Chapter 146: Land of the Yeti 22
"Nomadic Yetis have their own territory?"
’They’re nomads, yet they still have their own territory?’
"Nomadic Yetis are outcasts, driven from their respective Yeti tribes. They’re more brutal and aggressive than ordinary Yetis. That area wasn’t originally their territory. But they started hanging around there so often that, over time, it just became theirs."
"I see. What if I take a detour? Go around the Nomadic Yetis’ territory."
Moira’s thinking was simple: ’Better to just avoid anyone I can’t afford to provoke.’
"That’s not really an option either." To her surprise, the Snowbird Beastman’s first words shut down that possibility completely.
"Why not? Is it because the Nomadic Yetis’ territory is too large, and a detour would take too much time?"
"Time is a secondary concern. To get around the Nomadic Yetis’ territory, you’d have to pass through seven or eight other Yeti territories in a row."
Moira Lynch: ...
’Okay, so a detour is even more dangerous than going straight through.’
After thanking the Snowbird Beastman once more, Moira Lynch left Snowbird Village.
She was determined to reach the Glacial Directorate, but she still needed to figure out exactly how to get there.
’Travel underground, like before?’
’That’s certainly one option, but I’d be caught in an avalanche if one happened, and escaping would be difficult.’
Moira Lynch had four options laid out before her. The first was to take a detour, but she eliminated that one since it was both dangerous and time-consuming.
The second was to travel underground. This came with the risk of avalanches and made escape difficult.
The third was to travel on the surface. She could still get caught in an avalanche, but escaping would be easier. The downside was that she’d be easily spotted by Yetis.
The last option was to travel by air. Moira herself was leaning toward this one. It was fast and safe, but its only drawback was being too conspicuous.
’Oh, right, there’s one more option: stay put and wait for The Federation to rescue me, then have them take me to the Glacial Directorate. It would be safe and hassle-free. The only uncertainties are how long it would take and whether they’d even be willing to help.’
’If they weren’t willing, I would end up with nothing to show for it.’
Moira looked at the three options—by air, on land, and underground—when inspiration struck. ’Why do I have to pick just one? I can use all three routes simultaneously. I’ll just take whichever path is safest at any given moment.’
Having made up her mind, Moira Lynch resolutely headed east.
Before reaching the Nomadic Yetis’ territory, Moira first sent out a Heavenly Eye to scout ahead.
The Heavenly Eye circled high above and, just as she’d expected, spotted numerous Yetis on the ground.
They were either walking alone across the snowy plains or suddenly locked in combat—the lethal kind.
In just that short period, Moira witnessed no fewer than five separate fights between Yetis. Some were even brawling in groups where there were no friends, only enemies.
And, as one might expect, they triggered an avalanche.
Thanks to these Yetis, the avalanches in that area were extraordinarily frequent—a small one practically every five minutes, and a large one every ten.
The Yetis swept up in the avalanches didn’t seem to care themselves.
The lucky survivors climbed out, dusted themselves off, and walked away. Those who didn’t survive were buried forever in the snow.
Moira recorded all the locations. ’The horns of these Yetis are valuable treasures, after all.’
Especially the horns of the Nomadic Yetis.
Nomadic Yetis were more aggressive than ordinary Yetis, and their horns were also sharper.
After changing into an all-white outfit, with her Flying Device, protective shield, and Illusion Cloak on standby, Moira walked for about half an hour before officially setting foot in the Nomadic Yetis’ territory.
The moment she stepped inside, Moira smelled a faint stench. It was the unique odor of the Nomadic Yetis.
Since they didn’t groom themselves, the Nomadic Yetis’ bodies were caked with dried blood from their many fights—both their own and their enemies’.
Over time, they developed a foul odor. It was still somewhat manageable now; summer was when it became a real disaster.
That’s right—Glacius had a summer, too. It was just very brief, lasting only about a month.
Based on her Heavenly Eye’s earlier observations, a Nomadic Yeti had passed through here not long ago. The smell was likely left by it.
She glanced to the side and saw a black, clotted lump. It must have fallen off that same Nomadic Yeti.
Moira hesitated for a moment but decided not to pick up the black lump.
’While the scent from the clot might make other Yetis mistake me for one of their own—a Nomadic Yeti—based on what I’ve just seen, that’s not necessarily a good thing.’
From what she had just observed, every Nomadic Yeti here had no friends, only enemies.
She had even seen through her Heavenly Eye’s feed two Yetis, clearly a great distance apart, catch each other’s scent and simultaneously charge toward one another.
Did you think they were long-lost friends, so excited they were moved to tears? No. They just wanted to kill each other.
’So, disguising myself as a Nomadic Yeti wouldn’t make others stay away. In fact, it would probably attract them.’
Before entering the Nomadic Yetis’ territory, she had already used her Heavenly Eye to map out a route. All she needed to do now was follow it.
If all went according to plan, she should be able to leave this area and reach the Glacial Directorate by this time tomorrow.
Barring any accidents... an accident arrived.
Her Heavenly Eye spotted several Yetis brawling. The commotion was so great that it triggered a massive avalanche, instantly sweeping away several of the Nomadic Yetis without giving them a chance to struggle.
But that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that the avalanche was heading straight for her.
The moment the "Avalanche incoming!" alert sounded in her ear again, Moira shot straight up into the sky without a second’s hesitation.
The instant she took off, she activated her protective shield and Illusion Cloak simultaneously to avoid revealing her position in the air and becoming a target for all.
In the aftermath of the avalanche, Moira’s haul included numerous Ice Chestnuts, some bruised but still edible fruits, and one tattered Snowball Flower.
That Snowball Flower was the very thing those Nomadic Yetis had been fighting over.
[Snowball Flower: A specialty product of Glacius and a favorite of the Yetis. Carrying it conceals the user’s presence. The effect is doubled in snowy weather.]
She looked at the damaged Snowball Flower. ’I wonder if it’ll still work in this condition.’
Moira looked at the damaged Snowball Flower in her hand. It resembled a giant, half-melted snowflake. She tucked it into her pocket.
"It’s not completely ruined. It should still be somewhat useful."
In addition to the Snowball Flower, she also found five pairs of Yeti horns and several Heavenly Eyes.
’It’s a shame there weren’t any Red Celestial Eyes among them, though.’
’It seems Nomadic Yetis don’t have Red Celestial Eyes.’
The avalanche had yielded a decent haul, but it had also wasted a lot of time. She would have to pick up the pace to make it back.
For the rest of the journey, Moira switched between walking on the ground and flying through the air, ducking underground to rest whenever she grew tired.