Chapter 130: Dragon King of the North Sea
Xu Wu studied them with his emotionless eyes. His posture was relaxed but his gaze was intensely focused on Grim. "So, sons of Ao Guang, you claim to pursue your wayward brother through my lord’s domain without prior permission or formal announcement."
"The circumstances required swift action," Bi’an replied. "There was no time to ask for permission."
Xu Wu’s expression remained impassive. "And yet you had time to collect a human companion. Curious, where your priorities are."
"The human is essential to our mission," Suanni interjected. "He has faced Jiaolong before."
"Has he indeed?" Xu Wu’s eyebrow arched slightly. "How interesting that a mere human would survive such an encounter."
Grim met the minister’s gaze steadily. "I wouldn’t describe it as surviving so much as postponing an outcome."
A flicker of something... perhaps amusement crossed Xu Wu’s face before vanishing. "Well stated." He rose from his seated position. "Lord Ao Shun will decide your fate. Follow me, and touch nothing. The North Sea does not welcome uninvited guests."
He led them away from the Hall of Trespassers. The frozen faces in the walls seemed to watch their departure with desperate, pleading eyes.
The passage beyond sloped upward, growing steadily colder as they ascended. The ice formations in the walls became more elaborate. Intricate patterns spread across the walls like frozen lace.
"The North Sea archives," Xu Wu explained. "History preserved in ice. More accurate than your scrolls and considerably more durable."
Grim studied the images as they walked. Dragons commanding vast armies of sea creatures, creating devastating storms, and freezing entire fleets of ships.