Continuation: Following Anna, Artem witnessed the technological miracles of the Frozen City, including the Rain Water, frozen tunnel network, and many others. During the tour, Anna delivered the queen's invitation to Artem. He was being summoned as a foreign guest. This is how he'll get to meet Dalmir of the Lava Kingdom...
Responding to the summon, Artem arrived at the Frozen City's Crystal Palace. He had no issues finding the place, as the palace's grand dome could be seen from anywhere in the streets.
Under the guidance of the soldier in charge of guest reception, Artem passed through the main hall and entered the most prized part of the Crystal Palace, the hall of history. The glimmering light of the dawning sun cast a delicate outline upon the corridor walls.
Following Artem's footsteps, the sculptures of the ancient heroes and kings began to move. The spears in their hands extended forward, slowly reaching towards the evil monsters. Their cloaks swayed in the air, as if dancing alongside gusts of wind. However, all movement came to an end as Artem stoped.
Artem had spent his fair share of time in museums. Trying to uncover stories hidden within the silent relics was part of his daily work. He was familiar with the techniques used by ancient artists and got used to ignoring symbolic adornments, so he could get right to the history itself. He couldn't help but slow down to gaze upon the magnificent works in the corridor:
Emerging from the shattered sky, with golden blood running through their veins, the God looks down upon the mortal word with cold and condescending eyes...
The warriors of the Frozen City were fighting the monster army. They wielded weapons emitting flames of death and wore armors that Artem has never seen before...
An armed vehicle the size of a mountain soared through the air like a snowgull. At the apex of this tidal wave of an army sat a woman with a diamond crown on her head. She was brandishing her spear, pointing it towards the merciless God in the sky...
Artem almost collapsed under the power emitting from the sculpture. He exhaled and noticed that the soldier leading him was observing his fascination with a smile. Artem gave him an apologetic look and quickly caught up with the soldier.
Artem was told by the soldier at the reception that he could move freely while waiting for the queen's summon.
Not long after he sat down, a ragged outsider came in and sat next to him. Before Artem could speak, the man introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Dalmir of the Lava Kingdom. I'd like to know..."
"I'm Artem of Belobog. I'm not a guest, just an adventurer that ran into trouble."
"Belobog? I've never heard of it, but I'm glad to meet someone in the same line of work!"
"Same line of work? What an unexpected joy! Judging from your clothes, you must have experienced many thrilling adventures."
"I guess thrilling would be an accurate description. I came here as a cannonball. It was eye-opening! I've never seen snowflakes before..."
"What did you say? You came here... as a cannonball?"
"Yeah, yeah! You put a man inside a cannon, then BOOM! The man's flying through the air, get it?" Dalmir excitedly drew a parabola with his fingers.
"I don't get it. How could a man survive that?"
"Here we go! This is my favorite moment. That incredible look on your face. Now I get to slowly explain my hometown to you. Haha, I'm used to it by now." Dalmir smiled proudly with his hands on his hips.
"There are no snowflakes in the Lava Kingdom where I'm from. The difference in temperature is night and day compared to the Frozen City. There are many volcanoes where I live. Do you know about volcanoes? It's the complete opposite of snow mountains. Volcanoes have smoke coming out the top, and sometimes, they even spew fire."
Artem could not imagine a mountain so hot that it could breathe fire. All he could do was nod absently.
"...And so, we used the power of the volcano to create a volcano cannon. We use it to launch adventurers, such as myself, to explore other countries. But it was only in the air that I realized the only way back was by walking. I guess that's how the previous adventurers returned home, hahaha!"
Dalmir was naturally talkative. His words were full of passion that made Artem feel a sense of kinship. As they talked, Artem learned for the first time what a volcano was, what the movement of Earth's crust was, and what a volcano cannon was...
The Lava Kingdom adventurers are dispatched to explore the ends of the earth, but they can always find their way back with a compass that always points home. However, the trip back may be more dangerous than being launched by the cannon, and only a handful of adventurers make it. The ones who do make it always bring home reliable companions from foreign lands. The outsiders bring knowledge and technology that the Lava Kingdom would not normally have access to.
"Artem, I need your help! Please come back with me to the Lava Kingdom. We must get there before the biggest volcanic event in history!"
"The biggest volcanic event in history...?"
"That's right! We're preparing our biggest volcano cannon yet. We're going to fly to the Satelleden of the Old World!"
(To Be Continued)