This was exactly what Malin wanted—the fate of this child was a national concern, and even someone like Carter, who swore revenge, found it extremely difficult to accept the idea of killing a child. Especially upon discovering that the whole affair was driven by the nobles funding them, who sought to kill the child after using him. He developed a bit of sympathy for the last child of the Manheim family, stating that the child’s life or death was irrelevant to him; he wouldn’t kill him, nor would he let him become a banner for the restorationists. So after Malin consulted everyone on this matter, these people held a small meeting within the Northernist group and finally decided that as long as Goethe swore not to let the child fall into the hands of the Northern Kingdom’s restorationists, they would agree to let him leave the Northern Kingdom and become Goethe’s adopted son. A Legendary oath has the effect of making spoken words come true, but Goethe still agreed and stated this intention in the presence of the bishop of the Lord of Justice’s Church. With such declarations, no one had any objections. Consequently, Malin personally brought Prince Soren over and handed him to Goethe. "Mentor..." Soren had yet to recover from such a significant change; he looked at Malin, somewhat bewildered—his father must have told him to heed Malin’s words, so even though the child harbored hatred for all the Northernists, he never spoke ill of Malin. "Child, listen to His Majesty Goethe. I don’t have much time left and can no longer teach you." Malin’s words carried a double meaning—indeed, Malin didn’t have much time left. He needed to work hard for this land and had several little dreams in the Thainan region he wished to fulfill. Then... he needed to find a way to save the world. Soren nodded and ultimately chose to leave with His Majesty Goethe. Watching Soren depart, Jon was the most relieved. He looked at Malin, expressing that the child was really difficult to deal with—the notorious deeds between Manheim and the nobles were known throughout the North, and he didn’t know how to handle the child, especially after Malin recounted Manheim’s last conversation with him and Link. As winter set in, the nation gradually started showing signs of vitality. Thanks to Malin’s efforts, all provinces finally obeyed the commune, signaling that the country’s most difficult phase had passed—the Malin group’s fleet, carrying food, arrived in the North for the second time, bringing not only food but also sweet potatoes. These were seeds obtained from the laboratories of the Thanans, cold-resistant and capable of growing even in the North. When combined with the Northerners’ cold-resistant potatoes, a few planting areas could be established on hillsides in winter, allowing for more food by spring. Malin even had the military clear land on mountains until the snowy season began. This winter was particularly cold in the North. Even the Chaos and zombies from the Eastern regions were forced to retreat to their controlled areas due to the freezing temperatures. Moreover, Malin had been spending most of his recent time with Lulu. She had actually received a letter from old Hagelberry a while ago, learning about his plans and gaining some insight into the issues within the Northern Kingdom. For instance, the Crown Prince and Elsa Quaser were siblings. After her brother’s death, she was taken back to Sydney by the Quaser family. But the seed of hatred had already been sown, and this girl harbored intense hatred for both Northernism and this new kingdom. Malin didn’t know how to resolve her hatred. Furthermore, Malin initially lacked the energy to deal with her. He confessed to Lulu about having killed old Hagelberry and learned about old Hagelberry’s story from her—how this old man and a few of his old friends decided to help Manheim seek vengeance, for instance, against the old Svenson family, which nearly ended in the annihilation of their family—the Svenson family was almost entirely wiped out by Link and Jon. The twin brothers believed they were doing something just but never realized that everything was within their grandfather’s control. They provided funds to Northernism, making Northernism and the nobles seem ostensibly disconnected yet inseparable. However, when Manheim ’decided’ to transfer power, old Hagelberry and old Svenson incited the nobles to start dealing with Northernism. "When grandpa was young, he made mistakes, failing to notice his friends plotting against the two Crown Princes, so grandpa always said he owed Emperor Manheim because the emperor’s father saved him, and he failed to save that emperor’s grandson." Lulu explained why these elderly folks risked annihilation to help Manheim. Sadly, they didn’t realize that their emperor had long been consumed by hatred over the years. Without Malin, he and his wife would have eventually become mere puppets of the Mimicking Bird. After hearing Manheim’s story, Lulu also sighed. "I won’t go back to Thainan anymore." Already pregnant, Lulu decided to return to Rongma for a rest. Malin personally escorted her home, then opened a door to return to New Hangzhou. By this time, the festival celebrating the harvest in New Hangzhou had long concluded, all issues had been resolved, and all members of the Chaos Cult had been brought to justice. Although some detectives sacrificed their lives, no civilians were harmed, a small blessing amidst the misfortune. Malin discussed the series of events happening in the Northern Kingdom with several Sages and also conveyed to them his intention to travel northward to Thainan, to see the places he once wished to visit but never could. With Malin’s current strength, the question really was who would be protecting whom if they went together. However, Sage Yu pointed out that it was already winter, and the northern part of Thainan was nearly impassable after crossing the river—there were Chaoses, zombies, Mutant Breeds, and Dark Zones everywhere, along with out-of-control machinery turning the entire North into a vast wasteland. If Malin truly wanted to explore the North, it would be best to wait until after spring to set out. After seeing the reconnaissance satellite’s latest photos, Malin chose to accept reality—beyond the river, the contemporary northern world was a snowy domain, with an average snow depth of a meter in the wilds. While the ruins seemed acceptable, various different kinds, Spirits, out-of-control machinery, zombies, Chaos, and Mutant Breeds together turned the ruins into a ’thriving’ world. After much consideration, Malin decided to set out after spring. Throughout the winter, Malin found himself constantly on the go. The more time he spent with his family, the more he pondered why he had to be the one to make sacrifices—his family, his children... the children were getting more adorable, and Malin truly didn’t want them to lose their father. But if the one most capable of saving the world faltered... wouldn’t that be too shameful? In the eight millennia since the Great Destruction, countless others had sacrificed themselves for this world, and Malin didn’t think of himself as entirely unique. After all, who throughout history hasn’t faced death? Because of this, the more he thought, the worse Malin felt, but after becoming His Highness, he perfectly concealed his feelings. Meanwhile, the girls around him remained in good spirits—it had been a long time since Malin had the opportunity to spend time with them every day winter. During this time, Malin mentioned to them his plan to travel northward to Thainan, to see whether the beauty in his memories still existed. Although the girls felt that Malin’s journey would likely lead to disappointment, they still supported his decision and even suggested that if Malin saw any beautiful scenery, he should capture it with a recording crystal for them to see. Of course, Malin agreed—besides them, he would certainly leave a copy for Quyi. After all, it might just be scenery from eight millennia ago. As the time came for the March of spring, Malin obtained a motorcycle from Sage Yu, loaded his luggage and tent into space, and then set off northward from New Hangzhou with Quyi that girl insisted on going north with Malin no matter what, so after seeking Mr. Meng’s consent, Malin took her along—should any problems arise, he could just toss her into the Semi-Plane. Currently, the number of beings in the world more formidable than Malin could be counted on one hand.