Before leaving, Li Mo began giving his final instructions. Regarding agriculture, the residents had more experience than he did, so he didn't dwell on it. The greatest enemy of agricultural development in the Nordic Lostbelt was temperature—solve that, and many problems would be resolved.
Li Mo's method of accelerating crop growth was forced, but it wouldn't kill the plants. Mystery was an existence that defied logic. Until the crops fully matured, they would have to rely on the stored food in the warehouse.
His first instruction was about how to use the food. Opening the warehouse now, one would find that uncooked vegetables and grains were scarce, while bread and instant food products dominated. Li Mo had to teach them how to utilize these properly.
Halfway through his explanations, Li Mo dismissed everyone except Dottie. The others' minds weren't fully focused on the matter—or rather, their faces still carried a look of confusion. Only Dottie remembered everything.
Later, he relayed the remaining instructions to her. Finally, Li Mo said, "These are my shikigami, the shrine maidens. If anything urgent arises, you can seek their help. They carry my will."
The shrine maidens were Li Mo's hidden card here.
The village's survival relied entirely on the protection of the bounded field. Maintaining the bounded field required magical energy, and the village's only source was Li Mo. Through the connection between the shikigami and their master, Li Mo could remotely transmit magical energy when needed.
Remote transmission would reduce efficiency, but the energy was renewable. Additionally, Li Mo had stored a large reserve of magical energy underground over the past few days. If the transmission was ever interrupted, that reserve could be used—though it would require the shrine maidens' guidance.
Once he confirmed everything was prepared, he left three shrine maiden shikigami behind and departed the village.
The village had no presence known as Valkyries—beings of Norse mythology, envoys under Scáthach-Skadi. To Li Mo, they were more familiar by another name: the Valkyries.
Meeting them wasn't difficult. The Valkyries had never hidden their traces, unafraid of being discovered by Li Mo.
Of course—they were Scáthach-Skadi's envoys. And Scáthach-Skadi was the only god in this Lostbelt.
Who would dare oppose them?
"How weak. Are these the legendary Valkyries?"
Those were the first words Li Mo spoke upon meeting them.
He could clearly sense their magical energy levels and judged them far inferior to his own. As for combat ability, further observation would be needed.
"Are you insulting the honor of the Valkyries?!" The Valkyries raised their weapons.
Do they possess their own will?
Li Mo spoke again: "This was an unintentional offense. My apologies. Having recently served in the presence of a god, my standards have risen considerably."
The term "god" carried many meanings, but Li Mo didn't consider himself a liar. Though the worlds were different, Inazuma's Narukami was also a god. Raiden Ei's power, if placed in the world of Type-Moon, would undoubtedly qualify her as a deity.
The Valkyries had no response.
But Li Mo wasn't done. "May I ask what Her Majesty the Queen thinks of me? Of them? You've been observing for so long—what are your thoughts? If you could share them, I'd be grateful."
"This is the will of the god." As if receiving an order, the lead Valkyrie's expression softened. "The god wishes to see you."
The "god" they referred to was Scáthach-Skadi—the only remaining deity of the Norse world.
Li Mo looked into the distance, sensing a faint fluctuation of magical energy coming from that direction—the same direction where he had spotted the ice castle days before.
That was the queen's abode.
"Please lead the way," Li Mo said politely.
Meeting the queen there aligned perfectly with his intentions. In this Lostbelt, nothing could be done without bypassing Her Majesty.
Besides, wasn't his ultimate goal to slay Surtr?
A battle against the Primordial Fire Giant would surely be… spectacular.
Following the Valkyries as they soared into the sky, Li Mo finally had time to observe them. In his perception, their magical energy signatures were nearly identical.
To him, magical energy was as unique as a fingerprint. This was likely due to his instincts as a "young beast"—he could identify individuals purely by their magical energy.
The reason for the Valkyries' identical signatures? He already had an answer.
Mass-produced Valkyries? Did Scáthach-Skadi underestimate him?
Li Mo didn't anger easily when others looked down on him—in fact, he welcomed it. There were downsides to being seen as weak, but a "weak" facade reduced resistance when acting.
As they flew, their path led toward the ice castle he had seen earlier. From a distance, it had seemed unremarkable, but now, up close, he could sense the entire structure radiating magical energy.
It was the same energy as the snow around them—emanating from a single source.
Landing on an ice bridge, they walked toward the grand hall. Moving through the castle's interior, Li Mo felt as though he were inside a living mass of condensed magical energy.
This was a castle of ice, formed entirely from magic.
And the creator? The answer was obvious.
Who else in this world could achieve such a feat but the one and only god?
Passing through the corridors, they arrived at the grand hall. Vast and desolate, the hall was bathed in blue hues, making the lone figure in purple stand out starkly.
The ruler of the Nordic Lostbelt, the sole god of the Norse world—Scáthach-Skadi, the ice goddess composed of elements from the Queen of the Land of Shadows, stood there.
In Li Mo's memories, Scáthach-Skadi's image had been somewhat comical due to her in-game artwork.
But what was the real Scáthach-Skadi like?
A dangerous beauty.
On her, purple was a color of nobility by default. As a god, danger was expected. As a god, beauty was inevitable.
Li Mo had encountered many beautiful women in his travels, and Scáthach-Skadi ranked among the finest.
Of course, the quiet dignity she exuded only added to her allure.
Stepping forward, Li Mo spoke: "Greetings, Your Majesty, the radiant queen."
"Young mage, I am curious about you."
Scáthach-Skadi cut straight to the point. "You saved those children who left the village, established a new settlement, and allowed their lives to continue. Why did you do this?"
No unnecessary words—just the core question.
Why would a single individual go to such lengths to build a new village? No one understood the hardship of sustaining a village better than the queen herself.
Even a god, representing all creation, held curiosity in her heart.