Book 4 Chapter 17.1 - Country
When the sky brightened again, Su and Madeline walked out from a cavern. Beneath their feet was thick snow that flickered with a strange blue radiance, and the clouds full of radiation in the sky seemed to be touching their heads. Occasionally, mountain winds would whistle past, blowing large amounts of mists past these two individuals' bodies. Even though Su's body was already immune to radiation, when these clouds of radiation directly passed his body, he still felt a slight stinging numbness.
They had been walking through snow these past few days, trekking arduously and slowly through what seemed to be a never-ending mountain range. On top of this permanently snow covered mountain ridge, one didn't have to worry about any mutated creatures. Just the cold, radiation, and desolate environment alone were already the greatest enemy.
Right when they were going to check the terrain for their location, Su suddenly felt a coldness pass by his body, as if above the clouds full of radiation, an invisible pair of eyes were coldly watching him.
Su's light blonde hair suddenly stood up, and then it calmed down. Madeline seemed to have sensed something, raising her head to look towards the clouds full of radiation before her eyes.
"It has already seen us." Su calmly said.
"The one inside Frozen Throne?"
"Perhaps. However, it is of no matter. We were going to meet it eventually anyway."
Su and the girl walked together, one in front one in back, making their way through this snow covered mountain top with difficulty.
The surroundings were covered with thick clouds of radiation, dark, thick, and damp, just like thin ice water as they covered the two from head to toe. Their bodies had long been covered in frost. Even though they would shake their bodies every so often to get rid of the frost, soon after, a new layer would appear.
The clouds were dark gray, yet they released bits of glistening green radiance. Meanwhile, the frost on their bodies as well as the snow beneath their feet were a faint blue. Under the temperature and cold winds' corrosion, the layer of snow was still hard, certain areas covered in a layer of ice. However, no one knew just how thick the snow beneath the ice was. Some areas were thin to the the extent where rocks appeared, while in other places, Su's senses reached several dozen meters beneath the snow layer, yet he still wasn't able to detect where it met the rocky surface.
Su and Madeline were completely traveling within these clouds full of radiation, walking along a seemingly endless mountain peak. The grayish green colored clouds full of radiation and blue snow would constantly pour down a sea of radiation on their bodies. Even the most powerful mutated creatures would not be able to handle this kind of damage. They had resistance towards radiation, but that didn't mean that they took no damage from radiation. Extensive exposure to this extreme radiation would still bring harm to some of their more fragile organs. Only, their powerful recovery force could repair these injuries.
Even with their especially powerful bodies, moving about under this type of environment still felt extremely strenuous. Su silently assessed his own strength. Under this type of vile environment, he would run out of stamina after enduring for ten more days. Meanwhile, from the state of Madeline's body, it seemed like she could endure another seven days.
"Still not strong enough." Su thought.
If one heard what Su was thinking, then they would definitely be speechless. To tread through the snow covered peaks while surrounded by the clouds full of radiation, he could still continue for more than ten days?! What kind of monster was this?
Even though the snow covered peak was vast, in just three days, it would be completely crossed. Under this type of environment, they didn't have to worry about any harmful creatures, because no matter how mutated a creature was, they still wouldn't be able to survive in these clouds of radiation.
Only by maintaining a comparatively slow speed did Su and Madeline not need rest. After walking another ten hours, it would be nighttime. The surroundings would be completely covered in darkness, with not even Glimmer Sight able to display any effectiveness. The two would have to rely on his panoramic view to move through the darkness. However, the vile environment similarly restricted the panoramic view's range, its scope now only covering less than a hundred meters.
When Su and Madeline managed to climb onto an enormous rock, they suddenly discovered that they had already broken through the top layer of these radiation clouds!
The clouds full of radiation were thick and dense like a silent sea, boundless. The sea of clouds were clam, occasionally producing some ripples. Meanwhile, the snow covered peak below their feet that already extended above the clouds was no more than several dozen meters, like an island in the middle of an endless sea. Su and Madeline were the last two above this sea.
Above their heads was a dark sky and countless stars. A stellar stream streaked across the horizon.
Madeline raised her head, looking at the far away and boundless night sky, momentarily unable to speak a word. Su similarly gazed towards the endless star filled sky.
This was an undefiable feeling, boundless and desolate. Under the star filled sky, forget about people, even this island, this mountain, this sea, felt as insignificant as a speck of dust. In olden era's history, there were philosophers that said that space was a beauty. However, once space reached a certain point, it would change from beauty to an undefiable pressure. Right now, this entire universe seemed to be above them, the only fulcrum resting within the heart of those gazing into this night sky. This type of pressure was impossible to resist.
"This is… a starry sky?" Su took a deep breath before speaking these words.
Starry sky, this was a word that had been forgotten by the new era people for several dozen years. Perhaps there were those that did what Su and Madeline did, climbing mountains to reach a peak that ascended above the clouds. Only, these people likely numbered less than a hundred in this world.
"It is a starry sky. I've seen it before." Madeline said.
"How could you have seen a starry sky before?" Su said with great shock.
Madeline's brows locked together tightly, her face becoming a bit pale, clearly finding it hard to calm down. Her voice was trembling a bit as well. "The starry sky I saw was also like this, countless stars in endless darkness. There were also starry clouds of various colors. However… since I was young, I've remembered everything. What I am certain of is that I should have never seen stars before. But for some reason, I remember that a starry sky was just like this! Don't ask me, I don't know why this is the case!"
When he saw Madeline's body was trembling, Su sighed. He pulled the girl over and held her in his embrace. His body began to release heat, warming Madeline's cold and rigid body. This was an extravagant action that was extremely taxing on his stamina consumption, but it produced a warm refuge in this frozen world.