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

Take the newly enthroned Queen, for example; her coronation ceremony lasted three months. The Queen later admitted that she never wanted to go through it again, demonstrating the extreme complexity of the process.

There is a reason for doing so. The former Ice Queen believed that the complex ceremony held during the coronation could increase the sense of ritual and enhance the officials' sense of mission and sacredness. The new Ice Queen continued the will of the former queen.

[Young girl] Columbia has a good relationship with the lady-in-waiting, but she can't reveal it, so she can only sigh in her heart that being a etiquette officer is a very hard job.

As night fell, it began to snow heavily outside.

Inside the warm tent, [Puppet] Sandone toyed with the dangerous elemental runes in his hand, then looked up and said, "Looks like no one's coming tonight, so no one can sleep."

She nodded. "If you're sleepy, take a nap first. I'll take over the shift."

However, no one expected that the female official who told everyone in the camp about her anxiety was actually sent by the enemy. She took advantage of the guards' relaxed vigilance and secretly poisoned the water bucket.

In the middle of the night, most of the guards, servants, grooms, and the young reformist officials succumbed to the poison, foaming at the mouth and dying tragically. Of the original five or six hundred people in the camp, only a dozen or so survived.

The surviving guards immediately seized the female official who had poisoned the prince and took her to the prince's tent.

Having expelled the toxins from her body, the young girl Columbia used her divine power to listen to the sounds coming from the other side.

His Highness asked, "Why did you kill them? Did they have a grudge against you, or did I have a grudge against you?"

The female official, with disheveled hair and a dazed expression, said in a trembling voice, "They arrested my family. I really had no other choice."

His Highness asked coldly, "As a lady-in-waiting appointed by His Majesty, who would dare to kidnap your family?"

With tears streaming down her face and her eyes glazed over, the female official said, "I don't know who they are. They found me and took the keepsakes from my child and husband, as well as the pendants my parents wore... They said if I didn't do this, my family would die."

His Highness the Prince said, "Foolish! Even if you poison me, a prince, the Empress will still exterminate your entire family."

The lady-in-waiting was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but she still asked, "Your Highness, why aren't you dead? Why aren't you dead?"

His Highness lifted his sleeve, revealing his cursed body, and explained:

"The curse from the heavens is the most potent poison on the continent of Teyvat. Any other poison is child's play in comparison. To put it bluntly, I am now immune to all poisons. If you had been honest with me this afternoon, I could have saved your family, but you chose a dead end. Drag her out and use her blood to appease our brothers outside."

A guard stepped forward, grabbed her long hair, and dragged her outside the tent like a dead dog, where he beheaded her.

The captain of the guards, who was stronger and had expelled the poison himself, respectfully said, "Your Highness, please allow me to exchange clothes with you. You can wear my armor and ride into the mountains from the east side of the tent, while I will wear your clothes and lure the enemy away from the west."

His Highness picked up a longsword, his gaze resolute, and said, "By winter, there will only be princes who die in battle, not cowards who flee. Gentlemen, please follow me out to meet the enemy. As long as we hold out until dawn, the Empress's reinforcements will surely arrive."

As he spoke, he took the lead and stepped out of the tent, greatly inspiring the guards.

Upon arriving outside the tent, His Highness the Prince addressed [Puppet] Sandone:

"Her Majesty the Queen has sent you to protect me in place of Columbia, but I fear I will not survive the night. Hundreds of serfs have been brutally hunted down, and then a female official was sent to poison me. The resistance to reform is beyond imagination. If I die in battle, tell Her Majesty the Queen that for the Kingdom of Winter to become strong, serfdom must first be abolished."

"Your Highness, are you trying to get rid of me? I may be a girl, but don't underestimate me."

……

Ps:

Before I knew it, it was already so late. Something came up today and I was delayed again.

By the way, everyone's on holiday, right? Happy May Day!!

Then watch the ads and send small gifts~

Chapter 184 A Worthwhile Trip

As if making his final arrangements, the prince spoke to the puppet Sandoni:

"Second, tell her to reform the privileged class, especially her relatives, who will be a major threat to the Winter Kingdom in the future; third, reform the education system, select the virtuous and capable, and give children from poor families opportunities and space to rise; fourth, correct the extreme ideas of the eleven executives and make them give up their dangerous ideas of destroying the world."

"Fifth, internally, vigorously reorganize the military; externally, repair tense relations with the six states. Sixth, vigorously develop agriculture and the commodity economy to continuously enhance national economic strength. Seventh, strengthen cultural development and enhance national cultural identity..."

For Sandone, whose mind was entirely focused on scientific research, remembering so many reform measures was like listening to gibberish. She stuck out her tongue and said, "Your Highness, I have a bad memory. Just stay alive and go back to Her Majesty the Queen to tell her yourself. With me, the executor, here, I will definitely protect you."

After listening, His Highness remained silent and returned to his tent to write down all the reform measures he had just mentioned on a piece of paper.

[Puppet] Sandonne thought to himself, the newly appointed Prince, even without knowledge of elemental cultivation, could establish a firm foothold in Winter Solstice through his governing abilities. Winter Solstice possessed countless elite troops and valiant warriors, along with the Ice Queen and eleven executive officers; it never lacked talent for war, but it lacked a strategist capable of planning and commanding from behind the scenes, and that person seemed to be none other than His Highness the Prince.

About half an hour later, the snowflakes in the sky suddenly turned into an eerie pink.

[Puppet] Sandoni raised an eyebrow and said with a stern expression, "Just how much did they go to get you here? Captain of the Guard, protect His Highness the Prince, I'll deal with him."

On a hill not far away, a headless knight appeared, wielding a battle axe and riding a skeletal warhorse. Two pink will-o'-the-wisps emanated from his empty eyes. In an instant, the nearby ice and snow melted into water vapor that spread for hundreds of meters. The hazy mist enveloped countless small soldiers holding skeletons, creating a dreamlike yet eerie scene.

The captain of the guard and several soldiers gasped and shouted in unison:

"The Death Knight! It is said to be the strongest warrior of the undead race, corrupted by the power of the abyss. It has not appeared since it launched an invasion war two hundred years ago and was defeated by the Queen. I didn't expect it to show up today to kill His Highness the Prince. Don't be fooled by the fact that it looks like just one person. The mist around it can summon millions of skeleton soldiers."

The First Throne's primordial being, Phanes, and his four shadows defeated the seven elemental dragon kings and then created humanity on the continent of Teyvat. The vast majority of humanity evolved along the normal path, while a very small minority chose other evolutionary paths. These include the mermaid race of the ocean, the dwarf race of the caves, and the elf race of the forests, among others.

The Undead are one such race. Their ancestors combined the power of the elements, enabling them to resurrect the dead skeletons to fight for their race. Before the war between gods and demons, they had a glorious history, but after the war, they were nearly wiped out. Only a very small number of Undead survived under the leadership of their chieftain, migrating to the coldest, most desolate areas of the Winter Kingdom to multiply and live a secluded life for generations.

The most recent appearance was two hundred years ago, when the undead knight, known as the strongest warrior in his tribe, was corrupted and seduced by the power of the abyss. Ambitious, he led a million undead warriors out of the snow mountain, vowing to drive humanity out of the Winter Kingdom.

To prevent further bloodshed, the Ice Queen, following the customs of the undead, engaged in a one-on-one duel with him.

The day the great battle began, the world changed color, and the two caused thousands of small earthquakes during the battle, with avalanches of all sizes occurring continuously.

The battle lasted all day, and Her Majesty the Queen emerged victorious, forcing the undead to retreat to their original territory. The undead knight, however, survived; it is said that Her Majesty the Queen intentionally showed mercy, severely wounding him and inflicting a painful lesson on the undead.

However, [Puppet] Sandone only glanced at the undead knight before keeping his eyes fixed on the sky.

Within the leaden clouds, a man with pink wings sprouting from his back appeared and disappeared. The eerie pink snowflakes were the strange phenomenon caused by the monster in the clouds. The captain of the guard, nearly in despair, still dutifully explained to the prince, forcing a bitter smile:

"The Cloud Lords are a race of hybrids between humans and pterosaurs, born with wings on their backs, and are one of the fastest species in Teyvat. Those pink mists are actually toxins created by combining wind elements, which can paralyze the nerves of all creatures in this area."

As soon as he finished speaking, the captain of the guard felt weak all over. The hands of the guards next to him, who were less skilled than him, were limp and powerless, and their swords fell to the ground.

【Puppet】Sandonie's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she pointed a finger at the pine tree to the north. Several runes condensed into elemental balls and shot out. A ripple-like layer formed on the surface of the pine tree, which neutralized the powerful attack.

Immediately afterwards, a stunningly beautiful woman emerged from under the pine tree, gazing intently in their direction, as if praising Sandoni for discovering her perfect disguise.

She has eight octopus arms, her hair wriggles like seaweed, and in the void behind her, a vast ocean is faintly visible, with heavy water elements surging into her body from that sea.

From a distance, the woman looks as if she is carrying an ocean on her back.

The captain of the guard said weakly:

"Your Highness, she is the North Sea Siren, whose true form is a giant octopus. She frequently attacks merchant ships in the North Sea region. Her Majesty the Queen has sent large armies to hunt her down at sea several times, but she has always managed to escape. Your Highness, you guessed correctly. They spared no effort to kill you. The Undead Knight, the Cloud Lord, and the North Sea Kraken—according to intelligence, their strength is probably comparable to the top three Executors, especially that Undead Knight, who was able to fight Her Majesty the Queen for an entire day without being defeated."

His Highness, however, was very relaxed. He brandished his broadsword to loosen his slightly frozen wrists and said, "It's not that I guessed correctly, but that the enemy knew there were two executives in the camp, so they sent three assassins at the same time."

"Two executive officers?" the captain of the guard asked, puzzled.

His Highness smiled and pointed towards the tent next to him:

"Columbia, come out quickly. You can choose to run away or continue to stand by and watch. In any case, protecting the prince is the responsibility that the Queen entrusted to Sandone. Even if I am killed, the Queen will not blame you."

She sat by the fireplace listening to the prince's teasing, inwardly sighing that he still had the mind to joke when he was about to die. She sneered, "That won't do. Sandone is my friend and I won't stand by and watch her suffer the Queen's punishment. I will intervene, but not for you, but for Sandone."

After saying that, she felt uneasy, afraid that her words might hurt him.

This guy who confessed his feelings the moment we met is shameless, and he always targets me when he speaks. But the harsh reality is that the upholders of justice want him dead, and the forces within Zhidong's country want him dead even more. So, this kind of person absolutely cannot die.

She doesn't understand politics, but she knows who her friends and enemies are.

This newly appointed prince, judging from his sorrowful sitting alone on the edge of a field holding the dead child of a serf, and his setting up a temporary office camp next to the serfs' graves for reform, is someone worth protecting with his life.

His Highness laughed heartily: "Since that's the case, when the fight breaks out later, you absolutely must protect Sandone and protect me. You're a little dog."

She had just been worried about His Highness the Prince, but upon hearing this, she retorted defiantly, "Fine, you said it yourself! If the Prince dies and the Queen asks, Sandone and you will be my witnesses!"

The captain of the guards, unaware of the situation, quietly advised His Highness not to anger the "young lady," as with two executive officers present, this battle might not necessarily be lost.

[Puppet] Sandonie listened to the flirtatious banter between the two and chuckled, saying:

"Your Highness, should I tear the wings off that guy hiding in the clouds first, or chop off the hooves of the undead warrior's horse, or roast the North Sea siren over the fire and eat her? My indecisiveness is acting up again, it's so difficult. Why don't you three all go at it together?"

The seventh seat of the Fools' Clan's executive officer was never a well-behaved girl. As she spoke, her eyes instantly filled with murderous intent, and a witch-like smile appeared on her lips. Perhaps this was her true nature.

The tall and powerful autonomous mechanism carried her petite body into the sky, heading straight for the Lord of the Clouds.

At the same time, from the adjacent tent, a melodious and ethereal song drifted out. The raging blizzard on this battlefield suddenly ceased, as if isolated from the outside world by some force.

The captain of the guard and several of his men immediately fell into a coma. They were clearly not yet qualified to know who the person who often sang songs to warm the hearts of the people on cold nights was, and they fell into a deep sleep under Columbia's deliberate mental attack.

She and Sandone worked together seamlessly to fight the North Sea Queen and the Cloud Lord. Their plan was to eliminate the two weaker enemies as quickly as possible before focusing their efforts on the Undead Knight.

But the undead knight seized the opportunity and charged towards His Highness like an arrow released from a bow. The skeleton legion, howling through the mist, swept across the camp like a thousand horses crushing the enemy.

Columbia had been on guard against the undead knight's attack and was preparing to lend a hand when the white mist twisted and suddenly expanded and burst open, revealing a shocking scene.

The arrogant undead knight, along with his horse, was blocked by the prince with one hand. He was just a hair's breadth away from crashing into the prince, but he could not move forward an inch.

The humans before him stood as immovable as a mountain, or as vast as the sea, completely dissipating the force of the impact. The undead knight, on the contrary, was thrown off balance by the recoil.

Having lost his warhorse, the undead knight wielded a black lance, its tip imbued with the dark power of the abyss, and thrust it straight at his target's heart. The lance created a tremendous sonic boom in mid-air, the sound reaching villagers miles away.

His Highness, however, caught the black spear steadily with one hand, and with incredible strength twisted the spearhead and threw it at the undead knight. The domineering and fierce force pierced directly through its head.

With just a few simple moves, the prince was incredibly dashing, instantly killing the most threatening undead knight.

In an instant, the tide of battle turned.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the North Sea Demoness and the Lord of the Clouds chose to flee in panic.

Her mental storm was activated instantly, causing the enemy to experience a brief moment of mental disorientation. Sandone seized the opportunity to unleash her killing move, controlling the autonomous mechanism to blast the two bodies apart. The vast energy elements and blood mist almost dyed the entire mountain range red.

She and Sandoni executed a perfect teamwork, successfully eliminating the remaining two enemies. Returning to the camp, they found His Highness had already lit a campfire in the open space between the tents and explained:

"During the days I was recuperating, I absorbed the divine power that the Queen had injected into my body and successfully mastered the technique of using divine power. In addition, the undead knight had fought against the Queen and his injuries were still very serious. He was far from being in his prime, which is why he was so vulnerable... Concealing his strength was to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. It's a very common tactic. Why are you two making such a fuss?"

The two women, like sheltered young ladies from a wealthy family who had never seen the world, still had expressions of surprise and confusion on their faces.

The strongest warrior of the undead race, who was able to fight Her Majesty the Queen head-on for a whole day, was by no means as weak as the Prince claimed, even though he was injured. That guy was the strongest of the three enemies, but he didn't survive three moves against His Highness the Prince.

[Puppet] Sandonne pressed, "So, before the great battle, Your Highness, when you told me 'I'm afraid I won't survive tonight,' was it also to lull the enemy into a false sense of security?"

His Highness laughed and said, "The enemy hadn't arrived yet then. I was just trying to make you worry. Ah, it's rare to have two beautiful female executives like Zhi Dong with me. I have to see how worried you are about me to make this trip worthwhile."

……

Casual conversation:

My friend video-called me late last night, inviting me to go out today, but I insisted on writing my novel. Sigh, what can I do? To keep updating, an author really has to go all out.

Also, someone left a message a couple of days ago asking me when this part of the story will end, and I can only say it will be soon.

Why did the recent chapters suddenly shift from Liyue's perspective on business warfare to Zhidong's perspective?

This way of writing serves two main purposes.