Raising My Trash Ability into a Broken SSS+ Rank Skill Chapter 574 Bad news

Teresa and Vritra stood within the Star family's subterranean hall, where a strange, biting chill permeated the atmosphere.

Despite the area being entirely sealed off from the outside world, a layer of snow now blanketed the floor.

Vritra began by opening the gateway to the divine realm, allowing his wives to emerge; they were all visibly startled by the sight.

"I have never experienced such frigid weather during my entire time on this continent," Vanessa whispered.

"Indeed, this is far from natural. What could have transpired while we were away?" Maeve questioned. As the proprietor of the world information center, she possessed deeper insights than most.

"We should head out and investigate. I'm curious to see how much time has passed," Vritra remarked. This degree of cold posed no threat to a group of their caliber.

The party moved toward the exit. Utilizing the dimensional book, Vritra and his wives simply phased through the doors.

Upon reaching the surface, the true state of the continent was finally revealed to them.

A massive accumulation of snow buried everything in sight, and the very air felt as though it were freezing solid.

As snow drifted down, Vritra looked toward the heavens in astonishment, noticing that something else was descending alongside the flakes.

He reached out, catching a small particle to examine it closely.

"Spores?"

"Yes, and they are everywhere." Yasmine observed the same phenomenon; microscopic spores saturated the air, mimicking the appearance of falling snow.

"Why is the area so deserted? This is the residence of a top-tier family, yet it feels completely abandoned," Fiona noted. It appeared as though everyone was barricaded inside their quarters.

"Let us first determine how long we have been gone." Diana produced a communication glyph to make contact with her sources. After a moment, she spoke with a look of mild shock:

"Nearly six months have passed..."

Vritra felt a sense of relief that the time dilation wasn't as extreme as he had feared, yet he wondered how the world could have decayed so much in such a short span.

Standing beside him, Teresa was without her veil, though her features remained obscured by a misty essence.

Except for Yennefer, all of Vritra's women had already beheld her true face. They were no longer surprised by the claim that she was the most exquisite woman in existence.

COUGH COUGH

Suddenly, Maeve let out a cough, her eyes narrowing as she felt a strange sensation.

"Foxie, are you alright?" Vritra turned to her, realizing that these tiny spores might carry a hidden toxicity.

With a sharp snap of his fingers, he manifested protective barriers around the entire group to shut out the spores.

"I'm fine. I just felt a slight burning in my throat," Maeve murmured. Fortunately, the spores didn't seem lethal enough to kill anyone instantly.

"Let's head to Charm City to find out what has happened during our absence," Vanessa proposed. The group took flight, soaring toward the City of Charms.

The entire continent lay buried under a thick white shroud, with almost no signs of life visible outdoors.

Crops would fail to grow in such a climate and wildlife would struggle to survive; it was as if a total apocalypse had arrived.

While high-level Cultivators could endure the conditions, the common folk were undoubtedly suffering the most.

Surveying the desolate landscape, they soon reached the City of Charms, noting the absence of any sentries at the gates.

The weather was simply too brutal for anyone to remain stationary outside; even powerful generals would eventually succumb to the frost.

The city's defensive formations remained operational, but the group bypassed them with ease.

Vanessa searched the palace hall first, but finding it vacant, she decided to seek out Layla at her private residence.

They arrived at the doorstep shortly after.

KNOCK KNOCK

Vanessa knocked and waited. A voice soon drifted from within: "Who is there?"

"It is I," Vanessa answered. Since she was suppressing her aura, Layla had been unable to identify her through the door.

"Oh, Empress! You have returned!!" The door flew open instantly, revealing Layla.

She was bundled in several layers of thick winter garments, yet her face beamed with an excited grin.

"Ah, everyone is here. Please, come inside!" Layla stepped back, ushering the group into the warmth.

Vritra gave her a nod of recognition, as they were already acquainted.

Soon, Vritra and six of his women were seated with Layla, warming themselves with cups of hot water.

"Empress, where have you been all this time? W- We feared the Golden Moon had done something to you! It has been almost half a year!"

Layla explained that managing the realm without her guidance had been an immense struggle.

"I was confined in a certain location and only recently managed to break free. Regardless, fill me in. What has occurred over these six months?" Vanessa asked, placing her glass on the table.

"So much has happened, I hardly know where to begin..." Layla sighed heavily before starting her report:

"To start, the Grant and Trant families have been wiped out, leaving only three major powers. In the absence of the human empress, Diana Arclis, the Golden Moon has seized control over the entire continent.

The Twilight have been causing chaos, making a bad situation even worse. As for this eternal winter, its origin remains a mystery; the snow began one day and simply never stopped."

After delivering the news in a hurried breath, she paused and continued: "I assume you've seen the spores. They are toxic, though the long-term effects on the environment are still unknown.

Things have only deteriorated. We've faced numerous incursions from the demon race lately, and a new mysterious faction has been launching raids against us, the Phoenix Kingdom, and the human territories."

Diana, Fiona, and the others listened in silence, their faces darkening with every word.

The state of the world was far grimmer than they had anticipated. Furthermore, many details were likely unknown even to Layla, as global communication had been severed for some time.

Every faction was currently preoccupied with their own survival.

Diana tapped the table with a frustrated frown. "My first priority is to return and reclaim command of my kingdom."

"Indeed. It is also time we settled accounts with the Golden Moon. They have enjoyed their stolen peace for long enough. It is time for retribution," Vritra added. They had targeted him without provocation, and he intended to settle the score.

Now that they had reached such heights of power, dismantling the Golden Moon's new empire would be quite satisfying.

"Very well. We will deal with the Golden Moon first, then address the other issues one by one," Vanessa decided, privately thinking that peace was impossible whenever Vritra was involved.

'I wonder if this is due to the coming trials, or if a specific party is behind this climate shift? The demons? Or perhaps the Twilight?' Vritra mused, though he had no concrete answers yet.

The unnatural cold and the presence of the spores were definitely not a coincidence.

Before marching against the Golden Moon, however, the group decided to visit their respective homes to check on their people.

Vritra also intended to visit the Yate family to reveal that he was still alive.

"Oh, that's right. Let's inspect our new residence first; it can even generate direct portals for us," Vritra mentioned, pulling out the enchanted toy house.

"But where shall we deploy it?" Fiona asked.

"Let it float, Master! Our magnificent home shall drift above the clouds of the continent!" Maeve exclaimed, delighted by the mental image.

"Alright, let's see it in action." Vritra and his wives took to the sky. Layla remained on the ground, watching with intense curiosity.

The structure possessed innate flight capabilities and could remain suspended indefinitely without consuming external energy.

Vritra released the miniature house and backed away as it began to expand at an incredible rate.

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