I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 661 The snowstorm shows no signs of letting up! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Enraged, Ivan resolved to secure the home front before dealing with external threats. He issued several urgent edicts, ordering the major army groups directly under the court and stationed around the capital and along the main roads to the north to immediately mobilize and encircle and annihilate the rebels before they could threaten the capital.

However, this crucial order encountered inexplicable obstacles and delays in its transmission.

It seemed as if there was an invisible net within the palace, with someone secretly interfering, causing troop deployment orders to be either misinterpreted or transmitted slowly. In fact, several commanders of key units claimed that they had not received clear orders to launch an attack.

Ivan felt as if he were caught in a net that was tightening ever tighter. Internally, there was the ineffective implementation of government orders and the alienation of the powerful and influential. Externally, there was the northward advance of rebels and the pressure from powerful enemies. He was truly in a desperate situation with internal and external troubles.

Li Chen, the mastermind behind all this chaos, seemed detached from the situation and had already embarked on his own exploration.

He lit Sergei, the chess piece, and watched it ignite into a raging fire within the Great Luo Dynasty before turning away with a flourish and casting his gaze toward a more mysterious distance.

He led Ekaterina, Anastasia, Dalia, and Katrian, who served as their guide—a group of five—away from the vortex of power struggles, heading towards the mysterious tribe in the frigid far north that Katrian had described.

According to Katrilan, her tribe has a long history and its members have a special bloodline, with powerful shamans often being born, which greatly intrigued Li Chen.

He recalled that Katril had sensed the simulated "natural aura" on his body and wondered if this so-called special bloodline was related to the Elf race among the myriad races of the heavens.

Perhaps this can provide some clues for him to open the passage to the world of myriad races in the future.

The Great Luo Dynasty had a vast territory, but its infrastructure was far less developed than that of the Tian Ce Dynasty, lacking a nationwide rail network.

In the endless snowfields of the north, the main mode of transportation is a cold-resistant monster called the "Snow Camel Beast".

This monster was enormous, resembling an elephant, with thick limbs and broad, boat-like feet.

It can walk easily on deep snow, and its back is covered with long, thick, felt-like white fur, which can effectively protect it from the severe cold. Li Chen and his group of five rode on three snow camels.

Katrin, acting as the guide, rode alone at the front, leading the way. Anastasia and Dalia rode together in one horse, while Master Ulger, who was holding the cigarette for Li Chen, rode with Lady Catherine in another.

Anastasia and Dalia were initially puzzled by this arrangement, whispering among themselves why Catherine was riding with the Master.

Upon hearing this, Katrin explained calmly, "Sister Catherine's body is relatively weak and not as resistant to the cold as those of us who live in the North all year round. The Master rode with her so that he could better protect her with his own aura and resist the cold."

The two women then realized that they had even more respect for "Master Urg" for his thoughtfulness and strength. Little did they know that this was actually a natural manifestation of the closer relationship between Ekaterina and Li Chen.

Along the way, Katrilan would occasionally introduce the terrain and tribal legends: "Look at those exposed black rock formations over there. Legend has it that they are the remains of an ancient giant beast. Once we pass through the frost forest that we call the 'Silent Forest,' we will officially enter the tribe's traditional hunting grounds."

Her voice sounded exceptionally clear on the vast snowfield.

However, the weather in the North can change in an instant.

Just moments ago the sky was clear, but in the blink of an eye it was covered by leaden-gray clouds. A fierce wind swept in, carrying heavy snowflakes, and visibility dropped sharply, with the temperature plummeting by more than ten degrees.

The power of nature was on full display at this moment, with the massive snowstorm making it difficult to move an inch.

The group had to interrupt their journey and find a place to hide.

Fortunately, Katrilan, with his familiarity with the terrain, quickly found a huge, sheltered ice cave.

The group quickly took shelter in the ice cave, leading the three exhausted snow camels to the entrance and letting their massive bodies lie down, using their thick fur to shield the cave from some of the wind, snow, and cold. Even so, the temperature inside the cave remained extremely low, and their breath froze instantly.

These pampered and beautiful women had never suffered like this before. Even wrapped in thick fur coats, they were still shivering from the cold, and their lips turned purple.

Everyone quickly took out their personal heating tools, several metal discs engraved with simple flame runes.

After a small amount of energy was injected, the disc emitted a warm red light, dispelling much of the chill and bringing a slight warmth to the ice cave.

However, after nightfall, the wind and snow showed no signs of stopping; on the contrary, they intensified.

The energy of those heating devices finally ran out, their light dimmed, and the cold once again relentlessly assailed them.

Left with no other choice, everyone could only crawl into their portable tents made of thick animal hides that they had brought with them early in the morning, trying to resist the cold by sleeping.

Anastasia was cold and tired, and curled up in her sleeping bag, unable to fall asleep.

Just as she was half asleep, she seemed to hear a slight noise beside her.

She quietly opened a crack in the tent and, by the faint light reflected from the snow outside the ice cave, was surprised to see that Catherine, that plump and beautiful woman, wrapped in a fur coat, hurriedly slipped into Master Urge's tent not far away!

Anastasia's heart skipped a beat, and curiosity compelled her to hold her breath and cautiously move closer.

The wind and snow were loud, but she could still vaguely hear suppressed, intermittent breathing coming from inside the tent, as well as the rustling sound of fur rubbing against each other.

She understood instantly! Ekaterina wasn't simply afraid of the cold; she had clearly gone to a master to "warm up" in the most primitive and effective way! Exercise can indeed generate a lot of heat.

Anastasia's cheeks flushed and her heart raced, whether from the cold or something else, she didn't know.

She retreated to her tent, but felt even colder and more unbearable, and the image of a heated scene that might occur inside the tent involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Time passed slowly, and the wind and snow outside continued to howl. She felt her hands and feet were almost frozen.

Driven by both extreme physical cold and complex psychological emotions, a bold idea began to grow and spread in her mind.

Finally, after hearing that the commotion in the nearby tent seemed to have subsided temporarily, Anastasia bit her lip, mustered her courage, wrapped her fur coat tightly around herself, and tiptoed to the outside of Li Chen's tent.

With trembling hands, she reached out and gently lifted a corner of the tent flap. Her voice, trembling with shyness and the cold, asked softly, "Master, it's so cold outside. May I come in and warm up?"

Inside the tent, Li Chen looked at the beautiful woman before him, whose cheeks were red from the cold but whose eyes held a hint of expectation and determination. He smiled slightly, nodded, and his deep voice echoed in the small tent: "Come in."

Anastasia felt like she had been granted a pardon and immediately crawled inside, carefully removing her cold, damp outer robe.

That night, outside the ice cave, a fierce blizzard swept across the land. Inside the ice cave, in the small tent, the activity of keeping warm continued for a long time, until Anastasia fell into a deep sleep, exhausted, her body already warm as spring.

And this snowstorm shows no signs of abating.

(End of this chapter)