Collapse, harem after the end of the world

When the Princess of Winter first noticed the changes in the kingdom, she first thought of him, the most powerful magician in the land. With unwavering faith in Old White's strength and loyalty, she sought his help, hoping he could help her uncover the cause of the king's death.

Old White accepted the princess's request and began an in-depth investigation. He meticulously collected various clues and read through ancient scrolls and records. But the more he investigated, the more he discovered the terrifying hidden truth behind this matter.

The king's death wasn't simply a natural death; there's a vast conspiracy behind it. Old White discovers someone is manipulating everything, intent on taking control of the entire Winter Kingdom. His investigation leads him into a dangerous vortex, endangering his own life.

During the investigation, Old White had advised the princess not to delve further into the cause of death. However, the Princess of Winter completely ignored him. She firmly believed that only by finding the truth could she protect the safety of the kingdom and its people. She insisted on investigating, regardless of the consequences.

As a result, the truth was revealed, and the Queen began to hunt down the Princess of Winter. Old White knew that the Princess's life was in danger, so he rushed out of the palace without regard for his own safety, carrying the Princess's hopes and doing his best to send her across the border of the kingdom.

However, Old White himself was unable to escape the Queen's pursuit. Pursued by the Winter Kingdom's soldiers, he was eventually captured. He was put on a carriage and imprisoned in this gloomy dungeon.

Now, his identity is exposed and he has become the Queen's prisoner. In this gloomy dungeon, he awaits an unknown fate.

Recalling that thrilling moment, a bitter smile appeared on old White's face.

"So what's the so-called inside story? Why is the Ice Queen hunting down the princess? Isn't she the Queen's daughter?"

At this moment, Kiana was confused again and asked Old White in front of her.

"I'm not entirely clear on this matter. But according to my research, before the king died, he fell seriously ill and had no cure. Then, I discovered that someone in the palace had secretly used magic to summon a demon. The king's illness immediately improved. But not long after, he suddenly passed away. I suspect this incident is related."

"What you mean is that someone summoned a demon in the palace? Could that person be the Ice Queen?!" Kiana said in surprise, covering her mouth.

"I don't know about that. After all, it doesn't matter who summoned the demon. The most important thing now is that the demon seems to have never returned since it was summoned."

Chapter 561: Intelligence gathering in the tavern

After discovering that the people around him seemed to be afraid of him, Adam called his companions over.

When Yuexia, Guanxing, and Jizi arrived at the Kingdom of Winter, they were also shocked by the snow-covered city and the depressed scene in front of them.

"Is this the Kingdom of Winter? It feels like a fairy tale." At this moment, under the moonlight, looking at the snow-covered city in front of her, she felt a kind of dreamy beauty, and the longing that a girl should have appeared on her face.

However, the stargazers couldn't help but start complaining about the appearance of the moon: "How can this place be like a fairy tale? Don't the people who haven't seen this look like they're about to die?"

When stargazing, I really don’t understand what people usually see under the moon. Could it be that the so-called dark fairy tale is also a fairy tale?

"Captain, what's going on here? Why do I feel like the people around us are looking at us strangely?"

At this time, after seeing the gazes of passers-by around her, Ji Zi also began to ask Adam.

It was as if they were already considered dangerous just by coming here.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because despair hasn't yet set in."

It seemed that Adam could only give this answer to Ji Zi's question.

If there is any difference between them and the residents of the city, it seems that they are the only ones who have not completely despaired of life like those people.

"If we go on like this, we won't be able to find out any information." Ji Zi said to Adam with a slight headache.

"It would be great if there was some place where I could get information about this city." Yuexia also began to ponder.

If possible, she could use her abilities to control these people and extract information from them.

However, if she did this, she would definitely be stopped by Ji Zi and Guan Xing.

"Why don't we go to the tavern in the city to get some information?"

At this time, Guanxing made a suggestion to everyone.

"A tavern? It seems that it is not impossible."

Generally speaking, places like taverns are synonymous with a mixed crowd, and are also a good place to gather intelligence.

Most of the information about the city can be found in places like taverns.

The protagonists in various works also like to find out information in taverns.

"Then let's go to the tavern and hurry up. I have a bad feeling about this city."

Urged by Stargazing, Adam and his companions began to search for traces of the tavern in the city.

Adam and his group hurriedly passed through the deserted streets of the royal capital and finally found a seemingly inconspicuous tavern.

Hidden in the basement of the royal capital, this tavern resembles a secret basement. Even experienced agents struggle to detect its existence. The single sign at the street entrance, though seemingly ordinary, feels profoundly mysterious. Stepping into this hidden place is like entering a completely different world.

As soon as you step into the tavern, the cold air outside instantly dissipates, replaced by the warm atmosphere that permeates the tavern.

This is a bustling place, in stark contrast to the desolate scene outside.

The walls of the tavern were softly lit, exuding the fragrance of ancient wood. Delicate wooden tables and chairs were scattered throughout the space. From time to time, they could see a group of menacing-looking men, seemingly engaged in a loud argument.

However, when Adam and others stepped in, the originally peaceful atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing point.

The people around them looked at Adam and his group with hostility, and several of them even drew their weapons. Their eyes revealed an unconcealable wariness and tension, as if Adam and his group were spoilers who had come to disturb the peace.

Adam secretly wondered about this sudden hostility. They hadn't done anything hostile when they arrived, so why had they provoked such a strong reaction? However, they acted as if nothing had happened and walked directly to the bartender at the counter.

The bartender was a middle-aged man with a full beard, dressed in simple bartender attire. His eyes revealed a firm and steady aura. He glanced at Adam and the others without showing any surprise or vigilance.

Adam frowned slightly, a hint of curiosity growing in his heart about the bartender. This bartender clearly wasn't as hostile to them as the others; instead, he seemed to harbor certain expectations of them. This made Adam wonder if this tavern was hiding a deeper secret?

"Gentlemen, welcome to the 'Hidden Place.'" The bartender's voice was deep and warm, like a fire on a winter night, instantly dispelling the hostility and tension around them. He smiled and turned his gaze to Adam, "Is this your first time here?"

Adam was slightly taken aback, then nodded. Although they didn't know the place well, they had learned of the existence of the tavern while searching for clues, so they decided to take a chance.

The bartender smiled and handed Adam a piece of quaint paper with a secret code written on it. Adam took the paper and was moved. This tavern may seem ordinary, but it has a hidden identity recognition system.

"Please put the secret code into the projection device on the counter." The bartender gestured.

Adam hesitated for a moment, then gently placed the secret order into the projection device on the counter. Instantly, a beam of light flashed from the device, scanning and verifying the handwriting on the paper.

As the verification was completed, the atmosphere in the tavern changed instantly. The once bustling tavern became quiet, and the people around them stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to Adam and his group.

"What does this mean?"

Adam looked at the bartender in front of him with a puzzled expression. What on earth was this thing used for?

"Don't be nervous. I just want to confirm whether you and your Excellency are from the palace. It seems that this is indeed your first time in this city."

"You actually knew that?" Adam was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the other party could recognize at a glance that this was their first time in this place. Is it really that obvious?

"Of course. After all, the people of this city have long since given up hope. Under the Ice Queen's rule, the only people who can still have such eyes are either nobles in the palace or travelers arriving here for the first time."

The bartender then slowly said to Adam, "Would you like anything to drink?"

"Let's have a drink that I recommend." Adam looked at the bartender in front of him and felt that his identity was not limited to this.

However, Adam decided not to alert the enemy first and then slowly gather intelligence later.

Chapter 562: The Rebels of the Kingdom of Winter

"Here, your drinks." The bartender respectfully handed Adam and Jizi a glass of colorful liquid, while the one for Guanxing was just a glass of ordinary juice.

Adam looked at the bartender in confusion, not understanding what was in the glass.

"This is our restaurant's special drink. Try it. You won't find it anywhere else," the bartender explained.

Adam thought for a moment, then took a sip.

The rich fruity aroma quickly filled his mouth, and the cool taste gave him a stimulating feeling.

The various strange ingredients in the juice made Adam fall into a momentary trance. He felt as if he was in a fantasy world, with colorful scenes flashing before his eyes.

Adam's taste buds were conquered by this unique flavor, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy this unique experience.

In his mouth, the taste of the juice gradually changed, transitioning from soft sweetness to sourness, and then to subtle bitterness, as if he was tasting a wonderful symphony.

"It tastes very good." After taking a sip, Ji Zi gave a very high evaluation. Such a cocktail is not something that ordinary people can mix.

However, even as everyone was enjoying the wine, Guan Xing, who was standing nearby, began to feel dissatisfied. She looked at the colorful cocktails in Adam and Ji Zi's hands and felt a tinge of jealousy and resentment. Why were everyone else's glasses filled with fine wine, while she only had ordinary juice?

At this moment, Yuexia saw Guanxing's inner dissatisfaction. She approached Guanxing playfully and said with a smile: "Maybe it's because others treat you as a child, Guanxing." Her teasing tone made Guanxing feel even more unhappy.

At this time, Adam's curiosity was aroused again, and he asked the bartender: "Come to think of it, it seems that the people in the city seem to be avoiding us? Excuse me, has something happened in this city?" He wanted to know the secret of this city and why they had been feeling a strange atmosphere since they came here.

The bartender smiled and replied, "Ah, that. Perhaps it's because of the queen in the castle." His tone implied that the queen's presence had a huge impact on the city.

Adam frowned slightly, puzzled by the bartender's answer. "Can you be more specific? Why are people in the city avoiding us? What happened?"

The bartender tightened the rag in his hand, paused, and then continued, "Actually, as you can see, ever since the current queen ascended the throne, the entire country has been covered in ice and snow, and our country has been completely cut off from other countries."

"After this place was covered in ice and snow, no one from outside came here anymore. Initially, there were some people who made it here after crossing the blizzard, but the next day, they were taken away by the Queen's soldiers. Even those who helped them were taken away with them."

"How could such a thing happen? No wonder they are so afraid of us." Adam nodded at this time, and finally understood why people outside were so afraid of them.

"So, we've gotten used to it. Every month, a lot of people are taken away from the city by those soldiers. Basically, no one will enter the city except those who can't survive outside." At this time, a wry smile appeared on the bartender's face.

"No matter who it is, once they are caught by those soldiers, they are never seen again."

"Hasn't anyone ever thought of rebelling against the Queen?" Adam asked curiously. He couldn't understand why no one was willing to rebel against this excessive Queen.

The bartender sighed and replied with a wry smile, "Some people did consider doing so at first, but every time they encountered the Queen, they were ruthlessly frozen. Even now, their bodies are still lying on the road leading to the castle. Over time, no one dared to think of rebelling against the Queen anymore."

After hearing the bartender's words, a chill ran through the hearts of the people present. They couldn't imagine that a queen could be so cruel and cold-blooded. The country had fallen under the queen's reign of terror, and the people lived in a snow-covered environment, forced to accept the queen's threats and control.

"What an excessive queen." Ji Zi said with emotion. She was angry and dissatisfied with the queen's behavior.

"But if anyone in this city can be arrested for helping outsiders, then why aren't you afraid? Come to think of it, there don't seem to be many taverns in the entire city."

Adam's eyes began to sharpen at this time.

From the beginning, the bartender had been consciously telling them about the queen's cruelty and how dangerous their situation was.

But combined with the identity verification that this person had done before and his disdain for the queen, it showed that he was not afraid of the queen of this country.

"Hahaha, you guys figured it out." After Adam said this, the bartender started laughing.

At this moment, the people who were drinking around immediately stood up, some even holding weapons in their hands.

"what do you mean?"

Looking at the actions of the people in the tavern, Adam and others did not react, but instead asked the bartender.

"As you can see, this isn't really a tavern."

"Oh, I noticed that too. I'm afraid the sign outside was put up just in time for us to arrive. It's to lure us here."

Adam had already anticipated the attitude of the bartender and the people here.

After all, there are more and more pubs, so how could they put up advertisements outside and place themselves in such a hidden place?

"I'm sorry, actually, we didn't want to do this at the beginning. Let me introduce myself. I'm the current acting leader of the Winter Kingdom's resistance."

"Rebels?" Ji Zi and Guan Xing were both slightly surprised when they heard the bartender's words.

Sure enough, even in such a terrible country, there are still things like rebels?

If the man in front of me is the leader of the rebels, doesn't that mean this is the headquarters of the rebels?

"Temporary leader? Does that mean you still have a legitimate leader?"

Adam asked the bartender in front of him again at this time.

"Of course, our leader is the princess of this kingdom."

The bartender at this time said to Adam and others.

At this moment, Adam finally understood that perhaps the reason he and others came here was all arranged by the Princess of Winter.

Chapter 563: The Ice Queen in the Dungeon

In the dungeon, Kiana and Old White had a heated discussion about the identity of the Ice Queen. Kiana stared at Old White with confusion, wondering why the Ice Queen became a demon summoner and killed the king with her own hands.

Kiana listened quietly to Old White's explanation. She had heard the Princess of Winter say that the Queen and the King had once been a loving couple. This made it even more difficult for Kiana to understand why the Queen would kill her own husband.

Old White shook his head helplessly, saying that he had no answer to this question. After all, he had been captured before he could find out the truth, and he knew nothing about the Ice Queen's motives.

He even expressed doubts about whether the queen was really the summoner of the devil.

After all, creatures like demons cannot be summoned just by calling them. Without sufficient magical knowledge, it is impossible to do all this.

"It seems you're very curious about me?" At this moment, a cold voice came from the dungeon entrance. A woman in a gorgeous dark blue dress slowly walked towards Kiana and Old White.

"Ice Queen!" Old White's face flashed with fear when he saw the approaching woman. He could sense a powerful chill emanating from the Queen, as if the entire dungeon had been frozen.

"So that's the Ice Queen?" Kiana looked at the woman in front of her and covered her mouth in surprise.

The queen was wearing a gorgeous dark blue dress that seemed woven from ice and snow, exuding a mysterious and majestic aura. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, its crystal-clear flakes gleaming enchantingly in the sunlight.

The queen walked up to Kiana and Old White and looked at them with a smile. Her eyes were like golden amber, revealing an unfathomable wisdom and authority.