"... yes, Your Royal Highness. But about the trade in goods at Frozen Waterport..."
In the middle of Dmitry's words, he suddenly stopped.
The young man with a straight back and a stern expression frowned slightly, looking at the decadent old man with a thin body.
"What about Annan?"
Seeing old Merlin come back by himself, Dmitry asked plainly.
His deep ice blue pupils are like the frozen sea. Can't see the slightest emotion.
Elizabeth knew that this was the talent of Winter's direct blood...it was called the Heart of Winter.
It's a testament to the cold-blooded ladies' blood running through them.
The Duchy of Winter is a country where the winter year and the harvest year alternate. Just like the underground city-state, the old grandmother can unconsciously transform the surrounding ecology on a large scale just by existing.
The old grandmother is a righteous god with two forms.
When he was awake, he was a beauty with icy muscles and blue eyes, three meters tall, with frosty hair reaching the ground. The old grandmother in this form is the god of tradition—whether she gave birth to the Bloodline of Winter, established the Principality of Winter, taught her young offspring, helped the current Grand Duke handle government affairs, presided over domestic ceremonies and activities, and even took care of the children and grandchildren. Marriage, birth, and funeral ceremonies are all His actions at this time.
Just like an immortal grandmother... She has the absolute right to speak within the family and is extremely active. When the old grandmother is awake, everyone will be more respectful to the Lin Dong family - because behind them there is a righteous ancestor who protects their shortcomings, is strong and has excellent abilities.
This is why He is affectionately called "Grandmother". Because this habit of caring for offspring and loving children is not limited to his own blood... He also often gives some gifts to obedient and lovely children, or likes to mediate family conflicts of others. At this time, the Principality of Lingdong was called "The Year of Harvest" by the people of Lingdong.
However, because of her habit before she became a god, the old grandmother has the habit of falling into the "Dragon Sleep" with an unknown time from time to time.
At that time, He will turn into a giant dragon with a height of 100 meters when he is lying down.
That is a height of more than thirty floors.
At this time, He is the God of Frost.
His breath will whip up a never-ending blizzard. This blizzard can serve as a barrier to protect the Duchy of Winter from the gray mist when the old grandmother is in Dragon Sleep, and it can also be used as a barrier against foreign invaders.
But this blizzard will also cause the already cold temperature in the Duchy of Winter to drop sharply. Some newborns and old people will freeze to death at this time, wild crops and weak ordinary beasts cannot survive, and even trees will fall into "hibernation" that lasts for several years or more than ten years.
Even those superhumans who died in the blizzard would not have nightmares—because even the curse would be frozen and become part of the blizzard. The Winter people will call this cycle the "winter year".
Inside large cities, there can also be constant temperature barriers arranged by wizards, greenhouse crops made, and food crops imported from other countries through underground passages. And in those villages, only those powerful hunters and warriors can go out against the snowstorm, in the woods, in the snowfield, or in the sea, to hunt the same frost beasts that can survive the snowstorm for the villagers.
These frost beasts are mutated monsters that have been submerged in the cursed blizzard for a long time. They rely on curses to eat, so when humans are locked in the city by a blizzard, they can reproduce in large numbers-once the number gathers to a certain level, they will attack the human gathering area.
But those who have the blood of winter can tame and command these frost beasts in winter. This is also the fundamental reason why the Winter family cannot be replaced.
Yes.
They are also believers of the old grandmother... and his children and grandchildren.
After all, this is the part of the old grandmother as a dragon, and the influence on the beasts in Wyrmrest.
This is the reason why the Lindong family is called the "Wolf King" and uses the white wolf as the family emblem-the frost beast with the largest number is the "group species" with the appearance of a "wolf".
But one thing to point out is that frost beasts are not attacking humans because they are thirsty for blood... They are special species similar to elemental life and do not need to eat meat.
They just long for "love".
But it's not just love either.
Hope, compassion, loyalty, joy... Frostbeasts have the ability to devour positive emotions. But the Frost Beast itself has no emotion, nor much wisdom.
So they will follow their instincts, find humans by smell, attack humans, and devour their emotions—but they will not show mercy to humans who "produce food."
After encountering an attack, humans often don't have much positive emotion... This will make the frost beast more irritable and look for the next gathering point.
Only other Frost Beasts, the "Hand of Winter" who do not have positive emotions, and humans with the talent of the Heart of Winter can not be attacked by Frost Beasts. In the frost beast's perception, the humans of the Winter family are a kind of "humanoid kind", and they are their superior species. So they will instead give loyalty to these "kinds" they meet.
Then they will be arrested and included in the army. The domesticated frost beasts can achieve a symbiotic comrade-in-arms relationship with the soldiers—they have learned to "keep a bite" and will not directly gnaw their partners to despair.
And the Heart of Winter is not just a talent used to tame frost beasts.
It allows the holder to have a certain sense of immortality.
Once the damage received exceeds the limit, the damage will be transmitted to the old grandmother, and she will bear it on her behalf; if she is awake, she can find it immediately, and even if she is in a deep sleep, once she has suffered too much... will gradually wake up.
If you want to kill the Winter family, you can only use the frost element. This is the "family law" reserved by the old grandmother for herself - after all, he is the god of tradition.
But as we all know, all the golden-rank transcendents who have awakened the elements of frost and cold were born in the Duchy of Winter.
Therefore, it is almost impossible to kill people from the Winter family.
I can only tie my hands and feet and throw it into the sea, or tie it up and throw it into the basement... When it can't bear it, it will die by itself.
In addition, the Heart of Winter can also make the holder have a cold and indifferent heart.
The Winter family has to endure the eternal training of "never happy" since birth. This is to keep them from indulging in the lust of power, keep awake forever, and always act for the people.
No matter what they do, they will not be happy. So for them, only the "rules" and "traditions" learned from childhood are worth noting... They are ice kings who have acted for others since birth.
This is undeniably cruel.
But for the Duchy of Winter, which would fall into winter from time to time, only a king who is strict enough, self-disciplined, unkind, and able to endure people's resentment, cursing, and incomprehension can stably maintain the precarious public order.
The old grandmother's idea was simple.
If people need such sacrifices—then the sacrifices should be made by their own children.
This may be unfair to one's own children...but this is a "traditional" choice.
While the old grandmother was exceptionally protective of her shortcomings, she also had extremely strict requirements on her offspring. Under this kind of training, each generation of Duke Winter...even the heirs of Duke Winter are the most outstanding rulers in all countries.
They will not be lazy because of the pursuit of easy pleasure, nor arrogant because of the pleasure of superiority. They will not be flattered by the compliments of their courtiers or envoys, nor will they be tempted by beauty—for them, reproduction is just an "obligation" rather than "happiness".
With such a ruler... such a terrible and desolate country, why go to war with them
Elizabeth's thoughts are so simple and pure.
She tried her best to defuse the aftermath of the war brought about by her father... because she was afraid.
She didn't want to confront such an enemy.
This is also the main reason why the Eldest Princess is willing to let go of her figure and offer to receive Grand Duke Ivan's eldest son in person.
She didn't want her stupid siblings messing things up.
They don't understand at all... the horror of the Winter family.
"… What?"
After old Merlin whispered to Dmitri, Dmitri was stunned for a while.
He shook his head and murmured in a low voice, "Annan actually..."
"What's the matter, Your Highness?"
Elizabeth's heart tightened, and she asked nonchalantly.
Dmitry turned around.
She vaguely seemed to see a little dazedness in Dmitri's emotionless ice blue pupils
"Annan seemed to be having a good time with a lady named Cafney."
Dmitry shook his head and replied calmly: "Your brother is being rude, Your Royal Highness."
Hearing this, Elizabeth's heart moved.
"... No, Your Highness Dmitry."
She smiled sweetly, and said gently: "How about we talk... about His Royal Highness Annan?"