Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 684 - 48 Frost Spirit_1

Chapter 684: Chapter 48 Frost Spirit_1

"Phew, it’s so high." Vivian lay on Catherine’s back, the last one to slide across the Frozen Chasm using the safety ropes. Three ropes were suspended side by side in the air, two of which served as tracks for the girls to slide across the chasm. After crossing the chasm, Vivian turned back to look down and lamented, "However, a question suddenly occurred to me. If the Ninth Research Lab we’re looking for is deeply buried beneath the ice, what method will we use to penetrate the ice and enter?"

"It would be very difficult to do it ourselves. I have never heard of anyone drilling through the ice to access the underground. However, we can seek help." Catherine answered, "Have you forgotten what the person in charge of our branch told us?"

"You mean the frost spirits? Of course, I remember." Vivian sighed and said, "But the problem is, where should we find them in such a vast icefield? Even if we find them, earning their friendship isn’t easy."

Frost spirits, similar to the Sand People and Fire Element, are a variant of Water Element Creatures that only exist in the Perpetual Icefield. These elemental creatures lack their own civilization and live in small groups scattered throughout the icefield. Their lifespans often last for hundreds to thousands of years. They usually survive by absorbing free ice-attribute elements, and sometimes they demand food from other creatures that enter the icefield. Even though the energy they obtain from fully converting these foods is far less than that from absorbing ice-attribute elements - merely satisfying their curiosity. Indeed, these creatures possess a strong curiosity towards everything unfamiliar on the icefield. Therefore, they wander around the icefield, their days spent either sleeping or playing. They are arguably the most free and happy beings in the Yarran World. What’s unique is that the frost spirits have no predators in the Perpetual Icefield. The strange creatures that occupy the icefield do not attack frost spirits since they see them as moving chunks of sturdy ice. Who would be foolish enough to arbitrarily attack ice?

"Actually, finding frost spirits is not too challenging." Pannis, who was winding up the ropes suspended over the chasm, explained while coiling up the rope, "They are extremely curious. As long as we attract their attention, they will naturally approach us. However, to attract their attention is not a simple task. And typically, even though frost spirits are curious about other species on icefield, they tend to observe from a far and rarely approach strangers. That’s why most adventurers that came to icefield hardly notice these peculiar elemental creatures."

"So, you mean that if we do something strange, we might attract their attention?" Lina curiously asked, "What kind of actions are considered strange? For example, deliberately jumping from here?"

"Hey, that would be suicide." Pannis rolled his eyes and said, "We can’t judge what’s strange based on human thought patterns. For example, walking on one’s hands might seem strange in the human world, but in the world of frost spirits, it wouldn’t intrigue them at all. We need to think like a frost spirit and do things that might pique their curiosity to be effective."

"Oh? Things that would make them curious?" In Lina’s eyes, a light shone brighter than any frost spirit’s curiosity, "So, if we create a fire here, would that catch their attention?"

"That’s unlikely." Freya said, "Shouldn’t frost spirits living in the icefield be instinctively afraid of fire? After all, that’s a flame made from free-state fire-attribute element, would they dare to come closer? Vivian, you’re better at biology than me, do you think that’s plausible?"

"Of course, it’s plausible." Vivian replied, "Although water and fire elements counteract each other, it also depends on their total amount and concentration. On the icefield, fire-attribute elements certainly pose no danger to frost spirits because the concentration and total amount of ice-attribute elements are too high here. It’s just a small fire. They have no reason to be afraid."

"Pannis, no wonder you insisted on asking if I knew how to make goblin fireworks." Freya paused in realization, "It’s meant for drawing the frost spirits’ attention, isn’t it? Considering the difficulty in finding fuel to light a fire visible from a wide range, using goblin fireworks seems simpler."

"But there’s another challenge, how to establish friendship with them." Catherine took a glance around the foggy environment, trying to spot any frost spirit, "According to the person in charge of the branch, those creatures are active but indifferent to life. If we don’t gain their friendship, even if someone dies in front of them, they wouldn’t lend a helping hand. If they’re unwilling to help with emergency rescues, they’re even less likely to help us enter beneath the icefield for no reason."

"That’s where people misunderstand them." Pannis tossed another snowball into the fog. This time, a strange sound came from the fog, as if something was escaping into the distance. Brushing the snow off his hands, Pannis explained, "Those guys aren’t indifferent to life, but they share a common characteristic with all elemental creatures. As you know, as long as the core of elemental creatures remains intact, their life won’t end. Even if they die, they can resurrect in a few dozen or hundred years, albeit without their memories. So for them, unless it’s premature death, dying a few times is seen as a curious journey in life, not something to panic about, and certainly not something that should be stopped. It’s this character determined by their life traits that makes them turn a blind eye to impending deaths. It’s hard to change."

"What? So, you’ve had encounters with the frost spirits?" Catherine asked in confusion, "From what you said, you seem to have a deep understanding of the frost spirits. But didn’t you say you were only there once? And for a short time at that."

"Well, that time I happened to come across a medium-sized community of frost spirits." Pannis shrugged, speaking nonchalantly, "Although I was only there for a few days, I did indeed have many conversations with them. They’re actually quite interesting. They’re not as peculiar as the person in charge described. So, you don’t have to worry too much. If we do encounter them, act as you usually do. There’s no need to go out of our way to win their friendship."

"Hold on, you said you had some conversations with them?" Catherine asked in surprise, "Do they also speak the common language? Didn’t that person in charge say that communication with them was often limited to gestures?"

"Some do," Pannis explained, "I’m not certain why they do, but it’s not uncommon for frost spirits to have lived for hundreds of years. Although they can’t leave the Perpetual Icefield for long, they still have plenty of opportunities to see other intelligent life forms. Learning the common language shouldn’t be difficult for them, just as there are a minority of humans in our world who can speak the language of the frost spirits."

"Huh?" Lina asked curiously, "Can you also speak it?"

"Not a chance," Pannis chuckled, shaking his head, "The language of the frost spirits is too obscure and rather odd. At best, I might be able to understand a few simple words. If you’re asking if I could speak it—absolutely not."

Everyone chatted casually about the frost spirits, continuing to wander aimlessly on the icefield. Actually, nobody was pursuing any specific goal. No one knew the precise location of the Ninth Research Lab. They could only rely on Ava’s intuition. However, Ava’s information was incomplete. She could only provide a rough idea of the geographical features in a small area directly above the lab. Adding to this, there was nothing obvious to use as a point of reference on the icefield. So, they had to move closer to that location to confirm its existence. As a result, they were forced to carry out a net-like exploration within a circular area with a radius of thirty kilometers, hoping to find their adventure’s destination swiftly.

The surroundings were still shrouded in thin fog, obscuring the girls’ view of the landscape in the fog. They constantly felt as though there were layers of dark shadows twisting within the dense fog. This feeling, wavering between visibility and invisibility, was rather vexing. Sometimes they wished the fog would be so dense they were unable to see anything, as they believed it would be relatively less distressing.

The icefield was more active than expected. Besides the wandering frost spirits, there were many other mysterious creatures. Calling them creatures may not be entirely accurate. They indeed exhibit some characteristics of creatures, but there are many more peculiarities that are beyond comprehension. These bizarre creatures took on all sorts of strange forms and would attack other creatures that ventured into the icefield. However, they didn’t consume their prey. No one knew exactly what they survived on or why they were so passionate about attacking. Nonetheless, it was undeniable; apart from the cold temperatures, these creatures were the second leading cause of the high death rates on the Perpetual Icefield, and even ranked higher than starvation.

"Watch out." As Pannis was briefly describing the death traps lurking on the icefield to the girls, his body stiffened. His ears perked up, and he quickly picked up Vivian and started running, "Run, quickly. Don’t stop."

No one questioned Pannis’s actions, and no one hesitated. The moment Pannis picked up Vivian and yelled "run," the remaining four immediately sprung into action. They didn’t know what was happening, but their trust in Pannis didn’t allow them to hesitate, not even for a second. They immediately broke into a sprint.

Running on the icefield was a daunting task. The unsteady surface made it impossible to pick up speed. Although they were running, their actual speed wasn’t much faster than walking. To make matters worse, there was the risk of slipping. However, since each individual was a high-ranking professional, they were able to adjust quickly even if they lost their balance. These quick corrections prevented them from falling flat on their faces and struggling to get up. It saved them a lot of time.

After less than two minutes of running, the girls heard a deafening rumbling from behind them. Accompanied by this noise was the frequent sound of ice cracking. (To be continued. If you like this work, please show your support with a vote at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)