Rena's consciousness is mostly attached to the mini- Ripper, and she occasionally handles macro-level instructions for the swarm's development on the Dead World B.
The insect population there is steadily increasing, but is limited by the influence of biomass and genetic makeup.
Most of them are low-level units such as Hormagaunt and Termagant; hatching high-level units is quite difficult.
The rest of the time, she would use her Psychic Power vision to "scan" everything around her:
That damned Inquisitor is still lurking somewhere in the distance, exuding vigilance and hostility.
If Lynn hadn't stopped her from eating that thing, she would already be in her stomach.
The good-natured Doudou was sitting in the corner, holding a children's primer, and counting on his fingers in distress.
He was doing addition and subtraction within 10, and would scratch his head from time to time because he made a mistake.
The soldiers repeated their daily routine of patrolling, training, and resting.
They wiped their weapons, talked in hushed tones about their hometowns, or wrote letters, though they knew they'd probably never get them sent.
Gus, whose position had been taken by Lynn, would often stare blankly at the training soldiers, stroking a somewhat worn medal of honor.
Leo and Hammond, the two main generals, were inspecting the blueprints for the defensive fortifications, their brows furrowed, occasionally discussing tactics with their staff.
But what she liked most was to focus most of her attention on Lynn.
Sense the fluctuations in his mental state when he's thinking, the focus he has when handling official business, and the occasional gesture of rubbing his temples when he's tired.
Even the occasional glimpses of his helplessness and resolute acceptance of this dark world.
As time went on, Rena began to feel a new emotion: boredom.
And a slight aversion to small office environments.
She longed for more space and greater freedom to "move around," especially with Lynn.
Late one night, Lynn was reviewing yet another lengthy supply request, his pen gliding rapidly across the Dataslate.
The miniature Ripper beside him gently rubbed against his skin, Rena's cool voice rang out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation and probing.
" Lynn, can you come for a walk with me? It's so stuffy here."
Lynn put down her pen and rubbed her sore eyes.
A mountain of work awaited him, and exhaustion washed over his nerves like a relentless tide.
But without any hesitation, he looked at his cuff, his eyes softening:
"Of course, where would you like to go?"
"Whatever, as long as I can get out of here and see the outside world." Rena's tone was filled with excitement.
Lynn immediately began making plans.
Going out directly would be too conspicuous; Sorine would definitely follow them.
He needed a plausible reason and to escape the Inquisitor's surveillance.
Half an hour later, a "frontline outpost patrol order" was issued.
Lynn rode in an ordinary Bison armored personnel carrier, accompanied only by a Genestealer officer who drove it.
Under the pretext of "inspecting the defenses of the outer outposts and extending greetings to the stationed soldiers," it drove away from the command center.
As he expected, Sorine's figure did indeed appear in the rearview mirror at the beginning of the blizzard, following him from a distance.
However, due to the powerful Psychic Power Lynn displayed, Sorine worried that getting too close would lead to her being discovered.
Unable to confirm Lynn's exact whereabouts, they ultimately had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and retreat to the vicinity of the command post.
After shaking off his pursuers, Lynn had the Genestealer officer wait at the entrance to the Ice Valley, while he and Rena got out of the car and stepped into the vast snowstorm.
The biting wind on the icy plains, carrying snowflakes, stung my face.
Lynn activated the bionic armor's heat-retaining function, took the mini Ripper out of the collar, placed it in his palm, and breathed warm air on it.
"Are you cold, Rena?"
"It's not cold, I like the wind." Rena's voice carried a hint of excitement.
The miniature Ripper crawled gently in his palm, its antennae outstretched, sensing the flow of wind and snow.
The two strolled through the snow, without any destination, just wandering aimlessly.
Lynn would occasionally point out the icy plants and hidden ice caves along the roadside to Rena, who would listen quietly and ask questions from time to time.
At this moment, there is no war, no conspiracy, no endless work.
The two of them were alone on the vast ice field, enjoying a rare moment of solitude.
Meanwhile, on another part of the ice plains, Snow Claw Rain and Ice Fang Kuai led their respective guards, trekking through the snow and wind for a full week, following the coordinates given by Lynn.
When their destination came into view, everyone was so shocked that they were speechless.
It was a majestic twin-peaked ice mountain, the two almost vertical ice peaks piercing the gray sky of Brevis like two sharp swords.
From the narrow gap between the two peaks, a dazzling, pure, almost sacred white-gold light shone down vertically.
Like a pillar of light descending from heaven, it cast a circular halo around the foot of the snow-covered mountain.
This halo of light contrasted sharply with the surrounding dark and cold ice field.
The relatively warm sunlight dispelled some of the chill and even slightly melted the surrounding snow, revealing the permafrost beneath.
This sight is extremely rare on the Brevis Ice Plain, almost like a miracle.
The light instilled a sense of awe in all the arriving savage warriors, who lowered their heads, unable to look directly at it.
"Is this the place the Ice Lord pointed out?" Snow Claw Rain murmured softly, his voice filled with awe.
Just then, the platinum-white light between the twin peaks seemed to ripple.
Immediately afterwards, a gigantic figure slowly emerged from the light—a colossal blue-green dragon!
It was larger and more imposing than any of the Psychic Power illusions Lynn had previously displayed.
The dragon scales reflected a realistic luster similar to that of ice, each scale resembling a meticulously polished ice crystal.
Its enormous wings flapped slowly, bringing gusts of cold wind and a sense of oppression, causing the surrounding wind and snow to give way.
Its long neck was bent, its dragon head lowered, and its cold dragon eyes looked down at the mortals at the foot of the mountain.
Her eyes held neither joy nor sorrow, only an indifference that stemmed from antiquity and power, sending chills down one's spine.
This was a "miracle" that Lynn had specifically instructed her to perform, with the aim of completely intimidating these Icefield clans.
This strengthened their faith in the legends of the Ice Lord and the Dragon of Frost.
Under this terrifying pressure, even the formidable Snow Claw Rain and Ice Fang Kuai felt difficulty breathing, as if the Rock was pressing down on their chests, and their legs trembled uncontrollably.
The Ice-Ridge Land Beast beneath them were already prostrate on the ground, whimpering and not daring to move.
The soldiers behind them were even more distraught, collapsing to their knees on the snow, their foreheads pressed against the snow, too afraid to even lift their heads.
This oppressive force, originating from mythological authority and absolute power, made these children of the icy plains deeply aware of their own insignificance.
The dragon did not linger for long; its enormous form gradually dissipated in the platinum-gold light, as if it had never existed.
At the foot of the mountain, in the hazy halo of light, eleven figures emerged from the depths, gradually becoming clearer.
They were all dressed in thin, blue robes with gold patterns, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold of the icy plains.
His skin was a uniform pale purple, and his face was calm to the point of being expressionless, without any superfluous expressions.
The most distinctive feature is that they are all bald, and their head outline is slightly longer than that of ordinary humans.
Their steps were synchronized, silent, like copied and pasted puppets, their eyes vacant yet able to see through everything.
The leader of the men in green robes stopped and looked at Snow Claw Rain and Ice Fang Kuai, who were at the very front.
His voice was flat and even, without any inflection, as if it resonated directly in the soul:
"Mortal, what brings you here?"