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

Columbia explained, "I am the person His Highness cares about most, so I am his weakness, his Achilles' heel."

"As far as I know, Prince Zhidong and you are not married. Two years ago, the Ice Queen was still helping him choose a concubine."

The Abyss Emperor naturally didn't believe Colombia's words. If their relationship were truly that close, how could she dare to say it so openly at a time like this?

The calmer and more composed Columbia appeared, the deeper the Abyss King's suspicions about her became.

"So you're trying to cheat, are you?" Columbia was angry. Her waist-length hair writhed violently behind her, as if it had come alive, a sign that she was about to launch another mental attack.

"Don't rush to attack, I'll tell you. My king's weakness lies in..."

The Abyss King's eyes emitted a crimson light that enveloped Colombia, distorting the space beneath the scorching heat with astonishing destructive power.

As Arecino said, you can't trust what he says!

From beginning to end, the Abyss Emperor was merely stalling for time. Having just emerged from underground, it needed time to recover its peak combat capabilities. The so-called trades and alliances were nothing more than delaying tactics.

Humans are creations of the creator gods, who do not trust any human beings and would never join forces with them to defy the laws of nature.

Now, he has regained his peak fighting power and is about to unleash a fatal blow.

This was his proudest battle technique, which had killed many of the Seven Gods' followers. Even within the same faction, few could withstand it.

Hellfire, that's the name he gave to this move.

But to his surprise, Columbia's body shattered into countless tiny dust particles.

His ultimate move missed!

He was, after all, a seasoned emperor, and immediately sensed something was terribly wrong: "Oh no, it's an illusion! I'm trapped in an illusion. Damn you, you demon of the Immortal Spirit Clan, I'll take you down with me!"

Columbia's shattered body reformed in mid-air, and she said coldly, "Don't struggle in vain, you are already dead."

As expected, the Abyss King discovered that his armor was shattering, his hard body was beginning to decay, and his life force was rapidly draining away!

At the same moment, Arecino behind Columbia seemed to freeze in place, and a gust of wind tore her body apart.

The pine trees and mountains in the distance, the whole world seemed to fall apart in an instant.

Everything was confirming his suspicions: this was a carefully crafted dream orchestrated by his opponent, and he hadn't even realized it from the beginning, ridiculously trying to buy time to turn the tables and kill his opponent.

"Damn it, humans are indeed cunning and treacherous. I... I'm not reconciled..."

The Abyss Emperor's body gradually crumbled, dissolving from his feet to his head. The last remaining half of his head didn't last more than a few seconds before turning to dust after uttering his last words.

The dream world collapses.

Columbia's spirit returned to reality.

Her skin was already pale, and after using the incredibly powerful dream technique, her originally bright red lips seemed to have lost their rosy color, turning ashen. The Abyss Emperor was dead, and she had been greatly depleted.

"You're too slow," Columbia commented.

Before the battle even began, she had secretly conspired with Arecino to cooperate. She used her mental power to create a virtual world to trap the Abyss King, while Arecino seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

The Abyss Emperor never understood until his death that he had already stepped into Colombia's carefully laid trap the moment he sent three demonic minions to besiege her.

Arecino, holding the Abyss King's head in one hand, boasted, "That guy's neck was really tough! Look at my weapon, even the blade is bent. This is a special weapon forged from meteorite iron, said to be one of the hardest steels in the world, yet it took so much effort to cut off an Abyss King's neck. But then again, killing an Abyss King without lifting a finger was really satisfying! Her Majesty the Queen should give me a bonus for killing an Abyss King, right?"

After Arecino finished speaking, she noticed Columbia glaring at her with annoyance, and immediately explained, "Okay, I know I misspoke. If you hadn't trapped its consciousness, killing it wouldn't have been so easy. In a normal battle, unless I traded my life for its own, I really wouldn't be confident in defeating it, after all, it's an Abyss Emperor."

Today's battle has been very enlightening for her. In the future, she can gradually share her combat experience with the children in the classroom at the welfare home.

Furthermore, it must be admitted that Colombia was exceptional.

She lacks powerful elemental combat techniques, yet she can weave illusions to trap and mislead her enemies—a method that is both unbelievable and terrifying. It's important to understand that battles between powerful individuals rarely last long; hundreds of rounds can occur in the blink of an eye, and even a brief moment of mental or cognitive impairment can be fatal.

Just like when she rushed towards the Abyss Emperor, only to find it standing there motionless, at her mercy.

"Columbia, your performance was amazing, really. If I had told you you had this skill, we would have sent you out first when we encountered a strong enemy. I believe the casualty rate would have been greatly reduced... Hey, say something, don't scare me. What's wrong with you?"

Arecino saw Columbia suddenly lower her head and become unresponsive.

Her first thought was that Columbia might have created another dream to prank her, so she pinched her cheek hard, and tears streamed down her face from the pain, before she realized that this was not a dream.

She rushed forward to check on Columbia's condition and confirmed that she was still alive and breathing steadily, as if she had fainted due to exhaustion.

"I was just being presumptuous. Creating dreams would be an enormous burden for you. It seems I can't send you out unless absolutely necessary."

Arecino carried her, step by step, back into the city.

After today's battle, Columbia's importance is self-evident. If used correctly, her special abilities can inflict fatal damage on enemies, especially against Abyssal creatures of the Emperor and King levels. If the tactics are well-planned, they can often achieve unexpected results.

"You and His Highness are truly a match made in heaven. You trap and disrupt the enemy, coordinating with His Highness's strongest attacks. No opponent dares to let their guard down, not even the heavens!"

Chapter 169 National Treasures

On the way back to the city, Arecino felt as light as a sack of cotton, yet as heavy as if she were carrying the most important person in the empire. Today's battle was enough to go down in history, and the person who had fainted on her back was definitely the most important executive officer in the empire. Without him...

Columbia's mental elemental combat skills can trap any enemy in an illusion. Today, even if I called over my old coachman who's about to retire and has lost three teeth, he could still chop off the head of the Abyss Emperor. All eleven executives of the Empire can be eliminated, but Columbia is indispensable.

She was in charge of the orphanage "House of Hearths," which was essentially a training ground for spies and assassins. She often told the children that when facing an enemy, they should seize every advantage to outsmart them, use words to intimidate the enemy instead of force, poison the enemy instead of using their fists, stab the enemy in the back instead of confronting them head-on, and use the strength of others to strike the enemy instead of entering the fray themselves.

If it weren't for the need to protect Columbia, even if Her Majesty the Empress had personally ordered her to engage the enemy, she would not have chosen to rush in and fight head-on. In the Empire, only one person is suited to a head-on confrontation: His Highness the Prince. When power reaches its peak, there's no need to overthink tactics in any battle. No matter what kind of demon god or emperor you are, just throw a punch first.

Columbia's role is to forcibly create a favorable condition, so that anyone who takes her into battle can win effortlessly.

Columbia is a strategic weapon of the Empire, which explains why Her Majesty the Empress, who is strict with herself and other executives, has always been lenient with her. Others would be reprimanded for the same mistake, but Columbia would be coaxed. The Empress's double standards are not because Columbia has served the Empire longer, but because of her unique and irreplaceable spiritual talent.

To put it more vividly, whoever possesses Columbia possesses a national treasure.

The other executive officers who remained at the Winter Palace arrived immediately.

Normally, they would scheme against each other and refuse to concede to one another, but today, seeing Arecino in such a disheveled state and Colombia being examined by some of the Empire's best physicians, they all looked at her with genuine awe, and even their voices were three degrees lower than usual.

The reasons for this are self-evident. None of them could have killed the Abyss Emperor if they were in his shoes. The law of the jungle, where strength reigns supreme, is a fundamental principle in the Abyss forces and a standard for gaining respect within the Winter Empire. Especially for the eleven executive officers, no matter how many praises they receive from Her Majesty the Empress or how many honorary medals they wear, none of them are as meaningful as killing an Abyss Emperor.

The second seat of the Fools, Doctor Dottore, watched the physicians intently. These masters, revered as national doctors by the empire, were sometimes not as good as him in treating some difficult and complicated diseases. However, as the executive officer, he couldn't always take over the physicians' work. Otherwise, what would be the point of the empire hiring physicians? In any case, he could wait until they were at their wits' end before taking action himself.

The imperial physicians at the Winter Palace felt increasingly pressured under Dotole's watchful eye, fearing that even the slightest mistake would lead to their reprimand. While cautious, they also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My lords, after examination, it has been confirmed that Lady [the young girl] is not physically injured, but rather her soul is damaged. She will remain unconscious for the time being, and when she awakens will depend on the recovery of her spiritual power. However, severely overdrawing her spiritual power may leave lasting effects."

Arecino slammed the knife tip into the table and threatened, "Anyone who dares to leave her with any aftereffects, I'll make him a live target for the kids to practice throwing knives! I mean what I say."

The physicians gave a bitter smile. Fortunately, they all knew that this "servant" had a terrible temper. They respectfully explained to her, "My lady, spiritual power can only recover on its own; we can't do anything about it. There are some special and precious medicinal herbs that can only help speed up the recovery of spiritual power. However, those herbs are rare treasures and extremely rare."

Arecino said anxiously, "Then what are we waiting for? Quickly prescribe the medicine!"

“My lord, it’s not that we don’t want to open it, but that we can’t. There’s a kind of elixir that nourishes the body, and it’s only found in Her Majesty the Empress’s treasury. Her Majesty is currently in seclusion, and without her permission, no one has the right to take anything from inside.”

After a moment's consideration, Arecino said loudly, "Tell me the name of the medicine, and I'll go get it. Saving lives is the priority; I'll take full responsibility for the consequences."

After the founding of the Kingdom of Winter, all the gifts sent by nobles and oligarchs from various regions and the other six kingdoms, along with the treasures collected by the Queen herself from her explorations of secret realms and forbidden lands, were stored in the treasury next to the Winter Palace.

That treasure vault was unguarded for years, with not even a lock on the gate, yet it was one of the safest places in Winterlands and the entire Teyvat continent, and even the most skilled thieves and bandits dared not covet it.

Because the owner of the treasure vault is the powerful and ruthless Ice Queen.

The Queen once said that she could find anything lost from the treasury, and the thief would be punished by the gods. No one doubted the warning of a deity.

Within the Kingdom of Zhidong, the Empress only gave away a portion of the treasures as rewards to her subordinates. Anyone else wishing to obtain anything from the treasures had to obtain her permission in advance. Taking anything without her permission was punishable by death.

The physician continued to dissuade her, saying, "My lady, you must not. The elixir is only an auxiliary medicine with limited effects; the main recovery depends on the young lady's own abilities. If you take the medicine without permission, His Majesty will be furious and punish you. Unless we obtain His Majesty's permission, we would rather die than reveal the name of the elixir."

Columbia's actions would also implicate the doctors, since they were the ones who provided the information first.

[Doctor] Doutore sneered: "Nonsense! You think Arecino's status isn't high enough? Would adding me be enough? I'll go to the treasury with her."

Standing to the side, the self-absorbed "Lady" Rosalyn argued forcefully, "Arechino, look how pathetic you are, even the doctor looks down on you. I'll give you a little face out of pity."

After saying that, he and Dotole came up behind her.

Rosalind and Alegino have always had a strained relationship, and she never misses an opportunity to verbally attack the other. However, in this matter, she supports Alegino's actions. Colombia has made tremendous contributions; anyone who allows her to suffer lasting consequences is a sinner in history.

Although I am utterly disappointed with this terrible world, personal grievances must give way to the greater principles, and there can be no ambiguity when it comes to matters of principle.

Chapter 170 Obtaining Medicine

The idle "Young Master" D'Artagnan squatted by the hospital bed, idly braiding Columbia's hair into pigtails. He said with interest, "My little sister has been incredibly envious of Columbia's hair ever since she saw it last time. She even wants to invite her over to ask for advice on growing long hair. Can anyone tell me, are girls all precocious from a young age?"

"And look at my younger brother, all he does is brag about His Highness the Prince's legendary deeds all day long, saying he'll surpass His Highness in the future. I scolded him a few times, and that kid got all red in the face and threatened to cut ties with me. He's hopeless. Sigh, whether it's Columbia or His Highness the Prince, I won't stand idly by if either of them gets hurt. If I don't do my part today, my younger brother and sister will kick me out when I get home."

The fifth executive officer, "Rooster" Puchnera, with his pointed ears and hooked nose, displayed his sharp tongue and mercilessly mocked everyone: "Heh, now you're all pretending to be good people. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Colombia is exceptionally talented, and her mental abilities are unpredictable; even the Abyss Emperor isn't immune to her, so you're all rushing to curry favor with her, right? You're all old foxes, so stop pretending to be big shots."

Arecino crossed her arms and snorted, "If you want to help, then help. Don't put it so harshly."

Puccina raised her cane high, pointing it rudely at the doctors, and said with a veiled smile, "The housing benefits you and your families enjoy are funded by the city's budget. I am formally informing you that if Colombia leaves any aftereffects, not only will your housing benefits be affected, but all your job allowances, children's education subsidies, and all other benefits will be canceled. Oh, and by the way, the new pension benefits that His Highness proposed will also be canceled."

"As you know, I, as mayor, have this kind of power. Tsk tsk, I must say, power is truly a wonderful thing; no wonder everyone dreams of getting promoted and making a fortune."

Captain Capitano, who had just returned from a business trip to Nata yesterday, was invited to a restaurant by several of his old subordinates in the afternoon. He used to decline these gatherings, but ever since Grand Master Falgar of Mondstadt died on an expedition, he had completely changed his mind. In this damned world, who can guarantee they'll live to be a hundred? Every meeting with friends is one less time to spend together, so why not take advantage of the time before he dies and call up his friends for a good drink?

At this moment, he rubbed his stomach and hiccuped as he said, "Dottore, Rosalind, D'Artagnan, Puccinella, who do you think you are? Men, tie up the physician and torture him! He'll be released when he tells us the name of the elixir."

"Nonsense!"

[The Clown] Piero emerged from the shadows, his sharply defined face suppressing his anger. With his hands behind his back, he spoke in his usual hoarse yet magnetic voice: "The rules set by His Majesty must be enforced, and the fact that the Winter Palace Treasury is sacred and inviolable must be respected."

The doctors, feeling immense pressure, seemed to have grasped at a straw as if they were drowning. Wiping the sweat from their brows, they flattered, "It is indeed the Commander-in-Chief who knows the importance of things."

But they immediately heard Piero's next sentence.

"Fellow physicians, I am their elder brother, and I shall bear the blame for trespassing on the treasure vault. Please tell me, what kind of elixir is it?"

The doctors trembled, their faces pale. They had never seen the executives so united. Undermining each other and kicking someone when they were down was the true nature of this group.

However, if they can withstand the pressure from one executive in Arecino, they can withstand the pressure from the others; there's not much difference between one and several.

It was clearly stated just now that Lady Columbia, the "young girl," might suffer from long-term effects, or she might not. Yet, the important figures present seem to be possessed, knowingly defying His Majesty's wishes. Do they truly believe that the law can be applied to everyone? Before the Prince took office, Winterfell was already the second most powerful nation after Liyue, thanks to its strict laws.

More than a decade ago, one of the Queen's uncles committed a serious crime by indiscriminately killing innocent people. His children went to the palace and pleaded for a pardon, but instead were severely reprimanded.

Finally, the Queen's uncle was beheaded in accordance with the law, officially establishing the supreme status of the law in the Winter Kingdom. Having paid such a huge price, it was impossible to allow a few officials to trample on the authority of the law.

If the officials were to actually go and retrieve the medicine today, Her Majesty the Queen would surely show them leniency afterward, citing the principle of "offsetting their crimes," and punish them only slightly as a warning to others. We physicians, however, do not have the countless merits of the officials to offset our death sentences; our ultimate fate will undoubtedly be to pay with our lives.

Someone always has to take the blame and give an explanation to the outside world.

Therefore, since it was a matter of life and death, we had no choice but to adhere to our principles.

“Lord Commander, if Lady [the young lady] suffers from any aftereffects, we are of lowly status and are willing to submit to any punishment, even unto death.”

[The Clown] Piero, his expression shifting between light and shadow, said, "Columbia dislikes treating her own people cruelly. You dare to speak like this because you anticipate she won't be ruthless enough to kill you; killing you would only damage her reputation. Let's put it this way: the unusual unity among you executives might be justified by Columbia's performance in today's battle, but the deeper reason lies with the Prince. You anticipated Her Majesty the Queen's reaction, you anticipated Columbia's reaction, but why not consider His Highness the Prince's reaction?"

The doctors immediately replied, "His Highness believes that everyone is equal before the law. He is the most steadfast defender and protector of the law. He understands our predicament."