The Lord’s Mansion resembled a scaled-down version of a government palace, with various departments inside. James Reynolds’s office was located at the innermost part of the mansion.
“Lord Dragon, what brings you here?” James Reynolds walked out of a room just as Billy and him were walking, and quickly greeted him.
“Just idle and came to have a chat with you, Lord Reynolds. Hope I didn’t disturb you.” Billy responded with a smile.
James Reynolds made a gesture of invitation. “Come sit in my office!”
“Alright.” Billy nodded in response.
“How long have you been in the Polar Domain?” After they took their seats, Billy asked him.
“It’s been almost twenty years, if I recall correctly!” James Reynolds poured a cup of tea for Billy.
“If I’m not mistaken, you should be from the Reynolds Sect, right?” Billy took a sip from the teacup.
“Hmm?” James Reynolds was slightly surprised. “How did you know?”
“A few years ago, I spent two or three months there. When I saw you make a move, I vaguely recognized the shadow of Reynolds Sect’s techniques.” Billy replied with a faint smile.
“You’ve been to Reynolds Sect too?” James Reynolds was surprised again.
“Yes!” Billy nodded. “During those three months, I had the privilege of learning a lot of exclusive techniques from the master.”
“Ah? I heard that the old master went into seclusion ten years ago. How did you get to meet him?” James exclaimed.
“I spent most of those three months at his seclusion, so only a few people from inside the sect know that I’ve been there.” Billy chuckled.
This was arranged by the old master of Ether Mountain.
“I see!” James Reynolds finally understood. He couldn’t help but be amazed; to receive such special treatment from the old master of Reynolds Sect, there was probably no one else except Lord Dragon.
“Lord Reynolds, after so many years in the Polar Domain, you should be quite familiar with this place, right?” After setting down his teacup, Billy changed the subject.
“I wouldn’t say I’m particularly familiar. After all, there are still many places in the Polar Domain that no one has ever set foot in.” James Reynolds responded.
“I see!” Billy nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and continued to ask, “So many countries have sent people here at great cost. Besides the natural resources here, there must be other reasons, right?”
He had asked Emperor Greenleaf about this before, but the emperor didn’t reveal too much at the time. So Billy was a bit curious.
“I don’t have much knowledge about this!” James Reynolds responded. “But most countries allocate their elite forces to the Central Domain, so even if there are things like what you mentioned, they should be in the Central Domain.”
“I understand!” Billy nodded in response.
“By the way, I heard that there are a few very special places in the Central Domain.” James Reynolds seemed to remember something. “Several countries have sent Saint Realm experts to investigate, including we, Glavale. But until today, no one has come out from inside. Those people disappeared as if they never existed. As time went on, no one dared to venture in anymore!”
“Hmm?” Billy was slightly surprised. “Hasn’t there been any news coming out from there?”
“None.” James Reynolds shook his head.
“Are there any rumors about those places in the outside world?” Billy continued to ask.
“There is very little information available, and there are also very few rumors!” James Reynolds shook his head again. “The only rumor I heard was that those places might be the birthplaces of martial arts, and inside, there might be the legacies of truly peerless experts. It is said that if someone can successfully obtain the legacies inside, they would be able to dominate the entire planet! But this is only a rumor with low credibility, after all, no one has come out from inside, so we don’t know what’s inside.”
“I see.” Billy nodded thoughtfully.
After chatting for a while, Billy took his leave.
…
The next morning, Billy and his group, led by Ernest Shepherd and Otis Hum, headed towards the ice cave.
“Lord Dragon, according to the rules of the Global Martial Arts Competition, the top three ranked countries are eligible to send people into the Ice Cave.” Ernest Shepherd spoke as the car began to drive.
“So, this time, Northfortia and Aquilandia will also send people inside. And no one knows what will happen inside that ice cave, so you must be careful when you go in!”
“Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Elder Shepherd.” Billy replied with a nod.
“By the way, I heard that the Princess of Aquilandia will also be entering the ice cave this time.” Ernest Shepherd remembered. “With her presence, the people from Aquilandia shouldn’t cause any trouble. That’s good for you, Lord Dragon.”
“Uh…” Azure Dragon’s mouth twitched slightly. “That’s not necessarily true.” He couldn’t help but think about what happened in Snow Dragon City a few days ago, where the son of Aquilandia’s Grand Commander had his arm severed. Even if Princess Eligina wouldn’t cause trouble, no one could guarantee that other people from Aquilandia wouldn’t make sneaky moves behind their backs.
“What do you mean?” Ernest Shepherd asked, slightly perplexed.
“It’s nothing,” Billy replied with a smile. To him, Aquilandia was never a concern. Even without the incident in Snow Dragon City, he wouldn’t place his trust in people from Aquilandia. In that special environment, the only people he could trust were his trusted fellows by his side.
“Elder Shepherd, do you know who Northfortia has sent this time?” asked Harleen.
“I haven’t been able to find out yet,” Ernest Shepherd shook his head and added, “But I heard that a martial art genius who has been hidden for many years in Northfortia has recently arrived in the Polar Domain. He should be leading the Northfortia team entering the ice cave.”
“Why do we keep hearing about these hidden geniuses?” White Tiger interjected.
“Last time at the Global Martial Arts Competition, the one called Thomas, who was slain by boss, was said to be the number one young talent of Northfortia.”
“That’s just on the surface!” Otis Hum chimed in. “Every country has hidden talents, not just young geniuses, but also old veterans. These are a country’s secret weapons that they won’t easily reveal to outsiders. Just like Glavale, it’s hard for people from other countries to know how much potential we have!”
“Alright.” White Tiger shrugged his shoulders.
“The same goes for Veridiania,” Otis Hum continued. “The one called Hadden Geis, who was killed by Lord Dragon, was said to be the strongest in Veridiania. But who can guarantee that there are no stronger people in Veridiania than him?”
“Agreed!” White Tiger and the others nodded in agreement.
Around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, the group arrived at the designated meeting point, at the foot of a snow-covered mountain.