12 days.

That was the time it took for Enzo to pass from the Old World to the Northern Isles. For a low-income household, 12 days alone was too steep a price to spend, talk less of using it for travel.

"Cold, so cold." Roddy shivered in the back, rubbing his shoulders intensely. He thought Fort Marie was cold, they had lived in cold ruins, with no electricity, no water, or heating. Every night was typically cold and enduring it was hell.

But even that couldn't compare to the cold they were feeling now.

"Welcome to the Northern Isles."

From the announcement system, a hoarse voice resounded, announcing their arrival.

The Northern Isles were composed of vast layers of flatlands, ice forests, ice streams, mountains, and snow.

A majority of the country was covered in bone-chilling cold mixed with soot from the burning volcanoes that had become active over the years. It was a bleak place at first sight…..

"We're getting off here." Mr. White patted Enzo on the shoulder several minutes later as they arrived right in the middle of a massive snowy mountain range.

Minutes later, the world train left the area, leaving the group of five standing in front of an old, poorly kept train station platform.

The wind blew across their heads as Enzo smiled bitterly, using his black cloak to cover up his younger brothers more.

"Are we waiting for another train?" Enzo suddenly asked with a weary smile on his face. This place was quite cold. He could bear it to an extent since he was a Starweaver now, but his family couldn't for much longer.

"No, we're waiting for someone." Mr. White responded flatly, his eyes rather nonchalant. Not a trace of emotion could be felt from this man when he spoke sometimes.

"Ohh… okay." Enzo nodded and faced his front as he watched the snow fall continuously, slowly covering the path made by the train previously. Time passed slowly as the cold seemed to freeze their perception of it….

But soon,

"Hm?" Enzo heard the sound of a massive moving black armored vehicle in the distance, moving closer and closer toward them.

"What's up, fucker?!!" From within the armored motor vehicle, a man no older than Mr. White, with a rough face and a scar, poked his head out and barked in an obscene way.

He looked like a back-alley thug, the way his face and knuckles were bruised by cuts and dents. However, that wasn't all—the clothes he had on seemed to be expensive leather, with silver rings and what looked like crucifixes.

"That's us." Unexpectedly, Mr. White picked up his luggage with one hand and dragged the chained woman as he headed toward the massive vehicle.

For a brief moment, Enzo was shocked but eventually boarded with his family in tow.

"Princess, who died, and why did you bring an undertaker with you?" After they seated properly in their places in the vehicle, the man in black turned to Mr. White beside him and asked in a rather loud voice.

"Hm? Mind your business, Bandit. Just drive." Mr. White responded with a sneer. Did he think he didn't catch that princess comment? This fucking asshole.

"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a twist…" The man in black responded, throwing another subtle undercut at Mr. White before hitting the ignition of his vehicle.

Seconds later, they moved past the station and deeper into the mountains, where they passed through uncharted roads, a descending forest, and finally, between two crescent-shaped mountains, they came upon a valley.

There, a large expansive settlement came into sight, its doors made from a strange metallic alloy that mimicked the cold touch of thousand-year ice.

After a few checks at the gate, an armed guard let them into the settlement with ease. Mr. White's reputation here seemed to be more pronounced than he thought, as it was a word from him that created that ease.

"Yeah, I'm still in the coiling process for that one. Should be ready in a week. Why?" In the front seat, the man in black asked, his gaze lingering on Mr. White from time to time.

From their conversations all the way from the station to here, Enzo had been able to gather some relevant information. For example, the guards at the gate had referred to the man in black as Mr. Black.

It seemed strange calling people by the color of their attire at first—unless one knew the other facts of their relationship.

Like… these two were actually siblings who seemed to have a long-standing rivalry between each other, not limited to strength, but also money and reputation.

The fact that they could sit in a vehicle together without ripping each other's heads off was quite surprising, at least, that's what the guards thought.

"Good job." Mr. White forced a smile on his face. "You can drop us off right there."

He pointed at an old cottage on the other side of a stream, right in front of a small forest.

"You suck at this, man!!" Mr. Black laughed loudly. Feeling how hard it was for Mr. White to give a compliment to him, that just brought a chill of embarrassment down his spine.

A little while later, he dropped them right in front of the cottage and turned his vehicle around.

"I'll see you at HQ tomorrow. Bring my wine." Mr. Black waved as he left, not bothering to linger longer.

"Sure." Mr. White smirked, then nodded at Enzo before turning and handing over the cottage keys to him.

"I won't be able to stay in today. The cottage is stocked with food and clean water. Let everyone get comfortable. I'll be back by morning to get you registered," Mr. White said to Enzo with a cool and calm tone.

He had a lot more to do right now, especially with this old devil on his side. It was best to wrap that up now before anything else.

"Okay, thank you once again." Enzo bowed slightly, a look of gratitude on his face.

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