Hero? Are You Worthy?
Chapter 720 - 504 Mother-in-Law Sees Son-in-Law ( - 2, 4000 words)_2

Chapter 720: Chapter 504 Mother-in-Law Sees Son-in-Law (Chapter 2, 4000 words)_2

Antasia gasped lightly and quickly drifted towards the direction of the royal palace; normal walking was no longer possible here.

Qin Chu didn’t say much, just followed closely behind.

The snow hindered everyone’s speed.

After about half an hour, the royal palace of the Ice Duchy finally appeared in front of them.

The palace did not appear too luxurious; in comparison, a viscount’s manor in the empire might even be more splendid.

The palaces where the heroes resided were several times larger than the royal palace... Undoubtedly, this palace was also buried in snow, but compared to other places, it seemed slightly more lively.

Some magicians in thick white mink coats were struggling to maintain protective shields as they flew above the palace.

Each of these magicians had several storage rings on their hands, likely filled with firewood collected from other places to warm the residents within the royal city.

It was a considerably large workload.

If this were in the empire, making noble magicians perform such tasks would probably earn one a fireball to the face, but for the magicians of the Ice Duchy, there were not any complaints.

A magician noticed the movement on the ground and, after closing the distance through the falling snow, finally recognized Antasia’s figure. A look of ecstasy immediately appeared on his face, and he hurried over, "Princess, when... when did you return?"

Undoubtedly, the Meisfield family possessed considerable ruling power within the duchy and was highly respected by the kingdom’s residents.

"It’s Lord Joyce," Antasia recognized the magician, too, and a strained smile appeared on her face: "I just returned. You all have been working hard during this time."

Joyce shook his head vigorously: "Working hard? We are faring much better compared to the ordinary residents."

"All of us court magicians always remember that our current strength was nurtured by the royal family."

"It was the royal family who selected us from ordinary households and granted us the opportunity to learn magic. Now is our time to give back."

Joyce seemed to have been busy for a long time, and the signs of exhaustion were clearly visible on his face, with his eyes deeply sunken and surrounded by dark circles, yet he had not stopped his current tasks.

Both the Exeter Kingdom and the Ice Duchy were more enlightened compared to the empire, aware of the dire conditions of their location.

The Meisfield family, holding the power of the duchy, always had a family precept: they would do everything to nurture their own members, but also pick talented individuals from the populace to learn magic and fighting energy, to cultivate as many experts for the Ice Duchy as possible.

It was this method that allowed the number of magicians and fighters per capita in the Ice Duchy to far exceed that of the empire. Although the national power was weak, they could still withstand the frenzied attacks of demons from one direction.

After a brief exchange, Joyce’s gaze turned somewhat suspicious as he looked at Qin Chu and the others.

"These are my friends, coming here to help," Antasia simply explained, "Take me to see my parents."

Joyce nodded without hesitation and quickly led Antasia and her group into the palace, directly to a side hall... His Majesty was working there.

In Joyce’s view, the person enduring the greatest pressure and fatigue during this period was not the magicians or fighters below but His Majesty.

Since the disaster struck, His Majesty had not closed his eyes for so long, with too many matters needing attention.

In the side hall, an old man with white hair and beard was bent over working.

On the left, there was a tall woman with ice blue hair similar to Antasia’s, and a similar face, but her hair seemed to have been neglected for a long time, slightly disheveled.

Her clothes also seemed to have not been changed for a long time, some areas were even damaged without her noticing.

On both sides, a large number of clerical staff were busily clicking away on abacuses... yes, abacuses, which were said to have been invented by someone a thousand years ago and were very popular.

Qin Chu seriously suspected that this device might also be the legacy of a preceding transmigrator.

The distribution of food, warming firewood, and clothing all required detailed calculations.

For the leaders of a country, it wasn’t enough to rush food, clothes, or firewood to a crisis area immediately. As the king of the duchy, their responsibility was to coordinate the entire kingdom’s resource allocation, aiming to save as many lives of their citizens as possible.

Clearly, this was no simple task.

Though it was cold, there was only one stove in the side hall, where charcoal burned into a crimson color, occasionally cracking, providing some warmth.

Seeing her parents’ worn-out appearance, Antasia felt a pang of heartache.

"Father... Mother..."

As her parents had not noticed her presence, Antasia finally couldn’t help but softly bite her lip and spoke in a gentle voice.

Focusing entirely on their work, both parents shuddered slightly and almost simultaneously lifted their heads when they caught sight of Antasia, her mother’s face immediately turning deathly pale, "Antasia, you... you... why have you come back, who let you come back?"

"Didn’t I tell you that the matters here are manageable between your father and me?"

This woman did not rejoice at her daughter’s return; instead, she fell into a panic.

The father bore a mixed expression of joy and sorrow.

Antasia was their only daughter, how could they not miss her?

But... given the current state of the Ice Duchy, they would rather that their daughter stayed in the empire, in the safety of the Hero, rather than perishing with the Ice Duchy under the snow.

Antasia’s lips trembled slightly as she bit them, her cheeks etched with sadness, "It doesn’t matter? But what I see doesn’t seem to match what you’re telling me..."

"The duchy is almost buried in snow, how is that alright?"

Antasia’s parents were momentarily speechless, somewhat afraid to meet their daughter’s gaze.

Seeing her parents’ forlorn faces, Antasia felt heartache and sniffled forcefully, her face forcing a weak smile as she pulled Qin Chu next to her to the front: "However, now you can really feel relieved."

"The catastrophe in the Ice Duchy will surely pass safely. Oh, allow me to introduce, this gentleman’s name is Qin Chu, the Sky Dome Continent’s Second Generation Brave Warrior."

In an instant.

For a moment, Qin Chu could feel countless gazes converging on him.

In the entire side hall, all the people who were working, even Joyce who brought Qin Chu and Antasia here.

Second Generation Brave Warrior, Qin Chu?

Though remote, the tales of the Second Generation Brave Warrior were known by these people. It was said he surpassed the First Generation Brave, with an extraordinarily rapid increase in strength, successively killing the Demon Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince.

He even killed the Prince of Oville Empire, defeated a slew of the Holy Court experts, forcibly took the Pope’s position, and subsumed the Earth Mother Goddess Sect.

Now, on the Sky Dome Continent, this Second Generation Brave Warrior essentially holds the highest status and greatest power.

Well, as various rumors spread, changes inevitably occur, which is normal.

But, one undeniable fact was the immense strength of the Second Generation Brave Warrior.

If it really was the Second Generation Brave Warrior, Qin Chu, perhaps he could resolve the Ice Duchy’s catastrophe?

Where previously there was only gloom in people’s eyes, now there clearly surfaced a flicker of hope.

In the side hall, heavy breathing could be distinctly heard.

Although the fierce gazes made Qin Chu feel a bit uneasy, the most unsettling stare actually came from another direction.

Antasia’s mother.

That look was enough to give Qin Chu goosebumps.

It was decidedly the look of a mother-in-law sizing up her son-in-law, right?