HPDBC Chapter 469 Say it again, what's so strange?
Chapter 469 Say it again, what's so strange?
The platform was bitterly cold.
Ize collapsed to the ground, her legs twitching uncontrollably.
He stared at the lifelike ice sculptures, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
Chen You walked to the nearest ice sculpture.
This is a goblin wearing a maintenance suit.
It was holding a wrench in its hand, its eyes were bulging out, and its mouth was wide open.
The transparent ice completely enveloped it, sealing away the scream that hadn't even been uttered.
A series of crisp metallic clanging sounds came from the end of the platform.
Chen You raised his head.
Twelve guards clad in heavy frost armor were marching in.
They held long spears, their helmets and visors pulled down, revealing only pairs of eyes that emitted a ghostly blue light.
A layer of frost covered the surface of the armor, which fluttered off as he walked.
Chen You's right hand hung naturally, and the Nine Revolutions Primordial Chaos Technique within his body accelerated its operation, with pure Yang spiritual energy surging through his meridians.
The group of guards looked menacing, clearly indicating they had ill intentions.
The guards stopped ten paces away from the two men.
The guard, who appeared to be the captain, raised his right hand.
"Take him down!" the captain of the guards shouted.
Two guards stepped past Chen You and strode up to Yize.
The spears were crossed, their tips pressed against Izzy's neck.
Terrified, Yize covered his head with his hands and stammered, "I...I just wanted to skip paying! I'll wash dishes! I'll wash dishes for a month!"
The captain of the guard ignored his pleas for mercy.
He took a blue crystal that emanated a chilling aura from his waist and pressed it against Izzy's chest.
A burst of blue light flashed.
A layer of frost quickly spread from Ize's chest.
Less than two seconds later, Izzy's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt halt.
He remained in the position of holding his head with his hands, turning into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
Its eyeballs rolled around in terror twice beneath the ice before freezing completely.
Chen You's hand holding the sword paused.
Isn't this punishment a bit too harsh?
No ticket purchased, yet your account is physically frozen? Were the railway management laws of the Origin Realm formulated by a tyrant?
Chen You sheathed the Jade Emperor Sword and was about to speak.
The captain of the guards turned around and faced Chen You.
He slammed one knee on the icy ground, sending ice shards flying.
Immediately afterwards, the remaining eleven guards knelt down on one knee at the same time, their spears slamming heavily into the ground.
"The Seventh Squad of the Aurora Guard welcomes Lord Sangde!" The captain's voice pierced through the mask, filled with extreme fanaticism and awe.
Chen You's lips twitched slightly.
Although this mythical title brings extremely powerful attribute bonuses, he always feels like the other person is insulting him whenever someone shouts it out loud to his face.
"Do you know me?" Chen You asked.
"Your reputation has already spread throughout the seven major cities!" The captain of the guards raised his head, his tone excited.
"Your strict judgment on art is known to everyone in the Aurora City."
"Lord of the city has been waiting for you for a long time. Please follow me."
Chen You glanced at Yi Ze, who had turned into an ice sculpture.
"How did he handle it?"
"Rest assured, sir, he is safe at the moment." The captain of the guard stood up and gestured for him to proceed.
Chen You frowned and thought for a moment, but didn't ask any more questions. He followed the guards out of the Star Track Station.
The streets of the Aurora City are wide and flat, with black non-slip metal plates paving the ground.
The buildings on both sides of the road are all made of huge blocks of ice.
Without any artificial light, the magnificent aurora borealis in the sky provided all the illumination.
The entire city was deathly silent.
Chen wandered the streets.
Every few dozen meters, you can see several ice sculptures.
There were vendors setting up stalls on the street, city guards patrolling, and even pack animals pulling carts.
They were all encased in thick, solid ice, each in a different pose.
The main city has come to a complete standstill.
The city lord's mansion is located at the highest point in the city.
It was a fortress made entirely of black metal, with spikes covering its outer walls, exuding a cold and unapproachable aura.
The captain of the guards led Chen You to the gate at the top of the fortress and bowed as he withdrew.
Chen You pushed open the heavy metal door.
There was no fire inside the main hall, and the temperature was even lower than outside.
In the center of the hall stood a huge ice crystal table, and a tall figure stood behind the table.
Her entire body was made of translucent blue crystal; she had no skin, no facial features, only a rough human outline.
A crystal-clear ice snake was coiled above her head, its tongue flicking and hissing.
"Lord Sangde," the crystal man spoke, his voice resounding directly in Chen You's mind, "I am Bingbingde, the city lord of Aurora City."
Chen You looked around, dragged over an ice sculpture chair, and sat down directly.
"Bingbingde?" Chen You crossed his legs. "Quite a unique name."
"What do you want?"
Bingbingde's voice betrayed a hint of weariness, "Aurora City is facing annihilation. I need your help."
"Tell me about it." Chen You crossed his legs.
"Three months ago, an unknown curse broke out in the city." Bingbingde pointed to the ice snake above his head. "It first appeared on the miners in the lower city."
"At first, infected people just feel thirsty. Then, they will uncontrollably stick out their tongues."
Chen You raised an eyebrow.
"They'll lick anything they can get their hands on," Bingbing continued. "Metal, ice, their companions' faces, even their own weapons."
"Over time, the infected will completely lose their minds and become monsters that only know how to lick."
"We call them... lickers."
Chen You almost choked on his own saliva.
Is this name for real?
Was the naming system for Aurora City managed by a three-year-old?
"This curse is highly contagious." Bingbingde ignored Chen You's strange expression. "As long as you are touched by the saliva of the Licking Monster, even just a drop, you will fall ill within twelve hours."
"We tried all the purification spells, and even consulted the oracle, but nothing worked."
Bingbing sighed, and the ice snake above her head also lowered its head.
"To prevent the curse from spreading to other major cities, I have ordered the Aurora City to be sealed off."
"Everyone showing symptoms was physically frozen at absolute zero."
"This is currently the only way to delay the onset of the curse."
Images of the Star Train flashed through Chen You's mind.
Ize pressed his face against the car window, his tongue and lips pressed tightly against the glass, which was at minus seventy degrees Celsius.
At the time, Chen You thought it was an accident.
In retrospect, that might have been an early symptom of the curse taking effect?
Unbeknownst to him, Ize was infected with the "licking" curse and couldn't help but lick the bulletproof glass.
The guards froze him on the platform with blue crystals, not because he had evaded the fare, but because he had become a walking source of infection.
"Did that traveler also get infected?" Chen You asked, somewhat uncertainly.
"The StarTrain is an enclosed space," Bingbing said gravely. "He must have come into contact with residual pathogens somewhere."
"Lord Sangde, you traveled with him without any unusual reactions, which proves that your strength is sufficient to resist the erosion of this curse."
Chen You didn't reply, but instead asked a question.
"What do you want me to do?"