Yang Yi and Suna rested in place for half an hour.
During that time, Yang Yi drank a bottle of Appetite Enhancing Potion and ate a hearty meal.
Suna, on the other hand, drank a bottle of Vitality Coconut Juice.
Afterwards, the two continued forwards, stopping about seven kilometres from the ice sculptures to set up a tent.
They deliberately took a slightly longer route to position themselves at a less conspicuous location.
If the Ice Nest Worms flew towards the Nightmare Star, they wouldn’t pass directly overhead.
As long as they didn’t start a fire, they should be able to avoid attracting the Ice Nest Worms’ attention.
Yang Yi used his Third Eye to scan the northeast.
From this vantage point, he could finally take in the full scene.
The number of ice sculptures was in the tens of thousands, covering men, women, and the elderly alike.
They were clustered within a wide circular area, all in the same posture — arms wrapped around their knees, curled up on the ground — arranged in countless concentric circles. The density increased toward the centre, making it difficult for Yang Yi to determine the exact number.
From a distance, they looked like rows of neatly arranged eggs which occasionally trembled, as if something inside was about to hatch.
And at the very center of this mass of "eggs”, there was one significantly larger — at least five times the size of the others!
It was a giant, with unusually long limbs and a disproportionately short torso, its body structure severely distorted.
Yang Yi couldn’t determine its exact height, but even curled up, it was over two metres tall.
Moreover, its body was different from the other Ice Nest followers — it appeared to be made of crystal or gemstone.
Yang Yi described everything he saw to Suna.
Suna's eyes lit up. She immediately handed him paper and a pen, urging him to draw it.
That put Yang Yi in a bit of a predicament.
He hesitated for a long moment before finally sketching out a crude rendition of the giant, his drawing skills barely reaching a third-grade level.
Suna, however, didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she examined it seriously.
“Its limbs are long and uneven?”
“No, they’re symmetrical. I just drew them badly.”
“Its feet are round, without toes?”
“I forgot to add them.”
After some back-and-forth, Suna managed to form a rough understanding of the giant, though most of it was based on Yang Yi’s verbal description.
“But what about the Ice Nest Worms?” she asked.
“I haven’t seen any,” Yang Yi shook his head.
That, in fact, was what puzzled him the most.
In what appeared to be the Ice Nest Worms’ lair, not a single one was in sight.
Instead, there were just countless frozen people, curled up and trembling from time to time.
As for how to deal with the ice sculptures, further observation was necessary. Their sheer numbers made any rash action too risky...
Yang Yi took the tent stakes Suna handed him and began setting up the tent.
The location was already chosen, and a moisture-proof mat was laid down.
He hammered the stakes into the four corners using the back of his long-handled axe, which functioned similarly to a hammer in this case.
After securing the stakes, the two assembled the tent frame, connected the inner and outer layers, and tightened it.
With that, a field tent was erected, its entrance facing northeast.
Yang Yi checked the weather information.
It was already -52°C.
That was roughly equivalent to Antarctic temperatures — enough to freeze an ordinary person solid in no time.
Without a fire for warmth, survival would be impossible.
Fortunately, Yang Yi and Suna had Frostburn Liquor, an incredible tool for resisting the cold. Paired with their thermal clothing, it was enough to withstand the extreme chill!
Yang Yi handed Suna a flintlock rifle and a Pale Worm Hand Cannon, reminding her:
“If you hear a hissing sound, don’t hesitate — fire the Hand Cannon immediately and wake me up.”
Yang Yi reminded her.
The two had discussed and decided to stick to their usual routine — Yang Yi would sleep first and take the second half of the night watch.
Since the Ice Nest Worms appeared roughly every 22 hours, there was a high chance they would show up in the latter half of the night.
By then, the Ice Nest followers would also start to take action.
So, it was safer for Yang Yi to take the later shift.
After handing Suna the weapons and tools, Yang Yi decisively crawled into his sleeping bag, positioning himself where he could keep an eye on the tent entrance before closing his eyes to rest.
His priority was to recover as quickly as possible.
Four hours later, Yang Yi woke up. After confirming that nothing unusual had happened, he checked his status panel.
Extraordinary Path: Corruption [9%] / Spider Book / Charred One
Talents: Steel Will, Refuse to Die
Spells: Limb Enhancement, Limb Restoration, Limb Explosion, Spider Mother Invocation, Flames of Healing, Burn With Me
Thanks to the benefits of a full meal and proper rest, Yang Yi had recovered completely in a short amount of time.
Beside him, Suna was curled up with her knees drawn to her chest, reeking of burnt alcohol — she had clearly drunk some Scorched Liquor.
However, she wasn’t completely knocked out. She remained alert, crouched near the tent entrance in a vigilant stance.
By her feet lay the Pale Worm Hand Cannon and some scattered notes.
“Suna, good work. Go get some rest!”
Yang Yi crawled out of his sleeping bag and walked over to her.
She was already exhausted, with only 28 stamina remaining, and had been forcing herself to stay awake.
The moment she saw Yang Yi awake, she wasted no time getting up. Staggering slightly, she headed into the tent and crawled straight into his sleeping bag — it was warmer inside.
Yang Yi silently observed her the whole time until she fell asleep.
Afterwards, he picked up the Pale Worm Hand Cannon and the flintlock rifle from the ground, then gathered the scattered notes and set them aside neatly.
Once everything was in order, he lifted his blindfold and looked northeast.
Nothing had changed since before he slept — the ice sculptures were still crouched on the ground, trembling.
Yang Yi observed for a few seconds before withdrawing his gaze and switching to the Interdimensional Chat Channel.
With the perpetual daylight, everyone’s sleep schedules were thrown off.
Adding to that, the sea was shrouded in thick fog, making fishing difficult. Because of this, the chat channel was constantly active, with no real distinction between different times of the day.
Ever since the first issue of the weekly journal was released, players had become wary of the Ice Nest Worms, consciously controlling the size of their fires to avoid attracting them.
Even so, there were still unlucky ones who got attacked. Yang Yi only had to skim a few pages before spotting three such incidents.
“I hear the Ice Nest Worms! I’m doomed!”
“Make the fire bigger! Burn all the Pale Worms and fuel in the storage!”
“Will that even work?”
“Of course it will! It’ll help lure away as many of the worms as possible.”
“Old Wei decided to blind-sail, betting there are no icebergs ahead. Staying inside and keeping the fire small is the safest bet!”
“It’s already -30°C! Damn!”
Suddenly, a flood of new messages appeared. Yang Yi immediately switched to the latest page of the chat.
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