No. 4 first tried to roll away, only to discover it was frozen in place too.
It tried to kick the elemental lord away with its huge short legs, but the moment it extended, the leg froze solid before making contact.
The extreme cold couldn’t kill the tenacious behemoth Puchi, but it trapped it completely.
No. 4 made a snap decision. While its tentacles could still move, it reached inside its belly, scooped out Inanna, and flung her far away with all its might.
Inanna, kept inside the whole time, had no idea what was happening outside—only that it was getting colder.
Suddenly thrown out, she rolled a few times on the ground before steadying herself. Looking up, she met the pale-blue figure that had drifted right in front of her.
The Frost Elemental Lord extended slender fingers made of ice crystal and gently cradled Inanna’s cheeks.
The instant they touched, frost rapidly spread across Inanna’s body.
Only now did Inanna truly see the other’s appearance—a faceless ice lady with mirror-smooth features, starlight twinkling in her chest, elegant yet inhumanly ethereal, radiating cold death.
Freezing white mist swirled up, completely engulfing Inanna.
…
Pink Puchi!
Though he had warned there would be danger, seeing Pink Puchi turned into an ice sculpture while helping him still made Lin Jun feel a tiny bit guilty.
Good thing he had prepared—the monument from the lake bottom had been fished up long ago…
No!
Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
Lin Jun, Lin Jun, how could you wallow in sorrow? The priority was figuring out how to transport Pink Puchi’s ice sculpture back to the fungal mat…
Hm?
Pink Puchi, why is your panel still active?
A brand-new line appeared in the status bar:
[Frost Blessing]
The enveloping frost mist gradually dispersed.
Inanna now wore a gown made of condensed ice crystals, identical in style to the elemental lord’s dress—light and flowing, not heavy at all.
Inanna’s [Cold Resistance] hadn’t increased, but all the cold was absorbed by the gown, like an extra insulating layer.
The elemental lord slowly circled Inanna, crystalline fingers occasionally brushing her cheeks with gentle tenderness.
The Snow Attendant and Frost Knight, having finally broken free, hurried over.
But they could only stop ten meters away, watching enviously as the elemental lord monopolized Inanna.
No. 4 shattered the ice on its body, regenerating as it clumsily stood. Looking at the harmonious scene, it tilted its massive mushroom cap:
“Uh… do we still fight?”
…
The intruding blood-clan had all been dealt with. Lin Jun left Inanna to the Frost Spirits, gathering them in one corner of the ruin.
Aside from a few unlucky spirits that missed the party, the ruin was now threat-free.
Next was rescue work.
Large sections of corridors and rooms in the spiral building had collapsed, burying many fortress soldiers under rubble and ice.
Fortunately, with mycelial symbiosis, everyone’s vitality had more than doubled. Unless instantly killed, these injuries were rarely fatal.
Plus mycelial network sensing, no one would be missed.
After two days of rescue, all surviving soldiers were saved.
Still, over seventy soldiers honorably returned to the fungal mat—the highest casualties since the fortress’s founding.
While Lin Jun tearfully decomposed them, a small incident occurred.
Most souls, after decomposition, slipped away like greased eels—Lin Jun couldn’t hold them.
But this time, one exception: after being slurped clean, it didn’t immediately merge with the world. It stuck to Lin Jun’s soul surface for two seconds before finally vanishing.
Though brief, Lin Jun had no time to act, but the anomaly caught his attention.
What was special about this one?
Lin Jun checked the deceased half-demon.
Originally a slave from a medium tribe. When the cold hit, the tribe surrendered to the fortress; he followed.
The fortress had no need for slavery, so he gained freedom, then voluntarily joined the army and was trained by Little Pig for months.
In short, an ordinary soldier with no relatives—his pension had nowhere to go.
But… nothing special.
Countless similar cases existed in the fortress. He had no special skills. It couldn’t be some hidden half-demon bloodline, right?
With no more clues, the matter was shelved—for now, the ruin wasn’t done.
…
The primary issue was naturally this elemental lord.
As the source of the north’s continuous cooling, killing it would solve everything permanently. But in its current state—obsessed with Pink Puchi—it was practically half an ally, a usable force.
Sneak-killing it wasn’t impossible, but it felt wasteful.
Yet leaving it unchecked, the cold wave could spiral out of control and cause greater disaster.
Moreover, these soulless beings only behaved around Inanna. The moment she left, they’d attack again. She couldn’t stay here as a permanent anchor, right?
The yellow-skinned book proactively offered advice:
[Boss, seal it!]
“You have a magic array that can seal an elemental lord of this level?”
[I don’t have a ready one]
“Then you’re messing with me?”
[No no! I don’t have one, but I know where to get one!]
[Boss, don’t we still have a passage to the dwarves’ Molten Fire Dungeon?]
[The dwarves sealed an elemental lord for centuries!]
[Let me study the damaged seal structure—I should be able to copy something similar!]
“Magic array master?”
The two pages rubbed together sheepishly:
[Heh heh, just picked up the basics from my previous owner]
Lin Jun didn’t agree immediately, but it was a viable path.
Besides relying on the yellow-skinned book, he could try using Inanna’s status in the human kingdom to directly request sealing technology from the dwarves.
Low chance, but worth a shot.
After adding the elemental lord issue to the plan, one last matter remained in the ruin—the treasure!
War golems were one part. People had already been sent with the two dwarves to thoroughly search the forge again. Without Frost Spirit threats, they could collect carefully.
Whether intact golems worth studying or valuable scrolls, all would be transported out.
The dwarf named Torin was so busy he seemed willing to pay to work.
The other was the treasure scroll the vampire marquis brought!
Cassinar’s mouth was tough. Lin Jun and the yellow-skinned book patiently “guided” him in a secret room for three full days before he finally opened up and explained everything.
Following his directions, subordinates dug out a still-intact room from the ruins.
It had originally been in the upper core area. The collapse dropped it here, yet it miraculously stayed whole—proof of its special nature.
The door was engraved with complex mana runes forming an intricate combination lock. A Puchi pressed its tentacle to the surface, lighting nodes in the exact sequence from the parchment scroll.
The final rune lit up. The door slowly slid inward, revealing the pile of items inside.
(End of Chapter)
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