Ye Chen did not refuse. After Kabac left the room, he walked to the window and looked down, seeing Kabac exit the inn and head down the adjacent street toward the center of the distant city, where, beneath a sky heavy with dark clouds, a magnificent building loomed indistinctly.

Only after watching his retreating figure disappear completely did Ye Chen re-don his black robe and step out the door, descending the stairs to the main floor of the inn. He pulled his hat lower and said, "Please give me a map of Wushuang City."

The innkeeper gave Ye Chen a slightly surprised look but asked nothing further. He nodded and smiled, "Very well. As you are Kabac’s friend, I won't charge you any Snow Coins for this." Saying this, he retrieved a thickly folded map from a drawer and handed it toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen did not reach out to take it.

If he extended his hand, the other party would naturally see his skin color.

He nodded slightly; his black hat flickered lightly as the surrounding wind acted like transparent palms, accepting the map, gently cradling it, and then drawing it inside the black robe.

"Thank you," Ye Chen murmured before turning and ascending the stairs back to his room.

Although employing energy for such a mundane task felt like an overreaction, he had no other choice.

Once inside, he removed the black robe and cast a Wind Barrier at the doorway. Then, he quickly unfolded the map. His original plan was to directly ask the innkeeper where the "Library" was located; most libraries contained maps. However, unfamiliar with the structure of this world, asking directly might cause trouble if the proprietor didn't know what a "Library" was.

The map appeared to be rendered in heavy ink lines, meticulously detailing the various structures with their names marked. Ye Chen scanned it roughly and immediately spotted the City Lord’s Mansion at the heart of Wushuang City—a massive architectural form marked in golden script. Not far from the mansion, several structures were labeled with the characters for "Shuguan" (Book Hall/Library). However, Ye Chen did not recognize these two characters, "Shu" and "Guan."

Voice could be altered using the communicator. Text could not.

Fortunately, the mapmakers had evidently anticipated this issue, showing thoughtful consideration. Next to these several "Shuguan" buildings, there was a pattern resembling the character "Shu" (Book)—much like the speech bubbles in a comic strip. Ye Chen recognized this symbol.

Ye Chen couldn't help but smile faintly. This symbol was likely included so the illiterate could identify the buildings, but unexpectedly, it proved convenient for him. He immediately donned his black robe and left the room, following the direction marked by the lines toward the nearest Shuguan.

The entrance to the Shuguan was spacious, and it was quite busy inside.

Ye Chen's strange attire drew considerable attention along the way, yet no one casually inquired about it. Thus, upon entering the Shuguan, the proprietor merely frowned and glanced at him twice before saying nothing more, only quietly instructing a young attendant to keep an eye on Ye Chen, lest he smuggle books into his black robe.

Ye Chen swept his gaze briefly and spotted several attendants dressed identically, standing beside various bookshelves. He approached one and said, "Excuse me, I wish to learn to read. Do you have any beginner books here?"

The attendant looked slightly taken aback but offered a polite smile without saying much else. "We do. Please follow me." He led Ye Chen to a set of shelves, pointing toward the books above. "These are all for beginners. Judging by your voice, you aren't very young. It's rare to see such a keen desire to learn."

"Mhm, thank you." Ye Chen nodded slightly, then ignored him, immediately lowering his head to flip through the books, quickly discovering volumes specifically for young children learning to read.

Seeing Ye Chen’s focused demeanor, the attendant found it rather dull and moved away. Ye Chen studied intently. Given his brain's memory capacity, he could essentially memorize a book completely after a quick flip-through.

Books half a centimeter thick rapidly moved from his hands—pick up, flip through quickly, put down, pick up another. In just one minute, Ye Chen flipped through over a dozen volumes consecutively. He then found something akin to a "dictionary" and, using the basic literacy he'd just acquired, rapidly scanned through all the characters within, mastering them all.

Ye Chen allowed himself a slight smile. At his level, mastering these fundamental characters was exceedingly simple. The Memory Tower of the Atlantean civilization was an advanced instrument capable of directly imprinting vast quantities of knowledge onto the memory cells of the brain, allowing that civilization's development to advance at light speed. A three-year-old child possessed the knowledge base of a doctor; such mass production of scholars made slow civilizational progress impossible.

Having learned the basic script of the Snow Domain, Ye Chen could now navigate the Shuguan largely unimpeded. His gaze swept over sections marked with geography and culture, and he quickly moved to them, picking up and leafing through relevant texts.

Ten minutes later, Ye Chen had a foundational understanding of the entire Snow Domain.

The Snow Domain was divided into four nations.

These four nations occupied the East, South, West, and North quadrants, with the supreme Divine Mountain at the center. Dwelling upon this mountain were the Yu Envoys, whose status in the Snow Domain surpassed that of the monarchs of the nations!

There were twelve Snow Domain Envoys in total.

Each was revered as a god in the eyes of all people.

Every Snow Domain Envoy possessed nine Snow Slaves, each an immensely powerful figure, yet also one who had committed heinous crimes—a person subdued by the sacred and pristine Snow Domain Envoys.

These Snow Slaves might previously have been powerful Purple Rank Hunters, mighty beasts from the depths of the snow, notorious villains, helpless commoners, or even very kind individuals.

They came in all varieties, but once made a Snow Slave, they held only one title: the servant of a Snow Domain Envoy!

They obeyed only the commands of the Snow Domain Envoy.

Furthermore, the strength of each was formidable, rumored to rival the highest echelon of Crystal Rank Hunters!

Ye Chen also gathered information regarding Hunters.

Hunters were categorized into six tiers, ranging from the lowest Iron Rank Hunter up to Bronze Rank, Silver Rank, Gold Rank, Purple Rank, and finally, Crystal Rank Hunter.

According to the descriptions in the materials, Ye Chen estimated that an Iron Rank Hunter possessed strength roughly equivalent to the peak of the God Emperor level in the ancient world. A Bronze Rank Hunter was comparable to the Epoch Realm powerhouses, such as the Masters of the Ten Halls! A Silver Rank Hunter was at least the fifth layer of the Epoch Realm, while a Gold Rank Hunter possessed the strength of the peak Epoch Realm, possibly even reaching the Void Heaven Realm!

As for Purple Rank Hunters, they likely held strength around the mid-stage of the Void Heaven Realm. And Crystal Rank Hunters were equivalent to the peak Void Heaven Realm!

In first-tier cities like Wushuang City, there were generally only a few Gold Rank Hunters. Purple Rank Hunters were rare and mostly congregated in the imperial capitals!

The information stated that the capitals of the four great empires were situated in extremely perilous locations, where the snow beasts surrounding the capital were exceptionally strong, enough to endanger even Purple Rank Hunters.

Crystal Rank Hunters had hardly ever appeared in ordinary locations throughout history; this title seemed reserved exclusively for the Snow Slaves—every Snow Slave was a Crystal Rank Hunter!

The monarchs of the four empires were all unfathomably powerful. Some speculated they were stronger than the Snow Slaves, others thought them comparable, and some believed them weaker. But one undeniable fact was that the identity of each empire's monarch was unknown until their birth, as every generation's ruler was personally appointed by the Snow Domain Envoys.

This person might be one among many princes, or perhaps someone entirely without royal blood. But as long as the Snow Domain Envoy appointed them, no one dared object.

Because everyone who had ever objected had died.

Reading this information, Ye Chen’s brow furrowed beneath the wide brim of his black hat. He sensed a pervasive strangeness in the entire structure of the Snow Domain; everything seemed to be under the control of those twelve supreme Snow Domain Envoys, as if the sole purpose of everyone’s existence was servitude...

These twelve Snow Domain Envoys hung over the entirety of the Snow Domain like a thick, dark cloud, inspiring unconditional fanaticism and worship from everyone.

They were like twelve celestial beings.

They resided in the Divine Mountain year-round, rarely departing. Except for the monarchs of the four empires and a select few Purple Rank Hunters who might get a chance encounter, it was difficult for anyone else to see them. However, rumors regarding the appearance of these twelve circulated widely across the four empires. It was said they possessed pupils of pitch black, unlike the native people of the Snow Country; their skin was healthy, kissed by the sun; their faces were beautiful to the point of perfection; their figures were balanced. Eight were male, and four were female. Regardless of gender, each was beautiful to the point of being alluring, every inch of their skin and every proportion considered flawless.

Everyone dreamed of meeting one, becoming their loyal Snow Slave, awaiting their command. Normally, when insurmountable snow beast rampages occurred within the territories of the four empires, a Snow Domain Envoy would dispatch a Snow Slave to handle it.

And every time a Snow Slave was mobilized, the riot was invariably quelled.

For a Gold Rank Hunter like Kabac, merely catching a glimpse of a Snow Slave was a rare fortune.

Reading this data, Ye Chen felt a profound shock; he hadn't expected the Snow Slaves controlled by these twelve Snow Domain Envoys to possess such terrifying power.

More importantly...

His expression grew unspeakably grave. "The twelve Snow Domain Envoys reside perpetually in the Divine Mountain and almost never leave. Kabac must know this information. If so... he must have discovered something else when he went to summon the City Lord, which means..."

A sudden dread struck him concerning his unspoken thought. He thought of something immediately and began frantically searching the Shuguan again. Before long, he found an entry detailing the Glaciers.

"The Abyss Glacier: said to lead to the Gate of Endless Sin, where dwell the most terrifying demons capable of annihilating everything! The demons on that side possess the ability to change into any shape, morphing into people of various appearances. Once encountered, one is certain to be besieged and killed!"