A few days after the battle in the arena—after the terrifying scene in which O’Neill tore apart the Earth Tiger with his bare hands—the atmosphere within the Barbrose Clan gradually returned to normal.

  However, the story of that battle was still whispered everywhere in the village.

  On a quiet morning, the children of the clan gathered inside the Great Stone Hall, a cavern chamber used to teach the younger generation about their history and traditions.

  The children sat in rows on the cold stone floor.

  Among them sat O’Neill, silent and attentive.

  Standing at the front of the hall was the patriarch of the Barbrose Clan, Nick.

  He struck his stone staff lightly against the ground.

  Tok.

  The children immediately fell silent.

  Nick slowly looked over the young faces before him and said in a calm voice:

  “Today, I will tell you about our origin… the history of the Ice and Snow Clan.”

  The hall grew completely quiet.

  Nick continued:

  “Four or five thousand years ago, when the underground frozen world of Europa—also known as the Frozen Northern Snowfield—still allowed powerful beings to exist, there lived mysterious creatures known as the Snow Maidens.”

  One of the children raised his hand hesitantly.

  “Patriarch… were they humans?”

  Nick shook his head slightly.

  “No. They were not humans.”

  He continued:

  “In that frozen world, the Snow Maidens ruled the Frozen Plateau.”

  “To the rest of the world, they were mysterious and powerful beings—symbols of catastrophe, eternal winter, and despair.”

  He paused briefly before adding:

  “But they were also cursed… and could never leave the frozen plateau.”

  The children listened in fascination.

  “In the farthest north existed the Clan of Snow Maidens.”

  “Although their numbers were extremely small, their abilities had reached the peak of power.”

  Another child asked:

  “Did they have a queen?”

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  Nick replied slowly:

  “Yes… but not an ordinary queen.”

  “There was only one Ice Empress.”

  “A unique being born from nature itself and blessed with extraordinary talent.”

  “The fact that only one Ice Empress appeared over thousands of years shows how difficult it was for such a being to be born.”

  The children exchanged glances.

  Nick continued:

  “The Snow Maidens were not numerous enough to form an entire race… yet they were not completely rare either.”

  “Each of them was formed from the purest ice elemental energy of the far north.”

  “After countless years of natural nurturing, they developed intelligence of their own.”

  “They were truly unique beings.”

  Nick’s tone grew more serious.

  “But everything changed later.”

  “A great war known as the War of the Throne erupted—one that shattered the laws of the Golden Planet.”

  “In that war… the God of Ice fell.”

  The children fell silent.

  “When the divine status of the Ice God collapsed, the Snow Maidens lost the favor of heaven and earth.”

  “Their clan began to decline.”

  “Many of them gradually transformed into Ice Spirits, creatures not very different from elemental beasts such as snow elementals.”

  “From that moment on, the Snow Maidens were no longer the rulers they once were.”

  In the front row, O’Neill listened quietly, his eyes focused.

  Nick noticed but continued calmly.

  “Before that complete decline happened, the Ice Empress performed one final act.”

  “She injected a portion of her life essence and blood into nine of the remaining Snow Maidens.”

  Soft murmurs spread among the children.

  “That divine blood allowed them to conceive children.”

  “And thus… the first generation of the Ice and Snow Clan was born.”

  Nick struck his staff against the floor again.

  “That… was our origin.”

  He continued:

  “From those first descendants came the Great Tribes.”

  Nick raised one finger.

  “The leaders of these tribes held the noble title of Duke.”

  “Therefore, they became known as the Nine Dukes.”

  He continued explaining:

  “These first ancestors later intermarried with ordinary humans.”

  “Over generations, their descendants multiplied.”

  “The bloodlines divided into many branches… eventually forming the people we now know as the Ice and Snow Clan.”

  Another child raised his hand.

  “Patriarch… what happened to the Ice Empress?”

  Nick paused before answering.

  “After one hundred years… the ancestor’s life came to an end.”

  “Before dying, she left one final command.”

  “She instructed the first ancestors to share her flesh and blood.”

  The children gasped softly.

  “They obeyed.”

  “And through that act, the strength of their bloodlines increased greatly.”

  Nick then continued:

  “From her bones and magical crystals, two sacred relics were created.”

  He raised his hand again.

  “The first is the Crown of the Heavenly Snow God.”

  “The second is the Throne of the Heavenly Ice God.”

  He explained further:

  “The Throne serves as the greatest offensive weapon.”

  “While the Crown provides support and amplification.”

  “Even today, these two relics remain the greatest treasures of the Royal Court of the Ice and Snow Clan.”

  Nick paused before continuing.

  “In the beginning, our people consisted of only nine main tribes.”

  “But over thousands of years, countless clans emerged.”

  “Even so, every clan can trace its lineage back to one of those nine tribes.”

  Nick looked at the children.

  “That is why those nine tribes are still considered the main branches.”

  “Other clans—including our Barbrose Clan—are regarded as their descendants.”

  He added:

  “When disputes arise between clans, the main branches often act as mediators.”

  “For this reason, they are respected like elders of a great family.”

  The children sat silently, absorbing the vast history they had just heard.

  Finally, Nick said:

  “At the height of its power, the Royal Court of the Ice and Snow Clan had a population of nine hundred million people.”

  “But only about six million possessed pure blood.”

  “The rest belonged to various mixed bloodlines.”

  Nick looked around the room and said firmly:

  “This structure was the secret behind the stability of our civilization.”

  “Pure blood at the core…”

  “Mixed bloodlines supporting it.”

  Then he smiled slightly and concluded:

  “Remember this well.”

  “You are the descendants of the Ice and Snow Clan.”

  In the front row, O’Neill remained silent… his blue eyes shining with deep thought.