Chapter 517: The Avatar of the Cold Winter

With its strong economic power and the backing of true gods, the magic coins issued by Dalaran have become a well-known equivalent among high-value currencies. Many large-scale transactions now use these magic coins, making commercial activities much more convenient. Even thousands or tens of thousands of gold sols can be carried around easily.

Dalaran magic coins are divided into three grades. All have the emblem of the Merlin family on the obverse, while the reverse side features the lowest-grade bronze magic coins used by merchants and adventurers. One such coin is worth about 100 gold sols and can store the magic energy required for a third-level spell.

Above that are the blue-gold magic coins and the silver magic coins. The former can store the magic energy needed for a fifth-level universal spell, while the latter are less common. Both come with powerful spells above level seven that can be cast by any spellcaster, and each is worth at least tens of thousands of gold sols.

Since the Divine Kingdom Trials program began, the commercial districts in the town have been packed. Realizing the lack of space, Dalaran’s high-ranking officials came up with a solution: they built wooden fences in the vacant area south of the town, at the border with Windbell Village, and established a large free market for the trial participants returning from the Divine Kingdom and various merchants to trade freely. Dalaran only charges a copper coin as a booth management fee.

Next to the booth near the market entrance, a man dressed as a farmer was talking to a man of similar age who seemed to be a cart driver.

“Have you heard? That kid, Arno from Old Carpenter’s family, went through the Divine Kingdom Trials and brought back a third-level magical beast. He made at least dozens of gold sols—now Old Carpenter can live in comfort. That money will be enough for his family to get by for years!”

“I know about it. Just dozens of gold sols. We commoners in Dalaran are already richer than people in other places. As long as we work hard, we won’t lack food or clothing, even without such extra income. Back in those other territories, our family was so poor we couldn’t even afford a decent wife for the boy!”

“Yes! We owe it all to the great Nature Guardian. At first, Old Carpenter was desperate because his son Arno didn’t want to inherit his craft and wanted to join adventurers. He was so frustrated he almost committed suicide. But now Arno has succeeded—he’s now a full member of the Adventurers’ Guild. I wonder when our own kids can achieve the same success!”

Whether in the Free Market of Dalaran or in the United Kingdom’s territories far across the New World, countless people were discussing the development of the Kingdom of Azeroth. If someone asked and didn’t know the name Azeroth, they would surely be laughed at for their lack of knowledge. A month into the kingdom’s development plan, the results were remarkable—even Donald’s own number of followers and their devotion had increased, which was a cause for celebration among the other gods. However, with the faith power stolen from 100,000 orcs, Donald didn’t place much importance on these additional gains. As Dalaran thrived, the opening of the once-every-century passage to the Ruins of Oblivion was approaching. About a dozen days before the passage opened, the King of the North, as expected, successfully formed his own avatar and took control of the core of the Kingdom of the Winter Wolves, separating it from the Kingdom of Truth. Although this kingdom held considerable value for Donald himself, it wasn’t very useful. Yet giving it to his ally, the King of the North, was undoubtedly a good investment. The King of the North’s avatar appeared as a knight clad in ice armor, wielding a long spear forged from ice, with the secondary artifact, the Sword of Glory, slung across his back. Visually, it was far more magnificent than his true form. A layer of pale blue icy light surrounded this avatar, making it look beautiful, but in reality, it was a terrifying existence. Any mortal who came into contact with it would be corroded by the icy light and instantly frozen into shards of ice by the power of extreme cold, with not even their souls able to escape such freezing. Knowing the King of the North well, Donald immediately recognized that his avatar utilized the powers of the Godhood of Winter. The King of the North possessed three godhoods: the Guardian of the North, Winter, and the North Wind—all of which were not powerful combat godhoods. Among them, Winter was the most aggressive. Since this journey was for adventure and battle, Charlie chose the godhood best suited for combat to create his avatar. “The Godhood of Winter? A wise choice!” Hearing Donald’s praise, Charlie smiled slightly before storing his avatar within the kingdom. “How much time remains before the passage opens?”

Releasing an avatar is merely to show up and say hello to Donald. After all, an avatar located outside the divine kingdom is subject to the rules of the main world and must constantly expend divine power to resist their suppression and constraints. But inside the divine kingdom, there are no such restrictions—the avatar is part of him, and once created, it exists there without any consumption of energy at all.
“No need to rush. There are still over ten days, enough time for us to prepare.”
The King of the North nodded. After obtaining the divine kingdom, the next step was to ascend to the throne.
“I plan to start striving to become a lower god right after this adventure to the Ruins of Oblivion.”
Upon hearing this, Donald thought for a moment before analyzing, “Prince Charlie has a solid foundation in power and is ready to ascend his divine kingdom. However, the upper realms are vast and boundless—so many areas. Have you thought about where you want to establish your divine kingdom?”
“I haven’t had time to consider that much…”
“I believe that as true gods of Celt, you and I should establish our divine kingdoms in nearby areas. Since we are both true gods of the neutral faction, places like Paradise Mountain, a land of supreme goodness, or regions like the Land of Chaos and the Planes of War, which lean toward chaos and evil, are not suitable. Nor should our divine kingdom realms be too far from those of our three allies, the Mysterious Lady. Therefore, I think the empty area between the Mirror of Bliss and the Wilds of Freedom is the best choice!”
The King of the North nodded in agreement but also raised his own doubts.
“Prince Donald is right, but that area is on the edge of the region occupied by the neutral gods, and it’s rather remote and vast. It won’t be easy for our two divine kingdoms to take root there!”
Donald understood this and continued, “I believe the larger the space, the better. If you don’t believe me, Prince Charlie, you can come with me!”
With that, Donald led Charlie’s avatar into his own divine kingdom.
This wasn’t because Charlie didn’t trust Donald or was worried that his true body might lose most of its ability to resist under the rules once it entered Donald’s divine kingdom. It was necessary to do so.
Because before ascending to the throne, a god must keep his divine kingdom dependent on his true body. Entering another true god’s divine kingdom or an independent plane at that time would cause widespread spatial interference and even lead to the collapse of the plane. Thus, the King of the North could only use his avatar to enter Donald’s divine kingdom.
Not every newly risen god has Donald’s luck of becoming the master of a high-tier artifact like the Book of Truth.