The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 542 - 575 Under Surveillance

Chapter 542: Chapter 575: Under Surveillance Chapter 542: Chapter 575: Under Surveillance (I made a mistake with the chapter number; it should be 566.)

“I bet that one swing of yours must have scared the hell out of them.” The Dwarf took off his toad-like helmet and plopped down on a round stone with a slight depression in the middle, “One week later, you better pay up!”

At this moment, everyone had already returned to the cave where they were hiding, but they didn’t rush to rest in the demiplane. Too much had happened today; there were too many questions that needed discussing.

“Alamir, that Frost Giant priestess must have been resurrected by Olul, right?” Lancelot leaned against the wall near the cave entrance, thoughtfully asking the Elf Priest.

“That should be the case. In theory, a True God is omnipotent within their own Divine Kingdom, and reshaping the flesh for a deceased follower is naturally not a difficult feat,” Alamir said, taking out a set of cleaning tools and starting to maintain his armor, “but in most cases, True Gods prefer to assimilate worshippers with themselves, and only in extremely rare instances do some exceptionally notable followers become the chosen of the god, returning to the mortal world with a special mission.”

“That’s pretty much what I guessed.” Lancelot nodded, “Next question, how did She learn of our whereabouts? Through the protection of the Frost Maiden?”

“Quite possibly.” The Elf Priest nodded, “After all, that is an object created directly by a True God. In the worst case, Olul could monitor our every move through it, but considering you mostly kept it in your Dimensional Bag, I think there’s another explanation.”

“By the way, what exactly is the principle behind a Dimensional Bag?” Lancelot curiously looked at the two pouches hanging at his waist, “If I put that amulet into the Dimensional Bag, its creator wouldn’t be able to sense it anymore?”

...

“In principle, a Dimensional Bag and the entrance to Tijana’s demiplane are similar, both serving as portals to some corner of the Stellar Realm.” Kalalin, who was sitting nearby, spoke up, “Even a Divine Power presence couldn’t sense what’s on the other side of a portal.”

“I see…” Lancelot seemed to realize something, his expression suddenly changing, “I remember you once said that there are creatures living in the Stellar Realm? Is it possible for things inside a Dimensional Bag to be stolen?”

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“The Stellar Realm… is different from a typical plane. In the Stellar Realm, movement relies on your thoughts, not your body,” Kalalin scratched his head, pondering how to explain such an abstract concept to his companions, “If you want to go somewhere in the Stellar Realm, you first have to ‘know’ that place, and then move there with your intention. Items in a Dimensional Bag are indeed stored at some point in the Stellar Realm, but the chances of them being stolen from the Stellar Realm are extremely low, almost impossible.”

“Almost?” Lancelot frowned, “That’s not a very reassuring description…”

“In the Multiverse, nothing is absolute.” Kalalin shrugged, “A Dimensional Bag is quite reliable for temporarily storing materials or spoils of war, but it’s better to carry particularly valuable items with you.”

“Alright then.” Lancelot sighed with a hint of resignation, it seemed that Storage Bags were indeed not entirely reliable. Fortunately, after reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, he would have the Dharma Method of carrying items with him, which could solve this problem to some extent. He turned to Alamir and continued asking, “Since Olul couldn’t sense our whereabouts through the amulet in the Dimensional Bag, how were our movements leaked?”

“Most likely it was the ritual to activate the power of the amulet.” Alamir answered with a fairly certain tone, “From the point of view of theology, the ritual of melting ice with body heat is essentially a form of worship of the Goddess of Winter, and the True Gods can immediately know all ongoing worship directed at Them through Divine Power, as well as everything around the location of the worship.”

“You mean to say that every time I sing praises to the greatness of Moradin, the Father God can hear it?” Bruto’s eyes widened in surprise, “Then aren’t we… always disturbing Him?”

“Er… actually… that is indeed the case.” Alamir scratched his head, “So in most cases, the True Gods don’t pay any attention to the common prayers, only those large-scale ceremonies can draw Their attention.”

“What about you?” The dwarf looked at the elf sideways, “As a priest of Shuni, does your Goddess whisper in your mind from time to time?”

“We indeed have more opportunities to communicate directly with the divine than ordinary people, but it’s still a very rare occurrence, and usually, it’s extremely brief,” Alamir shrugged his shoulders, “However, it’s said that once you become the chosen, you can communicate with the god at any time. If that Gertie is really Olul’s chosen, then everything makes sense.”

“It’s really troublesome, every so often we have to rely on the protection of the frost maiden to gain resistance to the cold.” Lancelot shook his head in displeasure, “Fortunately, I had already planned to release Geogad, and now I can also take the chance to get some reward; it’s a bit of compensation, I guess.”

“Then why are we waiting seven days?” Bruto looked at him, somewhat puzzled, “We could have just agreed to that female Frost Giant right then and there…”

“Because we indeed have one more place to go,” Lancelot scratched his head, “Glacial Fortress, we must see the situation there with our own eyes, find a suitable portal point, and ultimately finalize the plan of action.”

———————–

The next morning, everyone once again boarded the werewolf-pulled sleds, heading toward the direction of the Abyssal Lord’s lair. They first went north, then turned west, entering the continuous mountain ranges. The group still followed the roads built by the Abyssal Lord for patrolling his domain, but had to frequently change direction to avoid the regularly appearing Frost Giant patrols.

Although the thick snow made the ground level, the steep slopes still posed a serious obstacle. Fortunately, Kalalin had a very practical magic: Levitation Skill, a Second Circle spell that could make objects weighing up to five hundred pounds levitate for ten minutes. While the group and sled altogether weighed more than five hundred pounds, it was enough to get them through some of the most difficult areas.

In the mountains far from the roads, the group had some other encounters. They met Frost Giants from Warrior Village more than once; these lone warriors had been defeated in battle with the local defense forces and had retreated to the mountains to recover their strength. The immortality effect of this plane worked for all beings, even the enemies of the Abyssal Lord.

It wasn’t clear by what means Gertie had done it, but the Frost Giants loyal to Solheim indeed did not launch any attacks, and of course, they didn’t show any enthusiasm either. Mostly, they just stood on mountain crests hundreds of feet away, watching the group’s movements with an indifferent and vigilant gaze until they vanished from sight.

Apart from Frost Giants, another frequent encounter was various polar beasts. Due to the peculiarities of this plane, the group encountered white bears weighing over a thousand pounds, stags with antlers longer than ten feet, and giant wolves as big as old Reap. On Alamir’s insistence, the group would let the elf try to tame these aggressive beasts before taking any action—most of the time, the elf was successful, especially after offering some food.

As for the unsuccessful attempts, that naturally meant extra rations at night.

Despite all these activities causing certain delays to their pace, thanks to the good resting conditions at night, the companions were always able to set out again the next day full of energy. By midday on the fifth day, Glacial Fortress—a gigantic structure built between two mountain peaks—had come into their field of vision.