Chapter 23 Friends, Delicious

March 7th continuously shot ice arrows into the sky.

In the air, dozens of ice birds circled around, getting shot down one by one by March 7th.

A few ice birds dived down, aiming to pierce through March 7th's body, but she agilely dodged and retaliated with several arrows.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Accompanied by the sound of ice shattering, a few ice birds turned into shards of ice on the snowy ground.

"Phew... so tired! There's just too many of them!" March 7th complained, frowning.

Only then did she realize, where did everyone else go?

She looked around.

She saw Stelle focused on playing a game on her phone.

Dan Heng was reading a book.

Gu Tang was sleeping in a sleeping bag; yes, he liked to take naps.

"What are you guys doing—!" March 7th shouted, sweeping her bow horizontally to smash an ice bird that was rushing towards her.

Dan Heng frowned, putting his index finger to his lips: "Quiet, March 7th. It's very rude to shout when someone is sleeping..."

"We're in the middle of a fight, dude!" March 7th looked at him speechlessly.

Stelle put down her phone and looked at March 7th: "Even if you say that, we don't have any long-range attack methods..."

"Hmm? I think I heard someone mention needing my inventions." Gu Tang crawled out of his sleeping bag.

"Have you ever heard of the single-soldier jetpack? It can greatly enhance a person's mobility and broaden tactical choices." Gu Tang walked behind Stelle, took out a jetpack, and installed it on her.

The jetpack looked extremely wild, with lots of metal and wires, as well as inexplicable things like animal teeth and bones.

Instead of safety belts, it was secured with two iron chains.

Stelle looked down at the rusty chains and asked, "How often are these chains replaced?"

"Whenever they break," Gu Tang replied, pressing a button.

Whoosh—!

The jetpack erupted with flames, generating a strong thrust that propelled Stelle's body into the sky.

Unfortunately, just five meters up, the chains snapped with a crack, causing Stelle to fall directly into the snow.

The unmanned jetpack continued to ascend, crashing into the flock of ice birds circling in the air.

Boom—!

A massive explosion stirred up a gust of wind, casting long shadows on the ground from the flames.

When the explosion subsided, the ice birds were nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, all enemies have been eliminated. Let's move on." Dan Heng closed his book and led the way.

"Undoubtedly, this is a great victory for technology," Gu Tang summarized the battle and followed.

Of course, he didn't forget to extract from the enemy corpses.

[Ding! Obtained "Extinguished Core" *35]

[Ding! Obtained "Dim Core" *19]

[Ding! Obtained "Squirming Core" *5]

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"Feels like we've been walking forever, and all we see is snow," Stelle sighed.

The snow scenery was novel at first, but after a while, the endless white became quite oppressive.

Am I really making progress? It's hard not to doubt.

"Hey, did you see that? Something seems to be moving..." March 7th put her hand over her eyes and looked into the distance.

"Just a regular snowdrift. Are you sure it's not your imagination?" Dan Heng doubted.

"Absolutely not, my eyesight is excellent! Let's get closer and check it out." March 7th ran ahead.

The group gathered around the snowdrift.

Up close, it was obvious that someone was hiding inside.

Mainly because they were shivering too much to be inconspicuous.

"Hmm... Are you coming out? You look pretty cold," March 7th kindly persuaded the person in the snowdrift.

"Pour some oil on it," Gu Tang suggested.

"Gu Tang, oil isn't a cure-all," March 7th said helplessly.

Stelle had an idea: "Wait, I remember Gu Tang said he gained a new skill that allows him to gain memories by eating someone."

Gu Tang stroked his chin, muttering, "You mean [Memory on the Tongue]? I had almost forgotten..."

"Ah, I see. We've encountered a native life form of this world. Just eat him to get information," Dan Heng nodded at the snowdrift, "Who knows when we'll come across another creature, so we mustn't waste it. We'll extract every bit of useful information from him..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Have mercy, everyone!" The person in the snowdrift jumped out.

He was a young man with blue hair and green eyes.

He wore a red jacket and blue pants, giving off a frivolous and playful vibe.

"I'm Sampo, and I'm not tasty at all! If you want to eat someone, go for the Silvermane Guards! They train and fight every day, their meat must be firm and chewy." Sampo bowed his head and begged for mercy.

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, we just want to ask you a few questions, we won't eat you."

"That's a relief... Phew—I thought I'd run into the legendary snowfield savages. It's always better to be friendly, my friends." Sampo let out a sigh of relief.

Dan Heng glared at him: "Who's your friend?"

"You're right! My... uh... my lords! How can Sampo assist you?" Sampo rubbed his hands together, showing a fawning smile.

March 7th approached with a gentle smile: "Alright, alright, Dan Heng, don't scare him. We have something to ask of him."

Sampo looked at March 7th, tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes: "Oh, my lady... I would do anything for you."

Dan Heng looked fierce.

Gu Tang held a knife and fork.

Stelle was the one who suggested eating people.

March 7th, on the other hand, was kind and warm, like a breath of fresh air.

"Where is the nearest settlement?" March 7th asked the most pressing question.

"Settlement? You mean where there are people. You won't find anything if you head out there. The only place left where humans live in this world is our dear Belobog." Sampo sighed, with a bit of sentiment in his tone, "The City of Preservation, the Everlasting City, humanity's only bulwark against the cold... It sounds grand, but it's all true. Humans can only survive within those iron walls."

Dan Heng nodded: "Then lead us to this Belobog you mentioned."

"Entering the city? Going back already? I haven't even started my day yet. Leading the way is no problem, but—" Sampo hesitated.

Gu Tang raised his knife and fork.

"—But I am always happy to help. Haha, kindness is my middle name! Follow me, friends, and keep it down so the guards don't notice us." Sampo smiled warmly.