The Arrival of Winter

"Quickly start a fire to warm everyone up... Also, bring out all the food. Don't be stingy; everyone needs to have a good meal."

Strangely enough, as soon as the Winter's Claws were placed, the snow began to fall less and less, as if the blizzard had been deliberately designed to torment them.

But this is ultimately a good thing. After the snowstorm subsided, the field of vision became wider, and we were able to see the scene of this open space clearly.

The open space was much larger than I had imagined, making it a decent habitat.

There was a snow-covered forest not far away, with mountains providing cover, making it seem like a good place to find prey.

But Sejuani wasn't satisfied with this place... Although they had left Mount Orncal and had been heading south, they had only actually been there for a day or two.

They probably hadn't gone very far from Frostguard Fortress... In Sejuani's opinion, this place was far from safe.

But after a difficult migration, Sejuani finally realized that she couldn't migrate on an empty stomach, so she decided to settle down temporarily and send people to the forest to find some game and store some food to prepare for the next migration.

Thus, during the day, all able-bodied people in the tribe went hunting in the mountains and forests, and at night, a sufficient number of people had to be assigned to guard against a sudden attack by the Frost Guard.

But Sejuani's troubles go far beyond these...

Beside the makeshift furnace, Herren was meticulously refining a nearly completed suit of armor, carving more exquisite patterns... not just for aesthetics, but also to embed Zhenbing (a type of ice) to protect vital organs.

Considering that Sejuani is not yet able to directly touch the True Ice, Harren only applied True Ice to the key areas and separated them with thick mammoth hide to avoid injuring himself.

Ian and his two apprentices assisted Harren, who indeed had little experience in forging armor, but fortunately, old Ian did.

Old Ian also discovered that Herren's learning ability was nothing short of abnormal; he was practically a born master craftsman.

The first two steps required following old Ian in a proper and orderly manner, but the following actions had already progressed to a point where even Ian couldn't understand them.

Anyway, with Old Ian's help, even with the rudimentary conditions, a complete suit of armor was basically completed in two days.

As the new armor was nearing completion, Sejuani returned to the makeshift hearth.

Sejuani has her own tent, but she rarely stays there except to sleep... The tribe is in dire need of rebuilding, and she is very busy. The place she usually visits most often is here in Harren.

Upon Sejuani's arrival, old Ian understood and led his apprentices away, leaving Harren and Sejuani alone.

"You don't look too well?"

Harren glanced at Sejuani; she had been in a terrible mood these past few days because she had encountered quite a bit of trouble…

Sejuani originally intended to duel with Qogia to seize leadership of the tribe. Although this was very risky, the benefits were obvious... She defeated the Warmother, so she was able to become the Warmother.

However, after the violent death of Gorgia, Sejuani ascended the throne before her spirit. Although the process was much easier, the consequences were obvious—she, being young, had no prestige whatsoever.

While everyone else was lost and confused, she was the only one who could remain calm. She seemed to have successfully become the War Mother, but after things settled down, the thought that Winter's Claw had to "leave its homeland" under her leadership and had completely offended the Frost Guardians caused many people to become dissatisfied with her.

Although Gorgia has no sisters, and neither does Sejuani, Freljord has always been ruled by the strong, not just by bloodlines.

Some strong women in the Claw of Winter are already itching to make their move...

Just yesterday, an Iceborn challenged Sejuani, and although Sejuani won easily, it's not a good sign.

"I plan to hold my mother's funeral as soon as possible..."

Sejuani sighed softly. In front of others, she had to keep a straight face, and only in front of Harren could she show some fatigue.

"I feel that my process of becoming the War Mother was too hasty... I plan to establish my position at my mother's funeral. If anyone wants to challenge me then, so be it. But after the ceremony, as long as I am still standing, I will be the undisputed new War Mother."

"Good idea...here you go."

Ding!

Heron hammered the last piece of True Ice into the breastplate of the armor, and the new armor was finally completed.

[Forged: Winter's Arrival - Normal]

[The holder is immune to the severe cold, greatly increases vitality and mental strength, and gains additional vitality based on mental strength.]

[Obtain Golden Health Fragment]

[Cutting-edge inventor: Forging 5 out of 10 pieces of equipment]

[Master Forging: Forging Ten Different Pieces of Equipment 7/10]

[Resilience: Forged five tank equipment pieces 3/5]

Extra life force based on mental power? Why does that sound so abstract?

Herren recalled that the mana regeneration effect of the Herren Ring, when applied to reality, would increase the recovery of stamina... So, does that mean that the additional effect of Winter's Arrival is to gain vitality based on a person's spirit?

They've gained motivation in a literal sense...

"Is your armor finished?"

"That's right, with winter approaching, shall we give it a try?"

"The Arrival of Winter... What a nice name, did you come up with it specifically?"

"Ah...believe it or not, this armor was originally called that..."

Sejuani couldn't wait to start trying on Winter's Arrival. Every time she came over these past two days, she could see the armor getting closer and closer to completion... and she even felt a strange sense of participation.

Moreover, this is unlike the Ring of Harren and Thirst for Blood, which Harren crafted in advance, thinking Sejuani would need them, and then gave them to Sejuani.

This armor was specially made for her by Heron, who even took detailed measurements of Sejuani's body dimensions to ensure a perfect fit.

After putting on Winter's Descent, Sejuani felt so comfortable that she almost gave in.

The improvement in physical fitness is one aspect, but the key is that this armor is just...perfectly fitting.

Wearing normal armor will more or less feel heavy or make people uncomfortable.

But the arrival of winter, though equally heavy, did not evoke any sense of discomfort.

Thanks to Harren's superb skills, and Sejuani's tireless, patient, and devoted service as a human model, the armor fit perfectly. Sejuani even had the illusion that the armor was her own skin.

"Thank you, Heron... I'm extremely satisfied with this armor... Let those bastards challenge me, I think I could take on ten of them!"

"Keep this drive, Sejuani. You'll be even stronger in this armor."

[Ancient Treasures: Finding the Right Owner for Their Masterpieces 3/5]

Sejuani stretched her body cheerfully, striking a few poses rather childishly, and glancing around from time to time to avoid others seeing her "embarrassing" reaction.

Indeed, I should build a furnace room, the kind with walls on all four sides, for more privacy...

"Oh right, Herren, I almost forgot about the important matter..."

After showing off for quite a while, Sejuani, who was too excited, finally remembered the purpose of her visit.

"What I'm worried about isn't whether I can beat the challenger, but my mother's funeral..."

"Is there a problem?"

"It's like this... Since I want to establish my status through a ceremony, this ceremony cannot be too hasty... We lack a shaman who can preside over the ceremony."