I created my own system

As of now, Apollo has identified ten people who attended that secret meeting. Some however are hiding quite well since they use a puppet to attend the meeting.

"They are really cautious, some didn't even attend personally but instead use puppets and hypnotic spells to control people, and attend for them"

Apollo felt amazed at their ways though it didn't really matter. Since he turned back time he was able to acquire their mana signature and could use it to trace them.

"The system's upgrade will definitely help me"

He said so until the power of the authority helped him get an accurate reading of the mana signature.

"Right this should do it"

He said while cancelling the power of the authority and his spell.

"Hoo..." he breathes while his body releases the tension that accumulated from using both an authority and a forbidden spell"

[You are improving, and with our upgrade now the authority of time can save you from dying from using that forbidden spell]

"Yeah, I'm glad we gathered enough stat points for the upgrade"

Apollo felt relieved though something still bothered him.

"Jillian hasn't contacted me, I wonder if she succeeded in finding what I asked her to find"

Right after the trouble at the eastern kingdoms, Apollo asked her to check on something for him. So under the pretext of being sick Jillian with Keith's father went on to do what Apollo asked.

[Are you certain this is right? I reckon that we could have done the search]

"We could but we aren't the same as the people of the north, they basically know the ins and outs of the place, and that is something we can't replicate no matter how much data we devoured. We can copy techniques and increase talent but we can't do those things with experience. That thing takes time and not some knowledge we can take"

Apollo told him as he exited the forest and proceeded to travel towards the second coldest place on the continent, the outer ice shelf, the place where Keith and Jillian used to live.

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"Child, are you sure you can still go on?"

Lothar, Keith's father asked as they ventured to the white and icy field.

"I am okay chief, however, what we need to do is report this to Apollo"

"Indeed let's go back to our cabin first, then we can write a report that we will send to him"

Jillian nodded until their tracks stopped when a sudden gust of cold wind hit them. The girl felt confused then she began to look around only to see the usual thing she saw every day.

It was a serene, snow-covered landscape, blanketed by white stretches of ice as far as the eye could see.

Tall, frosted trees sway gently in the raging wind, their branches covered in snow. The air is cold and carries a sharp cutting chill, it penetrates through even the thickest layers of clothing.

Jillian felt frustrated since she never felt cold ever since she was little. Then amidst this tranquil yet harsh environment, a solitary figure emerges from behind a cluster of trees.

Lothar immediately shielded Jillian to protect her, and since the monastery is gone the order of the Gods to temporarily seal their blessings has been removed. He could now use the authority that he had received from his ancestor God.

The figure began to move though it was partially obscured by the swirling snowflakes and the shadowy haze created by the wind. The presence it gives was almost ghostly, standing out starkly against the white, unblemished snow.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The cold wind seems to swirl around them, adding an eerie sense of isolation and mystery to the scene. This ambience made the chief of Frostfang show his sword.

"Reveal yourself!" Lothar shouted while a blade made by Apollo rested on his rough hands.

"It seems the weapon I gave the chief is being used effectively" A voice began to be heard and immediately upon hearing it the two realized who it was.

"Apollo!" Jillian exclaimed as she came forward to welcome her classmate.

"Yo!" a carefree voice said though he wasn't the only one who came.

"Son!" Lothar said, glad that he could see his son.

"Father how are you" Keith calmly stated while bringing a basket filled with food with him.

"Better than ever my boy!" he replied while spreading his arms to embrace his son.

Apollo watches their warm reunion while the glazing snow hits them.

"We should go to the cabin because for some reason the snow is getting thicker" Lothar suggested though Apollo could tell there was more to it.

"It seems the magical beast here is getting active"

[It's probably because of their mating season is coming]

"Indeed, then we should be prepared after all ice magical beasts tend to get violent when it comes to mating competition"

The two converse while venturing the harsh snowy land.

They were still outside the north's gigantic ice shelves that served as a wall and boundary between the high-ranking magical beast and humans. The frozen coast along the freezing water was one of the reasons the other side was unreachable.

"I wonder how on earth the monastery set up their base in there"

Apollo began to think because the other side of the shelf was filled with powerful magical beasts that even the empire didn't want to anger.

"I should have taken a proper look at the surroundings of each monastery temple, not just at the temple itself. I was too focused on them that I didn't feel suspicious about how they were able to build their hideouts in such ridiculous places"

[Most of the temples are found in unexpected places or territories of high-ranking beasts]

Apollo can't help but sigh attracting his friend's attention.

"Is there something bothering you?" Jillian asked seeing his expression. Knowing she was worrying Apollo answered her.

"I just didn't notice how the known extinct religious group called the revolutionary church was always behind the monastery's back. They might actually be collaborating from the very start"

"I believe the monastery is the by-product of the revolutionary church"

Keith shares his opinion while his father opens the door of the cabin.

"I think that the monastery was only created to bury and make the people forget the existence of the church" Apollo realized knowing even when it was declared that the church lost in the War of Faith rumors about their survival still persist.

"So in the end was it all to cover the church?"

Apollo now felt confused but decided to bury everything since it didn't really matter to him.

"In the end, I have to eliminate them" he concluded as he entered the warm cabin.

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"So did you guys succeed?" after they settled inside the cabin and ate a bit Apollo began to inquire about his objective.

Right after finding out the roots of the world tree and its relationship to the church Apollo remembers a specific plant that has the force to freeze everything including mana. He was able to discover this info when he plundered the ancient books found in the dungeon where he found Lothar.

He was able to find this information in one of the oldest books which also contained the oldest language.

Apollo thought that if he could get his hands on the said flower, then he might be able to recreate or replicate its effects to freeze mana, or if he could he might even freeze life.

"About that" Jillian felt a bit worried but still presented the thing they had discovered.

"We have found the flower you have mentioned, however..."

She felt conflicted as she spoke while putting down a black cylindrical object right on top of the table. Then Jillian tapped a button making the thing on the table open.

"Whoah" Apollo can't help but exclaim as he was hit by a sudden freezing energy.

[That is one chilly energy]

Jeremiah gave his remarks before putting up some defenses to protect Apollo from the cold energy.

"So as you can see the flower is way too weak to be considered to be the flower from the information you gave us" Jillian said while looking a bit disappointed.

However, her words were something Apollo didn't expect.

"You mean this is weak?"

He asked just to be clear and innocently his friend only answered "Yes it is weak"

That statement made the boy even more chilly. The flower's mere presence was enough for the system to put out its defences to protect him yet it was still deemed weak.

"Wait" Apollo suddenly noticed something and he immediately looked at the three people with him.

"None of you looked cold" he mumbled as he observed that despite the cold energy being released by the flower none of the three people with him seemed bothered.

"Apollo? You okay?"

Keith asked seeing his expression looked complicated.

"No, I am okay" the young mage just replied while shaking his head. Truly it wasn't a mistake to let these people handle this task.

"Nevermind that Jillian explained to me why this is considered weird"