The Atlas Mountains are divided into two sections. The Lesser Atlas Mountains, which run from north to south, are about 1,600 miles long, stretching from the land of Yongdong in the north to vast expanses of hills, bays and basins beneath the mountains in the south, forming a natural dividing line between the Arel Plateau and the orc savannah. The Great Atlas Mountain runs east-west, starting from the North Sea in the west and connecting with the Lesser Atlas Mountain in the northeast corner of the Aris Plateau in the east, stretching for nearly 3,000 miles and with an average altitude of more than 5,000 meters, making it the longest and highest average altitude mountain range on the Gaberian continent.

To the north of the Great Atlas is the legendary Land of Yongdong, which is covered with snow and icebergs that do not melt all year round, and even the average temperature in summer is deadly enough for ordinary people, and it is simply a forbidden area for civilization, where almost no one can survive, let alone give birth to races and civilizations.

Of course, this is just common sense. Whether it was the Great War of Gods and Demons in the First Age or the Enlightenment War in the Second Age, there were defeated who jumped over the majestic Atlas Mountain and disappeared behind the perennial ice storm with a half-suicidal posture. This is the realm of the eternal neutral after all, the mountain god Atlas and the storm goddess Agila, neither the Holy Spirit gods nor the Dawn Alliance will risk jumping over the mountains and continuing the pursuit without dying.

In other words, in the eyes of the victors, when the losers flee to the land of eternal winter, they are already dead.

Of course, this is only judged by common sense.

Ordinary people may not be able to survive in the land of permafrost, but who can guarantee that those rough-skinned and thick-skinned giant beasts, foreign objects, and even demons will not survive in the ice and snow, and just survive and breathe. Maybe a new species will come out...... At least Virgia still has a lot of troops stationed along the line of the Great Atlas Mountains, and many lords born as royal knights are sealed here. The Nords are more abundant. It's impossible to send these people to pick up swan dung, right?

The lord of Cold Mountain Castle, Hector? The Marquis of Ostia is arguably the most famous and powerful of the Northland lords of the Empire.

He was also born as a commoner. After mastering the power of rage, he joined the Nord Royal Knights, and later made great achievements in the fierce battles with the orcs. Emperor Otto later gave him the title of marquis, as well as a fiefdom in the north that did not correspond to the title.

Of course, it is impossible for a new feudal aristocrat like this, known as a "royal lord", to have too much fiefdom.

The fief of the Marquis of Hector was in a valley, no more than a hundred miles in circumference, with a castle, a small town and a dozen villages, because the land was too barren. Not much crops can be grown, and the population is less than 10,000. According to common sense, this guy must have offended the emperor and was sent to this place where birds don't to retire, but this is definitely not the case.

The Marquis of Hector maintained a professional army of nearly 2,000 men, and many of his retainers were also good at it, including veteran officers who were said to have retired from the Heavy Samurai Regiment. Without the financial support of the central government, the income from the fiefdom alone would not be able to support so many people.

It is true that the Marquis of Hector does not have to pay taxes to the central government, and not only that, but he also receives a large amount of financial allocation every year. His fiefdom of the Valley of Billard was at the foot of the Nords' holy peak, the Heavenly Dome. Standing in the middle of the town, as long as you catch a sunny day, you can even see through the misty clouds and mist, and see the towers of the Heavenly Dome Sanctuary in the distance. For this reason. Hector had an obligation to protect the safety of all pilgrims who came to visit the Sanctuary of the Heavenly Dome.

In addition, although his back cover is only a palm-sized piece of land, the thousands of miles of borders nearby are theoretically his defense area. Protection of civilians from the snowy mountains. Or the attack of various demons and giant beasts behind the snowy mountain, which is also one of his important duties. When the time came. He could even issue a conscription order to all the northern provinces without the guò emperor's order.

Only those who have the absolute trust of the emperor can have such power. So instead of feeling exiled, the Marquis of Hector felt a faint sense of pride.

Of course. The marquis also had his own melancholy, melancholy about the financial problems of the domain.

Although he was able to receive nearly 10,000 Nord gold coins allocated by the central government every year, he could still have a lot more to spare to pay for all the expenses of the territory and the army. In fact, in the past ten years, he has never been troubled by the problem of money.

The reason for the marquis's troubles was that his territory was too barren, and the people were too poor. Not only is it impossible for him to receive any taxes, but he also has to take out a part of the central government's financial allocation for food relief, otherwise people may starve to death every year. If you go on like this, doesn't it seem that your lord is very incompetent?

"There's no way around it." The marquis's steward said to him, "Our land here is not too fertile to support too many peasants. The geographical location is also very remote, and there are no special products, although the pilgrimage road of the Heavenly Dome Sanctuary is guarded, but there are only a few pilgrims who come every year, and they are not very rich. ”

All in all, with the thinking of common sense, it is unlikely that the domain of the Marquis of Hector will prosper......

The duties of the Marquis of Hector and himself were important to the Empire, but his realm was very unimportant.

Just as the summer was coming to an end a month, a group of ten travelers, young men and women, and even minotaurs, visited the town of Beard. They soon came to the door in front of the marquis's castle, and the blonde girl at the head was dressed in silver armor, and although she was small, she was so dignified and inviolable that she almost frightened the guards who guarded the door to kneel. When the marquis arrived, he couldn't help but be in a trance when he saw the girl's face.

"Uncle Hector, don't you recognize this face?"

“…… It's been ten years since I saw you, Your Highness Artoria, you've grown up too! ”

On this day, the Marquis's Palace welcomed its most distinguished guests in five years, and the last time the royal family visited was when Emperor Otto visited the north five years ago. As for the last time Hector saw Artoria, it was ten years ago when he had just received a reward for his meritorious service and went to Carmelo to accept his fief and knighthood. At that time, Artoria was just a little Lori who was not yet ten years old.

After hearing what Artoria was saying. The Marquis couldn't help but froze, and after a long while, he showed a relieved smile: "Maybe it's time to meet next time." I'll have to call you Majesty. I believe that the empire of the future will have a new look under your leadership. ”

This sounds too official and polite. Artoria naturally smiled helplessly: "Uncle Hector, you know, I have always only wanted to be a knight, and I have no mental preparation for this at all...... It's just that my father and brother seem to have high expectations for me. No, if this is a responsibility that I have to fulfill, I will not back down. ”

"Then your consciousness is still not enough!" The Marquis looked directly at Artoria's dark green pupils and said very unceremoniously: "Your Highness, now you should know what this path of trial is for, right?" ”

The roundabout way of saying "......" seems to challenge the limits of the natural mind. Artoria frowned and was silent, and the marquis did not answer, as if the other party was thinking for himself, he turned to Lu Xi and said, "Young man, you should be a magician from the Federation, right?" ”

"Lu Xi, a two-star magician of the Academic Alliance? Greetings to you, Belencaster, and I wish you eternal health, Lord Marquis. ”

"I'm just a hillbilly from the far north, but I've heard of Master Belencaster's name. Since you have his surname. It means that he is his heir. I was somewhat relieved that there was an excellent magician in the team, and his adaptability and survivability could be increased many times...... Her Highness Artoria pleases you. The Marquis Hector's expression was friendly and not overly welcoming, but the gratitude component in his tone was very obvious.

There's more than one mage in the team. It's just that you treat Sehireu as my ordinary subordinate A......

"Listen to what you say, this path of trial is not very easy to walk!"

"Whether it's good or not, I haven't been there. Of course, it's not easy to evaluate directly. The Marquis spread out his hands and smiled, "However, the last time the back door of the Heavenly Dome Sanctuary was opened was thirty years ago. When Otto Majesty took over the throne. He must have been twenty-five years old that year, right? Already the best warriors of the Empire. He stepped into the Trials with nine of his teammates, only to return a month later. But there are only five people left, and everyone has only half a life left, including His Majesty. ”

Lu Xi could almost clearly hear the sound of saliva swallowing in his ears, it should be that some companions were frightened, and couldn't help but roll their eyes and shake their heads slightly. This kind of copy that looks very good at first glance is weird if the undead are not dead before the protagonist appears, otherwise how can you experience the power of the protagonist?

"What's in there? Didn't your father tell you? Lu Xi looked at Artoria and said.

"He didn't say it, but it's no secret." Artoria said, "The so-called path of trials is for people to enter the depths of the Atlas Mountains through the back door of the Heavenly Dome Sanctuary, through the ice valleys and caves inside, and to reach Valhalla, which is located at the highest point of the mountains. It is said that the temple was built by the mountain god Atlas himself in ancient times, and it is the gate of the mortal world to the soul of the Nord people to return to Songgard. As long as I enter there and get the approval of the ancestral heroes, the Atlas Holy Emblem on my body will be able to light up, and I will become the rightful heir to the throne of the Virginian Empire. ”

"In ice valleys and caves, cold, avalanches, earthquakes, etc., can be deadly enemies, and as the snow melts and accumulates, the routes inside change every day, and it's unlikely that any maps will be left. In other words, the experience of His Majesty Otto is not enough to provide experience for His Highness Artoria. The marquis said, "Of course, you still need to pay attention to all kinds of demons and monsters that inhabit the mountains. ”

"Demons and monsters?" Lu Xi couldn't help frowning: "There are actually monsters in this kind of high mountains?" ”

"Absolutely. Snow Monsters, Ice Giants, Blue Devils, White Ghosts...... I don't know who hatched these monsters, or whether these guys' nests are in the mountains or behind them, but every year I fight these ghosts who run down the mountain several times, and I go up the mountain to clear them a few times. Of course, every time you don't go deep into the ground, there should be more in the depths of the mountains. ”

"Well, it's more like a copy." Lu Xi was not afraid, looked at Artoria, and smiled: "How is it, do you want to continue?" ”

"Of course, you can't give up for a few monsters." Artoria's voice was not loud, but her attitude was firm: "And didn't I say that? As long as you're there, I'm fearless. (To be continued.) )