Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 168 Peach Blossoms...probably

"...Is there something wrong with this compass?"

Wu Chen stopped.

He followed the compass's guidance, traversing the streets and alleys of Windhelm—passing Callisto's Treasure House and witnessing hordes of soldiers reducing the ornately decorated private museum to ruins—all the unsettling elements were dealt with immediately. And they certainly gained something.

Several low-ranking vampires were found, only to be immediately swarmed and killed by the city guards. The onlookers gasped in shock. But after the city guards unearthed various bloody ritual consumables, the gasps turned into curses and vomiting.

Wu Chen didn't care about the specifics.

But anyway, when he passed by that area, he could clearly smell the stench of decay in the air.

Without a doubt, Callisto fled quickly and hastily, so much so that he didn't even take his lower-ranking servants with him. However, the fact that he didn't obliterate the Treasure House from the ground with a single Blood Explosion at least indicates that he was certain the searchers were destined to find nothing.

Wu Chen possessed a compass, so he didn't attempt to infiltrate the city guards and search the dilapidated treasure house. Of course, the more important reason was that he had already activated his detection magic and martial arts, and had long ago determined that this effort would be fruitless.

Not here.

The compass is pointing in another direction.

So Wu Chen strode towards that direction following the compass. But he was forced to stop after reaching a square.

The compass stopped here.

The compass needle rotates left and right, indicating that the destination is here.

However, the place where Wu Chenchen stepped was clearly a clean, tidy square with a wide view!
what the hell!

There's nothing in front, behind, left, right, or above.

Could it be underground? Windhelm has a dense and sophisticated sewer system? Ah, yes. Nord cities do indeed have massive sewer systems. Just like Riften's rat tunnels have several layers underground, it's not unacceptable that something similar would appear in Windhelm. But the problem is…

—I've used my telekinesis to extend downwards for over ten meters, but I still haven't found an empty area!
—Can someone send me a mental energy scan right now?

His senses were indeed pulsating; the compass was functioning correctly. There was definitely something 'there' in this area. However, aside from that, despite his keen eyesight and sharp ears, he saw neither a manhole cover nor heard any underground water or wind.

Generally speaking, sewer systems shouldn't extend more than ten meters above the ground.

Secondly, even if there really is a sewer system below, it's highly unlikely that a complete stranger in an unfamiliar city could easily find the right way through unfamiliar underground pipes.

"We need to find a guide..."

Wu Chen glanced at the compass in his hand. He sincerely hoped that Hera would add the Z-axis to the compass when she made her move. However, after standing in the square for a few seconds, he discovered an unexpected situation.

This compass, the direction it points to... it seems that ever since I took it from Hera, the direction it points to has never changed?
is it possible?

A vampire with one hand cut off, now Windhelm's most wanted criminal, carrying rare treasures—would remain motionless in the same spot for so long? Just how confident is it in its safe house that it doesn't even bother to hide?
It was a bit nerve-wracking. Wu Chen was never one to assume his enemies were stupid. After all, these days there were as many tricks and traps as there were traps, and he really didn't want to regret his poor judgment when things went wrong.

It's a bit troublesome. But—

—Knowledgeable of legends, open!

The otherworldly magic began to operate silently. Its target was the 'Necromancer's Amulet,' undoubtedly a legendary artifact. He found a place to sit in the plaza. The biggest drawback of this information-gathering spell was that it required at least ten minutes of casting time. Fortunately, he knew enough about this artifact, which could barely be classified as a demonic artifact, having handled it before, and he also possessed a high-quality medium. At least he wouldn't have to extend the casting time to hours or even days.

So he waited.

Sitting in a corner of the square, watching Windhelm City operate amidst the hustle and bustle—the crowds growing ever larger, and soldiers rushing about the city—the earlier incident would inevitably have complex and lasting consequences. Even though Wu Chen repeatedly warned himself not to have faith in the efficiency and seriousness of crime-solving in the fantastical medieval world, he knew that the Shattered Shield faction, whose family interests had been severely threatened, would inevitably react violently.

—That girl named Frigga is very pretty.

Wu Chen remained in the shadow of the stone statues in the plaza, casting spells while lost in thought—after being lectured by Hera and re-establishing his self-identity, Wu Chen felt his humanity was quite abundant. Even though activating the Source Theory earlier seemed to have depleted his energy, once he had some free time, he felt he still had a vibrant mind.

Saving Frigga filled him with a profound sense of accomplishment. In the normal flow of the story, by the time the Dragonborn arrived in Windhelm during the Hearthfire month, Frigga's body would have been long gone, and countless other victims would have followed. Even the Dragonborn, upon visiting Windhelm, could only watch helplessly as a girl named Susanna died before their eyes.

Wu Chen saved her, and also many others who followed. The tide of fate was thus altered, and the Shattered Shield family, which was originally destined for a tragic end, with three out of four likely to die, may also receive a new destiny.

This is the biggest and most obvious change I brought to the original script after arriving at Mondas.

—Phew, it's clearly a hidden high-magic world. But there's no corrective or suppressive force or anything like that popping up to let me defy fate.

Saving people is a good thing. And that Miss Frigga was indeed no ordinary person by the roadside—her body possessed considerable potential as the main material for a ritual. She also demonstrated remarkable insight, decisiveness, and courage. And an idea based on divergent thinking appeared in Wu Chen's mind.

—I remember that Frosthouse was the default residence for the Windhelm Guards. And the Guards all had squires, like Lydia in Whiterun, whom I probably no longer have time to see, and who probably has no connection with me anymore. Once a city residence was purchased, the squire would reside permanently at Frosthouse.

The Frost House is owned by someone.

Even in the most tragic timeline for the Shattered Shield family, the family would still survive. In other words, if Frigga hadn't died in the backstory, wouldn't the Windhelm squire actually be her, rather than the Nord strongman from the game?

The possibility seems quite high.

It's just that some of them are being unreasonable.

Wu Chen pondered, waiting for the spell to begin casting. Then, accompanied by an invisible ray of light, fragmented words appeared in his mind.

Evil spirits intertwine, lurking in the depths of the narrow passage. Only by abandoning order and forgetting common sense can one reach that lost land. And the guardians of these evil spirits are steeped in...!

What garbled text?
What Dark Gensokyo?

Wu Chen rubbed his head; the prophecy was rather unclear to him. But judging from the literal meaning… perhaps the target was in a secluded, enclosed space?
Demiplane? Or, to use language more in line with local common sense... a small annihilation realm?
He rubbed his head, sensing footsteps approaching nearby. The footsteps seemed to belong to a familiar woman, and his heart leaped with joy at his previous failure to solve the puzzle.

—I bet five cents! It's Frigga! This is my luck with women in Skyrim!

Wu Chen opened his eyes.

Millie's displeased eyes were very close to his.

"You carry the scent of another dragon."

It's over.

(End of this chapter)