Starting with the awakened Poison God: I choose the Master Thief.

"Soon, in the next couple of days. I'll let you know when the time comes, you old man." With a wave of his hand, Bors turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Krend shook his head helplessly.

"You never even knock before coming in, old man. You're the only one in my study who dares to come and go so openly."

Then he looked out the window to the north, his aged eyes filled with worry, and that direction was towards Elias.

"Child, you didn't appear by his side. It seems you're ready to deal with the sins left over from the past. However, the enemy's strength seems to be much greater than you thought. You didn't tell him, which proves you don't want to get involved with anyone. I understand your concerns and hope you can stay safe."

……

The northern border of the main continent of "Divine Realm", Winter City.

After about a minute of teleportation, Chu Ci finally arrived here.

"Phew~ As expected of the North, it's really different from the South where Dawn City is located."

Heavy snow was falling from the sky. Just moments ago, he was breathing in the warm, humid sun, but now the cold wind was howling and slapping his cheeks.

Exhaling a breath of hot air, Chu Ci stood on the street watching the passersby.

The architecture here is predominantly gray, and it appears to be constructed from some kind of hard, special stone that is difficult to move even with thick snow.

He quickly found a tavern by following the location given by Lu Ze. Of course, this was not a guild property like a thief's tavern, but a normal tavern for resting, eating, and chatting.

Squeak!

"Welcome! How many of you are there?"

As the old, suspended wooden plank turned, the blast of heat immediately warmed Chu Ci's cold cheeks, and a young woman quickly stepped forward to greet her warmly.

"Please, gentlemen, could you please move to a seat further inside? Thank you."

"Okay! Please come with me." Hearing Chu Ci's words, the girl's smile widened.

They led the Chu Ci to a relatively secluded small table, where a fire was burning brightly in the stove.

From here, you can see the scattered snow at the entrance.

The tavern here is peculiar. Despite the freezing cold outside, it doesn't add any doors to insulate against the heat. Instead, it's simply blocked by two floating wooden planks.

"Would you like something to order? Or would you like to wait until your friend arrives?" the girl asked from the side.

"Two cups of Northern Coffee: one with milk and sugar, the other plain, thank you."

Upon hearing this, the girl's face lit up with an "I knew it" smile.

"You truly are a chosen one. Guests from the North wouldn't be as courteous as you. Two cups of coffee, one with milk and sugar, the other without, right? I understand. Please wait a moment, as the coffee beans need to be freshly ground, which may take some time."

Chu Ci nodded to indicate that he understood, and the girl then withdrew.

As a game that has been in contact with Earth for thousands of years, it's normal for "God Realm" to have some cultural exports. Coffee was naturally brought here from Earth by players, and the response was good, gaining favor with many nobles. However, in places like the North, people still mainly drink alcohol.

Opening the chat window, Chu Ci found the only friend in her list and sent them a message.

[You're in trouble: I've arrived, how's it going on your end?]

[An anonymous handsome guy: Almost there, don't rush me.]

Ten minutes passed.

"Sir, your coffee."

The girl placed two cups of rich coffee in front of Chu Ci, and then left.

I took a sip, and mmm, it tastes even better than what I had on Earth.

Then Chu Ci opened the chat box again.

[This is ridiculous: The coffee's been served, where is it?]

[An anonymous handsome guy: Almost there, just a few intersections away.]

[Is this for real?]

[An anonymous handsome guy: Holy crap! Bro, when have I ever lied to you?]

Half an hour later...

There were already three empty coffee cups in front of Chu Ci.

The girl standing nearby couldn't help but give a wry smile upon seeing this.

[This is ridiculous: You son of a bitch! Where the hell are you?! I've already had almost three cups of coffee here, don't tell me you haven't left yet!]

On the other side, Lu Ze, who was about to enter "God's Domain", looked at the chat box and smiled with emotion.

"Sigh, you really do understand me best, brother."

……

Squeak!

As the door creaked again, Chu Ci, who was holding his fourth cup of coffee, glanced at it and saw Lu Ze, who was wearing a white fur coat, staring into his eyes.

However, when Chu Ci saw the other person's shiny white teeth when he smiled, he really wanted to go up and punch him twice!

"Ahem, come a little later next time. You're too early." Lu Ze preemptively struck as soon as he sat down.

...6. So it turns out I was wrong after all? Fine, see how I deal with you next time.

But jokes aside, now that we're here, it's time to get down to business.

Lu Ze had clearly made thorough preparations, and he handed a piece of intelligence to Chu Ci.

This thing looks exactly like the one Chu Ci bought from the information broker for 50 silver coins outside the Green Forest Swamp Secret Realm.

Upon opening it, one finds all the information about this secret realm.

【The Frozen Plains】(Tier 3 High Risk)

Entering the secret realm will result in a 30% slow effect and a 30% freeze/severe injury effect.

There are three types of high-risk monsters in the secret realm, all of which are Boss level or higher.

Furthermore, deep within this secret realm dwells a divine ice-attribute creature, which must absolutely not be approached! (Remember! Remember! Remember!)

After a quick glance, Lu Ze carefully highlighted the important parts.

Soon, Chu Ci returned the information to Lu Ze.

"Finished watching? How did it go? Don't worry, even if you feel stressed, don't panic. With your dad here, I'll make sure you get out safely."

Pshaw, all Chu Ci can say about this is... is that all?

The danger level of the Hidden Dragon Realm is hundreds of times greater than that.

"I have no problem. So, when do we leave?"

"Now, of course!"

Lu Ze downed his already cold coffee in one gulp and slammed his hand on the table to pay the bill.

Squeak!

As they stepped out of the tavern, a biting wind swept through, stealing their body heat.

"Here, stick this on your body to keep warm."

Lu Ze handed something to Chu Ci.

"Huh? What good stuff is this? I'm going to get some Wen Yang Jade!?" Chu Ci's eyes widened as he looked at the thing that was handed to him.

A palm-sized piece of golden jade lay in his hand.

A warm current flowed into his body, just as he had felt in the palace of Elias.

"Oh? You know about this? That's good. It saves me the trouble of explaining it to you. Let's go. Without the harsh winter, the scenery on this ice field is actually quite nice."

Sigh, giving away Wenyang jade worth ten gold coins per gram so easily, one can only say that he is truly a wealthy person.

For ordinary people, the frigid ice fields are deadly at any moment, but for the wealthy, they are nothing more than a beautiful sight.

[Ding! Due to the influence of the ice field, your speed has been reduced by 10%.]

The two left Winter City and followed the route that Lu Ze had planned. Despite the cold wind carrying snowflakes, Chu Ci did not feel the slightest bit of cold.

That's the power of money.

Three hours later, the two had walked dozens of kilometers when Lu Ze suddenly spoke.

"We've arrived."

Chu Ci looked up and saw that too.

On the distant ice plains, a vortex gate tens of meters high stood, and some players could be vaguely seen around it.

"That is the Arctic Ice Plains."