Ye Wen's suggestion startled Artemis somewhat; she felt as if he had been planning this for a long time already.

Seeing her reaction, Ye Wen did not hide anything. "Athena is too clever! And she is incredibly ambitious. If she were to become the God-King..."

There was no need to elaborate further; if Athena were to ascend as the God-King, it would certainly not be good news for their 'neighbors' around them, whereas Hades seemed like a slightly better alternative.

However, for Ye Wen to voice such sentiments in front of Artemis, a deity of Olympus, demonstrated that he no longer considered her an outsider in the slightest. Nor did Artemis find anything improper about it; in the end, whether Hades or Athena reigned as God-King made little difference to her.

"If you think it's a good idea, then do it!"

Turning away, her gaze once more fixed upon the gloomy sky ahead, Artemis felt little connection to Mount Olympus at the moment. She had even begun contemplating leaving the mountain altogether; under such circumstances, she certainly wouldn't pay much attention to such matters.

Ye Wen faintly guessed Artemis's thoughts and subsequently inquired about her plans for the future. "What are your plans moving forward?"

"To find a quiet place to settle down where no one will bother us!"

She glanced back at the less than one hundred Moonlit Elves; these spirits would be her subjects, and in the likely course of events, she would spend her days with them.

"Then what do you think of... Mount Shu?"

Artemis turned back to look at Ye Wen in surprise. She wondered if she was hallucinating, if what she'd heard was merely an illusion. Logically, Ye Wen wouldn't say something like that, would he? At least, the Ye Wen she knew was a powerful, somewhat arrogant Easterner who displayed little interest in her.

Ye Wen did not avoid her gaze, as he had come to realize that after this ordeal, it was almost certain he could not simply cast this woman aside. Since he couldn't let her go, he might as well take her along, lest he regret it later.

"You... is this a proposal?"

Artemis remained stunned for a long moment, meeting Ye Wen's gaze directly before finally lifting her chin to ask the question. The pride of the Moon Goddess prevented her from responding with coy shyness or veiled delight. Instead, she felt that if he was interested, they should lay the matter out clearly between them. If he could give her a definitive answer, she, who harbored a favorable feeling toward him, would not mind uniting with him. But if he couldn't give a firm answer and tried to gloss over it, the esteemed Goddess of the Moon and the Hunt, a top-tier figure among the Olympians, could never accept such a suggestion, which felt akin to an insult.

Ye Wen also did not evade Artemis's scrutiny, simply gazing steadily into her eyes. "Whether it’s a proposal, I don’t know, but I definitely want to be with you!" He paused, then added a suffix: "Forever!"

Artemis did not answer immediately, not even offering a response like, 'Let me consider it.' Instead, she turned away abruptly and continued staring blankly at the somber sky.

Ye Wen also remained silent, standing beside Artemis’s carriage, accompanying her in her reverie until the carriage gradually descended and stopped outside a mountain cave.

Stepping out of the carriage, although the Sun God Sword (he found 'Sun Sword' a bit awkward, hence choosing 'Sunlight Divine Sword'... though the name felt equally troublesome) was not put away, without the carriage’s divine radiance to shield them from the elements, the elves could feel the biting cold acutely.

Fortunately, the situation improved significantly upon entering the cave. With the Sunlight Divine Sword still floating above their heads radiating warmth, none of the elves suffered frostbite from the cold.

Once they reached the massive cavern used as the main hall, the temperature was much warmer than in the outer cave. Coupled with the protection of the divine sword, the temperature here was about equivalent to late autumn, making the physically robust elves even feel comfortable.

Chris and the others were naturally surprised to see Ye Wen return with such a large group, especially with Artemis, an Olympian deity, accompanying him—even though they already knew that Yekaterina was essentially Artemis's reincarnation.

"Master really managed to kidnap the Moon Goddess!"

Yuwentuo and Zhang Ling stood farther back. Upon seeing Artemis, they immediately began whispering to their senior martial sister. Zhang Ling glanced back at her junior martial brother, pushed up her glasses, and did not reply, though a hint of surprise showed in her eyes.

Valkyrie seemed somewhat tense, her hand resting on her sword hilt, as the relationship between the Aesir and the Olympians was not very cordial. It was Yuwentuo who turned to comfort her: "She’s an acquaintance... I think..."

However, compared to Ye Wen and Artemis, what concerned the others more were the large group of people with pointed ears, clearly identifiable as the so-called Elves.

"This group, aren't these the legendary Elves?"

Yuwentuo examined them and then curiously asked his wife: "Does this world really have Elves?"

Valkyrie shook her head. "I've never seen such a race! Perhaps they are from another world?"

The Aesir had once held considerable power and naturally controlled several worlds. When Valkyrie was young, she had even carried out several missions. However, after the Aesir declined, those worlds were gradually abandoned—either neglected or seized by the Seraphim or the Olympians.

For this very reason, she wasn't bothered in the least by the fact that Yuwentuo had come from another world. These past few days, Yuwentuo had confided the truth to his closest confidante, but it didn't matter to him; this world, in his view, was already riddled with holes due to intrusions, the main culprit being his own Master.

More importantly, the fact that someone came from another world was quite normal to the natives of this realm. Yuwentuo instantly lost any sense of 'unique superiority,' especially after seeing Ye Wen, the 'predecessor,' and then Mino, the 'successor,' just a few days prior.

"So, the world Master visited has Elves? What a shame, I wish I could have gone along to see for myself..."

Valkyrie was unperturbed. Though she was not young and possessed vast knowledge, she was inherently a very simple person! On the other hand, Zhang Ling, standing beside her, turned to look at her junior martial brother: "What is it you wish to see? Are you planning to capture a few Elf maidens to take as concubines?"

Valkyrie understood this remark, having learned what a 'concubine' was recently. Hearing this, she immediately turned to glare at Yuwentuo.

"How could I? I am simply curious about unknown species, just wanting to see the difference between Elves and humans, nothing more!"

Setting aside the fact that he had no such intentions, even if he did, he couldn't admit it! Since the Aesir did not seem to practice polygamy, Valkyrie, being from the Aesir, naturally had reservations about such a system. Thus, although Yuwentuo felt a bit envious of his master, it was only envy.

After some rambling discussion, Ye Wen managed to explain the situation sufficiently, and everyone learned that this group of Moonlit Elves were also a pitiable lot, thus dropping their initial guard.

However, while the cave was large enough to hold so many elves, it felt somewhat cramped. It would suffice for a few days of coping, but long-term residency was impossible.

Yet, Valkyrie solved this problem: "Actually, deep within this Forgotten Snowfield, there is a place very suitable for them to live!"

"Oh?"

Valkyrie looked at the group of Moonlit Elves. Most looked unremarkable, but a few particularly distinct ones caught her attention, especially as she sensed a repulsive aura emanating from a couple of them. Although she knew many things weren't the fault of these elves, she instinctively disliked them, so she wasn't overly enthusiastic, and her words were less than clear: "That place was originally where our clan resided!"

Ye Wen suddenly understood. Although the Aesir lived on the Snowfield, they surely weren't enduring the wind and snow all day long, were they? Even if the Aesir weren't afraid of the severe cold, such an environment was truly not conducive to dwelling.

That meant there must be a more habitable location within the snowfield, perhaps where the Aesir had even constructed grand palaces!

"I forgot about that. Why didn't I think of this before?"

Silently cursing himself, Ye Wen inquired carefully and learned that the mountain he was currently on was merely an outpost of the Aesir, and also the gateway to that hidden place. The intricate tunnels within the mountain were constructed by the Aesir, and a rather secret passage led directly to that location.

That place was surrounded by mountains, whose peaks soared into the clouds, almost entirely blocking out the snow and wind. Inside was a completely independent world. The valley floor, encircled by peaks, was quite spacious, filled with various flowers, grasses, and trees, appearing lush and green nearly year-round—a true blessed land of eternal spring.

The temple of the Aesir was built there. Almost no paths led in or out of that location; the sole means of entry and exit was through the tunnels in the mountain range beneath their feet, which connected to those encircling mountains. Valkyrie living on this peak was, in a sense, guarding that place.

"Is that so? I didn't know such a place existed!" Ye Wen exclaimed. The Aesir truly knew how to pick locations—such an isolated paradise, even he felt a surge of desire, an urge to move Mount Shu there.

Yuwentuo, however, chimed in: "There’s such a wonderful place? Why are we suffering here instead of moving there?" Although he no longer feared the cold and enjoyed the snowy scenery, he couldn't stand facing relentless blizzards daily; even if he loved it, seeing it every day would become tiresome. Moreover, while blizzards had their charm, they couldn't be the daily view; this environment was actually quite oppressive and could affect one's psyche. Yuwentuo wasn't worried about himself, but his daughter: "If a child grows up in this environment, what if it causes psychological issues? Let's move everyone in there!"

Valkyrie felt uneasy about leaving the outpost unguarded, but she couldn't refuse Yuwentuo’s request—watching this, Ye Wen could only sigh: "This silly girl is probably completely dominated by Tuo'er!"

No sooner said than done, especially with the elves present to serve as excellent labor, the elves were naturally keen on the relocation, as it concerned their future home. Thus, the 'moving' process was executed swiftly. In a very short time, they gathered their necessary belongings (which weren't many, especially with storage artifacts) and followed Valkyrie as she led the way, traversing the network of tunnels.

At first, everyone noticed the path slanted downward, indicating the passage led underground. After walking for a while, they realized the chill was long gone, replaced instead by a growing warmth. A few elves even started sweating. Seeing this, Ye Wen recalled and put away the divine sword, realizing it was no longer necessary.

Zhang Ling finally noticed this and turned back to Ye Wen, asking in surprise: "Master... that divine sword..."

Ye Wen smiled. "With the aid of the Sun God, this divine sword has been upgraded! There won't be so many restrictions on it now!"

Zhang Ling instantly understood, realizing her master had killed the Sun God Apollo and used Apollo's divine power to reforge the divine sword. Thinking of this, Zhang Ling couldn't help but cast another glance at the silent Artemis beside her, feeling a touch of pity for the tragic Apollo. A person whose love was unrequited, then killed and had his divine power used to refine a magical treasure, while the one he loved followed his killer—what greater tragedy could there be in life?

However, it was just a fleeting thought. Although Apollo had a great name, Zhang Ling held no affection for the sister-obsessed deity; his death was inconsequential. But... glancing at Artemis one more time, Zhang Ling couldn't suppress her curiosity and whispered softly: "Are we gaining another martial mistress?"

Her voice was low, so most people couldn't hear it. But Ye Wen was right beside her and heard it clearly. He could only smile awkwardly and offer no reply. After a moment's thought, he quietly said: "This matter requires careful consideration. Don't speak carelessly to your martial mistress when we return..." Feeling his tone was a bit weak, he quickly changed it: "I will speak to her personally!"

Turning to look at Artemis, he saw her still wearing that proud expression, her steps unhurried and her gaze straight ahead, revealing nothing of what she was thinking. Ye Wen was certain she had heard the exchange, but her non-committal demeanor was genuinely vexing—he didn't know how to proceed.

As he hesitated, the dimly lit tunnel suddenly erupted in brilliant light, making everyone momentarily think they had reached the outside. But after taking a few more steps, they were astonished to find they hadn't emerged, but rather entered a fiercely hot and brightly lit vast cavern.

The cavern was almost entirely filled with scalding lava. Even standing to the side, everyone could feel the terrifying heat radiating from it. In the pool of churning, bright red magma, a jade-green figure was swimming back and forth. Ye Wen looked closely and recognized the Jade Qilin.

"No wonder I didn't see it earlier; it was here!" He recalled the Fire Spring the Jade Qilin had mentioned; it turned out to be this place. Seeing the Jade Qilin squinting its eyes contentedly, Ye Wen and the others decided not to disturb it. Zhang Ling, however, walked to the edge of the magma pool and waved repeatedly at the Qilin.

The elves, already terrified by the strange monster, worried whether it might attack them—in the eyes of those who had never seen one, the Qilin indeed appeared somewhat ferocious.

Just as they were about to silently retreat without alerting the monster, to their astonishment, Zhang Ling directly approached and seemed to provoke it. Even more surprisingly, Zhang Ling's actions did not provoke the monster's displeasure; instead, it tilted its head back and flung something out. Ye Wen's eyes were sharp, and he immediately saw that the small, furry object thrown out, no bigger than a palm, was Garfield.

"This little thing is here to join the fun too?"

Zhang Ling stood there, catching the flying Garfield in her outstretched hands before returning to the group. Then, everyone continued forward, quickly leaving the unbearably hot area. Yuwentuo, however, kept glancing back and remarked to Valkyrie beside him: "I think this spot could be assigned a guard. If a warrior adapted to this heat fought invading enemies here, utilizing the terrain advantage, their chance of victory would surely increase greatly, don't you think?"

Valkyrie thought his suggestion was good, but the immediate problem was... there was no one available. Unwilling to be deterred, Yuwentuo gestured toward the group of elves: "Since they plan to live here, they should contribute something, shouldn't they? We can't always be the ones doing the guarding!"

Yuwentuo's words gave Ye Wen pause. He suddenly realized this suggestion aligned perfectly with his original plan—he had intended to use the name of the Aesir to train some personnel but lacked suitable candidates; these elves were quite perfect for the role. While he was contemplating how to train them, Yuwentuo was already laying out his plans: "Since Olympus has established the Sanctuary, we cannot be left behind. Let the entire Northern Palace emerge!"

"..."