According to FrostNova and the Yeti Squadron's initial thoughts, and judging by the solemn scene when they bid farewell to the main force.
In their view.
Even with Lucas Reeve around, this might be a one-way mission. Infiltrating the enemy's camp as Infected, taking root, and growing—the moment they were discovered, they wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
However...
The reality turned into....
A huge villa and a table full of delicacies.
Sitting at the spacious dining table in the villa, FrostNova and the Yeti Squadron members were in a state of complete bewilderment.
Some of the Yetis couldn't even believe if the scene before them was real or fake. They even asked the person next to them to pinch their arm. Only the sharp pain jolted them awake, realizing.... it was real!!
It wasn't a dream!!
This...
This was simply...
Too absurd.
It was their first time seeing such a large dining table, and their first time seeing food that smelled so delicious. Even just sitting here, the aromas constantly wafting from the various dishes on the table seemed to have a soul of their own, endlessly tempting the Yetis' taste buds. But they just sat there, eyes wide, saliva constantly pooling in their mouths, throats gulping, yet no one picked up their chopsticks.
"Why so formal? Make yourselves at home. We'll be living here for a long time anyway."
Since Lucas Reeve was a soul, he naturally didn't need to eat, he said slowly.
Even after receiving Lucas Reeve's permission, no one was the first to start. Or rather, faced with so many dishes they had never seen before, they didn't know where to begin. It wasn't until FrostNova slowly took a small bite that the Yeti Squadron members finally broke into smiles and immediately started digging in.
"Mmm-mmm~ This is so delicious!"
"Hey, eat slower!! Leave a piece for me!!"
"The last piece is for Big Sis!!"
"Isn't it for Mr. Reeve?"
"But... does Mr. Reeve need to eat?"
With FrostNova leading the way.
The Yeti Squadron ate very happily. Although FrostNova and Alina forced themselves to eat a little more elegantly, they still couldn't quite control the speed of their chewing. Lucas Reeve, floating nearby, was also very gratified.
He had been living with these children for two months now.
Lucas Reeve saw their past hardships. One could even say that the people in Lungmen's slums probably ate better than them. If it weren't for Lucas Reeve using his abilities to provide other food, whether they had anything to eat at all would have been a major problem.
And a long time ago.
Lucas Reeve had an idea.
It was impossible to stay cooped up on the ice fields forever. Finding a way to break out of the ice fields and return to a relatively warmer region was the most urgent matter now. Moreover, Alina's Oripathy didn't allow Lucas Reeve to delay for too long. He had to find a way to accumulate 1.7 million Prayer Power within five years if possible. Although he had successfully helped alleviate Alina's condition a little, his palliative ability was only a temporary solution. With each use, the effect would be greatly diminished compared to the last, until it was completely ineffective.
And Alina had already been an Infected for several years, with acute Oripathy flaring up three times. Even Lucas Reeve didn't know how many more flare-ups Alina could endure with his help.
It wasn't just Alina.
It was FrostNova too.
FrostNova's Oripathy was already very severe.
The constant cold air emanating from her body was proof that her Oripathy had entered a serious stage. The same went for Patriot, Talulah, and all their other Infected comrades.
In fact, half a month ago.
One of their Infected comrades, despite his intervention and relief, did not survive the most recent Oripathy outbreak and died on the ice fields. This was also why Lucas Reeve was a bit anxious to obtain that ability.
The meal was over quickly.
Not because there was little food, but because it was the Yeti Squadron's first time eating such a meal, and they devoured it wolfishly. They even licked the plates clean. Afterwards, rooms were assigned. Since the villa was huge and there were only eight of them besides Lucas Reeve, there was more than enough space. There was no need to worry about not having enough rooms; basically, everyone got their own.
Having left the Reunion Movement at midnight yesterday and traveled a long way, only now, around noon, had they finally settled down. The physical exertion of over 24 hours was a bit much even for the well-trained Yeti Squadron. FrostNova was fine, but Alina was exhausted.
The surprise of prosperous Chernobog and the mansion and delicacies provided by Lucas Reeve had made many of them almost forget their physical fatigue. After eating and being assigned their rooms, the exhaustion that had been suppressed for over 30 hours suddenly burst forth like a flood, overwhelming the Yetis' last line of mental defense. A heavy drowsiness made them fall asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
Alina really wanted to chat with Lucas Reeve.
But her constitution was far weaker than the Yeti Squadron's. The long trek had already left her utterly exhausted. She had only meant to take a short nap on the bed, but the next second she was deep in dreamland.
"Aren't you going to rest? FrostNova."
Lucas Reeve floated out of Alina's necklace. His range of movement was centered around the necklace, and this range could expand as his Spiritual Power grew.
Lucas Reeve was stunned for a moment when he saw FrostNova downstairs in the dining room, clearing the dishes.
"Not sleepy."
FrostNova said rather plainly.
Her voice was very pleasant, but because FrostNova's body temperature was slightly cold, even when speaking in a normal tone, her words sounded a tad icy.
This was the first time Lucas Reeve and FrostNova had spoken in private.
Back with the Reunion Movement, Lucas Reeve rarely spoke with FrostNova, and they had little interaction. It was only during this mission together that they had started talking more.
"My constitution is much stronger than an ordinary person's. I don't need to sleep for long to get my body back to its optimal state."
After she said this.
The two seemed to fall into a strange, awkward silence again, completely unsure of what to say. Lucas Reeve had originally wanted to leave, perhaps return to the necklace and sleep, but after a thought, he couldn't just let FrostNova clear the plates alone. So, he simply materialized his hands and began clearing the leftover plates with her.
The dining room fell into this strange silence.
And Lucas Reeve always felt that FrostNova seemed to want to say something, but she looked hesitant. Although he wanted to ask, he didn't know how.
Finally.
The table of dishes was almost cleared.
Lucas Reeve was also preparing to return to the necklace for some sleep; there were other things to do tomorrow. Just then, FrostNova suddenly spoke up.
"Thank you..."
Lucas Reeve was a bit surprised.
He even suspected he had misheard. When he turned his head, a faint blush flashed across FrostNova's incredibly fair cheeks. Although it was only for an instant, quickly covered by the re-forming 'frost', it was still caught by Lucas Reeve.
"Thank you for letting these children have a full meal."
Lucas Reeve suddenly couldn't help but laugh. He floated in front of FrostNova, reached out, and patted her soft white hair gently, saying softly.
"I thought it was something serious..."
"Besides... you make it sound like you're an elder. Compared to the Yeti Squadron members, you don't seem that much older, do you? Aren't you just a kid in your early twenties too?"
Lucas Reeve didn't know his own age.
Although his age in his past life was similar to FrostNova's, who knew how many years he had been trapped in that statue—perhaps decades, perhaps centuries. In theory, Lucas Reeve's age was indeed much greater than FrostNova's.
When Lucas Reeve's broad palm lightly touched FrostNova's head, the pair of snow-white rabbit ears on her head trembled sensitively. FrostNova then reflexively wanted to dodge, but she forcefully suppressed her body's instinct.
This was the first time FrostNova had her head patted by a stranger...
Or rather.
Other than Patriot and her former parents and grandparents, no one else had ever touched FrostNova's head. And Lucas Reeve was the first person to do so.
FrostNova's heart was pounding. In reality, her heart was far more passionate than her appearance suggested. Her body, as cold as a refrigerator, made people subconsciously think her personality was as icy as her body. In fact... that wasn't the case at all.
Even though she was orphaned as a child because of Ursus, after being adopted by Patriot, he genuinely treated FrostNova as his own daughter. Although their living conditions were incredibly harsh, being with Patriot allowed FrostNova to experience fatherly love and kinship once again. This prevented her from becoming twisted and allowed her to grow up healthy. It was only later, after becoming the leader of the Yeti Squadron, the 'princess' of the Yetis, that FrostNova began to try to hide her true nature, presenting a cold and serious demeanor to others.
Over time, FrostNova even began to forget her original personality.
She deeply admired her father.
In FrostNova's heart, Patriot had always been the greatest person—a great soldier, a great father, and a great leader. And in that battle against the Emperor's Blade, when Lucas Reeve descended like a god, fist-bumping Patriot and joining forces, transforming into an immortal figure and repelling multiple Emperor's Blades at once, Lucas Reeve's noble figure was also somewhat imprinted on FrostNova's heart at that moment.
Handsome, powerful, perfect....
*Gulp~
FrostNova's pretty face turned red again in an instant. Even the cold aura that usually radiated from her body completely subsided at this moment, turning into puffs of hot air that steamed out ceaselessly.
"Um!! Um!! I think I might be tired, I'm going back to my room to sleep..."
FrostNova broke free from Lucas Reeve's head-patting attack and immediately returned to her room with a red face.
Seeing FrostNova leave.
Lucas Reeve also scratched his head and returned to the necklace to rest and continue thinking about his next plan.
That night.
After dark, the Yeti Squadron members, who had slept for a whole afternoon, gradually emerged from their rooms. It was the first time they had slept so comfortably. Usually, the Yetis had to endure not only the severe cold but also sleeping on hard wooden boards with only a thin blanket for warmth at night.
Sleeping on such comfortable blankets and mattresses for the first time, the Yetis had never slept so well. The fatigue from over thirty continuous hours of travel dissipated in a single sleep.
Sigh...
This wasn't like coming to hell to carry out a mission with an extremely high mortality rate; this was clearly coming to enjoy life...
Tsk tsk...
Since they ate a lot at noon, no one ate much in the evening. FrostNova, however, was acting a little strange. She seemed a bit embarrassed to look at Lucas Reeve. This small gesture was naturally caught by the observant Alina. She didn't know what had happened while she was asleep, but she knew she had definitely missed something major. After all, FrostNova was perfectly normal during the meal; how did she become like this after just a nap?
However.
As the team's second-in-command.
FrostNova coughed, trying to make herself look less awkward, and then said.
"Mr. Reeve, what should we do next?"
Now that they had eaten and slept enough, they naturally couldn't forget their mission in Chernobog.
Lucas Reeve thought for a moment and slowly laid out his plan.
They would find an Infected clinic in Chernobog called Azazel, and then gain its trust and establish contact. An Infected clinic that had been entrenched in Chernobog for so many years without being wiped out by the officials must possess considerable power of its own.
And the intelligence this 'local powerhouse' had gathered over the years was exactly what the Reunion Movement, new to Chernobog and completely in the dark, needed most. Also, they not only needed to gather intelligence but also be wary of the 'Undying Black Serpent'.
Lucas Reeve knew that the 'Undying Black Serpent' might be similar to himself, with countless avatars occupying various sectors of the country.
No one could guarantee that Chernobog didn't have one.
Anyway.
They had to be cautious.
In short, he hoped Chernobog didn't have an avatar of the 'Undying Black Serpent'.
Lucas Reeve didn't believe the Black Serpent's revenge would end just because he had killed two Emperor's Blades and driven off the others. In fact, Lucas Reeve could guess... perhaps the Black Serpent's revenge was only just beginning.
He was perhaps just lying low during this time, waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow to Lucas Reeve.
It wasn't just the Black Serpent.
When he and Patriot killed the Emperor's Blade, Ursus's most powerful soldiers, he also knew that the conflict between the Reunion Movement and Ursus, or rather, between the Infected and Ursus, would completely erupt at this moment.
Therefore, Lucas Reeve had to be extremely careful.
——————
Chernobog Mayor's Office.
As the current mayor of Chernobog, Marquis Boris sat securely at his desk, listening to reports from his subordinates.
"The Reunion Movement is still staying put on the ice fields, and another one froze to death?"
A faint smile touched the corners of Marquis Boris's lips. A crimson glint flashed in his eyes, the same crimson Lucas Reeve had seen in the Black Serpent before.
"Talulah, it's useless. So what if you have the support of that soul? Humanity is greedy and ungrateful. In a little while, you will understand. Your body will belong only to me. I will use your body to lead Ursus to glory..."
Suddenly, the last report from his subordinate made Marquis Boris raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Mayor, it seems a few people secretly left the Reunion Movement yesterday morning."