Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 682 - 46 Perpetual Icefield_1

Chapter 682: Chapter 46 Perpetual Icefield_1

"Clang, clang," within the misty world, rhythmic sounds of metallic collisions resonated through the hazy fog, like a metallic figure marching on a road paved with hard rocks. "Clang, clang," the sound was getting closer. A shadowy figure in the mist was shaking incessantly, like an unidentifiable creature hidden in the fog.

This is the Perpetual Icefield, the coldest place in the Yarran World, an arctic expanse surrounded by regions of heat. Located in the northern part of the Yarran Continent, it belongs to the highland region. Its north and east sides face the sea with towering cliffs extending for thousands of kilometers, forming a natural barrier separating the land and the ocean into two distinct worlds. These cliffs, encompassing the Kingdom of Mages and perpetuating southward, are among the most famous bizarre sights in the Yarran World. Such lengthy cliffs stand out uniquely, unfathomable in their natural formation. It should have been a tourist attraction, but due to its hazardous environment, few dare to behold such a rare spectacle. The western part of the Perpetual Icefield partially connects with the Forest of Death and leads to the Lost Forest, the domain of the elves. As for the southern part of the Icefield, it extends into the terrifying Whispering Swamp, the homeland of the Lizardman. In this year-round toxic swamp, the Lizardman lives in harmony with numerous swamp creatures, subsisting on hunting and gathering, leading a lifestyle devoid of any advanced civilization.

Perpetual Icefield remains forever cloaked under layers of frost, it’s perpetually frozen terrain never to be molten. Countless years of accumulated ice continues to thicken, elevating the Icefield in height. No one knows why such an extreme cold region has mysteriously formed amidst the encompassing areas of perennial heat in the far North. All can simply attribute this enigma to the magical creations of Lord Yarra, and nothing else could explain the existence of the Perpetual Icefield.

The temperature here is profoundly frigid. If anyone exposes their limbs to the air, they would freeze stiff within only five seconds. For somebody not dressed appropriately, they’d be frozen to death within a few minutes. Even the constitution of upper rank professionals can’t endure for long. Here, even warming oneself with low-capacity crystal shards, a common practice, is impractical. Due to the extreme cold, a hundred-teal fire attributed shard would exhaust its energy within a minute or two. To maintain warmth for an hour requires the use of at least two to three thousand-teals’ medium-capacity crystals. However, instead of spending such a cost, it’s more efficient to wear sufficiently thick cotton and fur coats. These may be bulky and hinder movement but non-the-less ensures no unexpected cold-related accident and saves thousands of gold coins per hour.

Not only is the weather here incredibly cold, but it is also unpredictable. Snowfalls, cold gales, falling ice - all kinds of queer phenomena often appear without warnings. It could be clear and cloudless in one moment, and enormous snowflakes might cover the ground in the next, making the accumulated snow on the frost surface even thicker. The ice field is perpetually blanketed with a nebulous shroud of fog that’s thick enough to obscure human sight. Many brave explorers lose their way in this frosty world, eventually perishing in the Icefield.

Despite the terror of the Perpetual Icefield, akin to the horror of hell, it fails to deter humans’ lust for wealth and the pursuit of the unknown. In the adventurers’ guild, there are always several high-ranker tasks related to the Icefield, with high rewards that occasionally attract some distinguished adventure teams. Having evaluated their ability, they embark on what lies between danger and wealth, taking a chance on the latter. Of course, among them, there are undoubtedly numerous successful wealth hunters. However, the bodies of more unsuccessful seekers forever lie in the Icefield, sharing the same fate as those who’ve met the end in the frosty graveyard over millions of years, becoming a part of the great Icefield. But, no one who steps into the Icefield considers themselves mere failures, as every high-rank adventurer enters brimming with confidence. Then, the graveyard under the frost blanket would accommodate a few more bodies, adding to the mysterious legends of the Perpetual Icefield.

"Actually, there once was a lion who was always spouting weird theories. He told me something about the Perpetual Icefield," a frivolous voice belonging to a man echoed in the foggy frost, "Like his other theories, it was laughed off by everyone because it didn’t align with reality."

The "clang, clang" noise drew nearer, the dark shadow gradually becoming clearer. Soon, several figures emerged from the concealing fog, marching upon the snow beneath their feet. The six individuals were clothed more warmly than those previously seen in the Snowfield. From head to toe, including the face and ears, they were bundled up in thick clothes. They were also wearing thick boots on their feet. Strangely, their boot soles were wound with thin iron chains smeared with a thick layer of glue. The peculiar sounds heard earlier were the result of the iron chains striking the ice surface as they marched.

Due to the substantial amount of clothing, the six individuals’ identities could only be determined based upon their height and voices. The tallest figure trailing behind the team was undoubtedly Pannis. Even though his clothes were bulky, he was still swaying left and right in the team’s rear. Occasionally rolling a firm snowball and tossing it into the fog on either side. Despite Pannis’s seemingly meaningless actions, the girls understood that he wasn’t merely playing but probing for dangers lurking within the fog, hence nobody was blaming him. The figure leading at the front was unmistakably Catherine. Due to the clothing constraints, the girl knight had to give up her precious scale armour, but still held onto her shield. Even though the thick clothing on her arms and palms made it difficult to grasp the shield, she felt a sense of confidence with the shield in her hand. A petite figure was following closely three meters behind Catherine, identifiable through her golden hair peeking through her hat. At that moment, Ava had also joined the adventuring team. As a Triclops, she possessed remarkable physical strength that exceeds most of the professionals at the Legendary Rank, even without using her aggression. Therefore, she positioned herself between Catherine and the spellcasting girls for ease of offensive or defensive action.

The three people in the middle were naturally the three magic series members of the adventure team. Despite Freya and Lina being of similar in height, even with lots of clothes piled on, their body shapes were still distinguishable. Freya was the only one without iron chains wrapped around her feet. She had some peculiar parts attached to her tall boots. With every step, short spikes would extend downwards from her boots into the snow or ice surface to prevent slipping. When she needed to raise her foot, the spikes would retract timely without hindering her walk. On the other hand, Lina did not carry her book in hand due to Pannis’ warning. She mentioned that the book’s pages would get damp from the fog, then freeze due to the extreme cold and shatter. Lina, who regarded her book as her life, unwillingly put the book back into its waterproof bag, but it felt like she was missing something.

"What did he say?" The most relaxed was Vivian, who asked the question. The young mage was being taken care of by everyone at this point, and did not have to walk. Instead, she was riding on a dual-purpose snow vehicle made by Pannis and pulled forward by Freya. It was designed with a weight-reducing array and was easy to pull. Wrapped just like a little bear, Vivian swayed in the snow vehicle, asking: "What does he think of the formation the snowfield?"

"I don’t quite understand his viewpoint, either," answered Pannis: "He rambled on and on about reaching an extreme state, naturally turning into an opposing state and so forth. Like how a place inside an extremely hot environment could become very cold, but he couldn’t explain the reason behind it. Then one of his friends inquired if one could cool down in a location inside lava, and he couldn’t explain it too."

"And then?" Vivian asked with interest: "What was the result of their discussion?"

"The result?" Pannis extended his hands, helpless: "In the end, those two ended up arguing. They usually end up like this whenever they spend time together."

"Pannis." Catherine, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped, breaking their conversation. She faced the cold wind and spoke loudly, "We have already arrived near the location we noted on the map before. See the chasm in front? That should be the boundary. We need to think of a way to get past it, or we will have no choice but to take a detour."

"Let me take a look." The party gathered next to Catherine and also saw the deep chasm before them. The chasm was so unfathomably deep they couldn’t see the bottom, and there was complete darkness underneath, leaving them clueless about how deep it was. The only thing they could confirm was that it was more than six hundred meters deep. They looked across the chasm, which was more than a hundred meters wide. On the vertical cliffs on both sides, thick glacier layers like those only found in fairy tales, gleamed like crystal walls. Standing next to the chasm with icy smooth ground underfoot, even the anti-slipping iron chains induced an uneasy fear that one could fall into the chasm due to a minor slip of foot.

"Hmm, I think I can give it a try." Freya thought for a while standing by the chasm and then tentatively said, "I can make a projectile enhancer. Coupled with the equipment on my legs designed to enhance jumping ability, perhaps I could shoot myself across the chasm."

"Don’t even think about it." Catherine rolled her eyes and said, "What if there’s a layer of ice on the cliff opposite? Didn’t you see how dangerous it was when Ava stepped on and broke that ice layer? It’s better to stay safe." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and recommend it at qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)