Extra: Snow Mountain
First of all, thank you everyone!
We achieved over 7000 monthly votes in September! Thank you so much!
Then, regarding the new three-dimensional ship that will soon appear in the plot, although a name has already been designed, please leave a comment if readers have any good suggestions~
Finally, thank you all for your monthly votes and support. I specially completed this little side story. It is actually a supplement to the ending of the third volume, "Snowpiercer". It was a part that was separated from the main storyline at the time for pacing considerations.
There seems to be an event for monthly pass bonus chapters, but I don't really want to bother with it, so I'm just releasing it for free.
Thank you again everyone!
--
Sheltered Valley Campsite, 8:00 AM.
The camp was bustling with activity, with a large number of people starting work or rotating shifts to continue digging the tunnel. After all the daily tasks were arranged, Su Ming stood in the small open space in the center of the camp, enjoying the crisp morning breeze and stretching comfortably.
"Zijin, are you interested in climbing a snow-capped mountain?" he asked, turning his head.
"You want to climb a snow-capped mountain?" Zijin asked in surprise. "The sacred peak of the Dome Mountains is not easy to climb at this time of year!"
"It's not the main peak," Su Ming explained.
The two were surrounded by a constant stream of workers hurrying by.
Su Ming then pulled Zijin to a spot near the edge of the camp. He pointed southeast, where a snow-capped mountain, noticeably shorter than the main peak, stood.
"This 4500-meter-high side peak, Silent Peak, should be much easier to climb, right?"
"No!" Zijin instinctively pulled her coat tighter around herself. "It's windy and cold!"
Su Ming pursed his lips slightly in exasperation. "I have to go up there and set up an unmanned outpost. But the experts on Earth suggest I should find someone to go with me."
Despite the aid of magic, traveling alone in such an extreme high-altitude environment is absolutely a major taboo.
"Silver Mask knows how to climb mountains." Jielusi, who happened to be passing by, overheard their conversation and stopped to interject, "He seems to have climbed this mountain range before, but he said it was rather boring—I'll go get him in a bit."
"That's good," Su Ming nodded in agreement.
He noticed that Jielusi wasn't empty-handed—she was using Levitation Spell to "lift" a grimacing, pained wounded soldier.
"How did you do that?" Su Ming asked, frowning.
"Look, this is a trainee on the propylene oxide production line." Jielusi gestured with her chin towards the person suspended in mid-air. "When I spotted him, he was holding a cigar."
"No!" Su Ming raised his voice, his tone incredulous, "Didn't I put up a prominent warning sign and repeatedly emphasize that smoking is strictly prohibited in dangerous areas?!"
"Oh," Jielusi said matter-of-factly, "So he's smoking a cigar, not a cigarette."
"..." Su Ming was speechless for a moment.
But he soon discovered that the wounded man's clothes were clean and tidy, with neither scorch marks from flames nor lacerations from the explosion.
"His injuries... don't look like they were caused by an explosion?" Su Ming asked doubtfully.
"Of course not," Jielusi replied matter-of-factly. "This idiot was taken down before he even had a chance to explode!"
"Then how did he get this injury?" Su Ming was even more confused.
"This kind of dimwitted idiot," Jielusi looked at Su Ming with a "doesn't that even need asking?" expression. "Shouldn't he have been given a good beating?"
"That makes sense."
****
When Su Ming used "Summoning of All Things" to teleport the entire unmanned outpost to the open ground, the heavy alloy structure made a dull thud as it hit the frozen ground, raising a cloud of snow dust.
The noise startled him—this thing definitely weighed over a ton!
[Miao Xin!] Su Ming immediately questioned, [Didn't you tell me before that it was a lightweight design—this is what you call lightweight?!]
Miao Xin's reply came quickly, conveying the earth engineer's explanation: This unmanned outpost is equipped not only with early warning radar, but also with ground positioning and communication relay devices.
Its design purpose is to provide a backup for the entire campaign in extreme situations, such as when the "Rainbow One" UAV fails, by undertaking the minimum communication relay and low-precision missile guidance tasks on the battlefield.
"If this thing weighed less than ten tons on Earth, we'd take your surname," Miao Xin said. [These are the engineering team's exact words.]
"Fine," Su Ming said helplessly.
Looking at the lump of iron, Su Ming immediately abandoned the idea of carrying it up the mountain. He had a flash of inspiration and quickly gathered several students who were skilled in alchemy, issuing an urgent task: to produce a large quantity of strong acid.
Soon after, Silver Mask arrived as promised, accompanied by Yise.
Yise was dressed in a neat light gray thermal suit, with a thick thermal hat and snowproof goggles on his head. In contrast, Silver Mask was dressed in ordinary casual clothes.
"Good morning," Su Ming greeted.
"Good day," Yise said.
The trainees put on protective gloves and carefully began to dilute the freshly prepared, thick acid solution in the large tank, which emitted an unpleasant odor.
Su Ming stepped back. "Silver Mask, is Silent Peak easy to climb this season?"
"The temperature is low, the mountain winds are strong, and the high-altitude weather is unpredictable, making it unsuitable for mountain climbing," Silver Mask replied. "However, since you have operational needs, that's a different story. But... I'm sorry, I cannot accompany you."
"Silver Mask's eyes are very uncomfortable," Yise added from the side.
"Eyes?" Su Ming looked at the Silver Mask. "Injured, beyond treatment?"
Silver Mask paused for a moment, then briefly recounted his past to Su Ming —how he was deceived by his former principal and nearly lost his sight completely.
He raised his hand and removed the silver mask that he almost never took off.
Beneath the mask was a face unusually pale from prolonged lack of sunlight. Most striking were his eyes: they were bloodshot and his eyelids were swollen.
"Is this... a worsening situation?" Su Ming asked.
"He tears up at the slightest breeze now," Yise said. "So I'll go with you this time. Don't worry, I have experience in snow mountains. We'll just use our shields to withstand the wind and snow, and then use Levitation Spell to jump up close to the ground. If we're quick, we can make it back for lunch on the 30-kilometer mountain road."
****
Su Ming told Miao Xin about Silver Mask Mian's condition and asked her to consult with experts on Earth for any ideas or solutions.
He then lightly kicked the deserted outpost and said to Yise and the other man, "Could you please pack it up securely? We'll be taking it to the top of the mountain later."
Yise then focused her attention on the large pile of metal objects in front of her. She took a step forward and tentatively exerted her strength, discovering that she needed to circulate her internal Dou Qi to lift the iron lump.
"Su Ming," she released her grip, her tone filled with undisguised resentment, "Did you call us here to be guides or laborers?"
"Perhaps it's a combination of both?" Su Ming joked.
"Climbing a snow mountain with something like this is impossible without constant Levitation Spell!" Yise glanced at Silent Whisper Peak and estimated the distance. "Luckily, it's not too far. A few magic crystals should be enough."
"Silent Whisper Peak is the closest mountain to the Divine Might Prison," Silver Mask added. "The ' Everwatching Obelisk ' has area detection capabilities, so once you enter the mountain area, you can't use Dou Qi or magic."
"You're kidding me!" Yise protested, "That's impossible!"
"I already have a solution for transporting this pile of stuff," Su Ming replied. "But what about the final stretch to the summit? Can we manage it all with just physical strength?"
"It should be fine, 4500 meters isn't the limit." Yise patted the deserted outpost, "If we don't use this load of equipment."
The trainees over there had already finished diluting the acid. Su Ming cut two heavy lumps of iron from the storage room.
He weighed the metal in his hand, then selected one piece as "material" and the other as a "template" to provide the structure, before activating "Summoning of All Things".
The piece of iron used as "material" was disassembled and reassembled to become exactly the same as the "template" next to it. The piece used as "template" disintegrated into a pile of fine iron filings.
Satisfied, Su Ming tossed the newly formed pile of iron filings into a large tank containing strong acid.
Yise had already recognized that these two pieces of iron were actually top-grade military alloy cut from the barrel of the heavy rune cannon called "The Ripper" from the Cold Mountain Kingdom!
However, Su Ming produced iron filings, and her eyes twitched slightly.
A soft "popping" sound came from inside the container, and dense small bubbles began to roll up continuously from the depths of the acid. Several alchemy students quickly stepped forward, put a sealing cap on the container, and then firmly connected the gas delivery tube.
"Making hydrogen?" Silver Mask observed the device and immediately understood Su Ming's thinking. "That's a clever idea—but what about balloons?"
A familiar faint light emanated from Su Ming's hand once more. After the light subsided, a neatly folded, thin composite film balloon appeared in his hand.
Once he estimated that most of the impurities had been expelled from the tank, he handed the balloon to the trainees. They attached the gas delivery tube to the balloon's inlet and began injecting the generated hydrogen into it.
"This balloon has a volume of about 1,000 cubic meters and is expected to provide about one ton of net lift," Su Ming said. "Although it's less than the total weight of the cargo, we can simply tow the rest up the hillside."
Thanks to the use of ultra-high strength composite materials and its single-use design, the weight of the balloon skin is controlled to around two kilograms.
Su Ming raised his hand to wipe away the fine beads of sweat that had seeped from his forehead—this scale of molecular recombination was still a great burden for him.
However, compared to the initial cautious use of "grams" as a unit, the ability to use kilograms as a unit today is a tremendous improvement that cannot be compared to the past.
"I'm afraid you'll need to prepare some extra weight bags," Silver Mask reminded her. "The wind will blow the balloons up the slope of the hillside."
"Understood."
The process of preparing 1,000 cubic meters of hydrogen was extremely time-consuming. The alchemists had to add iron filings several times and replace the acid solution several times as it was depleted by the reaction before they could finally fill the huge composite balloon to its fullest extent and make it sway in the cold wind.
While waiting for the inflation to complete, Su Ming teleported again. This time, the items that appeared in his hands were very small: an inconspicuous little soft bag and two small medicine bottles.
He handed the item to Silver Mask.
"The small bag contains medical-grade contact lenses, specially designed to protect eyes that are particularly sensitive to irritation," Su Ming explained the usage instructions. "Then there are these two bottles of eye drops. Use the eye drops first, and only wear the contact lenses after the eye symptoms have mostly subsided."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Su!" Silver Mask accepted the gift with both hands.
"Let's try it out first," Su Ming said. "If it works, I'll give you the second phase of the medication in a few days."
****
Finally, a huge white balloon, over ten meters tall, floated steadily above the camp, like a strange cloud. The trainees quickly completed the final securing work, firmly attaching the unmanned outpost to the balloon's support point.
"Lord Su, we are ready!" they reported to Su Ming.
Su Ming nodded, then turned his gaze to Yise, "Thank you for leading the way, Miss Yise."
"No need to be so polite, just call me Yise," Yise replied.
Besides the two of them, they were accompanied by three burly bear-men. These creatures, naturally adapted to the cold and high mountains, found climbing snow-capped mountains easy and natural.
If these bear-men were a little more clever, they probably wouldn't even need to hire a mountain guide.
Su Ming adjusted the counterweight at the bottom of the balloon, putting it in a state of "floating on the ground".
Each of the bear-men pulled a leash, which was then tied to their strong backs. At a command, the bear-men set off, dragging white balloons, onto the winding mountain path leading to Silent Peak.
Today the weather was clear, and the sun shone brightly on the snow, reflecting a dazzling golden light. This was also the day with the least wind since we arrived at the foot of the Dome Mountains; it was as if the howling wind had temporarily calmed down.
Thanks to the favorable weather and the bear-man's abundant stamina, the journey progressed smoothly. In less than an hour, Su Ming and Yise had already climbed about a third of the way. At this point, the mountain winds gradually revealed their power and began to intensify significantly.
The enormous balloon became restless and began to be pushed upwards by the wind along the steep hillside. The bear-men, like those flying kites, began to pull back forcefully, dragging the balloon to prevent it from drifting away.
Su Ming took out several empty bags, filled them with snow, and hung them below the balloon. After adjusting them for a while, the balloon stabilized again.
"This should work." Yise exhaled puffs of white steam, his tone much more relaxed. "The balloons are actually using the wind more efficiently now. At this rate, today can really be a picnic."
Indeed, the bears haven't even broken a sweat by now.
****
Compared to the ease with which Yise and the bear-men handled the situation, Su Ming felt somewhat tired.
After walking a long way along the mountain path, he raised his hand to check his watch: altitude 4,000 meters, total walking distance 21 kilometers.
The gentle slopes were long gone, and the terrain ahead was much steeper. In many places, there were no established paths at all, so we had to use our hands and feet to find footholds among the exposed rocks and snow.
[Miao Xin, what is the oxygen content in the air at an altitude of 4000 meters?] Su Ming asked.
[It's only about 60% of sea level.] Miao Xin quickly replied, [But you don't need to worry. After all, you've already acclimatized at the 3000-meter camp for a long time, and the expert team's assessment is that this level of ascent won't pose a significant problem for your body.]
[Why do I feel so tired...] Su Ming muttered to himself, panting heavily.
"[... Perhaps," Miao Xin's voice held a hint of mischief, "[It's simply because you're usually too much of a homebody?]"
"If you feel tired, take a rest," Yise immediately noticed Su Ming's strain. "We have plenty of time; there's no need to push yourself."
"Okay." Su Ming nodded.
Yise quickly found a sheltered rocky hollow nearby. The two sat down side by side to rest. She took a round bread from the inside pocket of her clothes, neatly tore it in half, and handed one half to Su Ming.
"Thank you." Su Ming took the bread. He unscrewed the thermos he carried with him and ate it with warm, sweet milk.
On the other side, the three bear-men also stopped, took out their food and water, and began to replenish their energy.
"It seems like you... haven't done much systematic physical training before?" Yise asked, biting into his bread.
Magic Power has a subtle but profound effect on physical constitution. Compared to his time on Earth, Su Ming's physical constitution has significantly improved.
However, he only had basic strength training, which would make it easier for him to handle weapons. In addition, posture control, such as Flight Spell, requires the support of core strength to maintain balance.
As for systematic, endurance-focused physical training? He really hasn't had the time to do it.
"Even in battles between mages, physical strength is fundamental," Yise said earnestly. "The 'Warden' class I chose combines magical energy with Dou Qi prowess. That's why I can truly appreciate its benefits."
"Sigh, if only I could find the time." Su Ming sighed helplessly. He could almost foresee that after the Sacred Mountain Battle, a new round of hectic work would inevitably follow.
"That's true," Yise said apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mr. Su, my suggestion was a bit presumptuous. I forgot about the complex and heavy responsibilities you bear." She paused, her expression becoming somewhat serious. "And... I was too willful in challenging you at the camp last time."
"Those things," Su Ming waved his hand, indicating understanding, "If I were in that situation, I would also harbor resentment."
"But no matter what, it's wrong to take my anger out on you." Yise said, a slight blush creeping onto her face, her voice lowering. "Unfortunately... I can't beat my mother yet."
Su Ming pondered for a moment, "Speaking of your mother, there might be a detail we can use. The ' Green Bamboo Slip ' she has has thirty-two pages, each engraved with different types of enhancement runes. So, if you can accurately determine which page she's currently flipping to, you can predict the type of spell she'll cast next."
"Oh?" Yise immediately became interested, but then became somewhat puzzled. "But how could she possibly know exactly which page she turned to, from so far away and in the middle of a battle?"
"Make a replica that's exactly the same in appearance and paper thickness," Su Ming said. "Then practice until you can calculate the page numbers instantly."
"This method works!" Yise's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.
"Furthermore," Su Ming continued, "if it's just a 'sparring' between you and your mother, given her personality, she definitely won't use those lethal combat spells. She'll most likely prepare some relatively gentle skill combinations that target your weaknesses. In this regard," Su Ming smiled, "You can consult Zijin; she probably knows your mother's fighting habits and tricks better than anyone else."
Yise clapped his hands excitedly, "Great idea! I'll go find Zijin right away!"
"You can even bring a few more people along." Su Ming's lips curled up, getting more and more excited as he spoke, "Like Jielusi, Ge'enda'er. Anyway, with Katharine's fighting power, it's only natural that she'd be ganged up on by you juniors, right?"
Yise laughed out loud, "Thanks for scheming against her like that!"
****
After a period of rest, Su Ming's condition had clearly improved considerably. The group set off again.
"Do you still like that weapon?" Su Ming asked.
"Weapons?" Yise was taken aback by Su Ming's question. "What weapons?"
"Huh? Didn't Jielusi give it to you?" Su Ming was also a little surprised. "It's a brass knuckle duster that you wear on your hands."
Yise's face immediately showed a look of sudden realization, then he abruptly covered his face.
The girl's muffled voice came through her fingers. "Uh... Jielusi handed me a shiny metal object... I thought it was a nutcracker! I was wondering, I have the nutcracker, but where are the nuts? Did she steal them?"
Su Ming was taken aback at first, then couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the valley.
****
The two, along with three bear-men, pressed on and finally succeeded in reaching the summit of Silent Peak.
Instead of choosing the most conspicuous and easily exposed main peak, they deployed unmanned outpost equipment in a slightly lower and relatively concealed flank location.
The white alloy antenna and main unit were set up amidst the snow, blending seamlessly into the surrounding environment from a distance and becoming virtually undetectable.
Yise swung his sword across the enormous balloon, and hydrogen gas escaped rapidly through the burst with a slight hiss. Soon, the balloon deflated and collapsed, having completed its brief mission.
"Bite--"
With a crisp electronic beep, the unmanned outpost started up smoothly. Su Ming picked up the tablet, and the cursor of the self-test program flashed and scrolled rapidly on the control screen. A few seconds later, the green "Self-test complete" indicator lit up, followed by "Signal matching complete" and "Communication link established successfully" prompts popping up one after another.
Su Ming picked up his walkie-talkie and pressed the call button, "Headquarters, can you hear me?"
Soon, Younier's clear voice came through the speaker. "Received, Lord Su Ming."
"Please reserve afternoon tea for us," Su Ming added.
"Receive."
Su Ming put away the walkie-talkie and strode towards the actual summit.
Beneath our feet lies snow, smooth and firm like silk, polished by wind and snow. Gazing into the distance, the undulating snow-capped mountain ridges resemble the cold back of an ancient dragon, tracing sharp and majestic arcs.
Halfway up the main peak, the two building complexes, Divine Might Prison and Sea of Divine Grace, stand like two brown spots against a white background, resembling two huge stains.
"Soon, we'll wipe them out!" Yise said, "And restore peace to these mountains."
"Of course!" Su Ming replied.
He looked up and saw a sky that was an intense, unyielding cobalt blue he had never seen before. It was so pure that there wasn't a single cloud or impurity, as if he could reach out and touch the very origin of the sky, so profound that it made his heart tremble.
He quickly looked away, the warning from Zijin still ringing in his ears.
"What's wrong?" Yise asked.
Su Ming tried to calm his breathing, not daring to look up, "It's nothing."
"Then, shall we hurry down?" Yise asked.
"Um."
****
On the way back, Su Ming's electronic wristwatch suddenly emitted a rapid "beep beep" alarm. He looked down and checked: the cumulative mileage was 36 kilometers, but the altitude counter showed 4,300 meters, and the number was still jumping upwards.
He was clearly going downhill, so why was the altitude increasing instead of decreasing?
Su Ming stopped in confusion, looked up at the mountain he had descended from, and estimated that he should be at an altitude of over 4,100 meters. The data on his wristwatch was clearly abnormal.
The mountaineering experts on Earth quickly provided the answer: since there is no satellite positioning system in this other world, the altitude data on the Su Ming watch is actually calculated based on air pressure values.
The upward jump in the altitude displayed on the watch means that the atmospheric pressure is dropping rapidly. It also indicates that a strong wind is on its way.
"A strong wind is coming," Su Ming immediately warned Yise.
Although the sky was clear, Yise had no doubts. With her rich experience, she quickly found a sheltered spot nearby with deep snow, suitable for digging a shelter, and directed the three bear-men to start digging a snow cave to hide in.
The bears wielded snow shovels and dug with all their might.
Suddenly, one of the bear-men's shovels struck empty air as it dug into the snow—they had unexpectedly unearthed the entrance to an old cave that had existed for a long time, hidden beneath the thick snow!
Yise conjured a soft yet bright ball of magical light in his palm and bent down to enter it.
The magical light instantly dispelled the darkness within the cave, illuminating the icy snow with a dreamlike play of light and shadow, as if one had fallen into the kingdom of ice fairies.
But in stark contrast to this beauty lay three female corpses, completely frozen and covered in thick frost, lying silently on the ground. Scattered around the bodies were fragments of tattered clothing.
Su Ming immediately activated his necromancer's perception ability, carefully examining his surroundings, but failed to detect any residual soul aura or fluctuations.
"They were just ordinary girls..." Yise crouched down, carefully examining the bodies and the surrounding traces. "They died approximately six months ago."
The girls' exposed skin was covered with deep red and purple wounds, and the extremities were necrotic and black. Clearly, they had suffered abuse and humiliation in this cold cave and ultimately died of the cold.
The cave floor was littered with messy traces—scattered packages, torn strips of cloth, struggling footprints...
Yise searched through the clutter and soon found a torn-off badge of Sea of Divine Grace student. Several tattered packages contained dried corncobs and sweet potato roots that had long since frozen solid.
By combining the clues left at the scene, Yise gradually pieced together the general course of events.
"These three girls must have escaped from the Sea of Divine Grace about six months ago, during the summer," Yise said, his voice laced with anger. "They endured daily torment, secretly saving up their meager rations. Then, they seized an opportunity to escape the academy, attempting to cross this mountain range and return to their Northern Lands homeland..."
But how could three unarmed, ordinary girls possibly be a match for superhumans? They were caught and captured without any doubt. Here, they suffered cruel torture and finally froze to death in despair and bitter cold.
A mournful howl of wind came from outside the cave, like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves, announcing the arrival of a storm.
Yise gathered the clothes from the ground and gently dressed the girls in them. After finishing, she drew the short sword from her waist and prepared to dig a few simple graves inside the cave.
"No need to dig anymore." Su Ming's voice was calm and cold. He slowly raised his hand, and a deep, dark light emanated from his palm.
As the Magic Power swept across, the ice crystals on the three frozen corpses trembled slightly. Then, three pairs of lifeless, frost-covered eyes slowly and stiffly opened. These corpses, damaged by extreme cold, were not suitable for making zombies; their bodies were fragile, their movements sluggish, and their resistance to blows extremely poor.
"I will find a more suitable place for them to rest in peace," Su Ming said.
****
A few days later, the Battle of Sea of Divine Grace entered its final stage.
Su Ming issued the order to clear the area. Anyone who tried to break through or escape this sinful place was ruthlessly killed by the surrounding forces without a shred of mercy.
The last group of survivors retreated in terror to the student dormitory area, where they huddled together and put up a last-ditch resistance. Several necromancers dressed in black robes stepped forward expressionlessly and unleashed their necromancy.
One of the necromancers took a deep breath, "Hmm... the basement of this dormitory... the stench of corpses is unbearable!"
Several necromancers joined forces to cast a spell. Powerful negative energy instantly penetrated the floor and soil, reaching the dark underground space.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud... Countless wounded, twisted fingers and mutilated flesh hands suddenly burst forth from beneath the dormitory floor, walls, and even deep within the courtyard ground!
Then came more arms, heads, torsos... The dead, who had died alone in despair and pain and were secretly buried, were now forcibly awakened, their bodies covered in dirt and the smell of decay, standing up expressionlessly and stiffly.
Their empty eye sockets all turned towards the people moving around in the dormitory, and a silent hatred permeated the air.
At the same time, countless beams of negative energy spells, representing curses and decay, began to layer upon layer, covering and permeating the dormitory area:
A somber aura of "weakness and powerlessness" spread out, making one's muscles and bones feel weak; the black aura of the "curse of aging" wrapped around the living person's body, accelerating the loss of physical strength; scarlet runes symbolizing the "brand of fear" flickered in the air, imprinting the deepest fear on the soul; "whispers of despair" burrowed into the eardrums like cold venomous snakes, dismantling the last defenses of the heart.
On the edge of this tide of death, three particularly slow and stiff figures slowly appeared, staggering into the dormitory—the three female zombies awakened by Su Ming.
As instructed by Su Ming, the members of the Final Bone Mad Machines quickly sealed off all the doors, windows, and exits of the dormitory, completely cutting off the last hope of escape for the people inside.
Yise sheathed her weapon, crossed her arms, and calmly gazed at the scroll before her.
This ruthless purge suited her perfectly.
The evil is never in magic itself, but in those who use its power for evil. And in those scum who must be eliminated by this power!
At this moment, for the first time, the girl felt a complex curiosity about this visitor from another world who had fallen from the sky.