Chapter 128: Land of the Yeti 4
Once inside the tent, Moira Lynch took out the food she had prepared and began to eat.
To keep her food from getting cold, Moira had set up an alcohol stove to heat it as she ate.
Once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she started grilling the Extremely Hot Mushrooms for the next day and boiling some Red Sugar and White Ginger Water.
The next day, Moira Lynch slowly opened her eyes, emerging from her meditation.
Last night, she had sensed several Yetis passing by. Fortunately, the location she’d chosen was well-hidden; otherwise, given the sheer weight of those Yetis, a single footstep could have collapsed her snow cave.
After breakfast, and before she left, Moira Lynch filled in the snow cave where she had spent the night.
Her shovel swung nonstop. Luck was on her side today; not long after setting out, she had already found three Ice Chestnuts in a row.
After eating the Ice Chestnuts, Moira Lynch immediately felt stronger. Brimming with inexhaustible energy, she swung her shovel so fast it nearly left afterimages.
Just then, in the midst of her feverish work, Moira Lynch suddenly froze, her body going completely still.
Slowly setting down her shovel, Moira Lynch looked up in confusion. All she saw was a vast expanse of white. But outside, at some point, an iceberg had appeared above her.
Moira Lynch frowned. ’If I remember correctly, there shouldn’t be any icebergs along this route. Did my spiritual power scan get it wrong?’
’No!’
’My spiritual power couldn’t be wrong. The only possibility is that this iceberg appeared after my scan.’
Moreover, Moira Lynch could sense the faint presence of a living creature from within the iceberg.
"Patience, search for me. Are there any creatures on Glacius that look like an iceberg?"
[Iceberg Beast - Erqii: Body is 98% ice. Enjoys staying motionless to sunbathe. Its surface is covered in a layer of white snow with a soft, dense texture, possessing beautifying and whitening properties.
Erqii are gentle by nature and will not attack unless provoked.]
Hearing Patience’s explanation, Moira Lynch’s tension instantly melted away. ’That gave me a scare. Thankfully, it’s not dangerous.’
However, the Erqii was simply too massive, so Moira Lynch decided to turn back and find a way around it.
Before leaving, she didn’t pass up the chance for a freebie. Moira Lynch collected all of the white snow from the Erqii’s body.
The layer of snow seemed unimportant to the Erqii. Even as it suddenly vanished, the beast only shivered slightly before continuing to sunbathe.
Her spiritual power scan revealed that there were quite a few Erqii in the area.
After confirming no one else was around, she climbed out from under the snow.
Having been underground for so long, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the sunlight.
Moira Lynch retrieved a Cloud Flying Device from her storage space, climbed on, and piloted it into the sky.
From high above, the Iceberg Beasts—the Erqii—looked even more spectacular.
’I wish I could take these giant icebergs back with me.’
Moira Lynch suppressed the impulse and began collecting the white snow from their bodies.
After she had finished collecting the snow from every Iceberg Beast in the area, Moira Lynch did not return to the ground. Instead, she continued to pilot her Flying Device even higher.
"Start scanning."
A few seconds later, Patience’s voice sounded in her ear: [Scan complete!]
A sphere appeared before Moira’s eyes. One section of it was now filled in with color, marking her current location.
Just as Moira had finished her scan and was about to head back down to continue digging her tunnel, a beast’s roar from the distance interrupted her.
Looking toward the sound, she saw an enormous, iceberg-like creature with four thick legs charging in her direction.
’An Iceberg Beast—an Erqii?’
’No.’
Moira keenly noticed that the snow on this Iceberg Beast was slightly gray, and its eyes were red—completely different from the golden eyes of the Erqii she had seen earlier.
[Iceberg Beast - Zidra: Violent by nature, the exact opposite of an Erqii. It will attack any living creature that appears before it.]
Just as Moira thought the Zidra was chasing her, she noticed three figures in front of it, fleeing for their lives.
The three were escaping in different ways: one had a pair of snow-white wings sprouting from their back, another could leap incredibly high, and the last was propelled forward in sudden bursts by gusts of wind that appeared at their feet.
But even with all that, the Zidra was steadily closing the distance between them.
Just as Moira was about to take her chance to leave this hot zone before the Zidra spotted her, a chill ran down her spine.
She looked down and met a pair of scarlet eyes.
"Fuck!!"
Seeing this, Moira Lynch cursed under her breath and, without a moment’s hesitation, spun her Cloud Flying Device around and fled.
With the speed of her Flying Device, she instantly shot ahead of the three people.
Seeing this, the three behind her shouted loudly for help, hoping she could give them a lift.
However, in response to their pleas, Moira Lynch didn’t even glance back as she left them completely in her dust.
’Never mind the fact that those three were the ones who lured the Zidra here in the first place,’ she thought. ’They’re lucky I’m not demanding compensation for emotional distress.’
’Why should I save them? The fact that they’ve survived the Zidra’s pursuit for this long means they’re not weak.’
Meanwhile, seeing Moira Lynch flee without a backward glance, the expressions on the faces of the desperately fleeing Lily and her two companions turned ugly.
’How can someone be so selfish?’ Lily thought. ’To see a fellow human in danger and only think of their own escape!’
Lily glanced at her companions, then back at the terrifying beast closing in. She was already wondering which one of them she would have to sacrifice when things got desperate.
’Two hired hands,’ she thought. ’One with a flight talent, the other with body enhancement.’
After a moment of thought, Lily decided to keep the one with body enhancement. After all, she needed a fighter.
’Actually, I still have a trump card,’ Lily thought, ’but I worked too hard to get it. I can’t bear to use it now. So... I’m sorry.’
Just then, the Zidra behind them leaped, closing the distance once more.
Seeing this, Lily gritted her teeth, formed a cyan ball of wind in her hand, and hurled it at the man in the air.
’If all goes as planned, he should be able to buy us some time to escape.’
Lily thought to herself, ’Rest in peace. I will always remember your sacrifice. And when I meet that selfish woman again, I’ll personally avenge you.’