We Agreed to Set Sail, but You Became the Ruler of the Deep Sea?

The information flashed before his eyes, causing Xia En's pupils to shrink slightly.

"Does An Bing's words contain key information about [Secret]?"

"The research center hidden underground... the frozen town... [People of Ice and Snow]..."

Xia En vaguely felt that there was a line that could connect these information together.

But he still lacked some crucial clues, which made it impossible to peek into the truth hidden in history.

And as the decryption density of [Secret] increased, Xia En could clearly feel -

An indescribable mysterious power descended on him from the dark.

This power is somewhat similar to the secret power flushing brought by [Secret Sea] when promoted, both of which are from the inside out and from the improvement of the soul.

However, compared with the gift of [Secret Sea], it seems more profound and dangerous.

It gives people the feeling of a hazy thing hidden behind the fog.

Just a glimpse of its outline will make people feel uneasy and panic.

And this just fits the concept of the so-called [Secret]!

Xia En had an epiphany in his heart.

"Is this... a gift from [Secret]?"

Just as [Storm Reaver] can take secret power from storms, [Deep Sea Devourer] can grab secret power while hunting deep-sea monsters.

The characteristic of the profession [Secret Keeper] is that it can obtain unique gifts from the process of cracking secrets.

At this time, with the increase of [Decryption Density], although the [Secret] has not been truly cracked, it still brings a lot of benefits to Shane.

A cool feeling flows through Shane's mind.

It makes his thinking more sharp and active.

-This seems to have enhanced his soul strength and mental strength to a certain extent.

It makes Shane's resistance to certain mental attacks and pollution increase, and at the same time, it will be more handy when controlling secret power.

Not only the spirit, but also his body has been baptized by this secret power.

[Comprehensive Quality: 30→31! ]

Although the increase is not too large, considering that this is only a gift from a 10% increase in [Decryption Density], it is quite considerable.

If this momentum continues, when Xia En cracks these [secrets], his own strength will be greatly improved.

The growth of strength is certainly gratifying.

But at this time, Xia En's mind is not on this aspect.

What he cares more about is the history mentioned by An Bing and its relationship with the [mystery of the demise of the Great Yan Kingdom]!

Xia En calmed down and asked.

"Are you sure... those people are the real [Black Flame Walkers], not guys disguised by others?"

An Bing nodded solemnly: "I am sure."

"Because, I once let a tribe member deliberately leave alone as bait, set a trap, and in turn captured several of them!"

"And when they were about to be captured by me, those guys chose to commit suicide without hesitation."

"I used the secret power of [freezing] to forcibly save one person's life."

"On them, I found a token that belongs exclusively to the [Black Flame Walker]."

"As for the only captive, he refused to answer my questions, and was indifferent even when I threatened to torture him."

An Bing 's expression was gloomy and he said, "In fact, this proves their identity as the Black Flame Walker."

"Who else could have that terrible willpower, unshakable loyalty, and... the complex look in his eyes when facing me except the Black Flame Walker?"

"In the end, that person also acquiesced to his identity, and when I asked him why he did that, he said-"

"[We are on the right path.]"

"[From now on, there is a crown of justice for us.]"

"After saying this, he died in front of me."

Hearing this, Shane and Joey looked at each other and could see the surprise in each other's eyes.

If it is true as An Bing said, the identity of the person who kidnapped the Ice and Snow People is the Black Flame Walker.

Then, the mastermind behind this incident seems to be about to be revealed.

The former Black Flame Walker is different from the present. They are a group of secret pathers who are absolutely loyal and absolutely obedient to the Fire King.

They will only obey the orders of the Fire King.

It is not an exaggeration to say that they are a group of death warriors.

Doesn't this mean that the order to capture the [People of Ice and Snow] came from the Fire King?

To be honest, Xia En still couldn't believe it.

Because, in his impression, Yan Yan would never do such a thing.

However...

Although Yan Yan and the Fire King are essentially the same person, they have different personalities and behavioral habits due to their memories and experiences.

Xia En couldn't be sure whether he would do such a cruel and indifferent thing.

But inexplicably, Xia En felt that there seemed to be some hidden secrets in this incident that An Bing didn't know yet.

Thinking of this, Xia En looked at An Bing with a complicated look.

He could now understand An Bing's feelings back then.

On one side was the family that gave birth to her and raised her, and had a blood relationship.

On the other side was the person he loved.

No matter which side it was, it was so important.

The feeling of being caught in the middle was obviously not good.

And from An Bing's perspective, this was even more of a betrayal by his lover!

The purpose of the marriage is clearly to ease the relationship between [Da Yan] and [People of Ice and Snow].

But King Xin was secretly attacking the people of the [People of Ice and Snow].

If there is no anger and resentment in An Bing's heart, it is obviously impossible.

Not to mention, there is also the death of An Bing's mother...

Xia En sighed softly in his heart and asked: "What happened after that?"

An Bing took two deep breaths before getting rid of the sadness and anger and said.

"After that, I went straight to the salary and confronted him face to face."

"This is the only thing I can do."

"After all, the entire [Great Yan Kingdom] belongs to him. If he is really determined to attack the [People of Ice and Snow], we have no ability to resist."

"And the scene at that time, I will never forget."

"After listening to my questioning, Xin's reaction was much calmer than I imagined."

"He sighed and said, [Sure enough, did you still find out?]"

"[But even so, I have a reason to continue. It doesn't matter how much you resent me.]"

"After saying that, he turned around and left the palace, never looking back at me again."

An Bing's eyes turned slightly red and he said, "I never thought that his reaction would be so cold."

"Even if he makes any excuse, even if he is trying to trick me? I might still believe him..."

"But Xin didn't even want to give me an explanation."

"It was then that I gave up completely. All his past performances turned out to be his hypocrisy."

An Bing whispered sadly to himself: "It turns out that I was the only one who was being sentimental all along."

Both Xia En couldn't help but fell silent.

Just listening to An Bing's words, King Xin's behavior is indeed chilling.

Even if there is a factor of impending disaster behind this, it still seems a bit too cold and inhumane.

"Since then, I have been under house arrest in the palace and not allowed to go out even half a step."

"That palace was really cold...even colder than the [Eternal Coffin] later."

"In the end, I made just one request of him."

"That means returning my mother's relic, this [Snap of Time], to me."

A bitter smile appeared on An Bing's face: "But, even for such a simple request, he still wants to make fun of me."

"Originally, in the letter, he had already agreed to this request."

"But within a few days, he said that [the moment of time] was taken away by an unknown legendary strongman."

"But he is the salary king. Who can snatch [the moment of time] from his hands?"

"At that point, you still want to deceive my feelings... It's really, really bad!"

"It is precisely for this reason that I have such a big obsession with [Instant Time]."

Hearing this, Xia En raised his eyebrows and said after thinking.

"Ms. An Bing, regarding this matter, perhaps... King Xin did not lie to you."

An Bing was stunned: "What do you mean by this?"

Xia En replied: "In fact, I found this [Snap of Time] in the ruins of a royal capital called [Shoton Kingdom]."

"And this kingdom is not in the [Ultra North], but in the southern continent which is quite far away!"

"I think... it might have been snatched away by someone, and then it appeared in the [Shorten Kingdom] after being displaced."

An Bing's expression changed slightly, and after a moment, she sighed.

"Maybe that's the case..."

"But now, this kind of thing is meaningless."

"Even without [Instant Time], it is an undoubted fact that Xin deceived me several times and attacked my people."

An Bing looked at Xia En seriously: "Captain Xia En, can you return [The Moment of Time] to me?"

"This can be regarded as my last memory of my mother, the [people of ice and snow], and that past time."

At this time, Xia En really understood the reason for An Bing's unusual attitude towards [Instant Time].

However, even so, this pocket watch has irreplaceable meaning to him.

Giving it to An Bing is obviously impossible.

"Really...I understand."

Looking at Xia En's expression, An Bing also understood his resolute attitude, so he no longer insisted on asking for [Instant Time], but said.

"No matter what, [Snap Time] is now yours. It was me who made things difficult for Captain Shane."

"I can stop asking for it, but at least...please let me take another look at it."

Seeing An Bing's reasonable reaction, Xia En also breathed a sigh of relief.

If she continues to insist, the relationship between the two parties will undoubtedly be completely broken.

But Xia En can still satisfy the request of "taking a look".

Soon, An Bing took over [The Moment of Time] from Xia En.

But after just looking at it for a few times, An Bing's expression suddenly changed and he murmured in shock.

"This secret power...this curse..."

"But how is this possible?"

Hearing this, Xia En frowned: "Ms. An Bing, what's wrong?"

"What curse?"

Xia En originally thought that An Bing was surprised because of the special secret power of time and space in [Instant Time], but listening to her words, it seemed that this was not the case?

An Bing said firmly: "You can't be wrong, this pocket watch carries the curse of our [people of ice and snow]!"

"curse?"

Xia En was very surprised: "But why didn't I notice it when I was using it?"

An Bing's eyes were filled with confusion and confusion, but he still answered subconsciously.

"Because... this kind of curse is set against the bloodline."

"Only people of a specific bloodline will be inspired by contact with them."

At this time, Xia En also vaguely noticed something and asked.

"Then, the bloodline it targets is..."

An Bing said very difficultly: "It's salary."

Upon hearing this answer, Xia En's expression changed slightly.

"A curse against King Xin?"

[The Moment of Time] is an important relic of the [People of Ice and Snow], and is even the certificate of being the leader of the clan.

Why is there a curse directed at King Xin on such a thing?

But if you think about it for a moment, the answer is actually self-evident.

This marriage only eased the conflicts, but did not completely eliminate the conflicts between the [People of Ice and Snow] and the [Great Yan Kingdom].

Just as King Xin would be suspicious of the [People of Ice and Snow], [People of Ice and Snow] obviously did not really regard King Xin as one of their own.

In fact, they may even be planning an assassination against King Xin!

It is different from the [people of ice and snow] who naturally adapt to the environment of [the far north].

King Xin took at least 80% of the credit for the establishment of the Kingdom of Great Yan here.

Apart from King Xin, there is no other secret person or successor who can take power in [Great Yan Kingdom].

That is to say.

As long as King Xin dies, [Great Yan Kingdom] will fall into turmoil and quickly fall apart.

The people of [Great Yan Kingdom] will also return to their previous state of being refugees.

For some [Ice and Snow People], this means that [the Far North] has been purified.

And this curse on [Flash of Time] is undoubtedly the most direct evidence.

At this time, Xia En also suddenly understood what the secret that he had vaguely discovered before was.

From An Bing's perspective, it was King Xin who betrayed his trust and took the initiative to attack the [People of Ice and Snow].

But what if...

Is the order of things reversed?

It was the [People of Ice and Snow] who intended to attack King Xin.

After the failure, King Xin could not tolerate the offense committed by the [People of Ice and Snow] and took revenge.

The attitude towards the enemy must be as cold as ice.

It seems understandable that the [People of Ice and Snow] should be captured for some kind of research.

Obviously, not only Xia En, but An Bing was also aware of this possibility.

She is a very smart woman, but her emotions cover her eyes, making her unwilling to think about the truth of those things.

"Could it be that..."

An Bing's expression changed back and forth, as if he was undergoing some kind of intense psychological struggle.

"But if that's the case, why didn't he tell me personally?"

"The truth...what is it?"

At this moment, an officer's voice came from outside the barracks.

"Captain Shane, General Moritz has orders—"

"Those who have obtained the 'Quota' for the secret journey must gather at the military headquarters now!"