Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 750 - 624: Endless Winter

Chapter 750: Chapter 624: Endless Winter

Starting from October, an abnormal cold front swept across the world. The northern wind brought a lethally cold sensation, leading to a migration wave of more than one billion people from high-latitude regions.

It was as if we had returned to primitive society; habitable areas and food became the main sources of human conflict, igniting a series of border disputes and large-scale wars.

Unable to ensure their own survival and knowing that opening borders would lead to an influx of tens of millions, various economic entities erected high walls at their borders, equipped with professional killing squads, forbade southward migration, and the frozen corpses piled up like mountains beyond their borders.

The Northern Archipelago was completely covered by frost, port waters turned to solid ice, and even the bustling Shangjing Bay could barely maintain 75% of its normal shipping capacity; smaller ports and towns lost their maritime transport capabilities entirely.

"Heavy snow has completely buried our homes..." Xu Yang observed the situation before him.

Little Fool’s gaze followed suit, eventually resting on the countless tower-shaped heating buildings on the island.

The terrifying snowstorms continued unabated, but fortunately, after months of hard work, Nestor Corporation’s Heat Towers rose from the ground, providing warmth to community residents. They spewed scalding smoke into the sky, radiating bright orange light, using natural gas, petroleum, and electricity as heating resources. In this harsh winter season, they were the only barrier protecting the citizens from a bitter death by freezing.

Residents of other neutral and third-party areas drafted contracts, renting heating facilities from Nestor Corporation in large quantities, to maintain basic living conditions.

But this couldn’t cover everyone, especially in Yibei City, located at the very northern end of the Archipelago.

Yibei City, rich in mineral resources, saw a massive influx of Islanders migrating and reclaiming wilderness during the pioneering era, building settlements of varying sizes on the rugged island and exploiting its coal, iron, and gold mines. As the mineral reserves dwindled, Yibei City shifted into a remote area focused on tourism and other service industries.

Located at the very north of the islands, Yibei City suffered severe damage, with the recorded death toll already exceeding 550,000. All farms, pastures, and mines were submerged by the blizzards.

"Who did this terrible thing?" Little Fool pointed north, towards the pole, where the storm came from.

"It’s not there, the Frost Giant God Elride... It’s probably hiding in the Near East Region now, as mysterious extreme cold phenomena have also appeared there. Deserts and glaciers appearing in the same place," Xu Yang pondered.

The world had changed drastically.

With increasing ice formation, the ice caps thickened, and sea levels began to slowly drop, causing land areas to show an expansion trend.

In the first month, the news furiously reported on the crowds that died in frost disasters, painting the chilling cold that was to be feared. Now, media figures only report the death toll compiled by third-party organizations every day.

Businesses went bankrupt, humans lost their jobs, then froze to death in the streets, all civilization and rationality collapsing alongside the basic conditions for survival.

The new focus was on moving to the equator and advancing into the Hot Tree Continent.

As the world cooled, tropical regions became habitable temperate zones, the distribution of mosquitoes narrowed, and companies frenetically advertised the benefits of moving to the Hot Tree Continent.

Setting off from the Taixi Continent, white adventurers launched another vigorous pioneering movement. They bought weapons and equipped hundreds of thousands of desperate, unemployed people as mercenaries.

Subsequently, they undertook an unprecedented large-scale modern colonization of the Hot Tree Continent, surpassing their predecessors.

Seeking living space, the new mercenaries advanced from the north coast of the Hot Tree Continent, pushing southward, clearing and driving out tens of millions of locals.

Relying on more advanced weaponry, they massacred the dark-skinned natives, occupied large habitable areas, and drew in foreign capital to develop major cities.

The pioneering colonial warlords, lacking any principles, did not regard the local dark-skinned population as their own kind. They directly sent them to farms and plantations as labor or to laboratories as consumables, and some were even transformed into mutant soldiers using biotechnological methods.

The new colonial warlords wielded both military force and technology, and simultaneously worshipped various foreign gods, dealing with monsters, practicing mysticism, and drawing overseas funds. They built one sanctuary after another and armed more unemployed people to join in their expeditions. They also welcomed more citizens to move to their new homes in the hot regions, seeking another continental development in the cold era, venturing deep into the heart of the dark continent.

The new conquest intensified, and at this rate, they were bound to cleanse the Hot Tree Continent of its original inhabitants, transforming the entire warm continent into their new homeland.

Nestor Corporation, isolated among the Northern Archipelago, could only independently overcome the difficult challenge of the frosty season.

Just a few months, and the world had become strange to Little Fool.

She was scared, now stepping outside of a heated room could lead to freezing to death, feeling the cold seeping in even when clad in thick clothes.

"What should we do?" Little Fool couldn’t help but ask.

"This is a battle of mysticism. We must kill Elride to stop our homes from continuing to pile up in the blizzards," Xu Yang explained.

"It doesn’t matter, I will make a move." Farosa leaned against the window.

Recently, fewer and fewer people have been able to see her true face. Those with weak wills often feel fear and bow down in her presence, and other witches regard her with utmost respect, not daring to harbor any thoughts of defiance.

As for Little Fool, she just felt oppressed and irritable, as well as nervous and uneasy.

"When? When are you going to make a move?" Little Fool weakly asked.

Farosa turned around, took steps towards Little Fool, her gaze softening, and her demeanor growing more humble.

"I have always been trying hard." Farosa said sincerely, "When you are looking at me, I am not only in front of you. I also appear in many places in the world, my projections, my pawns, my setups. I am thinking of countless different things at the same time, appearing in different places, doing different things. I am always putting in my utmost effort, all for... children like you to live peacefully."

"Wow..." Little Fool was shocked, she had never thought that Farosa could already be so powerful.

"Will you come into my arms?" Farosa squatted down, opening her arms, "You have always been good, always obedient, seriously reading the writings I have created, continuously practicing your knowledge and magic power... Good child, smart and patient, the best child in the world, come closer."

Little Fool staggered towards Farosa.

As she looked at Farosa’s incomparably beautiful features, she almost suffocated. How could she be so beautiful? Farosa’s flawless visage made even the most beautiful witches pale in comparison.

Her little shoes stepped forward, her body leaning in.

Just as she was about to throw herself into Farosa’s arms, Little Fool swallowed her saliva, desperately trying to keep her balance, leaning backward to stop in her tracks, biting her lip.

"Never mind." Little Fool tried to wave calmly to Farosa, only to suddenly realize that Farosa had disappeared.

Where did she go?

Little Fool was startled, she looked back at Xu Yang anxiously. Luckily, Xu Yang was still there. If he had also vanished, Little Fool felt she might explode on the spot.

"Farosa lost interest in you, so she went after her own benefits," Xu Yang said.

"Does she really have countless avatars?"

"Her words are always half-true, half-false, and no one can clearly distinguish them. Moreover, she’s getting better at these deceptions."

"What would have happened if I had jumped into her arms just now?"

"You would have lost a finger, and then see it return a few seconds later."

"She’s so bad!" Little Fool climbed into Xu Yang’s arms, feeling upset.

This moment, she missed Little Farosa terribly, the cute little girl in white, who seemed to have vanished forever, as if locked deep within Farosa’s heart.

"There’s no way around it, there are more bad people in this world," Xu Yang said.

"What about you? Why are you with her?"

"I’m used to it," Xu Yang was always indifferent, "Let me tell you some basic principles for dealing with Farosa. This is the essence of my rich experience."

"Oh?" Little Fool listened attentively.

"Avoid talking to Farosa as much as possible. If you think that you really need to speak with her, that’s your illusion. You should never and needn’t talk to her. If she initiates conversation, leave the scene quickly; don’t worry, she won’t get angry or chase after you. If you have to talk to Farosa under duress, don’t believe anything she says and don’t accept any terms or requests she makes; leave her as fast as you can. Don’t worry about how your behavior will affect her; with her current energy, most existence is as inconsequential as fine dust to her," Xu Yang told Little Fool.

"Then how should we face her? In her eyes, we are just air, and she could kill us or restore us in an instant. Isn’t that terrifying?" Little Fool asked, not understanding.

"First, Farosa is a lesser goddess, the Witch Goddess. She also needs the support of worshipers, as everyone’s imagination of her forms her appearance and the shell of her power. You should know... from a certain perspective, all witches are her, and she is all witches. Xu Cheng, when you look at Farosa, you are looking at yourself; she is a mirror reflecting all witches."

"Quack!" Little Fool had a revelation.

"Let’s go, it’s time to fill our stomachs," he said, taking Little Fool to go eat.