บท 137: Chapter 137

The Cryo Archon, Tsaritsa, stood up from her throne in panic and appeared outside the palace in an instant, looking up at the spinning sky above her head.

The rotating sky, the cold wind sweeping over the earth, the pressure that suspends all life activities.

As a god, she could clearly feel the supreme will carried in the spinning sky.

Under this supreme will, everything on the ground was just remnants of debris that could be easily swept away.

This was the will of the cold and ruthless "Eternal Throne." Whenever the laws of nature were violated, the "Nail of Punishment" that ends everything would descend from the sky and destroy everything on the ground.

Humans, gods, nations, civilizations—everything would end the moment the Nail of Punishment fell.

"Lord Celestia! Please wait! The people of Snezhnaya have not violated the laws of heaven, nor do they dare! Please hear my explanation!"

The Tsaritsa shouted to the sky in fear, a plea that could only be heard by the gods and beings of similar stature.

Although she had not personally witnessed the fall of the 'Nail of Punishment,' she had seen the ruins of civilizations left in its wake.

Whether it was in the deserts of Sumeru or the snowy mountains of Mondstadt, there used to be prosperous civilizations there, but they were all wiped out after the fall of the 'Punishment Nail.'

Not long ago, she had felt a cold aura similar to the one that ended everything above her head.

Because she was far away in Sumeru, two nations away from Snezhnaya, she didn't know what had happened specifically. However, from the news from the Adventurers' Guild, she learned that the desert had turned into a snowfield in an instant.

Now she understood that this was the awakening of Celestia, purging the trespassers of the Seven Nations.

And Celestia was omniscient. Although Snezhnaya had not openly raised the banner of rebellion against Celestia, the Fatui and their Harbingers walking through the Seven Nations did not hide their intention to resist Celestia.

She knew very well that Celestia would never allow rebellious forces to appear under her control.

She looked desperately at the spinning sky. In the center of the vortex, a streak of ice-blue light was continuously lit.

As a god, she could clearly see that it was a 'Nail of Punishment.'

"Lord Celestia! Please, listen to my explanation!"

The Tsaritsa cried out in despair as the 'Punishment Nail' was about to descend.

She wanted to oppose Celestia, but she only opposed the heavenly principles, not to bring punishment upon ordinary humans. Ordinary people were not guilty.

Pulcinella, the 'Rooster,' looked at the Queen, who had vanished from her throne. Hearing her desperate cries from behind, he hurriedly ran out of the hall.

He raised his head, looking at the spinning sky in horror. The Queen's voice wasn't loud, but she was shouting clearly, and he was stunned.

What did it mean? Was the one on Sky Island going to punish Snezhnaya?

As the Harbinger who managed the politics of Snezhnaya, he knew well that some of the Harbingers were not completely loyal to the Queen but merely cooperating with her.

With the Queen as the center, individuals with special abilities or immense power from various nations were gathered to form the 'Anti-Celestia Alliance.'

Some of the Harbingers used the resources of Snezhnaya to carry out despicable deeds.

As for the Queen's task for them to collect the 'Gnosis,' most of the Harbingers, apart from a few loyal ones, treated it half-heartedly.

The actions of those Harbingers gave Snezhnaya a bad reputation in other nations. In Mondstadt, for instance, the people there called for the expulsion of the Fatui.

The people of Winter City did not know that the spinning sky above their heads was a sign that the 'Nail of Punishment' was about to fall. They believed it was the divine power of their beloved Queen.

The prelude to the 'Punishment Nail' was indeed similar to the 'Cryo Elemental Power' controlled by the Cryo Archon, so it was understandable that ordinary people mistook it for something else.

The people raised their heads and looked up at the sky, exclaiming.

"The sky is spinning. What's happening?"

"The temperature has suddenly gotten even colder!"

"This must be Her Majesty the Queen's power! Did something happen that made Her Majesty angry?"

"I don't know. All of Snezhnaya's prosperity depends on Her Majesty the Queen. If anyone angered her, we would all suffer."

"Is it one of the Harbingers? After all, our reputation as Snezhnayans has suffered because of individual Harbingers."

"Yes, I'm doing business in Mondstadt, and when they heard I was from Snezhnaya, the Mondstadters wanted to beat me up. I couldn't even sell my goods."

"Some of the Harbingers are clearly not from Snezhnaya, yet they insist on using our diplomatic missions' names. It's disgusting. I was spat on by Liyue children while adventuring in Liyue."

As the people looked up and discussed the situation, Takumi walked calmly through the crowd, his golden eyes fixed on the palace at the end of the road.

He had to admit that, although the Queen was against the laws of nature, the people's livelihood in Snezhnaya was well-maintained.

The land was unsuitable for farming, but trade had made it possible for the people to have food and warmth.

At least, the Tsaritsa was very capable when it came to governing the nation.

Takumi walked slowly up the steps of the Cryo Archon's palace, his golden eyes locked onto the Tsaritsa standing at the entrance.

She had snow-white, waist-length hair, a soft and gentle face, and a perfectly proportioned figure.

Among the demon gods in human form, none were unattractive; all of them were breathtakingly beautiful.

The Cryo Archon, Tsaritsa, looked at the young man slowly ascending the steps, her body trembling, her eyes reflecting his indifferent face.

When you looked into his eyes, your soul seemed to freeze.

Through the connection to the 'Demonic Aspect,' she could feel with absolute certainty that this young man was 'Celestia.'

However, he was not Phanes, but the laws of nature were infallible.

Seeing the appearance of 'Lord Celestia,' it seemed he was willing to listen to her explanation.

The Tsaritsa lowered her head and knelt before Takumi.

As a sinner, she had to display the attitude of a sinner; otherwise, she would be violating the laws of nature.

The former Hydro Archon, Egeria, had also knelt before Sky Island, begging for forgiveness when she granted her people's plea and transformed them into incomplete human beings.

"Sinner Tsaritsa pays respects to Lord Celestia."

Pulcinella, who was behind the Tsaritsa, was also terrified and knelt beside the Queen.

Of course, after hearing the Queen's words, he knew this was Celestia from Sky Island. Since the Queen had knelt, how could he not?

Takumi couldn't help but smile at Tsaritsa's knowledge of etiquette. She called herself a sinner not because there was a sword of Damocles hanging above her head, but because the sword was about to fall on Snezhnaya.

"Tsaritsa, do you truly want to defend me? You have not violated the laws of heaven."