Chapter 382: Chapter 381: Hot Springs
"..."
Li Ang’s eyes narrowed. Without a doubt, Princess Anna was suffering from severe frostbite.
Considering this was the heavily guarded residence of the Governor, it was impossible for any assassin to attack. Moreover, the heart condition she suffered from was common and wouldn’t produce traces of frostbite.
Could it be that the source of the frostbite was Princess Anna’s own sister, the Snow Queen who ruled over several kingdoms...?
Li Ang’s brief hesitation, in the eyes of the female physician Carly, likely signaled that the Eastern Monk was worried about getting entangled in some Royal Family intrigue. She urged anxiously, "Your Excellency, the Monk! Please prepare for surgery right away! I can assure you and your disciples’ safety..."
"I know."
Li Ang nodded, his brows tightly furrowed as he said straightforwardly, "But I need to observe Her Highness’s condition first in order to formulate a ritual track plan."
Previously, when treating ten patients, Li Ang had conjured different ritual tracks for each patient to collect more extraordinary materials, and this time would be no exception.
Physician Carly had no suspicions. With a glance, she signaled the Spellcasters behind the monks to let Li Ang step forward and carefully examine Princess Anna’s condition.
Her fingers and parts of her palms indeed showed signs of frostbite. This frostbite penetrated the full thickness of the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and some muscles. The skin surface had turned black or purplish-brown, the injured area had lost pain sensation, and it would be difficult for the wounds to heal. Her toes, however, remained unharmed.
Pale frost clung to her eyelashes, the surface above her fingernails, and the inner sides of her fingernails. This frost showed no signs of melting indoors; even tools couldn’t scrape it off. It was likely a remnant of powerful extraordinary energy.
As for the heart...
Li Ang summoned the Origin of Life hidden in his chest and used his Spiritual Sense to scan her. He discovered that a layer of pale frost also covered Princess Anna’s heart.
The heart, already malformed and shrunken, seemed even more fragile and powerless under the frost’s erosion, its beating so infrequent it was as if it had gone into hibernation.
Fortunately, the Magic Potion she had ingested earlier had taken effect, continually nourishing her heart. This enabled it to barely withstand the cold’s assault, preventing it from freezing solid and stopping.
Li Ang, harboring the Origin of Life, held Princess Anna’s hand as if examining it. Then, he stood up and said solemnly to Carly, "The situation is dire. A layer of ice has formed on her heart, and she could die suddenly at any moment. We must perform surgery immediately."
Carly clenched her fists tightly, but her face remained calm. "Understood. What do you need?"
Without hesitation, Li Ang asked for paper and pen, scribbled down a long list, and handed it to Carly.
She glanced at it and immediately ordered the security personnel to take Li Ang’s disciples out to fetch the materials.
"Princess Anna’s condition is dire," Li Ang stated, his expression serious. "A layer of frost has formed on the surface of her heart—a layer of ice so resilient it’s impossible to break or melt. If you want to save her life, you’d better tell me exactly what happened. How did her condition suddenly deteriorate? If I don’t know the details, I can’t be sure I’ll be able to solve it. We must treat the specific ailment."
His tone was cold and grave, causing Carly’s fists to tighten, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She glanced around the room. With only security personnel and the medical team remaining, she lowered her voice and began to speak slowly, "This morning, Princess Anna entered the Snow Palace outside the city, just as she had before."
"At this time?" Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you afraid something might happen to her?"
"Maintaining meetings with Her Majesty the Queen is a tradition. Besides, we had made comprehensive emergency preparations at the time," Carly said slowly. "As before, Princess Anna entered the palace alone. This time, however, the meeting lasted far too long. Previously, Princess Anna would emerge from the palace within three hours at most. But this time, she stayed in there for six hours."
"Wait," Li Ang frowned and asked, "Princess Anna is just an ordinary person without any spellcasting abilities, right? The Snow Palace has never been open to outsiders. This isn’t only because it’s the Queen’s palace, but also because the extremely low temperatures inside could freeze an ordinary person to death."
"..."
Carly’s lips were tightly pressed together. After a long moment, she seemed to make up her mind and said slowly, "Princess Anna doesn’t have spellcasting abilities, but the palace itself is not that horrific. The Princess described to me that in the palace’s great hall, there’s a perpetually warm fountain. The water in this fountain possesses a special kind of Magic Power, offering an unparalleled healing effect on any form of injury."
"Healing injuries?"
Li Ang’s thoughts stirred. Looking at her previous medical records, Princess Anna’s heart condition would improve periodically. So that fountain’s water must have been the cause.
So, the question arises: how did the spring water come about? Did it suddenly spring from the ground, or was it the result of the Snow Queen’s abilities? If it emerged from the ground, that could explain why the Snow Queen supervised the palace’s construction—she might have been suffering from some disease and needed the spring water to treat herself. Keeping outsiders away could also be to monopolize the spring water. If it’s due to the Snow Queen’s overwhelming power, even just a slight outpouring of her abilities, that too makes sense—the Snow Queen, constantly emitting Energy, is no longer suited to stay with ordinary humans and must lead a secluded life.
However... an unparalleled healing effect on any form of injury. This description clearly corresponds to the players’ quest objective! To take the "complete" Magic Mirror away from the palace! That fountain might just be the key to making the Magic Mirror heal and become whole again.
Carly, completely unaware of the turbulent emotions behind Li Ang’s calm demeanor, continued to speak slowly. "Princess Anna was still normal when she left the palace. However, before we could even reach the foot of the mountain, she began to grow faint. Before she completely lost consciousness, she left me a message."
"She has a message for me?" Sounds like a line from a historical drama.
Li Ang asked in a deep voice, "What message?"
"Find that doctor."