Chapter 225 Northern Ice Empire
"Perceive the essence of gemstones."
Isabella rested her chin on her hand, quite surprised by what William was saying. "Can people really be that amazing?"
"Of course." William nodded. "The world is vast. What we see is just the tip of the iceberg."
"Doesn't that mean all the precious minerals in the world would be taken by Novaria?"
"Not exactly." William said. "Since the early 19th century, the ability of Novaria's talented individuals to appraise treasures has been widely known. From that time on, major gemstone appraisal venues and rough stone trading markets have banned people from Novaria from entering. Some rough stone dealers have learned their lesson and naturally won't be foolish enough to trade with people from Novaria again."
"When you go to Veridian's rough stone trading market tomorrow, you'll find that the market staff will check nationality and identification. Anyone from Novaria will be prohibited from entering."
Regarding the Novaria region, Isabella had read about it in books. Initially, Novaria was just one country - the Northern Ice Empire. The Northern Ice Empire had a long history, with historical roots and civilization far surpassing other countries in the world.
As history evolved, Novaria gradually divided into three countries: the Northern Ice Empire, Arden, and Vastel.
Naturally, Novaria's economy and politics were firmly controlled by the Northern Ice Empire, which was in turn tightly controlled by several ancient and mysterious families. In the Northern Ice Empire, even royal family members didn't dare offend those major families.
It was a place where family power far exceeded national power, a place completely different from Lumaria.
"But even if they can't enter rough stone markets around the world, it doesn't matter much to those people from Novaria. Their abilities are already beyond ordinary people. If they want money, they naturally have countless ways to get it. So for thousands of years, the Northern Ice Empire's economic strength has always been number one in the world, beyond the reach of other countries."
Economy also meant military technology. When other countries were still in the age of cold weapons, the Northern Ice Empire had already developed various missiles and artificial intelligence weapons. The gap was so large it was daunting.
But despite such strong economic and military power, the Northern Ice Empire had never initiated any war in history. Even though its land area was less than one-tenth of Lumaria's, it never had any intention of forcibly occupying land and resources. On the contrary, when other countries were frequently at war, the Northern Ice Empire would often step forward, using military power to suppress and order ceasefires.
Several major battles in history were settled by the Northern Ice Empire, which protected countless countries from destruction.
Therefore, people from the Northern Ice Empire would receive special respect from locals when visiting certain countries.
Isabella listened to William's explanation and nodded thoughtfully.
"By the way, Isabella, Soren said he wanted your calligraphy work before. Did you give it to him?" William asked.
"No." Isabella shook her head. "The SAT exam and the project got mixed up during this time, and recently I took over Celestial Jewels. There's been a lot going on, so I haven't had time to do it yet."
"But now that you remind me, I should hurry up. After I get back from Veridian, I'll send the calligraphy work to him."
"Do you know why Soren wants your calligraphy work?" William asked again.
"Because my calligraphy is good?"
"No." William shook his head. "It's not simply because you write well."
He thought about it and decided to tell her the real reason why Soren was asking her for calligraphy.
That way, Isabella could decide for herself whether to help Soren.
"Soren's mother disappeared eighteen years ago. Soren has never given up searching for his mother's whereabouts all these years, but there haven't been any leads."
"A while ago he told me that your calligraphy is somewhat similar to his mother's, so he wants to verify some things, to know who taught you calligraphy, and whether the person who taught you has any connection to his mother."
"I see."
Isabella understood. Too bad she had been so full of herself - she actually thought Soren appreciated her calligraphy!
"Actually, he could have just asked me directly. His mother is missing, so he must have had a hard time all these years. If I can help him, I'd be very willing to."
Isabella said directly: "My calligraphy was taught by my master, the one I mentioned to you before."
As Isabella spoke, she caught sight of the paper in the compartment of William's desk, so she took it out again and pointed to it to explain: "It's her!"
William's gaze fell on the paper.
It was the abstract drawing Isabella had drawn for him last time.
The little figure in the drawing hadn't changed - still with hands on hips and hair flying.
The corner of William's mouth twitched again. "So your calligraphy was taught by her."
"Yes!" Isabella nodded. "My calligraphy is indeed somewhat similar to my master's writing. According to Soren, if my master's writing is somewhat similar to his missing mother's, does that mean my master has a connection to his mother?"
"In your memory, has anyone who might be his mother appeared around your master?" William asked.
"Well, I'd need to know what his mother looks like first."
William thought about it and sighed. "I did see his mother when she was young, but that was over twenty years ago. I was too young then and can't remember what she looked like at all."
"I only vaguely remember how I felt when I saw her. I was amazed that his mother truly had stunning beauty, a very striking appearance, and a noble temperament - very much like a lady from an aristocratic family."
Isabella thought about it. "Based on Soren's age, his mother should be around the same age as my master."
She sighed again. "But no woman of similar age to his mother has ever appeared around my master."
"I remember you said your master disappeared three years ago?"
"Yes."
"Was there anything unusual the day she disappeared?"
"No, it was just a very ordinary, normal day."
Isabella recalled that day and explained in detail: "Back then, I often spent my days with my grandparents, helping them with housework, and would visit her in the evenings. But that day when I went back, I found she was gone. I thought she had gone out on business, because she had been away for several days or even weeks before, and each time she never told me where she was going or what she was doing."
"So at first I thought it was just another normal trip away, and that she would come back."
"But I waited for a long, long time, and she never came back."
"It wasn't until later that I realized she wasn't coming back at all."
She didn't know why her master left, or why she didn't come back.
To her, that woman's significance had long been more than just a master - she was more like a mother. Realizing she had left for good, Isabella was very sad.