Slate city

As the northern warlord sect had been keeping themselves entertained with the gifts that were left for them, Ki and the others had long put some distance between themselves and the sects grounds.

The deer or antelope pulled the sleighs along the snowy or icy pathways that lead further into the north as Ki, Lumi and Rayleigh followed behind them.

The more they travelled the colder they became but while Ki could not really feel the freezing cold winds on her skin.

Lumi and Rayleigh in fact felt more at home the deeper they travelled.

It was as if they were tempering themselves to the cold and gaining more familiarity with it thanks to their cold qi arts.

While Lumi had her pure ice qi, Rayleigh had a snow qi so the cold environment was best suited for them training here.

After consuming their qi boosting pellet although their qi became more pure and they trained hard they had missed the cold environment which was best suited to temper and practice their martial arts.

Ki wanted to also bring them here sooner but there were far too many dangers so had to delay it until she could make some arrangements but also wait until they were older and harder to recognise.

If they wanted to take another step forward in their training then this was a perfect experience to experience nature, comprehend and make it their own to blend it with their martial arts style and gain further insight into their martial arts.

While they both had reached the peak realm and kept improving they still lacked enough inspiration and refined cold qi to break through to the transcendent stage.

They continued to pass by several beasts that were hunting their prey and also humans hunting the beasts in the cold plains.

Many people who saw them passing by revealed a look of caution towards those passing through for fear that their prey would be stolen or a territorial battle would take place.

After seeing everyone leave they quickly finished their hunt and quickly returned home to make sure there were no accidents while they were away.

Some people travelled near the icy waters to find a spot where there was a hole in the ice and started fishing but some held a long harpoon like weapon waiting to see if any other creature would come near the hole.

Others travelled up to the colder mountains to pick the cold attribute flowers which are usually rewarded with some food or money when traded within slate city.

The cold attribute flowers are the main ingredients used to make cold qi pills that were once available within the divine ice sect and also the ice Phoenix sect who both practice ice or snow based martial arts but the ice Phoenix sects martial arts is more tailored for men than women so they do not have that many women of authority in their sect.

The various cold based flowers or herbs would usually be purchased from the sect in bulk so many people who struggled to make a living for themselves would take the risk to search the mountains in order to gain a chance to survive a while longer.

Ki and the others spent about half a day on the road passing through various small and destitute villages.

Some were full of strong people who had overcome their struggles and found a way to live but in others many were struggling to hold on to life with every passing day.

Ki could see the state of the land as she passed through and continued to observe each small detail calmly detecting each persons subtle emotion whether it be their despair, their pride for surviving so far or their joy for the little things that they had.

She closed her eyes in contemplation and then opened them again. 'No… I cannot stop here and now otherwise nothing will change.'

She had a momentary struggle about going back and offering aid to some of the people but if she helped one them she would have to help them all.

It was better for her to continue on her journey and continue with what she had planned and if possible she could find a way to give this land a new lease on life and offer them all some aid.

Finally they arrived at the gates and Alf had stepped forward with his documents and so did Ki.

The guard looked at them and then signalled for the door to be opened as he stepped aside after handing them back into their hands. "Enjoy your stay."

Ki and Alf nodded towards him and then stepped back onto their sleigh and sled.

They slowly entered the city and Ki was able to appreciate it a little as she looked around.

In her previous life she had been here a couple of times but with wars breaking out and infighting she had no choice but to no longer visit.

The strong ancient looking buildings and walls that stood the test of time that still remained even within the desolate and unforgiving cold north.

She could see that this place was part of a very old part of the past and was still preserved well even today so she couldn't help but sighing.

Even with the longevity of humans and their ability to do many things or create it is often that things like these old ruins or well built cities that will outlive humanity and survive the test of time to preserved for the later generations to appreciate and remember their ancestors.

Even today the walls were protecting their descendants from the cold winds, the savage tribes and the wild beasts that may threaten them.

Upon entering the city Alf escorted Ki and the others to their place to stay and set them up in their own rooms while finding a place for the animals.

Alf approached Ki and spoke to her. "I have a meeting with the high ranking members of the trading union within the city tomorrow and will help to introduce you to them so make sure that you have everything you need to prepare ready before then."

Ki nodded and then spoke as she turned her back to him heading towards her room. "Alright I am going to get some rest."

Alf hesitated and then spoke. "Hum… thanks for the help back there. Without you there they may have used anything small to exploit us further. If upset they sometimes increase the payment fees or supplies that have to be given over and there is nothing we can do about it. Although I do not know what you did to make them back down and act more in line with the rules they set, thank you."

Ki shrugged as she opened her door and was about to close it behind her and her voice was heard before it closed completely. "It's nothing really."

It is very easy to scare a man who thinks he is a scary and intimidating person to others and uses that to get what they want, all he needs is to meet someone more scary than himself and they become meek and servile in an instant.

It's just another classic case of bullying the weak but fearing the strong.