Breaking the Ice

Su Ming felt there was no need to make things difficult for these people and intended to release them all. However, there were ten ordinary sailboats that needed to be operated, and most of the necromancers were not skilled in sailing.

Su Ming adopted a compromise: he offered high salaries and semi-forced the "hiring" of one hundred of them, who were experienced senior sailors or department heads.

As for the remaining nine hundred-plus sailors, the plan is to erase their key memories of the battle before the fleet departs, and then release them all in a small coastal town in the Northern Lands.

Princess Dafulin was informed of the plan so that she could prepare for the aftermath.

The remaining four hundred or so prisoners were mostly regular soldiers from the Temple of Light fleet. This group posed a challenge for Su Ming: their numbers were too large, their daily food and water consumption was considerable, and managing them on the ship was also quite inconvenient.

But these people must not be released easily, otherwise it would be tantamount to aiding the enemy. However, executing them is also inappropriate; Su Ming felt there was no need to be too cruel.

Zijin proposed a solution: these prisoners of war could be taken to Northern Ice Island and handed over to the Feather Race for safekeeping. "You have such a good relationship with the Feather Race?" Su Ming asked, somewhat surprised.

"I have an excellent relationship with Chloe (the Ashy Drongo Scholar)," Zijin replied, then smiled slyly and pulled out the transfer contract for Eternal Night Port from her bosom. "As for our relationship with the King of the Feather Race, the Lord of Feather Command —with this, we're their saviors!"

The deal regarding Eternal Night Alley was originally planned to be handled after the trip to Dragon Valley. However, due to Chloe's invitation and the need to confirm the details regarding Yinfei and Lanmo, it is necessary to go to Northern Ice Island first.

So it's perfect, I can take care of this matter while I'm at it.

****

As the last cargo was loaded, the Pansy's massive body emitted a deep rumble, its huge propellers churning the seawater as it slowly sailed away from Shining Island, cutting through the waves towards the cold, Northern Ice Island.

At full speed, this modern behemoth demonstrated astonishing speed. By the next morning, the Pansy had already traveled about 1,000 kilometers, with only about 600 kilometers remaining to its destination, Northern Ice Island.

However, as the latitude increases, the sea ice along the way becomes denser and denser, until it finally merges into one in front, forming a boundless white ice field.

The three Feather Race messengers Stanton, Yuya, and another companion, had already donned thick winter clothing and packed their bags.

"For the rest of the journey, we'll find a suitable spot to climb onto the ice and then hike to Northern Ice Island," Stanton said.

He went to find Su Ming and the others, only to find them still dressed casually, leisurely enjoying the warmth of the cabin. He was puzzled. "You guys—don't you need to pack your things?"

"I forgot to mention," Su Ming said apologetically, "We're taking a direct boat this time."

"But it's all ice ahead!" Stanton pointed to the white world outside the porthole, his tone full of confusion.

Su Ming smiled slightly, "But we're an icebreaker!"

"Break the ice?!" Yuya's eyes widened upon hearing this. "It's possible to break some of the ice with magic, but there's still a distance of 150 teleports ahead!"

The units of measurement in this other world are complex, with different regions, countries, and races having their own traditional units of measurement. For example, in terms of length, the Star Empire uses the height of their founding king, "King Height," as a benchmark, while the Dragon Race often uses the average wingspan of an adult dragon, "Feather Width," as a measure.

In recent years, with the flourishing development of alchemy, the High Knowledge Society has introduced a universal unit system in order to unify standards. Among them, the unit of length "flash distance" is defined by the most powerful mage, Abidajier. The furthest killing distance of his spell attacks without the aid of any magical artifacts is one flash distance, which is approximately equivalent to about 4.2 kilometers.

Su Ming didn't waste words, signaling the three Feather Race messengers to remain calm and see for themselves.

"Pansy, begin transformation!" he commanded into the communicator.

The necromancers on board immediately sprang into action, casting spells that caused the ship's structure to adjust.

The aft deck platform, which had previously been deployed to house the Silver Dragon Guard, was now folded back up. The entire hull gradually transformed into a pear-shaped silhouette, with the bow modified to be angled at a large angle, resembling a sharp axe blade. The hull profile near the waterline also became more rounded to reduce friction with the ice surface.

Soon, Pansy completed its transformation into Pansy: Deep Blue Sword form and was ready!

The propulsion pods adjusted the pitch, propelling the ship toward the ice sheet. The initial ice was thin, and the Pansy easily cleaved it through.

The ship's radar and infrared monitoring systems were operating at full power, scanning the ice layer and constantly searching for relatively weak gaps or cracks. The giant ship thus left a dark blue trail in its wake, like scissors cutting through a white sheet.

However, as they ventured deeper into the ice zone, the ice layer thickened significantly. Following the operating instructions, Su Ming directed the ballast tanks to be filled with water to increase their weight. The already massive ship, weighing tens of thousands of tons, carried even greater inertia, transforming into a Giant Hammer poised to strike.

As the ballast tanks were filled with water, the bow lifted slightly. When a thick layer of ice appeared ahead, the unique A-shaped icebreaker bow rammed into it with tremendous force, using its angle of inclination to "ride" the ice.

In an instant, nearly a third of the ship's weight pressed down on the ice!

How could a mere half-meter-thick layer of ice withstand such weight? The ice surface immediately emitted a heart-stopping "crack" sound, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out instantly. Then, with a loud crash, the ice layer broke and collapsed. As the bow sank back into the sea, the broken ice chunks were pushed to both sides by the massive hull.

This "Deep Blue Sword" form was originally a tactical contingency plan prepared by Su Ming to deal with any unexpected events that might occur during the Battle of Giant Horn Island. Since the battle went smoothly, this form was not needed at the time.

****

The crew at the control station quickly became familiar with the relevant operating procedures for icebreaking.

Su Ming handed over command to them, then went down to the deck and stood by the ship's railing, gazing at the vast, silent, and desolate world of ice and snow before him.

Despite Su Ming's order against unnecessary decorations on the ship's hull, the energetic and artistically passionate students couldn't resist leaving intricate carvings in many places.

The railings around the deck are arranged in the shape of a winding moon vine. At the top of each pillar is a blooming moon orchid, which looks even more elegant against the backdrop of the snow and ice.