Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 701 - 62: Special Digging Techniques_1

Chapter 701: Chapter 62: Special Digging Techniques_1

The moons hung in the sky, silver Mia, blue Luscia, blood-red Lilith, these three ladies shimmered their radiant light onto the world below, illuminating the barren and chilly ice plains through the pervading fog. On the nocturnal ice plains, no signs of life were to be seen and no sounds were to be heard, just the feeble moonlight silently surveilling everything. On the surface, the ice plains seem as undisturbed as they always had been, reminiscent of the days of the legendary mythical era. However, upon careful observation, some subtle differences might actually be found.

Scattered across this region are several small ice mountains, each possessing heights just over twenty meters and about the same in diameter. It’s a mystery how these ice mountains came to form, but they defiantly jutted out from the icy surface, standing like a short, stout spike pointed at the sky. The ice, sturdy like steel, had been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years and seemed unbreakable. However, one of these ice mountains had been partially demolished. A small slanting hole had been dug at its base and from this hole, a faint light was seen emerging. If you were to venture further into the cavern, in its deepest part you would spot a modest house of ice. The house’s side wall faced the entrance to the hole, with the doors and windows facing either side of the cavern, hence securing it from letting in the cold air.

It was uncertain who had built the ice house, but it had evidently endured many years, the surface was etched with the signs of time, giving it an appearance of being at least a hundred years old. This construction of the ice house was entirely different from the frost spirits. The frost spirits manipulated ice-attributed elements to originate houses straight from the ground, making them look natural without a trace of being artificially crafted. Conversely, the ice house in front of them was dappled with the signs of human workmanship all over, suggesting that this ice house might be a hand-me-down gift from the pioneers of the past.

Upon carefully examining the ice-house, it could be observed that it was composed of hard and sturdy blocks of ice, which appeared to have been obtained from the nearby ice plains. The constructor of the house cut the irregularly-sized ice blocks into rectangular shapes akin to bricks, and stacked them in a circular formation. By pouring water on the joints, the ice bricks would then freeze together and could not be separated. The second layer of ice bricks was smaller in circumference as it was stacked on top of the first layer with its placement slightly towards the center. The subsequent layers followed the same pattern, getting smaller in diameter and moving inwards as you go up, finally converging at the top to form an almost spherical rooftop.

Upon entering the ice house, a small crystal energy furnace could be seen. The furnace, although not highly efficient in terms of heating, could still elevate the interior temperature enough to make the house a much better resting place than the bone-chilling nights outside. Seated next to the crystal energy furnace was Freya, with knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in her knees. A crystal gun was placed within her reach. Given her body size, making such a gesture was not easy for Freya, not to mention it was also uncomfortable. Yet she remained curled up, seeming to find safety in the confinement.

Just three hours prior, the young girl had given up on the idea of searching for food, and started concentrating on choosing a place to spend the night. However, on the expansive ice plain, such a place was hard to find. Each spot was as frigid and devoid of warmth as she needed desperately. Having searched for over an hour to no avail, and seeing the impending milky moonlight of the night, Freya was feeling the weight in her steps. The effects of hunger had finally started to manifest themselves. If she didn’t start setting up her camp soon, she’d be too weak to do so in a while. In her despair, she turned her sights to the few small ice mountains in the vicinity. If she could manage to dig a small hole at the foot of an ice mountain, it would help her retain some warmth. How that little warmth would fare against the freezing cold of the night was a thing left to destiny.

Therefore, Freya chose the biggest ice mountain in the vicinity and prepared to dig a hole at its foot. Being a crystal gunner, of course, she had a special approach to digging holes. This approach was simple and rough, but often effective. She walked to the base of the mountain, chose a wind-shielded spot to start her digging, but as she was about to start, she noticed something strange about the ice at the foot of the mountain.

In the worst of circumstances, any abnormality can quickly raise hopes. Even if it does bring adverse effects, it wouldn’t make the situation any worse. But if the anomaly happens to be beneficial, it might even provide an opportunity for a comeback from the dire situation. Hence, as soon as she noticed the anomaly on the icy surface, she dashed towards it, carefully inspecting the surface near where she detected the feeling.

Freya’s feeling was not a false alarm. Even though the ice surface here was as smooth and sturdy as anywhere else, a discerning eye could still spot the difference: the color of the ice where Freya perceived the anomaly was slightly lighter than that of the surrounding ice mountain wall. There wasn’t much difference between the two, but it didn’t escape the eyes of a legendary rank professional like Freya.

Sure of her observation, Freya let out a small smile. She knew, if her guess was correct, behind this chunk of ice was a cave that had been formed many years ago–perhaps another pioneer like herself, who chose this method to survive through the night.

"I guess I owe you a thank you," Freya silently expressed her gratitude to the possible existence of the pioneer, and only then did she lift her crystal gun to start digging.

Yes, she lifted her crystal gun. The method a crystal gunner uses to dig a hole is that simple and crude. Whether it’s to dig a hole in a person or on the ground, they always employ this approach which happens to be the most effective - accumulate energy, activate the array, and start a fierce shooting.

With a "Boom" the gun fired. A sphere of red energy, searing hot, erupted from the pitch-black muzzle. It bombarded the icy surface which seemed undisturbed in spite of the intense collision. Only a shallow layer of the icy surface disappeared under the dual effect of high temperature and explosive impact. But Freya did not lose heart. The array inside the crystal gun was being continuously activated. Every few seconds, the sound of gunfire broke from the silence. Energy bullets relentlessly assaulted the same spot, causing the ice surface to dent deeper over time. (To be continued. If you like this, please go to the http://www.qidian.com/ and cast your recommendation vote or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can also visit m.qidian.com for reading.)