I'm in Terra

"But, big sister," one of the yetis reminded after swallowing the crumbs in his mouth after hearing his big sister's order, "we don't have anything to trade for food. We've run out of gold, and it seems they don't accept rubles here. Aside from a few spares, we have nothing left."

Yelena knew they had already run out of food and ammunition, but her grandmother had taught her that the more desperate the moment, the more they must not give up hope.

"Believe me, there will be a way."

Survival in a Foreign Land: Chapter 15: The White Rabbit Falls into a Trap

Yelena never enjoyed the prosperity of the city.

Yelena has lived in the mines since she could remember. She is always at the bottom of the society, born infected, and destined to become consumables.

But she survived. She watched as the guerrillas breached the mine's walls, crushing the arrogant guards beneath their feet. From that day on, Yelena's dying heart revived. She staggered over to the wounded guard and, imitating the guerrillas' tactics, beat him with all her might until he drew his last breath.

From that day on, Yelena learned to resist. And from that day on, Yelena became Frost Star.

And now, for the sake of the guerrillas and her family, Yelena is willing to challenge the behemoth called the city alone.

Both she and the guerrillas will survive this winter.

With this thought in mind, Yelena tightened her cloak and approached the guards at the city gate. She had just observed that the guards would question anyone they deemed suspicious, so instead of being timid, it was better to take the initiative and counter their moves.

But to Yelena's surprise, the two guards at the door didn't seem interested in her. After simply questioning her about her background and purpose, they let her go.

Yelena had no time to dwell on her sudden good luck, and hurriedly walked into the city with her head down, just like other passers-by.

Norvinsk isn't a mobile city, but that doesn't mean it's not bustling. Thanks to Victoria's renovations, it's already bursting with the vitality of a border city.

Yelena wandered the streets, somewhat bewildered, unsure where she was supposed to exchange food. But her keen senses soon caught her eye as infected people occasionally walked through the streets of Norvinsk. These infected people made no effort to conceal their bodies, instead openly displaying their infected areas. The people around them seemed accustomed to this, not causing the slightest panic.

This is not reasonable.

Although it was Yelena's first time in the city, she had heard the guerrillas describe the city's oppression of the infected. They said the infected were like filthy rats in the city, wantonly trampled by the so-called bigwigs. The only way they could survive was to cover their infected parts tightly and pretend to be normal.

The guerrilla uncles were as close to her as elders. Yelena didn't think they would unite to deceive her, but the scene she saw now completely contradicted her imagination, which proved that the city she was now in was completely different from the city the guerrillas knew.

Yelena hesitated for a moment, and finally carefully lifted her hood. Compared with the guys around her who moved freely, her movements were still too stiff. Besides, it was broad daylight and there was no snow, so wearing a hood would attract too much attention.

As expected, as Yelena continued to adjust her clothing and posture, fewer and fewer people paid attention to her. After a period of imitation and learning, she finally learned how to "go shopping".

But this was far from enough. Yelena still had a long way to go before she could achieve her goal. So after thinking for a while, she took the initiative to approach an elderly man who was taking a walk, trying to get the information she wanted.

Yelena greeted the old woman and took the initiative to support her. "Um... Grandma, is there any place selling food nearby? My family asked me to come out and buy some food for the winter."

The old man who was being accosted didn't hesitate. He held Yelena's hand and continued strolling. "Buying food reserves. Yes, see that tallest building up ahead? That's the City Hall. Next door is the food purchasing office opened by Lord Victoria. Little girl, do you have any money?"

Frost Star nodded, carefully pressing against the old man's arm: "Yes, my father gave me some rubles."

"Rubles? Then you have to go to the city hall or the Chamber of Commerce to exchange your rubles for gold or military notes, and then use those to buy food." The old man coughed lightly and explained with a smile, "If you buy things directly with rubles, they won't accept them."

"Really? Thank you, grandma~" Shuangxing nodded, bowed slightly to the old woman, and then walked towards the city hall. His hurried appearance made the old woman behind him laugh and cry.

"Really? The little girl was so anxious, but she ended up feeling so weak. Her hands and feet were so cold, she must not have eaten enough. Sigh, it's not easy to survive in this world."

Ignoring the old man's nagging behind her, Yelena walked into the city hall under his guidance. She had noticed before entering that there was indeed a grain exchange next door, but there seemed to be very few people doing so.

In comparison, the city hall was much more lively. When Yelena said she wanted to exchange money, a young and beautiful girl from Carters took the initiative to receive her.

As if due to their common ethnicity, the Carters girl was exceptionally welcoming, even after learning that Yelena was from the countryside. After handing over her scattered rubles, Yelena received two pieces of red gold along with a small military note. According to the receptionist, this amount was enough to exchange for ten boxes of potatoes or four boxes of fine grain, and there might even be some left over.

After learning about the purchasing power of her money, Yelena finally breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected that food, so vital to the guerrillas and even the entire village, would be so cheap in the city. Ten boxes of potatoes would be enough to keep the entire group going for a while. With her heart at ease, Yelena seemed even more relieved. Accompanied by the Carters girl, she went to the next door and prepared to exchange the money for food right there and then.

But the relaxed Yelena did not notice that the girl from Carters did not take her directly to the front desk for exchange, but took her to a simply decorated room through the internal passage of the city hall.

After arriving at the room, Carters smiled, closed the door, and poured three cups of hot tea. "Please wait a moment. The staff responsible for exchanging food will be here soon. But before the transaction, I still want to confirm, Sister Yelena, are you sure you want to exchange all the money for food?"

"Yes." Yelena held the teacup, feeling the warmth in it. "The food in the village is not enough to last through the winter. I have to buy enough food."

The Carters girl smiled slightly, but didn't expose the clumsy lie. Instead, she asked another question: "But, Sister Yelena, are you sure ten boxes of potatoes will be enough for the guerrillas to survive the winter?"

Survival in a Foreign Country: Chapter 16: Brainwashing

Shocking. This was Yelena's only feeling. Everything had gone smoothly all along the way, but someone had revealed it at the very last moment.

Should I take action? Or try to escape? Or... should I just turn this place upside down? In just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Yelena's mind.

Looking at the white-haired snow rabbit with a gloomy expression, the receptionist's smile became even brighter: "Sister Yelena, are you worried that I will take action?"

Yelena was stunned. She didn't expect that her exposure did not cause any ripples. Just when she was wondering whether this was a delaying tactic, she suddenly felt a hot body temperature beside her.

It turned out that while Yelena was still in a daze, the receptionist took the opportunity to come over and sit down next to her. It was only then that Yelena realized that one of the two cups of tea the girl pushed to her was hers.

So, who drank the cup of tea that was originally placed in front of the receptionist? No, that's not right. Now isn't the time to think about that. What I should be thinking about now is how to escape. That's not right either. Why am I thinking about so many things? Why haven't I gotten up and left yet?

Yelena supported herself on the chair and tried to get up, but chaotic thoughts kept jumping out of her mind. All kinds of distracting thoughts kept emerging in the girl's mind, making it impossible for the girl to even do the most basic escape.

Seeing Yelena's dazed expression, the receptionist giggled and hugged her, rubbing her cheek despite the cold. "Sister Yelena, you're not vigilant enough. In fact, my Originium technique took effect the moment you stepped into the room. How was it? Was the experience of 'Dimensional Transcendence' interesting?"

Yelena, with a dazed expression, was clearly unable to respond to Dorothy's question, but Dorothy didn't expect her to. After fiddling with the ice-sculpted bunny beauty for a while, Dorothy, her face flushed with cold, contentedly took out her communicator and dialed someone's number.

A moment later, a response came from the communicator in Dorothy's hand, so she took out the small spell-casting unit hidden in her pocket and activated her Originium skill again.

The next second, Victoria appeared in the room where only two people were. He slowly straightened his wrinkled clothes, and then subconsciously picked up the teacup in front of him.

Unfortunately, his hand went right through the teacup.

Victoria coughed awkwardly twice: "Cough, cough, cough, I'm used to it. Let her wake up."

Dorothy suppressed her laughter and clapped her hands. The haziness in the room suddenly disappeared. Yelena, who was sitting there, felt her body lighten, and a handsome young man appeared in front of her.

Victor smiled faintly, a certain demonic charm quietly blooming. "Nice to meet you, Miss Yelena from the guerrillas. I am Victory Kalashnikov, Colonel, and the current Lord of Norvinsk."

"Gulp." Yelena instinctively swallowed her saliva upon hearing the boy's self-introduction. She couldn't imagine that this boy was actually the lord of this important border town, and she couldn't imagine that the lord of a city was actually a boy who looked underage.

Yelena was so surprised that she didn't notice that the prejudice and hatred that had been faintly permeating her heart had disappeared without a trace, and was replaced by an imperceptible admiration and curiosity.

"What just happened was not just an accident, right? Is there something that made you come to see me specially?" After a brief surprise, Yelena calmed down and wanted to figure out the reason why the boy came to see her specially.

She wasn't stupid enough to ask the two men why they didn't arrest her, but she also didn't understand why they spared her life.

"Something? Of course I am." Hearing Yelena's question, Victoria chuckled. "Miss Yelena and Captain Patriot took only half an evening to wipe out one of my mines. Of course I have to personally inquire about such a big matter. I wonder if I have ever offended you two?"

"...No, no," Yelena replied with a vacant look in her eyes. Norvinsk hadn't completely exterminated the infected, so they shouldn't have attacked here. It was just that the guerrillas were on the verge of running out of ammunition and food, so they launched an attack without conducting a thorough investigation. They hadn't expected to hit the wrong person one day.

"So it's a misunderstanding?" Victoria raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile.

Frost Star lowered her head silently: "It's a misunderstanding."

"If it's a misunderstanding, then as the lord of those sacrificed soldiers, it's not too much for me to ask you two Excellencies for an explanation and compensation, right?" Seeing that the psychological attack had been accomplished, Victoria's expression became more natural.

"It's not excessive, but we don't have any compensation we can offer." Yelena had already buried her head in her chest. Faced with Victoria's questioning, this illiterate woman, who had never been to school for a single day, was completely unable to refute him. However, she instinctively clenched the red gold in her hand, hoping that Victoria would not take it.

"Don't worry. I'm the lord of a region, after all. I have no interest in your little tricks." Yelena's little movements naturally didn't escape Victoria's notice, but he had no intention of testing the girl's limits. "There are many ways to compensate, sexual compensation, labor compensation, etc. It doesn't matter. There are so many men in your guerrillas. If they honestly worked for me for a year or two, it would be enough to cover the pensions of those soldiers."

Yelena was stunned. She hadn't expected Victoria to ask for such a realistic compensation. "One or two years of farming? No, that won't do. The guerrillas are united by ideals and beliefs. If we stop, the team will collapse on the spot."

Victoria pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Isn't it good to collapse? You are a group of people who are trying to survive. I have arranged suitable jobs for you and sufficient living space. Isn't it better than you struggling to survive in the snow?"

Yelena shook her head firmly. "That's true, but we've settled down. How will the rest of the infected in Ursus settle down? The original intention of the guerrillas wasn't just to survive, but to liberate more infected people. As long as the infected are still in dire straits, we won't stop."

Victory smiled, his smile full of mockery. "But you can save the infected temporarily, but can you save them forever? What's the point of just digging them out of the mines? Won't they still suffer humiliation and struggle to survive?"

Survival in a Foreign Country: Chapter 17: The prerequisite for cooperation is sexual compensation

Yelena couldn't answer this question, because she knew Victor had seen through the guerrillas' tactics. To maintain a balance between food and combat effectiveness, the guerrillas didn't recruit all the infected people they rescued. Most were given a portion of food and sent to the nearest village.

Can this really be considered saving the infected? Yelena already had the answer in her heart.

Watching Yelena's silent contemplation, Victoria's smile grew gentler. "We can save them temporarily, but not forever. If we want to change their tragic fate, they must awaken on their own. You've witnessed the harmony on the streets of Norvinsk, and you've also come into contact with the miners toiling away in the marginal mines. How do their lives compare to those of the infected you've saved?"

Yelena's eyes flickered to the images of the infected: those who greeted ordinary people with ease, those who cared nothing about their identities being exposed, those who worked tirelessly, those who were hostile to the guerrillas. Victor said, "That's right. Their lives have been put on track thanks to the young man before them, while they are still wandering with those infected." What was the difference between the two? Yelena seemed to understand.

"Are you saying this is because of the power gap?" Yelena glanced at the girl beside her and completely gave up on the idea of taking action. "Because the guerrillas have no power and nobility, they are destined to be unable to help the infected awaken?"

"It seems you're truly uneducated." Victor shook his head and quipped, "Power is only the foundation. The true answer lies in wisdom, vision, excellent management skills, and... the determination to overturn everything. The infected guerrillas possess nothing but determination and force, which is why they can't achieve perfection. Your abilities and vision limit your actions, leaving you, patriots, to struggle for survival on the fringes of Ursus."

Looking at the high-spirited young man, Yelena seemed to understand what he meant: "You want the guerrillas to surrender? Do you think you can do better than us?"

"Finally, I'm smart for once." Victoria smiled and nodded at his teacup. Dorothy, beside him, skipped over and poured Yelena another cup of hot tea. "Time will prove my wisdom. If you're truly worried, we can start by cooperating. Food, troops, and the resettlement of the infected—I think we have common ground in many areas."

Gumbling—

Yelena swallowed subconsciously, but this time it wasn't out of nervousness or fear, but rather... excitement. Victory's words seemed to open a new door for her, making her imagine what it would be like if a lord was willing to back them up.

They have enough food and clothing, are well-equipped, and after conquering the mines of the insects, they can find a place to house the infected and let them return to normal life...

For a moment, the huge temptation was so nakedly placed in front of Yelena that she subconsciously ignored the class hatred that should have existed between the guerrillas and Victoria.

No, that's not right. Calm down. Things are not as simple as you think!

But Yelena was Yelena after all. A veteran of countless battles, she quickly regained her composure even under the interference of her Originium skills. Looking at Victor's smile, she forced herself to ignore the pie he had thrown and turned to consider another question.

"Are you wondering why I, a member of the nobility, would support your guerrillas' cause?" Just by looking at Yelena's eyes, Victoria guessed what she was thinking. "The answer is simple, because I don't dislike the infected. I'm smart, and I know how to use them correctly. The Empire's current approach is far too inefficient. I can't, and I don't need to, use such a foolish method to control the infected. Secondly, the Sixth Legion is about to undergo a transformation, and I can't guarantee I can survive it to the end. Therefore, the guerrillas are an opportunity for reinforcement that I can't miss. While your intelligence may be questionable, your combat effectiveness is unquestionable."

So that's how it was. It wasn't until Victoria revealed everything that Yelena finally understood the whole story. It turned out they weren't the only ones struggling to survive; the young man before them was also treading on thin ice. Only after realizing this did Yelena feel a little more confident.

"Whether to cooperate or not is something that can only be decided by the old stubborn man. He is the leader of our guerrillas." Yelena coughed lightly and placed the red gold she was tightly clutching on the table. "Also, as you know, the guerrillas are in urgent need of food right now. So... can you help me exchange this money for food?"

"I can personally send you ten more boxes of potatoes, but this is a special case. Norvinsk's grain doesn't just come from nowhere. Selling you grain would violate the Empire's constitution." Victor nodded, signaling Dorothy to accept the gold. "Also, even brothers have to settle accounts. Regarding the guerrilla attack on the mine, has Miss Yelena decided on compensation?"

Yelena's lips, which had just risen, froze in an instant. She had thought Victor had mentioned this to put pressure on her, but she hadn't expected him to actually pursue compensation. Unfortunately, the guerrillas were now penniless, and their only remaining possessions were the twenty boxes of potatoes they hadn't yet received.

"Is there a compensation plan?" Yelena asked cautiously after taking a sip of cold tea.

Obviously, she was a calm and cold-faced warrior when she was in the guerrillas. She never thought that she would be so unbearable in front of Victoria. Victoria would often poke her defenses in just a few words.

"Two." Victor smiled and held up two fingers. "Since the guerrillas are short on resources, I've prepared two plans. One is for the guerrillas to help me out once, free of charge, as compensation for the attack on my mine. Of course, I'll still provide the most basic food."

"What about the second option?" Yelena shook her head inwardly. She knew the trap hidden in this seemingly easy compensation. If the guerrillas wanted to maintain their independence, they had to have a certain degree of autonomy. If Victor controlled the right to select targets, it would only be a matter of time before they were incorporated.

"The second option?" Victor smiled slightly, then looked Frost Star up and down. "Actually, I didn't prepare a second compensation plan, but since you don't think the first one is suitable...how about sexual compensation? How about using your body to compensate for the mistakes of your comrades?"

"I choose the second option." Frost Star lowered her head, a complex thought flashing in her eyes: "If you don't mind that I'm a terminally ill infected person, I don't mind paying with my body."

Survival in a Foreign Land: Chapter 18: Waiting

Froststar left, taking the twenty boxes of potatoes and the cold pie with her from Norvinsk. Of course, this wasn't because Victor was a softie, or because cold pie wasn't uncommon, but rather because the Victor in the room was a complete illusion created by Miss Dorothy. While Victor himself could freely manipulate the illusion, it was difficult to manipulate someone through the void.

Ahem, all of that was a lie. In reality, there was only one reason Victory didn't act: He feared the guerrillas would attack Norvinsk the next day and confront him. Not only would his earlier deployments be wasted, but his life would likely be in jeopardy. So, Victor didn't attack Frost Star. He simply asked his beloved secretary, Miss Dorothy, to toy with the somewhat depressed Yelena on his behalf, thereby successfully witnessing the dignified Frost Star's embarrassed and annoyed state.

Judging from this alone, Victor had a clear victory. As for whether the guerrillas would agree to cooperate with Victor... in Victor's opinion, it was still a 50-50 chance.

If Froststar had been the leader of the Travelers, Victor would have been 100% certain of wiping the entire team out. If Tallulah had been the leader of the Guerrillas, he could have ensured perfect cooperation between the two sides before Black Snake intervened. But the leader of the Guerrillas was a patriot, a man betrayed by fate and scorning it.

Victoria was not sure whether his noble status would become a barrier to cooperation between the two parties. If so... then the guerrillas would have to starve to death on the snowy plains of Ursus.

He had estimated the guerrillas' numbers with the help of Parkinson Rowe's report; twenty boxes of potatoes would only be enough to meet their immediate needs. If the group truly wanted to survive, they could either betray their beliefs and attack the innocent villages under his command, or rush with all their might to assault the small towns surrounding Luxembourg, hundreds of kilometers away. Whichever option the guerrillas ultimately chose, it would be an acceptable outcome for Victor.

If one wants to make a plan, he should first plan for failure and then plan for victory, so that he can achieve perfection.

Victor sighed softly and waved his hand to signal Dorothy to deactivate the Originium Technique. Under Dorothy's influence, Victor couldn't help but overthink some things.

"Really? Young Master is so heartless. He orders me around when he needs me, and then waves me off when he doesn't." Upon receiving Victoria's signal, Dorothy pouted and turned off the Originium Techniques set up in the room. As Victoria's illusion disintegrated, Dorothy herself abruptly vanished from the tea room.

The next second, the disappeared Dorothy appeared beside Victor, and Victor himself opened his arms as if he had expected it, letting Miss Rabbit bury herself in his arms.

"How could that be? Dorothy has always been my most capable assistant. She was, is, and will be in the future." Feeling the softness and warmth in his arms, Victoria couldn't help but put his hands on Dorothy's head and played with it. The pair of soft rabbit ears on the girl's head trembled uncontrollably.

"It's rare to spend so much time using Originium techniques today. How is it? Are you tired?"

"Now that you ask, I feel a little tired. Well, maybe I can recover if I get a kiss from the young master." Dorothy smiled slightly, put her arms around Victoria's waist, and stroked Victoria's strong back with her small hands not very cleanly.

Victoria looked at the childish Dorothy pretending to be so frivolous and couldn't help but laugh: "Why, are you jealous?"

"I'm not jealous." Dorothy shook her head, then let out a strange smile. "But Sister Yelena has a great figure, right? It's hard to imagine that she could have cultivated such a figure without having any food to eat. It's a pity that she's a little cold, her whole body is freezing cold."

"That's mineral sickness. If I'm not mistaken, she's been squandering her Originium skills without restraint since joining the guerrillas. If she keeps up this pace, she probably won't live another year." Victory patted Dorothy's head gently, advising her half-warningly, half-worriedly, "The same goes for you. Although your Originium skills are powerful and convenient, it's best to exercise some restraint. I don't want my secretary, whom I've worked so hard to train, to die suddenly at such a young age. Got it?"

"I'll do whatever you say." Perhaps the girl sensed Victoria's worry or was simply struck by the boy's hot breath, but she, who had not taken it seriously at first, finally accepted the boy's instruction with a blushing face.

On the other side, Yelena, who was pushing a wooden cart out of the city alone, found the hungry snow monsters and stuffed the potatoes she had sold her body for, along with the information she had collected, into her companions' arms.

After learning about their eldest sister's experience, the other orphans from the mines all expressed disbelief. Even Petrova, the most strategic of the group, couldn't imagine the scene described by Yelena.

"Can the infected people walk openly on the street and freely expose the parts of their bodies where the stones have grown?" Big Bear, one of the snow monsters, scratched his arm. The diseased part of his body was at his wrist. Every time he moved his body, the friction between the stones and his clothes made him extremely uncomfortable. If he could freely expose the infected part...it would be very comfortable, right?

"That's not all," Petrova reminded. "Don't forget the mine we just evacuated. The miners there are very supportive of Lord Victoria. Some are even willing to help those black bugs. In other words, there's a high probability that this guy named Victoria isn't just putting on a show, but is truly working to solve the problem of the infected."

"Isn't that good?" Big Bear stuffed potatoes into the fire with some doubt. "This proves that there are still nobles in the world who care about the people. If all the nobles in Ursus were like him, we wouldn't be waiting to die in the mines, right?"

"Alas, the twists and turns here aren't that simple." Petrova sighed, giving up the urge to explain. He felt Big Bear probably wouldn't understand even if he explained. As long as Big Sister understood what he meant, it was all that mattered. "Anyway, let's ask Dad first. If we really cooperate with that guy, we'll be in real trouble."