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

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

Despite the area being entirely sealed off, a layer of snow had managed to blanket the floor.

Vritra initiated the opening of the divine realm's gate, allowing his wives to emerge; they were immediately struck by the same sense of disbelief.

"Throughout my entire stay on this continent, I have never encountered weather this frigid," Vanessa whispered.

"Indeed, this is far from natural. What could have transpired since our departure?" Maeve questioned. As the proprietor of the world information centre, she possessed a deeper insight into global affairs.

"Let us head outside to investigate. I am curious to know exactly how much time has passed…" Vritra remarked, as this degree of cold posed no threat to their group.

The party moved toward the exit, with Vritra and his wives utilizing the dimensional book to phase through the door.

Once they ascended, the true state of the continent was finally revealed to them.

A massive accumulation of snow buried everything in sight, and the air had turned literally freezing.

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

He reached out a hand, catching a specimen to examine it closely.

"Spores?"

"Yes, and they appear to be everywhere." Yasmine observed them as well; the atmosphere was saturated with tiny spores that mimicked the appearance of falling snow.

"But why is the area deserted? This is the residence of a top family, yet it feels completely abandoned," Fiona noted. It seemed as though every soul was barricaded within their quarters.

"First, we must determine how long we have been gone." Diana produced a communication glyph to make contact with an outside source. After a moment, her expression shifted to one 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.

Beside him, Teresa had removed her veil, though her features remained obscured by a misty essence.

Every woman in Vritra’s circle—with the exception of Yennefer—had already beheld her true face, so they were not surprised by the claim that she was the most stunning woman in existence.

COUGH COUGH

Suddenly, Maeve let out a cough, her eyes narrowing as she felt a sense of unease.

"Foxie, are you alright?" Vritra turned to her, realizing the microscopic spores might be toxic.

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

"I am fine. I just felt a slight burning in my throat all of a sudden," Maeve murmured. Fortunately, the spores did not seem lethal enough to kill a person instantly.

"We should head to Charm City to discover what has happened during our absence," Vanessa proposed. The group took flight, heading 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 this climate and animal life would struggle to survive; it was as if a true apocalypse had arrived.

While those with high Cultivation levels could endure, ordinary citizens were suffering the most.

Surveying the devastation, they soon reached the City of Charms, noting the absence of any guards at the perimeter.

Staying outside in this weather for prolonged periods was an impossibility, as even generals would eventually succumb to the frost.

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

Vanessa entered the palace hall first only to find it vacant, prompting her to seek out Layla at her private residence.

They arrived at the doorstep shortly after.

KNOCK KNOCK

Vanessa knocked and waited until a voice drifted from within: "Who is it?"

"It is I," Vanessa answered. Her aura was suppressed, preventing Layla from identifying her through Qi alone.

"Oh, Empress! You have returned!!" The door swung open immediately, 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 moved to the side, ushering the group into her home.

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

Before long, Vritra and six of his women were settled inside with Layla, warming themselves with cups of hot water.

"Empress, where have you been all this time? We—we feared the Golden Moon had done something to you. It has been nearly half a year!"

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

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

"There is so much to tell, I hardly know where to begin…" she sighed heavily before starting her report.

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

"The Twilight have been causing chaos, making a bad situation even more desperate. As for this eternal winter, its origin is a mystery; the snow began one day and hasn't ceased for months."

After summarizing the chaos, she paused and then continued: "I assume you noticed the spores. They are toxic, though the full extent of their impact remains unknown."

"Things have only deteriorated. We have faced numerous raids from the demon race lately, and a different mysterious faction has been striking our borders, the Phoenix Kingdom, and human territories."

Diana, Fiona, and the others remained silent as they processed the news, their faces darkening.

The state of the world was far grimmer than they had anticipated, and Layla likely lacked the full picture since global communications had been severed for some time.

Every faction was focused solely on their own survival.

Diana frowned, drumming her fingers against the table before speaking: "My first priority is to return and reclaim my kingdom."

"Yes, and it is high time we settle the score with the Golden Moon. They have enjoyed their stolen peace for long enough. Now comes the retribution," Vritra added. They had targeted him without provocation when he was innocent.

Now that they had amassed such influence, he looked forward to the satisfaction of tearing them down.

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

'Is this due to the upcoming trials, or is a specific entity behind this? The demons? The Twilight?' Vritra wondered, though he had no concrete answers.

This unnatural cold and the presence of spores were certainly not part of the natural order.

However, before marching on the Golden Moon, they resolved to visit their respective homes.

Vritra also intended to check on the Yate family to let them know he was still among the living.

"Oh, that reminds me—let's examine our new residence. It can even generate direct portals for us," Vritra said, producing the miniature toy house.

"But where will we place it?" Fiona inquired.

"Let it float, Master! Our grand home shall soar above the continent!!" Maeve exclaimed, delighted by the mere thought.

"Fine, let's see it in action." Vritra and his wives took to the sky, followed by a curious Layla who wanted to see this new dwelling.

The structure possessed innate flight capabilities, allowing it to remain suspended in the air without consuming any external energy.

Vritra released the house and backed away as it began its rapid expansion.

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