truth is constructed, your kingdom and the mermaid queen will enjoy fair access to the jewel. That's what the content of the contract is about."
"Hmm. A contract."
"It's always better to make certain of everything. That way, our promise will be left as evidence."
"Well, you are right." Queen Kiakora's gaze carefully went over the contract. Truly, its content was pretty much what Lloyd had said it was. She fell into contemplation.
I'll be closing off the Hell Gate in exchange for foregoing the construction site of the jewel to him. On second thought, this is not a trade-off. No, this deal will certainly be beneficial for our kingdom.
That was her conclusion. Although the Jewel of Truth was a treasure that belonged to her kingdom, it was now nothing but an ancient legend. The jewel was completely non-existent in everyone's minds after the mythical age, and they did just fine the past countless years without it. They didn't even feel the need for it even now.
However, then this human came to unearth it.
Without Lloyd Frontera, the queen believed that the jewel wouldn't have ever been brought to light again.
Furthermore, there will be an equal amount of risk to the reward we gain by building the jewel in the kingdom.
Queen Kiakora looked back on the lessons that came from the mythical age. During this period, every creature in existence yearned to get their hands on the Jewel of Truth because it offered the wisest answer to any question that was asked. It was regarded as the most powerful weapon in the world. Thus, everyone fought to monopolize the jewel, and a war broke out that eventually led to the end of the mythical age. It was a terrible war.
In the end, the jewel was destroyed. The war was said to have taken away the land of my ancestors. Yet, if the jewel is built inside my kingdom today... There's no guarantee that history won't repeat itself.
It may not happen soon. But once the news of the jewel spread, there would be greedy forces awaiting them. Then, the Mermaid Kingdom could turn into a battlefield.
But if I give it to Lloyd's fiefdom...
The risk could be passed over to him. But since the ownership over the jewel would be a joint one, they would enjoy its benefit just as equally. A wry smile escaped the queen when her thought reached that far.
My. His suggestion took these considerations of mine into account.
A scoff escaped her at the realization that she was fooled really well. But strangely, she didn't feel bad as she could feel Lloyd's consideration of his offer.
In all honesty, he could have unilaterally made a decision for himself without informing us. No, that is what most of those selfish humans would have done.
But Lloyd didn't. It was likely bothersome for him to come all the way here, and he had to have some greed creeping inside him. But he nonetheless requested a proper negotiation and offered a nice deal that pleased both parties. As such, this wasn't something she should refuse. It was instead a contract she should happily accept.
"All right. I like it. Let's sign the contract." The queen beamed in satisfaction.
A similar smile appeared on Lloyd's face. This marked a crucial moment in history. The most powerful treasure of the mythical age was going to be built in the Frontera fiefdom.
