The sensation of inter-continental teleportation was less like stepping through a door and more like being shoved through a straw by a giant.

  The world twisted and compressed into a single point of blinding white light and then exploded back into existence.

  Li Yu stumbled slightly as his boots hit solid stone. Beside him a mass of swirling black fog solidified for a moment, revealing a hulking figure of black rock and glowing magma before the fog wrapped around him again.

  "Smooth as always." Krell grunted.

  "Barely," Li Yu muttered back and was shaking off the dizziness. For some reason when he wasn’t in control these long distance jumps always felt off.

  They stood on a massive circular platform carved from grey stone and etched with runes that hummed with fading power. They were inside a rotunda with a high domed ceiling made of steel.

  This was the Southern Gate, the primary arrival point for the Frostbound Dominion Continent, the Northern Continent, using the arrays of the Gate Keepers..

  They moved toward the exit where armored cultivators blocked the way. These were of course the Gate Keepers.

  The process for using their arrays was efficient and practiced. The guard on duty, a woman with pale blonde hair braided tight against her skull, barely looked up as she acknowledged Li Yu. When she saw Krell looming in his cloud of black fog she didn't flinch or reach for a weapon.

  She simply tossed a heavy and hexagonal iron token at him.

  "He needs this to wander around this continent where demons are a constant and normal threat." She said flatly. "Standard protocol for non-hostile demons. Keep it visible to him at all times. If he loses it he could be in danger of attacks."

  Li Yu nodded and handed the token to Krell who fastened it to his belt and made sure the fog didn’t block sight of it. It pulsed with a faint magical signature and marked him as 'Sanctioned.' This was the standard thing that all demons who were allowed to roam the North Continent had. It allowed for easy identification when mere seconds could determine life and death.

  "Move along," the guard waved them through. "Welcome to the Dominion."

  They stepped out of the rotunda and into the open air. The first thing that hit them was the temperature.

  It wasn't the bone-chilling freeze of the deep north but it was significantly colder than the humid Cloud-Mist Peaks. It was a crisp, biting cold, the kind that woke you up instantly. The sky was a pale, steel blue and the wind carried the scent of resin and ozone.

  Li Yu pulled his grey cloak tighter around his shoulders. It was a simple heavy woolen cloak he had bought before leaving and his intentions were to blend in. Underneath, he still wore his normal traveler robes. The cloak made him look less like a foreign dignitary and more like a traveler.

  "So this is the North," Li Yu mused and was looking around. They quickly moved to the nearest city from here since they weren’t allowed to stay at a Gate Keeper fortress for long.

  The two soon made their way to Fortress Valgard. It wasn't a city of beauty. It was a city of survival.

  The buildings were constructed from dark timber and grey stone with steep A-framed roofs designed to shed heavy snow. Chimneys puffed smoke into the sky and filled the air with the smell of peat and roasting meat. There were no delicate pagodas or ornamental gardens. Every structure looked solid, thick and reinforced.

  The people were different too.

  They were taller, broader on average. Their clothes were utilitarian—trousers of thick wool, tunics belted at the waist and boots lined with fur. There were no flowing sleeves to drag in the mud. The colors were muted earth tones: greys, browns and deep greens.

  Li Yu and Krell walked through the streets. Thanks to the grey cloak, Li Yu didn't draw much attention. Krell’s shroud of darkness on the other hand still earned a few wary glances. But once the locals saw the iron token hanging from his belt the tension evaporated. They were used to such things as some powerful clans or sects kept demons at servants, bodyguards or something else.

  There wasn’t much to see in this fortress city as it was just a defensive town. There were more guards and soldiers than civilians so they quickly left and began walking north along the main trade road.

  The southern edge of the continent was the "fertile" land. Fields of Frost-Wheat stretched out, a hardy crop with bluish stalks. Farmers were out in the fields and tending to the harvest.

  Contrary to the stories, the farmers weren't clutching spears while they plowed. They were just people, working the land, laughing and shouting to one another.

  However, the security was undeniable. It was at another level completely.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Every village they passed had a stone wall that was reinforced with formations, not a wooden fence. Watchtowers dotted the landscape every few miles and were manned by alert guards in heavy armor. Patrols of mounted cultivators rode along the roads, their eyes scanning the horizon constantly.

  "It's not a complete war zone," Li Yu observed. He was watching a group of children chasing a dog near a farmhouse. "But they certainly are ready for one."

  "The Qi is restless here," Krell commented. His black fog swirled around him but Li Yu could feel the heat radiating from him. "The veil between realms is thinner here just as they say. It feels... brittle."

  "Torben said rifts open daily," Li Yu nodded. "The people here live with the constant threat of invasion. A constant threat of being attacked at any time. It changes a culture. Things are set up to protect and alert as soon as possible. From what I can see as soon as a rift opens, the information would travel up the chain and strong cultivators will come to secure the area. Limiting casualties as much as possible."

  They walked until evening and continued taking in the sights. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the rugged terrain. They arrived at a mid-sized town called Hearthome. It was a trade hub. They found an inn called The Shattered Axe.

  Li Yu pushed the heavy oak door open. A wave of heat and noise washed over them.

  The common room was packed. Long wooden tables were crowded with mercenaries, merchants and hunters. A massive central hearth, big enough to roast a whole cow, dominated the room.

  The noise didn't stop when they entered. A few people looked up, noted the grey cloak and the massive foggy figure. They instantly checked for the token and went back to their drinks. It would seem like the people here have grown accustomed to being constantly on guard.

  "Table for two," Li Yu said to the barkeep, a man with arms the size of tree trunks and a beard braided with copper rings.

  "Coin first," the barkeep grunted. "We take gold or cores."

  Li Yu flicked him a gold coin but noted that those were the preferred currency on this continent. He would remember to get more cores since he didn’t have any low level ones on him. Those were things he didn’t take when loot was split on the White Tiger Continent. Good thing he had plenty of gold coins.

  The barkeep caught it, inspected it and finally nodded. "Stew is mutton. Ale is dark. Don't break the furniture or you will pay for it."

  They found a table in the corner. Krell sat down and immediately the bench creaked ominously under his immense weight.

  "I like this place," Krell rumbled as his magma-eyes glowed dimly through the mist. "It is honest. No fake politeness. Just people with a warrior’s spirit, courage and strength. They have found a way to live in a place that is constantly under attack."

  "It is indeed practical. Though life under constant threat of danger can’t be pleasant." Li Yu agreed. A server slammed two wooden bowls of stew and a loaf of dark, dense bread onto the table.

  Krell picked up the entire loaf in one massive hand and bit half of it off. He chewed contentedly. Despite his appearance, he ate like a human but with the appetite of a furnace. They quickly ordered more.

  Li Yu tasted the stew. It was salty, rich and heavy on the root vegetables. The flavors weren’t as bold as what he experienced on the previous continental but it had its own charm. The flavor of each ingredient stood out and shone. The taste was simple but delicious. The flavors were clean and the quality of the ingredients stood out.

  "Delicious." Li Yu said. “I like that I can almost tell everything that was put in here but they all play a role together. A sum that is better than their individual parts.

  At the next table a group of mercenaries were talking loudly. They wore heavy plate armor mixed with furs and had their helmets sitting on the table. Their weapons were placed down by their feet. Everyone more or less had this configuration. They were always ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

  "Did you hear about the rift near the Splintered Peaks?" One mercenary asked. It was a woman with a scar across her nose. "Opened up two days ago. A pack of Frost-Demons came through."

  "Nasty business," her companion grunted as he was chugging ale. "The Green Forest Sect sent a squad. Heard they put them down but they took some hits themselves. Those demons are getting bolder."

  "It's the season," the woman shrugged. "The veil is always thinnest in winter."

  Li Yu’s ears perked up.

  "Frost-Demons…" Li Yu whispered to Krell. "I wonder what else we will find here. Either way. It is still... resources."

  "We heading to the sect?" Krell asked. He quickly swallowed the rest of the bread that just arrived at the table.

  "Eventually. We need to head there so I can start being a mercenary here. I don’t know quite what needs to be done so I will go there and learn more about it from Torben." Li Yu said. "But I want to see the people here. I want to see how people, mortals and cultivators live. I need to understand the place better before acting.”

  He looked around the room. The clothing here was distinct. No silks. Everyone wore layers. Tunics of wool, breeches of leather, cloaks of bear or wolf hide held together by heavy iron brooches called fibulas.

  Names floated through the air. Erik. Freya. Leif. Gunnar. It was a completely different world from the White Tiger Continent.

  "Hey, traveler," a voice called out.

  Li Yu looked up. A large man from the next table was looking at him. He wasn't aggressive towards Li Yu, just curious. He had a massive axe leaning against his leg.

  "That cloak," the man pointed with a chicken leg. "Where did you get it?"

  "Bought it in the port," Li Yu lied smoothly. “I am new here.”

  The man laughed. "Thought so. You look too clean for a local. You heading North?"

  "Thinking about it," Li Yu said. "Heard there are monsters to hunt."

  The man looked at Krell, then back at Li Yu’s calm demeanor. He noted the lack of weapons on Li Yu but the confident way he held himself. Taking a weapon out of a storage ring took time. Not much but it could make a difference in an attack.

  "If you go North," the man advised, "watch the ground. Rifts don't always open in the sky. Sometimes the earth just opens up and spits out a nightmare."

  "Thanks for the tip. I appreciate that" Li Yu nodded and noted.

  They left the warmth of the inn and stepped back out into the cold northern night. A curtain of green and violet light danced across the sky. It was beautiful and ominous.

  The Frostbound Dominion. A land where the ground could break open and monsters crawl out. Li Yu took a deep breath of the freezing air.

  ‘What kind of adventures await here.’ Li Yu thought to himself.