Ashen Dragon

On the stone walls flanking the hidden passage, there were not carvings of the Northern Nobility's design, but rather some murals.

These were drawn with some unknown red pigment, using the simplest lines to portray scenes brimming with primal vitality and intense strength.

In these pictures, one could see Frost Giants wielding weapons, a horn, humans, a blizzard...

According to later investigations by court scholars, these murals were a way for the Val Barbarians to record history, and Oliver, being a descendant of the Val Barbarians, knew this well.

Clearly, the murals within the tomb also used this primitive form to record some true story.

"Frost Giants, a horn, blizzards..."

"This is..."

Duke Oliver murmured to himself, as if the story seemed familiar to him.

He continued walking along the hidden passage, eventually arriving at the end, a secluded burial chamber.

Inside, there were no luxurious burial items, only a large horn placed there.

The horn appeared to be made from a leg bone, its slightly yellowed surface glistening, etched with bold and grand runes, reminiscent of an artifact from an ancient, wild era. From the gaps of these runes, a chill emanated that invoked a feeling of an ice-cold abyss.

It seemed less like a horn and more like a dormant glacier.

Seeing the horn, Duke Oliver was initially stunned, soon followed by sheer delight.

He finally understood, the generational story was indeed real.

"The Eternal Frost Horn."

Duke Oliver murmured, pronouncing the name.

The Norton Family claimed their ancestor was a Frost Giant.

Back then, there wasn't a Norton surname yet, and this Frost Giant bore the tribal name "Everfrost," Gahe Everfrost.

This Frost Giant couldn't endure the desolate environment of the glacial plateau and sought powerful strength. Seizing an opportunity when his tribesmen were out hunting, he killed the guard of the Holy Land and stole the relic capable of controlling frost and snow—the Eternal Frost Horn.

He blew the horn, and an endless blizzard severed the path behind him, allowing him to escape his pursuers and reach the warmer South.

In the area of Stormy Ridge in the South, the naturally large and strong Frost Giant became the mightiest warrior, conquering the entire barbarian tribe by force and founding the Var Tribe, thus passing down the bloodline of the Frost Giants to the present day.

But it was said that when the horn was blown again, Frost Giants from the Far North Great Glacier would hear the ancestor's call, chase down the rebel's descendants, and at all costs, retrieve the relic by heading South.

"Damn Red Dragon, since you won't let me live peacefully—"

"Then bear the wrath of the Frost Giants! I'll drag you all to the grave with me!"

Grand Duke Oliver stared at the massive horn, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

These Frost Giants, known as the Everfrost Tribe, came from the Vaar Glacier at the northernmost tip of Anzeta, a place called the Icebound Forbidden Land. Every now and then, they would raid the South with accompanying blizzards. However, the interval wasn't fixed; it might be years, decades, or even centuries.

Sixty years had passed since the last Frost Giants raided the South in the "Frost Calamity." That calamity caused tremendous losses to the Northern Countries, with several cities destroyed and tens of thousands killed or injured, ultimately rendering Stormy Ridge a forbidden zone for humans.

In other words, Duke Oliver held the key to another "Frost Calamity."

As long as he blew the horn, he could unleash a catastrophe that would engulf the entire North.

But reflecting on blowing the horn, knowing his own life would be at peril, Duke Oliver's face again showed hesitation.

He valued his life greatly and wouldn't risk it unless driven to the brink.

And this time, Duke Oliver seemed to see a turn in events.
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"Perhaps, I can use the Eternal Frost Horn to threaten the Ashen Kingdom to maintain the Principality of Norton's status."

"I might even gain more benefits, enhancing my position."

"First, let's take it in hand."

With this thought, he attempted to touch the surface of the bone horn, but failed to notice the bleeding wound on his hand.

"Vroom——"

A heavy humming sound rang out; the horn was blown directly!

This was indeed the bloodline relic of the Frost Giants!

The sound, like a battle cry from ancient times, mingled with the howl of a snowstorm, echoed across the Anzeta Great Wilderness.

At that moment, the runes flashed with blinding cold light, resonated with the Frost Giants' bloodline, and transmitted the immense frost power from the Progenitor of Frost Giants to his body, filling Duke Oliver with inexhaustible strength.

Through those cold lights, he seemed to see wars between Giants and Dragons of ancient times, those towering Frost Giants blowing the horn, summoning endless wind and snow, turning the Red Dragons in the sky into ice sculptures.

To Oliver, this was both an ancient history and a prophecy of the future—with such power, he might truly stand against the giant dragons.

"This, this power..."

"It's unbelievable."

Duke Oliver opened his fingers, a chilling stream mixed with snow fragments flowing from between them.

When he clenched his fist again, an ice cone had formed before him.

A glaring cold light appeared in Oliver's pupils, and runes flickered ceaselessly across his body. His body suddenly swelled to over four meters tall, and his skin turned glacial blue.

At this moment, he was like the master of frosty calamities, even able to control glaciers and summon blizzards out of thin air.

This sudden boon filled him with unparalleled confidence, making him understand how his ancestor had conquered the entire barbarian tribe.

"I can't fathom why the ancestor hid this secret."

"It's so wonderful."

Oliver suddenly burst into wild laughter.

With his laughter, howling wind and snow surrounded him, growing increasingly intense.

"From now on—"

"I need no support at all!"

"Neither the Ashen Kingdom nor the Boske Duchy, the entire North, and all of Anzeta will tremble under this power! Here will be my empire!"

"I am the blizzard! I am the scourge!"

The ice cone pierced the ground, creating a deep fissure in the earth. Duke Oliver, now almost indistinguishable from a true Frost Giant, rode the ice storm and flew out with a sudden leap.

"This, this is."

Oliver's trusted aides were all stunned, rooted in place, unsure of how to react.

But they were soon turned into ice sculptures in the howling wind and snow.

"These mortal lives are like ants to me now."

"Fleeting."

Oliver coldly glanced at the ice sculptures, with not the slightest bit of remorse for his once-loyal subordinates, nodding with satisfaction instead.