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

Arecino, who was sitting next to her, asked, "What are you thinking about?"

“I was thinking, His Highness has prepared a program for me so carefully, how should I thank him?”

Let's take a boat to Liyue to find him.

"I'm leaving, who will sing tonight?"

"That's true. So what are your plans?"

Colombia looked eastward: "I want to sing a song for him."

Chapter 165 Chanting

Arecino looked slightly surprised.

She knew perfectly well that Columbia's singing was far from simple. After all, given the vast distance, no matter how ethereal or penetrating her voice was, no matter how the biting wind carried it throughout the entire Winterlands, there was only one way to make the Prince of Liyue hear it…

Arecino asked again, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"It's just removing one layer of the seal, it's alright. How should I explain this to you? It's not just so that Your Highness can hear my singing, it's also for my own sake. If you cover your ears for a long time and don't hear the sounds of the outside world, your hearing will deteriorate. If you don't use elemental combat skills for a long time, your feel for them will become rusty."

Columbia elaborated on two analogies: "If a volcano is suppressed for too long, it will suddenly erupt, causing a disaster. If the water in a reservoir is not drained, it will breach the dam and cause irreparable damage."

Arecino replied, "I think I understand why you insist on doing this. But the risks are high, and at the very least, His Highness the Prince should be with you."

"This song is dedicated to His Highness; it will give me spiritual strength. When I become a small boat adrift on the boundless sea, amidst towering waves and torrential rain, he will be my compass, my oar, and the anchor that holds me in place..."

Before Columbia could finish explaining, Arecino suddenly stood up, took out her weapon and placed it in front of her. The wild wind in the wilderness blew her short hair and cotton robe, making her look like a heroic female warrior.

"Since you've made up your mind, then sing with confidence. As long as I don't fall, you're safe. Hey, you call me crazy? I think you're the crazy one."

From her tone, Arecino knew that her mind was made up and there was no need to dissuade her. She knew too well about Columbia's stubbornness; once she made up her mind, it was hard to change it. She might as well go crazy with her.

Columbia brushed the snow off her clothes, her eyes filled with genuine gratitude: "Thank you, Arecino."

"What happened to fair competition? I don't want you to die."

Outside Winterfell, amidst howling blizzards, the two executors of the Fools stood solemnly, their earlier relaxed and languid demeanor replaced by caution.

In particular, the servant Arecino showed a rare hint of tension in her eyes.

Previously, all she knew was that whenever Columbia performed such a large-scale chant, His Highness the Prince would usually accompany her, and after each performance, she would always see His Highness looking somewhat tired.

This was the first time she had accompanied Columbia in such a ceremony.

As for why they didn't inform Her Majesty the Queen? If Her Majesty the Queen knew, she would naturally not agree to them doing so.

Moreover, Her Majesty was just awakened from her seclusion by tonight's fireworks and should be entering seclusion again by now. Unless something extremely serious happens, it's best not to disturb her.

The biggest taboo in seclusion is being interrupted multiple times. This not only affects the effectiveness of the seclusion but also has a negative impact on the mindset of the person in seclusion. Arecino once experienced that feeling, as if she had been woken up from a deep sleep.

Beside her, Columbia had already begun her chanting.

The beautiful, heavenly sound, like a sacred chant drifting from heaven, was ethereal, holy, and peaceful, instantly clearing away the haze, worries, and anxieties from her heart.

At the same time, a strong emotion inexplicably welled up in my heart, making me feel extremely satisfied and happy.

She knew that from this moment on, her mental world began to be influenced by Columbia.

The fireworks display the prince prepared for Columbia made her happy, and she spread this feeling to everyone else.

This is precisely why, no matter how fiercely she and the other executives argued, they were unwilling to fight Columbia. Columbia's mental power was something even Her Majesty the Queen could not resist, let alone them, the executives, and the entire population of Winter Solstice.

Columbia removed her mask, and her eyelids twitched.

Although her eyes were not open, such a slight movement still triggered a mental storm that swept outwards from her center.

"I am neither amazed by the white elegance of lilies, nor do I praise the crimson brilliance of roses."

"Their pleasing appearance and charming beauty are merely imitations of you, the model of all things."

"Without you, spring is still a harsh winter to me; I tease the spring flowers as if caressing your figure."

……

In an instant, Arecino felt her body float into the sky.

She struggled to stay clear-headed so as not to lose control of her thoughts.

"Terrifying mental power. Is this a high-level manifestation of elemental power?" she exclaimed.

Even though these executives consciously trained themselves using Columbia's mental abilities and had developed a certain level of mental defense, being close to Columbia at close range still caused her to be overwhelmed by the mental shockwaves, almost causing her to lose her composure.

She absolutely could not allow her consciousness to waver, because the enemy was about to appear—

Rather than a rule, it's more accurate to say that evil forces deeply resent Columbia and will seize any opportunity to kill her.

Beneath the icy, snowy landscape of the Winter Kingdom, countless dark monsters are frozen in ice, a phenomenon that arose after the Great War of Kanria.

At that time, after the death of the former Ice Queen, the current Ice Queen ascended to the throne. The first thing she did was to use the power of the Ice God to freeze all the monsters that had invaded winter.

After the destruction of the ancient kingdom of Kanria, dark forces surged from the abyss and emerged from the earth, along with countless alchemical creations and out-of-control tractors that rushed toward the Seven Kingdoms with hatred, annihilating all life along their path.

In an instant, the flames of war engulfed the continent of Teyvat—

The previous High Priestess of Inazuma, Kushina, perished as a result. The Thousand Rock Legion of Liyue was wiped out in the Deep Rock Abyss while trying to resist the invasion. The Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt fought valiantly against the dragon invasion. Dvalin, one of the Four Winds Guardians, was poisoned and seriously injured and has not yet recovered. Rosalind's lover died tragically in that battle.

The World Tree of Sumeru suffered further erosion; Fontaine and Nata also suffered heavy casualties.

Of the seven kingdoms, only Winter suffered the least damage; all the invading foreign enemies were frozen to the ground by the current Ice Queen.

Of course, the Ice God's power is not omnipotent. Over the long years, some powerful dark beasts and abyssal creatures have learned to break free from their frozen state and awaken from their slumber.

But the Kingdom of Winter never had to worry. Besides the Ice Queen, there was also the incredibly mysterious "girl" Columbia. She was the oldest among the eleven executives, and her third-place ranking was only because she had never truly made a move, and no one could force her to use her full power.

Columbia used her mental powers to hypnotize the awakened dark beasts and abyssal creatures, and together with the Ice Queen, suppressed these evil forces underground forever.

However, there is only one situation that is most dangerous, and that is now.

When Columbia begins this massive chanting, the hypnotic effect of her mental energy on the underground monsters will wear off, and for a brief moment, they will burst out of the ground, attempting to kill Columbia.

Therefore, Columbia needs someone to protect it.

Previously, this role was played by a prince.

Tonight it's her.

Chapter 166 Go to Hell, you scum!

That night, as winter approached, people across the country once again heard the ancient, melodious chanting in their dreams. As always, everyone heard a different song, and no one knew the name of the person chanting the divine melody. But everyone felt the same thing: happiness.

Young lovers dream of embracing each other; elderly people who have lost their only child dream of their deceased child; and orphans in fireplace houses generally dream of their biological parents.

Merchants pursuing wealth dream of prosperous business, farmers dream of a bountiful autumn harvest, and students dream of passing the imperial examinations with flying colors.

Without a doubt, tonight is destined to be a beautiful dream for the people of Winter's End.

The significance of this beautiful dream lies in soothing people's anxious hearts, easing their impatient moods, and, more importantly, reducing everyone's psychological pressure.

Of the seven kingdoms, only the people of Zhidong bear immense pressure to survive; the cause of rebelling against the laws of nature is a heavy burden weighing on the hearts of every citizen. This pressure both encourages them to forge ahead bravely and inevitably brings about psychological repression.

Fortunately, the Kingdom of Winter has a singer from the Celestial Race who uses her songs to soothe the kingdom. Besides hypnotizing the magical beasts beneath the ice, this also serves another practical purpose.

At this moment, her chanting began, which was also the most dangerous moment.

Among the people that the monsters and creatures of darkness most want to eliminate, she ranks higher than the Ice Queen and Su Yu.

Freezing cannot kill monsters completely. Once the time is right, they can break out of the ice. What they fear most is the singer's chant, which will put them into a deep sleep, trapping them in a beautiful dream from which they cannot escape.

"Hehe, you're here?"

[Servant] Arecino stared at the pairs of black claws emerging from beneath the ice not far away, her tone filled with disdain. Killing more magical beasts would make up for any future reprimands from the Empress. Those were reward terms personally issued by the Empress; the more magical beasts and dark creatures killed, the greater the reward.

However, two or three giant claws, as tall as mountains, then emerged, causing a small earthquake.

"The aura of a demon god! Not just one, but three have arrived." Arecino's expression grew serious. "His Highness is not here today, and you all came out like this, thinking that no one in the Winter Kingdom can deal with you?"

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals have little chance of getting close to Columbia. Her task is to hold off the most powerful demons and buy Columbia enough time to chant.

"Go to hell, you scum!"

Arecino charged toward her formidable foe, her figure disappearing into the snowstorm, leaving only a fleeting afterimage in mid-air.

At this moment, in the void behind Columbia, the enormous six-winged angel's wings gently fluttered, yet each flutter was like a whale's tail slapping against the sea, stirring up towering waves.

If the elemental forces permeating the heavens and earth could be easily seen with the naked eye, then the people of Winterfell would witness an astonishing sight—

The six wings caused the surrounding elements to compress rapidly inward, and Columbia's body seemed to become a black hole in the universe, constantly "devouring" a large amount of elemental power.

Moreover, her singing voice changed rhythmically with the surge of elemental power, eventually resonating with the elemental power, and the elements that were floating in the world rushed into her body like a surging tide.

At this moment, no one dared to underestimate Columbia; she seemed to have become the master of the elements, dominating all the elemental forces in the world.

In that instant, it seemed as if a ray of holy light descended from the distant heavens.

Columbia was bathed in holy light, her hands held up to her chest in a gesture of support, and she sang a devout and ancient ballad.

However, a tear was streaming down her cheek.

In the days after Su Yu left, she thought it was just a short separation, and that the separation was only for a better reunion. Only today did she realize that she could no longer live without him. Even though it had been less than a month, longing had taken over her heart. Her self-righteous strength was completely defeated by the intense longing.

Your Highness, are you alright?

Columbia recalled the dazzling fireworks display in the city's night sky.

If only you were here with me.

Allow me to continue singing the most sincere and beautiful wishes of the Celestial Race for you; no matter how far apart we are, you will surely hear them—

"In the days to come, who will believe my poems, even if they are all hymns to your virtues?"

"Only Heaven knows that it is a tomb, burying your life, making it difficult to reveal your true nature."

……

When the chanting ended, the immense elemental power that had surged into Columbia's body was suddenly released after being compressed to its limit. This release was not in the form of an outward shockwave, but rather surged towards the ground through her feet.

Having released all her power, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"The earth's veins are indeed the most perfect medium for transmitting information. They travel faster than air and farther than seawater. Your Highness will surely hear it."

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and went to rescue Arecino, who was trapped.

This time, the enemy sent not only three demon gods, but also a king from the dark abyss. It is truly remarkable that Columbia has been able to hold out this long all by herself.