While the soldiers cleared the territories and restored the frostbitten buildings in the city, Asmodeus assigned various tasks to the wizards who had arrived with the first group.
"Finn, Jack, take your teams and clear the northern lands beyond the city wall of snow. In case of a defense, I want solid ground beneath us, not snow."
"Richie, prepare the stables for the dragons."
"Faust, take a team of builders and start reinforcing the castle walls. Don't forget to strengthen the archer towers; I don't want our long-range mages out of commission in the middle of a potential battle."
"Frank! Store the provisions we brought in the city's cellars."
"Larry, you're assisting him."
"Yes, sir, yes!"
Under Asmodeus's command, people quickly set to work, dispersing in various directions.
Having allocated the most urgent and important tasks, Asmodeus turned his gaze to the north. He sensed a significant source of mana in the distance, perhaps even greater than his own. Unsure if this mana emanated from the wall or the King of the Night, he sought to consult Dumbledore and Grindelwald, who had previously visited the wall, to see if they felt the same magical vibrations.
Descending from the castle wall where he had been issuing orders, Asmodeus made his way to a table in the square. There sat Grindelwald and Dumbledore, sipping tea and watching the others work. It was beneath their status to clear snow from the streets, and the wizard soldiers respected them too much to allow them to help with such mundane tasks. Thus, the two elderly men simply enjoyed their tea like in the good old days.
Seeing Asmodeus approach, Dumbledore smiled and said, "What is it, Asmodeus? We're just taking a break. By the way, would you like some tea?"
Dumbledore offered Asmodeus a cup of tea. He accepted and decided to take a brief moment of rest.
Upon taking his first sip, he found the tea too sweet even for his taste, and with a wry smile, he set the cup back on the table.
"Ahem, ahem."
He tried to clear his throat discreetly to rid himself of the cloying taste on his tongue, but it was no use. At the same time, he saw Grindelwald suppressing a smile.
'That old man knew drinking Dumbledore's tea was like asking for diabetes and didn't warn me!' thought Asmodeus. He resolved to someday feed Grindelwald something so sweet it would give him a taste of his own medicine.
Seeing this, Dumbledore seemed to understand something and looked slightly dejected.
Asmodeus felt awkward, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Alright, I have more pressing matters, so I'll get straight to the point. Gellert, Albus, do you recall the mana fluctuations of the icy wall to the north?"
Hearing Asmodeus get to the point, Dumbledore and Grindelwald immediately shifted their focus northward.
After a while, Dumbledore sighed and said, "Ah, though we've regained our youth, our sense of mana is still not as sharp as yours... How could we have missed this?"
"Enough with the modesty. Tell me what you felt. What are the sensations from the mana accumulating in the north? Is it the same as it was at the wall?"
"No, it's a completely different feeling. The wall doesn't emit mana fluctuations; it more so disturbs the neutral mana in the air. Now, there's a strong source of mana there... which likely means..."
Before Grindelwald could finish, Bellam hurriedly approached the table and said, "It's the Ice God!"
"???"
All three turned to the blue-skinned figure who had interrupted their discussion.
"Just the day before yesterday, I sensed a strange signal from the north. It felt as if it commanded me to bow and submit, stirring the White Walker blood within me. Fortunately, at the time, we were far away, and I could resist the call..."
"Wait, wait. What kind of call are you talking about?"
"Well... how to put it... it was like an alpha calling its pack, only much stronger. And this was the effect even from a distance. I don't know how strong it would be if the creature called me again now. At this moment, I just feel a desire to head north and assist whatever is calling me, but it's a manageable urge..."
Asmodeus didn't know what to add. It was now clear that something strange was happening at the wall, and they needed to investigate. Dumbledore and Grindelwald understood this as well.
"I must go to the wall," Asmodeus said firmly, understanding that investigating the situation at the wall was now his top priority. If something was wrong with the wall, they had far less time than they had anticipated.
Hearing Asmodeus's words, Dumbledore stood up from the table and said, "We're going with you. We don't know what's happening at the wall, and it's better to have more strong individuals for emergency response."
Grindelwald supported Dumbledore and also rose from his chair. "Alright, no rest then..."
Asmodeus was about to open a portal but realized he didn't know the coordinates of the wall, so he turned to Dumbledore. "Can you give us a lift?"
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Hold onto my sleeve."
With a "Boom," the fabric of space tore apart, and the trio found themselves at their destination. However, instead of the dark castle or the wall, they were greeted by a blinding snowstorm.
"Grindelwald! Where are you!?" Dumbledore shouted first to find Grindelwald, as it was easy to get lost in such weather. Fortunately, Grindelwald heard Dumbledore's voice and soon felt a hand on his shoulder.
"What the hell is going on here!? This is way worse than Winterfell! I can't see my hands!" Grindelwald shouted, unsure if Asmodeus and Dumbledore could hear him otherwise.
"Albus! Where did you decide to apparate us to? Is this the dark castle, or are we on top of the wall?" Asmodeus needed to understand their location, even if roughly. The weather was indeed terrible, and because they had to recharge their heating amulets regularly, they gradually began to look like fireflies in the night.
"We're at the foot of the wall! Gellert! Let's head to the top! The weather might be better up there, or at least we might find the epicenter of the storm!" Dumbledore shouted.
Hearing Dumbledore, Grindelwald decided not to apparate separately to avoid getting lost and continued holding onto Albus's shoulder. Asmodeus held onto Dumbledore's coat sleeve.
With another "Boom," the trio apparated to the top of the wall, where Dumbledore and Grindelwald had previously checked the wall's effect on mana.
This time, the weather conditions were somewhat better. Although it was even colder up here, at least they could see something as the snow wasn't as thick as it was on the ground.
Asmodeus looked around and said, "Guys, look down!"
Dumbledore and Grindelwald turned to see where Asmodeus was pointing. "That's no giant..." muttered Dumbledore.
Below the wall, they saw a storm similar to the one they'd encountered earlier, but amidst the blizzard, they glimpsed an enormous silhouette moving through the snow. This creature was taller than most of London's skyscrapers!
They couldn't make out much due to the weather, but the approximate size was clear. "Uh, if that's a giant from our world but magnified to such a size, I'm afraid I won't be able to break through its defenses," said Grindelwald.
Giants and trolls are not particularly intelligent and, most importantly, do not wield magic, at least in most cases. But both species were once considered at least XXXX-level threats before the Wizards' Council appeared. This high danger rating is due to their resistance to magic, and generally, the larger and stronger the individual, the greater this resistance to spells. Grindelwald, estimating the situation, understood that if this was a giant as Dumbledore suggested, he wouldn't be able to break through its defenses.
"I don't think a giant could command such a horde. This must be the one Bellam called the Ice God. We need to try to kill this creature! That should resolve the crisis!" Asmodeus said decisively.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald nodded in agreement, their faces set with determination. They understood the gravity of the situation and the potential threat this creature posed.