Volume 2: Winter’s End
The azure sea appeared even more vast and ethereal under the blizzard, and the connection line with the horizon had become indistinct. The group didn’t linger much, quickly dispersing near the pier to search. Progress was smoother than imagined; there were many icebreaker ships docked at the pier, likely brought here during the previous cold period before the onset of the harsh winter.
They chose a medium-sized icebreaker, and Nuan Dong, with the highest mental strength, took the initiative to learn how to operate the ship. While Nuan Dong studied the icebreaker, the others didn’t waste time and gathered supplies and fuel nearby. Given the distance to Yuanhai and the vast surface area of this planet, they had covered a considerable distance from Micro City to Fuzhou in just two days, even in a flying state.
Although the map indicated that Yuanhai wasn’t far from this continent, it was relative. In the current weather conditions, without deviating from the route and encountering unexpected situations, they would need at least seven days at sea, and the spread of the absolute freeze was closely following them, expected to arrive in eight days.
If they couldn’t clear the level after reaching Yuanhai, it meant they would be covered by the absolute freeze. In such extremely low temperatures, even evolved races wouldn’t survive for long. Going to Yuanhai, in a sense, was a desperate move.
After collecting enough supplies, the group returned to the icebreaker. Nuan Dong had already mastered the operation of the icebreaker in less than half an hour. Even Shu Xun couldn’t help but admire this. In less than thirty minutes, Nuan Dong had comprehensively studied a completely unfamiliar piece of machinery. Perhaps only the Phantom Tribe, with their extraordinarily high mental strength, could achieve such a feat.
Thus, including the White Moon squad and others, the group set sail from the Fuzhou port towards the distant and vast ocean. The icebreaker’s speed wasn’t fast, especially near the coast where the sea was mostly frozen. As they sailed away from this icy region, the sky had gradually darkened.
Shu Xun stood at the stern’s crossbar, looking towards the distant and gloomy sky. It was the first time Shu Xun felt that the sky in this world was vast. The oppressive and suffocating feeling seemed to dissipate as the world around expanded infinitely. Far on the horizon, one could vaguely see the dim light of dusk. Shu Xun suddenly realized that since entering the game world, it had been a long time since they had basked in sunlight. Lifting his chubby paw, Shu Xun touched his forehead, suddenly missing the days of lying in the sun, dozing off, and sharpening his claws.
Ye Qian, who was observing the waves, suddenly heard a scratching sound. Turning around, he saw the little dumpling firmly perched on the railings, scratching it. Several claw marks were already visible on the iron railings.
Ye Qian began to contemplate. Could Shu Xun be of cat lineage? A teacup cat, perhaps? The size was right, and the intelligence was similar. Loved eating fish, cared about appearance, occasionally arrogant, and knew how to act cute and rub against peach can lids. As this thought crossed Ye Qian’s mind, he suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. Ye Qian then began to seriously consider whether he should collect some cat scratchers along the way. Or maybe catch a cat to keep Shu Xun from getting bored. Or perhaps catch a mouse to diversify Shu Xun’s taste.
As a genuine treasure-seeking mouse, Shu Xun naturally had no idea what Ye Qian was imagining while happily sharpening his claws on the railing.
Having never seen the sea before, Shu Xun initially found the journey on the sea somewhat novel. However, this sense of novelty was quickly erased by the monotonous scenery. The most magical and beautiful parts of the sea were below the sea surface, and the extreme cold temperature of winter made fish less willing to approach the sea surface. Therefore, except for the constantly undulating waves, almost nothing else was visible on the sea surface.
No longer paying attention to the outside, Shu Xun turned to organize the information they had collected from Micro City. Due to time constraints, many pieces of information were not reviewed at the time. Now was a good opportunity to meticulously sort through them to discover more clues.
Outside the cabin, the wind and snow raged, chilling to the bone. Inside the cabin, it was comfortable and warm. The ample energy supply allowed them to travel with both sufficient energy and warmth. The choice of this icebreaker was not only due to its suitable size but also because of its comfortable and spacious interior design. This icebreaker seemed to serve both icebreaking and sightseeing purposes, with enough rooms and spacious areas to avoid feeling too cramped for their generally tall figures.
There were a total of ten rooms on the ship, with Shu Xun and Ye Qian sharing one room, a couple from the White Moon squad in another, and each person having their own room. The room distribution was relatively concentrated, allowing for immediate communication in case of any emergencies. By this time, night had already fallen. After dinner and leaving someone on night watch duty, the group gradually returned to their respective rooms. In Ye Qian’s room, the bedding was clean and neat, displaying a touch of Ye Qian’s style. Next to the pillow, there was even a small sleeping bag, undoubtedly Shu Xun’s designated sleeping spot.
Tonight, Ye Qian was on night watch duty, and Shu Xun, sitting on the tidy bedding with his short legs crossed, began sorting through the materials they had collected.
The first thing Shu Xun organized was the confidential files collected from the City Bureau. In addition to the weather letter detailing the latitude and time of absolute freezing, there was another document about the Blue Amber Crystal. The issuing authority of this document was the National Research Institute. After a brief perusal, Shu Xun scratched his head and then read it again. Finally, he confirmed that his understanding was not wrong. The document provided detailed tests on the Blue Amber Crystal, proving that it not only didn’t melt while absorbing heat but also possessed extremely gentle and accommodating energy.
What surprised Shu Xun even more was the last sentence of the document, hinting at something seemingly unbelievable even to the developers: the Blue Amber Crystal seemed to have consciousness. This was accidentally discovered during a waveband test, capturing an inexplicable energy fluctuation almost synchronized with human thoughts and consciousness. Through instrument conversion, it could be determined that this was a kind of low and sorrowful consciousness wave.
Although the conclusion was that the Blue Amber Crystal wouldn’t melt, its mysterious nature still caused panic among most people, including those in power. As a result, countries worldwide started to recall raw materials and products containing Blue Amber Crystals, as it was currently only applied in high-end fields. The recall was executed fairly well, but evidently, it had not played a significant positive role.
After perusing the confidential files, Shu Xun went through the data from the research institute and meteorological station once again. It appeared that the meteorological station also speculated on the arrival of winter without direct ties to the Blue Amber Crystal. It was evident that the low temperature was a global outbreak, not confined to the extraction points of the Blue Amber Crystal. Apart from this, the meteorological station’s data didn’t yield any more valuable clues. On the contrary, the information from the research institute, in its chaotic state, left Shu Xun scratching his head.
The research institute was responsible for numerous research projects, making it the most potentially valuable source of clues but also the most tedious. In addition to the studies related to the Blue Amber Crystal, Shu Xun found a few intriguing research papers. One focused on the study of extraterrestrial invasions, complete with records of time and location. Such research would likely not have been allowed without concrete evidence, but it seemed that the Micro City research institute’s level wasn’t sufficient, leaving no concrete research data.
Another piece of research concerned the ancient era, the time when the Blue Butterfly dominated. The report suggested that the Blue Butterfly didn’t go extinct but rather entered a deep underground slumber, undergoing a metamorphosis. The Blue Amber Crystal was likened to a hive-like existence. When the Blue Amber Crystal was mined, a large number of Blue Butterfly pupae were destroyed. As a result, ancient creatures revived, and humanity faced retaliation. After all, a race that once dominated the planet was no less powerful than humans.
Within the research institute, studies on the Blue Amber Crystal and the reasons for the arrival of the winter apocalypse were abundant. It seemed they were vigorously researching solutions to the winter crisis. In addition to this theory of ancient creature revival, there were also studies on planet punishment, abandonment by gods, and various other peculiar theories. It appeared that at that time, they had fallen into an absolute predicament, exploring any possible explanation.
Continuing to peruse the documents, Shu Xun came across a study on blue-eyed individuals. Strangely, this research report wasn’t complete; it seemed someone had torn it apart. Only the first page contained irrelevant and already-known information. Considering the situation when they arrived at the research institute, Shu Xun could deduce that the ones who tore the report apart were likely the indigenous people who had turned the research institute upside down. But why leave one page intact? Wouldn’t it be better to tear it all away? Leaving this single page behind seemed like a deliberate guide.
Guidance? Shu Xun suddenly felt a shiver down their spine. Recalling the events, he couldn’t pinpoint when everything started to fall into place seemingly effortlessly. It appeared as if his own thoughts were guiding his actions, but there was an invisible thread subtly pulling him forward. Shu Xun, who had never experienced such a situation, couldn’t affirm his intuition at the moment. However, Shu Xun’s rationality remained crystal clear, and the instincts of a treasure-seeking mouse were usually premonitions rather than illusions.
Furrowing his small brows in frustration, Shu Xun couldn’t figure out where the crux of the problem lay. Eventually, he could only temporarily give up thinking about this uncomfortable issue, chalking it up to being overly suspicious of himself. Apart from the partially torn document, there was another research report about extracts from the Blue Amber Crystal.
This report also derived from the theory of ancient creatures, but unlike the others, it suggested that the Blue Amber Crystal was merely the fossilized evolution of ancient Blue Butterflies continuously transforming within the Earth’s crust. According to the report, the global winter crisis was a result of improper crystal extraction. The key to solving this problem still rested on the Blue Amber Crystal. The report concluded with urgent approval from the National Research Institute to initiate this research.
