The slender, pale hand delicately withdrew chopsticks from the bamboo holder. This woman in the silver robe gently picked up a bamboo shoot from her plate, lowered her head, and elegantly placed it into her crimson lips, eating with a quiet grace. Unbeknownst to her, this picture-perfect movement was captivating every eye in the tavern, drawing glances even from other women, who then blushed with a sense of shame.

The prior chatter and laughter in the tavern died away into an immediate hush, broken only by the varying rhythms of breathing, which seemed to keep time with the distant, howling blizzard outside. A gentle, white halo of lamplight bathed everyone's face, reflecting in their eyes.

Suddenly, a gruff, cursing voice echoed from outside, accompanied by several sets of heavy footsteps. The tavern's heavy curtain was then violently thrown back, its lower edge whipping upward. The patrons instinctively turned, glaring angrily, seemingly annoyed that the newcomer’s noisy entrance might disturb the woman in the silver-white robe.

However, upon seeing who had entered, the anger in their eyes instantly dissolved like snow in the sun, and they swiftly lowered their heads, burying themselves back into their meals.

The newcomer was broad and imposing, a massive figure whose waist bore a heavy, azure greatsword. Despite the bitter cold, he wore only a sleeveless azure leather jerkin. Strange, ferocious beast tattoos adorned his exposed forearms, complementing his powerful physique in a way that inspired dread.

Following him were several retainers, each barely half his size but uniformly sturdy, every one equipped with a blade or sword at the hip, their sharp gazes betraying considerable latent strength.

The tavern owner’s face flickered, and he hurried forward with a practiced, ingratiating smile. “Why, it’s Master Bart! Welcome, welcome! Surely Master Bart honors us with a visit? Wait just a moment, I’ll have wine and dishes prepared for you immediately.”

Bart held his head slightly high, his expression cold and contemptuous. He responded with a noncommittal, detached grunt, then his gaze fixed upon a beautifully enchanting figure sitting at a table near the window. Surprise flickered in his eyes. As one of the city’s foremost bullies, he knew every attractive young woman in this small town almost as intimately as he knew the lines on his own hand, yet he had never encountered such a demure, graceful silhouette. A wicked smile spread across his face as he strode toward her.

His alloy-plated boots struck the floor with heavy thuds, sounding like hammers against the hearts of the other patrons. Everyone secretly sighed inwardly, pitying the woman in the silver-white robe—such a beautiful girl was surely about to be defiled.

Some turned away in silent agony, lamenting inwardly, overwhelmed by a sense of crushing, helpless defeat.

Bart stopped at the edge of the silver-robed woman’s table. He peered down his narrow eyes and was instantly mesmerized by her exquisitely near-perfect cheekbones. He stared, stunned, for a long moment before snapping back to reality. He swallowed hard, then swept his gaze over her body with greedy, malevolent desire, chuckling wickedly. “Hey there, little doll, where did you blow in from? Never seen you before. Lift your head, let this grand master get a proper look.”

The silver-robed woman acted as if she saw nothing, continuing to pick delicately at the food on her plate.

Bart frowned, his expression darkening. He said coldly, “You must not know the rules here. In our city, ‘Wilman,’ every newcomer must pay an insurance fee.”

“An insurance fee?” The silver-robed woman finally raised her head, meeting his gaze. Her eyes were as clear and bright as still water. “What is an insurance fee?”

Bart tilted his head back slightly, sneering, “The insurance fee is what guarantees your personal safety while you are here. Otherwise, if something happens to you in the city, and your corpse ends up displayed on the ice stones of the moat the next day, don't blame anyone else.”

“I see…” The silver-robed woman lowered her head again, selecting a piece of food from her plate. After taking a small bite, she stood up. Her smooth, silken hair slipped from her shoulders, cascading down her back and releasing a soft fragrance that caused every pore on Bart’s body to relax. He inhaled deeply, greedily, smacking his lips, clearly captivated.

“So then…” The silver-robed woman turned her head to look at him, her lips curved into a gentle smile. “You’re treating me to this meal. Consider it… the insurance fee you’re paying me this morning.”

“What?” Bart’s eyes widened, as if he hadn't quite understood. “Protection money paid to you?”

“Yes. Is something wrong? Is the price too low?” The silver-robed woman looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.

Bart stared intently at her face for a long time, only finally accepting that she wasn’t feigning ignorance, but genuinely seemed to believe it. A strange feeling welled up inside him—a desire to laugh, yet unable to force it out. He merely sighed and shook his head. “You’ve only just arrived, you don’t know how formidable I am. It seems I must demonstrate to you that I am a truly powerful man.” With that, he drew the azure greatsword from his hip. The sharp blade caught the light, reflecting a blinding glare. He held it level before the silver-robed woman.

Then, under her confused gaze, he slammed his palm onto the sword’s surface and wrenched it hard.

A wave of azure arcane symbols flashed across the surface of the greatsword as if in agony. Anyone with sharp eyesight would recognize these as the secret runes of the Divine Law.

Crack.

The sound of the sword cleanly snapping echoed, seeming to sever the heartstrings of every patron in the tavern.

Bart laughed. “That is a High-Grade Divine Artifact. You should know its resilience.”

The silver-robed woman maintained her look of bewilderment. “I do know that, but why would you break it? That’s terribly wasteful.”

Bart stared at her for a long while before realizing she wasn't pretending to be foolish. A flicker of caution arose in his heart, and he frowned. “Are you a Divine Emperor expert?” The silver-robed woman blinked, looking at him curiously. “Divine Emperor? How strong is that?”

Bart fell silent once more, though he secretly exhaled a breath of relief. His expression shifted to one of pleased understanding. He smiled. “Judging by your look, you must be the daughter of some noble house. Many common folk truly don’t know the stature of a Divine Emperor. Well then, you must know of the Gods, right? Or perhaps False Gods. If you haven't even heard of those, surely you know of the most basic level: Demigods?”

“Gods? False Gods? Demigods?” Three question marks materialized above the silver-robed woman’s head, giving her a troubled look. “I don’t know any of those. Never heard of them.”

Bart was momentarily dumbfounded.

If it weren't for the girl's innocent and sincere expression, he would have been certain she was acting. Now, he began to suspect the girl might... have a slight problem with her mind? Or perhaps... was she developmentally slow?

“Fine,” he took a deep breath. “I am a Peak Divine expert. I can shatter a mountain with a single punch—you should understand that much, at least?”

“Oh…” The silver-robed woman looked slightly disappointed. “If that’s all, I think I’ll head back to my room now. I’m a bit tired after finally arriving in this world.”

“Back to your room?” Bart felt intensely ignored, and a surge of anger bypassed his caution regarding her strange words.

“Stop right there!” Bart stepped forward, blocking the silver-robed woman’s path, looking down at her coldly. “I made myself perfectly clear: you must pay the insurance fee. If you refuse again, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

The silver-robed woman looked at him with even greater astonishment. “You mean, I have to pay you an insurance fee? No way.”

Veins bulged on Bart’s forehead, and his neck thickened with rage. “Not pay me, are you expecting me to pay you? Enough nonsense! You have one minute to consider!”

The silver-robed woman fretfully smoothed the hair near her cheek. “What happens,” she asked calmly, “if I decide not to pay?”

“Then you come with me!” Bart grinned savagely and reached out to grab her.

Pfft—

Blood erupted, followed by the sound of an object dropping onto the floor. A few seconds later, Bart’s pig-like screams of agony pierced the air.

The silver-robed woman remained perfectly still, not even raising a hand. She frowned slightly and sighed. “This outfit is very expensive. It shouldn't get stained, you know.”

The tavern descended into a deathly silence, as if all sound had been devoured by an unseen terror. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at the silver-white robed woman in shock, their faces a mask of disbelief.

Bart was covered in a cold sweat, his eyes fixed on the pure and beautiful woman before him with stark terror. His heart felt as if it were about to beat right out of his mouth. He stammered in fear, “Who are you? Just who are you? A Divine Emperor expert—why would you be in some backwater town like this?”

“I’m not a Divine Emperor,” the silver-robed woman muttered softly. She then brushed past Bart, leaning close to his ear to whisper gently, “I’m much stronger than a Divine Emperor, actually…”

Then she walked past him. The lamplight shone upon her snow-white robe, rendering her ethereal and magnificent.

Bart’s body froze, then he pitched forward with a heavy thud. There were no external wounds, yet his eyes instantly lost all consciousness, becoming vacant and ash-gray, as if he had witnessed something unimaginably horrific.

Every patron felt their scalps prickle. Shrieks erupted, and everyone fled the tavern in a panicked stampede. The owner behind the counter swayed on legs like willow branches, collapsing onto the floor, staring in terror at the nearly perfect woman.

The few henchmen Bart had brought let out sharp yelps of fright and immediately turned tail, running out.

The tavern was instantly hollowed out, leaving only the howling cold wind outside the curtain, which blew through like a mournful dirge. The silver-robed woman glanced around, preparing to return to her room. Just then, as the cold wind whipped the curtain upward, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure collapsed on the snow-covered street just outside. It appeared the person had fallen only recently, as the snow hadn't yet piled heavily on them. She frowned, and for reasons she couldn't fathom, she walked outside. She saw a black-haired youth lying in the snow. She found herself lifting him up, even surprising herself with the action, before returning inside the tavern and telling the trembling owner, “I need hot water.”

The owner stammered out, “Y-yes…”