Standing at the entrance of the longhouse, Maeve, holding the hands of her two sons, stared blankly at the simple furniture filling the room.

A tall woman dressed in leather armor, carrying a short sword, and wearing a feathered crown said to Maeve, "We've arrived. This is your residence."

Maeve turned to look at the speaker and said with a smile, "When my child and I left the kingdom, we were in a hurry and didn't bring much food or supplies. Could you please provide us with some..."

As Maeve spoke, she took out a valuable ruby ​​ring from her bag and handed it to the woman in front of her.

"My orders were to bring you here, not to fulfill your demands!" The tall woman shoved Maeve's hand away.

Maeve showed no resentment, and said with a smile, "This ring was crafted by imperial artisans in the southern desert, and can be exchanged for five fine warhorses... It might be inconvenient for me to travel with a child, so if you would be willing to help me buy some necessities, I would like to give you this ring..."

The tall woman flew into a rage upon hearing this, drew her short sword from her back, and struck Maeve's forearm with the back of the blade, angrily saying, "I'll say it again, I am not your servant! To try to seduce a Valkyrie with money is the most foolish thing to do in Froststone City!"

Maeve's two sons, one four years old and clueless about the world, and the other only two years old and just learning to speak, had never seen such a scene before, having grown up in the palace. They were immediately terrified and started crying loudly.

Hearing the two children crying, the Valkyrie closed her eyes with a headache, sheathed her short sword, and said helplessly, "Go out from here and head north along the Lumali Road to reach the large market of Froststone City. You can exchange your valuables for currency to buy what you want."

The Valkyrie opened her eyes, looked Maeve up and down, and gestured with her chin toward the room, saying, "There's a wardrobe in the room, and inside are a cloak and a face mask. I suggest you change into some clothes."

After saying this, the Valkyrie walked out of the room without looking back, leaving Maeve and her child bewildered.

Looking at the bruises on her arm, Maeve, who had once been a queen, recalled the pampered days she had spent in the palace, and her eyes reddened, almost bringing her to tears.

"Mother, where is Father? Uncle Minaje? Zoya?"

Maeve's eldest son's sudden question stopped her grief, and she forced a smile, saying, "Your father is staying in the kingdom to handle matters and won't be able to see us for a long time. Minaje and the others are with your father, so I'm afraid they won't be able to come either... As for Zoya's maids and servants, I've given them a long leave..."

The youngest son looked at the room in front of him, broke free from Maeve's hand, looked around, and finally ran to his mother's side, crying out, "Hungry."

Maeve gritted her teeth, stood up, went into the inner room, found a robe, dressed herself, and then, holding her youngest son in one arm and leading her eldest son by the other, walked out the door.

Stepping outside, Maeve looked back and realized that her residence was built in the middle of a neat cluster of longhouses, and the people coming and going were all Valkyries dressed similarly.

The area is lush with greenery and colorful flowers. While it may not be as luxurious as Connaught Palace, it has a unique elegance.

Walking a little further, Maeve left the longhouse area and entered the Path of Lumali, which the Valkyrie had mentioned.

This road, paved with bluestone slabs, has clearly been carefully maintained.

The stone slabs were polished to a smooth, reflective finish, and there was no litter or debris on the road. Various flowers and shrubs were planted on both sides of the road.

With the warm sunshine and pleasant breeze, Maeve's initial gloom was immediately dispelled.

Walking a little further, Maeve saw a group of commoners dressed in plain clothes squatting on both sides of the road, sweeping the road and tending to the vegetation.

Are these people slaves responsible for cleaning Froststone City?

The thought had barely crossed Maeve's mind when she immediately dismissed it.

This group included men and women, young and old. Judging from their clothing, there were indeed slaves in tattered clothes, but there were also many well-dressed commoners.

Judging from everyone's expressions, they were not forced to sweep the road; it seemed more like they were doing the work voluntarily.

Leaving Rue de Lumaría, Maeve ascended a high platform along a smooth granite staircase, where she could see a vast, boundless square.

In this vast, boundless space, Maeve saw for the first time in her life so many buildings and so many people gathered in one place.

The continuous stone buildings, scattered across the square in a staggered manner, number more than a thousand by rough count.

Tens of thousands of people dressed in various clothes, with different skin colors and speaking different languages, moved about the square like a huge school of fish in a river or sea.

Seeing this scene before her, Maeve stood there for a moment, feeling somewhat lost.

Looking at the two children beside her, she took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, stepped down from the platform, and walked towards the square.

Arriving at the edge of the large market, Maeve looked at the dozens of huge wooden signs erected on them, with simple and easy-to-understand pictures marking the roads and areas of the market. There were even dozens of people standing below the signs, answering questions from passersby.

What she saw made Maeve's eyes widen and her mouth gape in disbelief.

She never dreamed that Froststone City would be such a city.

On a whim, Maeve chose a kind-looking elderly man and asked him, "Excuse me..."

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