Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

The top assassin continued to push his way out like a madman. A moment later, there was a loud "thud," and his head exploded, his skull shattered, and red and white fragments scattered all over the ground.

"You fucking...you're really insane!"

Seeing the cruel scene before him, the jailer took several steps back, but even so, a few drops of splattered blood still landed on him.

The death of one criminal is insignificant; the wicked people imprisoned here have all been sentenced to death. Allowing them to live is simply to torment their spirits and destroy their souls.

What infuriated the jailers most was cleaning.

Although it was a prison, the leaders inspected the cleanliness every morning, so it was impossible not to clean. He cursed his bad luck, this happened just as he was about to hand over the shift to his night shift colleagues.

He asked, "The assassin is dead. You nine bastards, who's going to clean up his body?"

The dirty and tiring work in the prison is done by the prisoners, which is a common practice. This saves the guards' energy, and the prisoners can take the opportunity to walk around in the corridors, which is a win-win situation.

Normally, the nine villains would have competed to do this job, but after the jailer finished asking the questions, they all fell silent.

The assassin's death was too mysterious, as if he were under an evil curse, and no one dared to touch his body after he died.

The jailer frowned, puzzled by the silence. He pointed at the elderly woman and said, "You, the newcomer, I order you to drag the assassin's body to the morgue and scrub the floor and walls clean. You've really hit the jackpot; these guys usually don't let newcomers get such a good opportunity."

This time, the old woman finally reacted; she silently got up.

The jailer opened her cell door, but in his heart he despised this murderer of the Liyue unsolved case. No matter how much trouble you cause outside, once you enter the prison, you have to behave yourself.

The elderly woman carried heavy shackles on her shoulders, and the shackles dragging on her feet made a sparse, crisp sound that was particularly clear in the quiet and empty prison area.

"Hurry up! If you don't finish your work, you won't get any food tonight!" the jailer snapped coldly, his iron rod striking the old woman's back.

Beatings and scoldings were a daily occurrence for the jailers in the prison. The force of his blow was only moderate, not enough to cause internal injuries to the prisoner, but the pain must have been unbearable.

The old woman's body trembled with pain. She turned her head sharply and glared fiercely at the jailer.

A chill ran down the guard's spine. He swung his stick again: "Can't you understand human language? I told you to do your work, and you dare to glare at me? You're asking for death!"

After several blows, the old woman collapsed.

Her body convulsed, and she suddenly knelt on the ground, quickly turning towards the assassin's corpse, then bending down to devour the flesh in front of her.

Her hair was disheveled, and she looked like a man-eating demon.

The jailer had seen many psychopathic criminals, but it was truly rare to find one who, on his very first day in prison, wanted to eat other people's flesh and drink their blood.

"Damn, another one's gone mad."

He then prepared to swing the iron bar and beat the old woman.

The mixed-race woman and the notorious womanizer warned in unison, "Sir, be careful. The aura around her is very evil!"

"If you want to protect her, you don't need to fabricate such a low-level lie!"

The prison guards had dealt with these criminals for many years and had learned one thing from their experience: never believe anything they said.

Last year, the notorious flower thief revealed a secret in prison: he had buried all the wealth he had stolen in a secret place in Liyue, and whoever found it would become the richest person in Liyue.

Several of the prison guards believed it and secretly went to the place that night, only to find it was a mass grave. They then realized they had been tricked and made a huge fool of themselves.

"My lord, watch your back!" This time it was the demonic cultivator who reminded him.

The jailer turned around with some doubt. In the dim light, a blurry figure could be vaguely seen. He couldn't make out what the figure was, but his intuition told him that it was very dangerous.

The figure separated into strands of black silk, some connecting to the old woman's body, and others wrapping around his spine.

He suddenly remembered the strange and evil god that the old woman had worshipped. His pupils contracted sharply. Could this ball of light and shadow in front of him be the legendary sea demon god?

The jailer didn't want to die here, so he hurriedly activated the Eye of God of the Rock Element on his body.

The Eye of God on his chest instantly brightened, granting him the power to dispel all evil. However, the figure moved slightly, and his Eye of God shattered.

The Eye of God is undoubtedly one of the most durable treasures on the continent of Teyvat, a supreme treasure bestowed by the gods, yet it couldn't even withstand a trace of the power of the Sea Demon God. Not only were the jailers dumbfounded, but the other nine prisoners in the cell all had their expressions change drastically. This level of power was completely beyond their comprehension and imagination.

They finally understood that the assassins must have sensed the danger beforehand and had been scrambling to escape.

Because once imprisoned by a demon god, one's soul will never be able to be reborn and will suffer endless torment.

The jailers of Jiazi Heavenly Prison and the several criminals imprisoned there finally realized that this old woman was absolutely not to be trifled with, because even though she was in prison, she still had the Sea Demon God backing her up.

The Sea Demon God is said to be an existence even more ancient than the Rock King, and is definitely not someone they can contend with.

Just as the group was in despair, a dense sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor of the prison; it was the group of victims' family members.

They heeded Su Yu's advice and insisted on visiting the prison despite the late hour, partly to observe the interrogation process and partly to vent their anger on the murderer in person.

As the noisy crowd drew near, the figure in the void vanished.

The elderly woman lying on the ground was vomiting violently, her expression one of extreme pain.

"Forgive me, Sea God. Many of those sisters believed in me and willingly sacrificed their souls and bodies. Therefore, their relatives and descendants must not be harmed..."

In the darkness, tears streamed down her face.

Chapter 145 Reading on a Snowy Night

Meanwhile, at the Winter Mission's encampment, the campfire blazed brightly at night, illuminating the faces of everyone around it.

The members of the mission sat together, holding hands with the person next to them, and began to pray silently.

At some point, this became an unspoken rule for everyone on the trip: no matter how important the work was for anyone, once the campfire was lit, everyone had to join in the blessing ceremony.

The delegation members prayed to the Ice Queen, the supreme ruler of the Winter Kingdom, hoping that she would bless His Highness the Prince with a long and healthy life.

Apart from the Lady of the Hidden Mirror and a few executive officers, almost no one in the delegation knew that the Prince, whom they admired and respected so much, had already reached a level comparable to the Ice Queen.

Furthermore, through this trip, Su Yu will be able to integrate the other six elemental forces, further enhancing his strength. Surpassing the Ice Queen is only a matter of time.

The windows on the upper floors of the tallest building in the middle were open.

Whenever the patrolling guards saw that tall figure standing behind the window, they couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.

That was the person they respected most; reverence and respect were etched in their blood, and they had no reason not to be proud of it. Compared to the other six kingdoms, the Kingdom of Zhidong, besides its queen, also had a peerless prince who brought not only internal changes to Zhidong, but also dignity to the kingdom.

The word "dignity" may sound abstract, but in the countries visited on this mission, the local people always saw the delegation off with tears in their eyes when they left; just today, the people of Liyue knelt at the door to express their gratitude.

All of this made them truly understand what dignity is.

Gaining the approval of people in other countries is more difficult than conquering a country by force, but His Highness the Prince has done it.

Su Yu stared at the campfire downstairs, remaining silent for a long time.

The lady with the mirror in her arms, not daring to interrupt his thoughts, stood silently behind him.

Standing behind the prince, she always felt a strange sense of security and reassurance, just like when she was a child and encountered danger, she would always hide behind her father, confident that he could shield her from the wind and rain and resolve all dangers.

Outside, colleagues sat around a bonfire praying for blessings, while His Highness the Prince stood upstairs, scrutinizing everything. The firelight danced in his eyes, deep and unfathomable like an ancient well.

The scene before me was sacred and peaceful.

If a painter could be commissioned to depict this scene, it would undoubtedly be a masterpiece of the Winter Kingdom. It's just a pity that, given His Highness's temperament, he probably wouldn't allow himself to do so.

She still remembers that in the first year after the prince arrived, the Kingdom of Winter experienced an unprecedented low temperature, so cold that even the whale oil in the oil lamps froze, and at night, no one could light their oil lamps.

The Empress left the palace early and quietly appeared at the Winter Palace.

The Empress always claimed that she was taking time to handle state affairs when she went out of the capital, but only her close attendants knew that she was only going out to talk to the prince.

All the civil and military officials kneeling outside, and even the eleven executive officers eagerly awaiting an audience, combined did not equal the Prince's standing in the Empress's heart.

It happened to be her shift that day, and she was making her routine inspection of the palace under the cool moonlight. The Winter Palace, which was never bathed in sunlight and was bitterly cold, was even more desolate and chilly without the warmth of oil lamps.

She turned around and saw the great being on the throne. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. After kneeling down, she got up and went to inform the others.

The Empress usually secluded herself for several months before emerging, so every time she appeared, it was a momentous event for both the people of Zhidong Kingdom and the court officials.

The Queen stopped her, signaling her not to alert outsiders.

Then, after disguising himself, he had her lead the way to the prince's residence.

Although she was a maid, she was a close attendant of the Empress and held a high position in the Winter Palace. With her leading the way, they passed through several security checkpoints guarded by soldiers and successfully met the Prince.

On the way, the Empress asked her to guess what His Highness the Prince was doing.

She replied that His Highness usually enjoys reading, but the temperature is too low today to light an oil lamp. On this dark and stormy night, he must have gone to bed early.

The Queen told her that their thoughts were basically the same.

When she arrived at the destination, she realized that she had guessed wrong, and very wrong at that.

In the courtyard hidden by several buildings, the prince, wrapped in a cloak, sat alone in the snow.

Beside him was a basin of charcoal. As the wind and snow blew, a wisp of fire would occasionally leap out, and one could feel the warmth even from afar.

His Highness, who is always engrossed in a book, was even using the reflection of the snow to read!

The prince was reading on a snowy night, with a brazier of charcoal and a pot of warm wine to warm his body—a scene that was both incredibly comforting and inspiring.

The Queen immediately summoned the court's master painter to capture this beautiful moment.

The next day, the Empress showed the painting to the Prince, saying that she wanted to hang it on the east wall of the Winter Palace to encourage officials to develop the good habit of reading and learning, and to use it as a propaganda poster for future generations to admire.

The Queen had expected the Prince to be pleased, but to her surprise, after reading the letter, the Prince simply said: "I am merely a passerby in this era. Those who truly deserve the respect of future generations are the people of Teyvat in this day and age. They will experience a catastrophe, an unprecedented upheaval, and will pay a heavy price to fight for that slim chance to break free from their fate."

Finally, the prince added meaningfully: "If the Queen wishes to establish heroes, there is no one more suitable to be their image than the common people. The people of Zhidong Kingdom, and the people of the other six kingdoms—they are so ordinary, yet so great. They carry the memory of history and pass on the flame of civilization; they are the true heroes."

After hearing this, the Empress put away the scroll.

Then she gently took the prince's hand, patted the back of his hand lightly, and said:

After the war between gods and demons, many of my demon companions, on their deathbeds, asked me why I had sworn to protect the people of Winter Kingdom to the death. They didn't understand that humanity was the source of the gods' power. The gods' power protected the human race, and humanity, in turn, nourished the gods; gods and humans were interdependent.

My prince, from this day forward, I entrust you with the full authority to reform the Kingdom of Winterfell. You love the people of this land, you love all living beings of Teyvat, and you deserve this trust.

……

The woman in the mirror was suddenly interrupted by the sound of surging waves on the distant sea as she reminisced about the past.

Under the bright moonlight, the calm and peaceful Liyue Harbor was suddenly engulfed in raging waves.

The blessing ceremony in the courtyard was forced to stop, and everyone looked curiously at the shimmering sea in the distance.

The vast, deep sea seemed to harbor a ferocious beast, ready to burst forth at any moment.

The lady in the hidden mirror draped a long robe over Su Yu: "Your Highness, the power of the water element is boiling abnormally. It seems that the Sea Demon God is about to erupt in the Heavenly Prison. Just as you predicted, the old woman awakened the power of the Sea Demon God after being imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. However, so many common people have gone to the Heavenly Prison. I am really worried about them."

Chapter 146 A Clever Plan