Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

We should have taken care of that old bastard sooner rather than later, once and for all.

While considering these issues, Mike completely overlooked the fact that Duke Duck also had the identity of a beast master, which made Dolly, whom Adele was holding in her arms, feel a little uneasy.

80. Are you happy?

Not everything that happens during ice field exploration is bad.

After several days of travel, Mike's convoy unexpectedly encountered a Colombian exploration team.

Because of the abandoned village incident, most of the team members believed that it must be a cognitive distortion caused by evil spirits, but this was not the case. The exploration team was real.

After Mike personally spoke with the leader of the exploration team, he couldn't help but marvel at the other team's good fortune.

They encountered no evil spirits, no migrating Sami tribes, and not even the Duck Lord appeared.

Are these people the chosen ones?

When the exploration team heard about Mike and the others' ordeal, they all expressed their sympathy. Although the demons had infiltrated the ice plains, the Sami Kingdom was so vast that encountering demons was no easy feat.

Upon learning that the exploration team's target was a bottomless cave more than ten kilometers away, Mike chose to wish them well.

For no other reason than that there are costs to be paid for exploring the Sami Islands, and Muirsey, a member of the team, told him that some of those costs were permissible.

He is a kind-hearted person and cannot bear to see people sacrificed.

After exchanging gifts, they parted ways.

"PhD……"

"It's nothing. Construction sites have quotas every year, and besides, it's such a dangerous job as exploration."

Mike comforted Xingji, saying that fortune tellers rarely leave their books and know very little about what is happening in society.

In fact, the situation described by the expedition team is the norm.

Ordinary people don't encounter evil spirits; if they do, it means their luck is extremely bad.

Mike couldn't tell whether he was having bad luck or incredibly lucky, as he had encountered this several times along the way.

Back at the caravan, the men recounted their experiences to their companions, which caught Typhon's attention.

The Sarkaz girl said thoughtfully, "In recent years, I've heard that many similar deep pits have appeared in mountainous areas. It's not that no one has explored them. The caves are bare, there's nothing inside. At most, those who go deep into them get a little fright."

"Has there never been a single accidental death?"

"It's not that there are none at all. The causes of casualties are relatively simple, mostly due to malfunctions in exploration equipment or accidental rope breakage leading to falls. There have never been any mass incidents caused by demonic contamination."

Chongyue asked, "Are these types of caves naturally formed?"

Typhon shook her head. She had asked Elchi, but the Cyclops hadn't given any answer. Those who had explored the cave said there were animal skeletons at the bottom, probably exposed by melting snow, where animals had accidentally fallen in.

These findings only indicate that the geological environment of Sami still requires a long period of exploration and discovery.

"Perhaps there are still many secrets about this land that we have not yet discovered."

Mike concluded with these words.

After bidding farewell to the exploration team, the convoy continued northward. There were still four or five hours before nightfall, and they couldn't afford to waste any time.

According to the markings on the map, it is still two to three days' journey to the target research station. As long as the weather permits, we will definitely arrive on time.

……

"Did you find out exactly where these people came from?"

"I asked them, and they said they set off from their base in the south and headed north towards the Sami Icefield. They didn't say what their specific destination was; the leader said they just wanted to take a look."

"What the hell? What could be in such a desolate place? He also said he was attacked by demons twice along the way. Aren't all those legends about demons just lies made up by those research teams?"

"Who knows? Judging from his appearance, he should be a rich young master on vacation, and he even has a female companion with him."

The two leaders of the exploration team exchanged knowing smiles.

After all, it's practically impossible for a group of such a large group of burly men to have any women. Now that I think about it, that young master named Mike was really lucky.

The person in charge of the exploration team who stayed behind smiled, but then a look of doubt appeared on his face.

"I heard that the construction of the headquarters has just entered the fast track, and it will still take another year or two to complete. What exactly are these people here for?"

"I also find it strange. Looking in the direction they are pointing, there is no so-called scientific research station. Even if there is, it is in the early stages. Maybe they are just going on a trip and will go back after a short visit."

"Forget about them. These rich young masters have no idea that coming to such a harsh place is not a vacation."

……

As evening approached, the days on the ice field, though short, seemed to stretch the night forward by two hours, according to the clocks.

Theoretically, they should be sitting together eating at this time.

"The polar environment is just that harsh; I hope everyone can overcome the difficulties."

Typhon, as a demon hunter, was accustomed to life on the ice plains, so it goes without saying that he was a natural choice. Magellan, as an explorer, considered this icy land her backyard and also acted as a psychologist to help ease the emotions of her companions.

But after going around in circles, apart from the exploration team that Xingji encountered at the beginning, which made her a little uncomfortable, the other people's acceptance of the environment far exceeded her expectations.

Mike glanced at the group and thought to himself: These people I brought are all top-notch in their respective fields. How could they be so easily defeated?

If Magellan and Typhon were willing to provide him with psychological counseling, he wouldn't mind appearing a little more vulnerable.

Anyway, it's just to give the girls something to do.

However, his wishful thinking backfired.

Since Muirsey joined the team, Mike has found his free time to be extremely scarce.

In the clever and mischievous little brain of the water sprite, there are always little tricks that can be devised for him.

To resolve a deliberately created problem, the two would sit together for an entire night, and finally, Mike would have a brilliant idea that would solve the problem amidst Muirsey's adoration and amazement.

Mike initially found it a bit strange, but after experiencing it three times in a row, he finally understood the water sprite's many tricks.

If Horhaya's relationship with her partner was mutually fulfilling, then Muirsays was dedicated to cultivating a good boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.

The water sprite was more suitable as a girlfriend than any girl he had ever met before. She had a little bit of cunning and would inadvertently reveal a girlish charm, but she was also very womanly at times.

Unfortunately, she still has to face one last enemy, who is also the common enemy of all the female operators.

Kelsey.

The lynx would never say that she was the doctor's girlfriend, nor would she ever make the relationship seem so deliberate, but once she made a move, it would only make her enemies feel ashamed.

Back when Mike was still on Rhodes Island, all the female operators saw Kal'tsit like mice saw a cat.

Now that Kal'tsit is no longer around, those with ideas should reveal their true thoughts.

Mike knew perfectly well that if he were still on Rhodes Island, Adele and Astro would never dare to sleep with him.

But this is Sami, far from Rhodes Island, isn't it?

Muirsey came again tonight.

Her arrival was even expected by everyone.

The water sprite made no attempt to hide her thoughts, a stark contrast to the woman who had almost broken ties with Mike at base camp.

"Doctor, shall we continue yesterday's story?"

As the head of the ecology department at Rhine Life, she accomplished many things she had wanted to do but couldn't before, with Christensen's support.

For example, the book she's holding, "Fantasy Adventures in Terra."

The book tells the story of a young man who pioneered in Colombia. Due to a series of unforeseen events, he left Colombia, traveled through several countries in the country, and finally returned to Colombia.

Authors of this era possessed a strong personal style. Mike skimmed through the entire book, especially the ending, where the Columbia writer, through the protagonist's voice, uttered a famous and well-known quote.

"It's so wonderful to be a Colombian citizen."

Although the ideology of this land has not yet taken shape, nor has there been any intense conflict, Mike still exclaimed that this statement was insightful.

Of course, Muirsey came to him with this book not for the sake of the so-called happiness of Colombian citizens.

Perhaps the protagonist, named Hoover, is not happy.

The water sprite had only one goal: to have Mike explain the contents of the book to her. Whether it was correct or not was unimportant; what mattered was that she could monopolize that wonderful hour or two before bedtime.

Mike usually doesn't refuse her, and she's happy to do so, adding drama to her own life and excluding other female operators who want to compete with her.

Muirsay's actions became common knowledge.

Adele also loves reading, and Dolly starts to encourage her to take the books to the doctor and compete with Muirsay.

But the little lamb is an obedient child and easily embarrassed, so it's absolutely impossible for her to do such a thing.

"Wouldn't you be at a disadvantage then?"

Perhaps in Adele's mind, she cared more about not leaving a bad impression on the Doctor than about constantly pestering him, so she rejected Dolly's suggestion.

"Think about that feathered serpent, and then think about the water sprite. If you had half their courage, I swear that doctor would be completely infatuated with you. Who says our little lamb doesn't have something to be proud of?"

The girl blushed and quickly covered Dolly's mouth to stop it from speaking.

Fortunately, the Lord of the Sheep is invisible to others and cannot be heard speaking; at most, one can hear a bleating sound. Otherwise, Adele would have been too ashamed to show her face.

The trio in Kazimierz are also facing a similar dilemma.

“I said before that Muirsey would become our enemy after joining the team, and look at her now, she’s even worse than I said.”

"Actually, we can think of similar methods."

Destreet and Holhaa were singing in unison, while Stellar, sitting next to them, didn't know how to speak.

Li Boli took out a crystal ball; at this point, she decided to divine the outcome first.

However, the crystal ball in her hand only flashed for a moment and then stopped responding.

"out of battery?"

"This is Originium Arts; it doesn't require electricity."

"Then why can't you measure accurately?"

"I don't know, maybe the crystal ball doesn't want me to know the outcome of this matter."

Astral's words piqued Desmond's curiosity: "I'd like to know what you're divining?"

Blue Liberi was a shy girl who wasn't very good at lying. When Destle asked her this, she blushed and lowered her head without saying a word.