People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Even Magellan, the leader, was taken aback, seemingly surprised and puzzled that the "proud Leitanians" would take such action on their own initiative.

But soon, she showed a relieved smile.

They are cooperating, so isn't it normal for them to be tolerant of each other?

As a Colombian, she also disliked dealing with those aristocrats who always had a dark expression and were aloof and superior!

"Keep it up, everyone!"

Magellan gave a shout, and the expedition members immediately responded with cheers!

When the final alloy support beam emitted a teeth-grinding scraping sound, the Colombian expedition finally overcame this last obstacle.

Having waded through unfrozen glaciers and crossed broken ice cliffs, we have now traversed the last of the mountains.

Now, in Magellan's view, the earth unfolds before her eyes.

She was at the same height as [Sami], standing on [Sami]'s arms, being lifted up by [Sami's Will], to glimpse the boundaries of this civilization.

Beyond this boundary, life ceases to exist. Only countless creatures, preserved in the ice since ancient times, nurtured into flower-like crystals under the refraction of the aurora.

Magellan lowered his head and looked at the specially made thermometer in his hand.

【-twenty four】

This terrifying number was enough to make any life that tried to set foot here despair. Magellan tried to reach her hand out of the barrier, but her fingers, wrapped in thick pack animal skin gloves, felt like they were being pricked by needles, forcing her to immediately withdraw her hand.

She raised her head again and looked into the distance.

The ice field stretched out to the horizon, seemingly endless, no matter how far she looked.

This scene was enough to make anyone lose hope for the future, but Magellan simply remained lost in thought until he heard the calls of his fellow explorers behind him:

"Captain Magellan, it's time to go down!"

Magellan snapped out of his daze, a defiant smile appearing on his face.

"coming!"

She answered loudly, and even the air she breathed felt warm, as if she were at home.

Without hesitation, she turned around and walked step by step along the constructed climbing path. She felt no regret, nor did she yearn to go any further right now.

Because she knew, and firmly believed, that she would come back, and very soon, very soon!

Just like tomorrow, the sun will definitely rise!

This is not the end; this is just the beginning!

"How was it, [Sami]? Are you satisfied with our performance?"

Standing beside the desk, Ernst hung up the communication from the advance team, a satisfied smile on his face, but his gaze had already fallen on the man on the sofa.

He possessed the physique of Ektyrnil, but his temperament was entirely different. If Ektyrnil was resilient, stubborn, and had a deepest gentleness beneath a cold exterior, then Sami was disdainful, arrogant, and carried the contempt and chill of a judge of fate.

This was the first time Ernst had seen [Sami] in this state, but this time, he didn't need to be afraid, nor did he need to worry about whether his words would offend Him, the super behemoth that could defeat [Year] head-on.

Because behind him stands civilization itself.

It was the cooperative nations of Terra that earned them this honor, and Ernst certainly couldn't let them down for their rare unity!

"A total of 20 countries participated in the Ice Age exploration this time. Among them, Victoria, Colombia, Letania, Yan, Kazdelnia, Ursus, and Sami directly sent personnel. Lateran and Sherag provided some technical support. The Iberians provided some symbolic assistance (they sent some small shrimp as a token of their appreciation and even sent a cook to prepare two dishes, which were not very useful, but the sentiment was indeed conveyed)."

"We have pushed the boundaries of civilization to the limits of what is known through our own efforts. Now, all that lies before us are the boundaries and the unknown."

"While we are saying this, the Colombian expedition has probably already crossed the mountains."

Ernst paused again, then, head held high and chest puffed out, asked once more with pride:

"[Sami] Master, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Sami's cold face finally seemed to show some emotion.

His grey-blue eyes looked at Ernst, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. Under Ernst's expectant gaze, he nodded slightly.

"good."

"It's better than I expected."

He had thought that even if the Terrans were to one day extend the boundaries of their civilization to this place, it would most likely be the same as before, "the heroic deeds of a few heroes," creating "another epic."

Just like back then, those two "emperors" who charged straight to the southern tip of Terra, a feat that even the [Sami] would marvel at.

But now it seems he underestimated them.

Times are changing, civilization is developing, and people are progressing.

Heroes still exist, and epics are still sung, but now, what truly dominates this era is the "nation," the "collective," and the countless "people."

What unites these disorganized "people" is the World Summit, and the young man in front of him.

Ernst,

Sami's tone unconsciously carried a hint of doting affection.

"Do you know what? I see many shadows of the past in you."

"As you probably already know, there was once a glorious civilization on this land of Terra. Their people created countless miracles, and to Terra, to this civilization, and to you, they were like gods."

"What you have achieved is just a drop in the ocean compared to what they have accomplished. It can only remind people like me, who are nostalgic and homesick, of those scenes occasionally."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put you down, I'm just praising you."

[Sami] said seriously,

"Even a drop in the ocean is already quite remarkable!"

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes. He pursed his lips and corrected him:

"Oh, perhaps you don't understand the meaning of this word. It's an idiom that they used to use in the past."

"It means one in ten thousand, or more literally, one in nine loads."

Sammy's voice stopped abruptly as Ernst shook his head at him, raised his hand, and interrupted him:

"Let's just say it's a drop in the ocean, [Sami] God."

"I understand."

[Sami] showed a stunned expression for the first time in front of Ernst, then, as if he understood something, he smiled with relief.

Whether you genuinely understand or are just saying this to comfort me, I appreciate your kindness.

"Ernst, the path forward has been opened for you; go and witness it!"

"An inescapable fate stands at the edge of the icy plain; it is one of the great deeds they left on this land!"

"Please bear witness!"

Chapter 1038 This star gate looks like the gate to hell.

An inescapable fate stands at the edge of the icy plain, visible to all at this moment.

Ernst looked up at the thermometer in the land-based ship.

【-89】.

The extreme low temperatures are enough to forge an armor of ice around Rhodes Island; anyone unprotected walking on the icy plains at such temperatures would be committing suicide. This place is a veritable forbidden zone for living beings. The lurking dangers, the ubiquitous collapses, and the endless expanse of white snow that can numb one's senses all resemble the "forbidden zones" in the fantasy novels Ernst had read in his previous life, exuding an aura that makes one want to turn around and flee.

"No need to worry, Lord Ernst. Rhodes Island is an exploration ship that has stood the test of time and been tested in extreme environments. When its defenses are fully activated, it can still escape unscathed even when faced with the gravitational fluctuations generated when a star dies. A little low temperature is nothing to worry about."

Kal'tsit explained in a very serious tone.

Seven Ernst rarely heard such a proud tone from her.

Kal'tsit doesn't actually have many ties to this land, because for well-known reasons, she has always been forced to be a traveler.

They witness, but don't engage. They participate in events, but don't enter into lives. They offer advice but never practice it themselves, and they certainly don't develop any sense of belonging to any particular country or civilization.

She worked for the Shahs of Sargon, advised the Red Dragons of Victoria, served as a monk in the Lateran order, and personally destroyed and rebuilt Kazdel countless times. Her footprints were left everywhere on this land—except for Agor, who wouldn't let her near—but she left little noteworthy legacy. She could have made a significant mark on history, but she chose to remain as dust in the corner.

Therefore, Victoria's rise had nothing to do with her, Columbia's leap forward was not hers, she did not share in the glory or disgrace of anything, and on this land, the only place she was willing to call "home" was Rhode Island.

The number four sounds cool, but from Ernst's perspective, it does seem a bit silly.

It's so silly that just reading this passage aloud sounds like you're trying to set a trend.

However, this time, Ernst did not strike at Kelsey.

Although Kal'tsit mostly exists as an encyclopedia, consulted when needed and set aside when not, she did indeed help Ernst quite a bit this time.

Because, in such extreme conditions, only her Rhodes Island land-based ship was capable of venturing deep into the ice fields.

Other vessels, whether smaller land-based ships or high-speed warships that rampage across the battlefield, all stalled in the face of such extreme conditions due to a lack of necessary cold-weather protection.

Ursus's Winter General is a vital bulwark protecting their homeland, but Sami's winter is far more severe! Not to mention, it's in this unknown land where even the power of Sami can only hold out in a stalemate.

Even a powerful land-based high-speed warship like the Gastrill was helpless against this environment—it hadn't made any preparations for the cold, as it was constantly exposed to the humid Tara region. Initially, it could manage for a while with the help of Rafshine's warm Originium Arts, but when the temperature dropped to -50 degrees Celsius, Gastrill and Rafshine clearly couldn't withstand it.

Human beings have limits.

Only Rhodes Island, which is completely devoid of humanity, has the ability to penetrate deep into this snowy landscape.

However, Ernst had another problem:

Can Rhodes Island defend against the corruption of demons?

Kal'tsit shook her head and corrected her:

"Lord Ernst, this is a misconception."

"The corruption of evil is not an attack, but a state. You should have heard of the theory of the Ship of Theseus. Corruption is like that. It does not destroy a ship on the battlefield. On the contrary, it erodes us invisibly by replacing, blurring, or even eliminating a certain concept in a person or object until it completely turns us into an empty shell."

Ernst nodded knowingly.

He understood Kal'tsit's meaning. In the words of the Seven Cards, 6 is a normal attack, which summons a monster to hit you once, but the Demon's attack is different. It sacrifices two monsters on your field to summon a "Lava Demon," which then burns you for 1,000 HP every turn!

According to the rules, this Lava Demon is yours, but if you leave it unattended, this eight-star monster will eventually kill you little by little.

"So, I can fight against evil because I am essentially irreplaceable?"

A hint of approval flashed in Kal'tsit's eyes, and she nodded happily:

"You are smarter than I thought."

Hey, what are you saying!

Did you used to think I was stupid? My theories aren't bad, I just lack some of the "common sense" from your pre-civilization!

I haven't seen anyone fill in this gap in my common sense knowledge!

This reasoning is based on assumptions made by combining the information revealed by Precys and the Preservator.

The essence of [Amber] and [Demon] is conflicting. Amber's essence is "unchanging", "stagnant", and "protective", while [Demon] will gradually cause people or objects to lose their original "setting" through pollution and collapse paradigms, such as losing height, temperature, color, etc.

It seems that my level is relatively high, so the pollution from the [evil] has no effect on me or the creatures I have touched, and they may even be "purified".

"However, these are still all theoretical."

Kal'tsit also offered a cautionary suggestion.

"Your ability to counteract the corruption of evil spirits does not mean that you have the same ability to counteract evil spirits."

"In fact, although the previous civilization already had means to combat the demons, such as traversing the warp through specially designed spaceships, establishing stable routes, and using gray matter nails and reality anchors to resist the demons' contamination, we never really defeated the demons; we merely neutralized them. It's more like a characteristic of warp chaos, an observable natural phenomenon. The Doctor once published a research paper on this topic on the StarNet, calling it 'the instinct as chaotic as thought.'"

Kal'tsit paused, her expression showing some regret:

"But by the time they met you, it was already too late."

Ernst also sighed slightly.

Yes, it was already quite late.

By the time the prophet and the priestess found the treasure on the road, the observer had already dealt a huge blow to the prehistoric civilization.

Let alone further exploring the subspace, the prehistoric civilization was already on its last legs. Everyone was busy advancing the survival plan, so who had time to care about the situation in the subspace?

Moreover, even the subspace is not immune to the influence of the observer.

If Sienster's appearance had occurred during the height of the human empire, it might have been an opportunity for humanity to take a further step and completely "conquer the warp." But in the era of the prophets, he could only serve as a "political commissar" to lighten the gloomy atmosphere within the human camp.

However, Ernst wasn't too disappointed.

If the cleaver had actually been from its peak, it might have been sliced ​​apart upon landing. Ernst believed that the overall moral level of the prehistoric civilization was exceptionally high, because the moral level of the Doctor and others could, to some extent, reflect this. However, Ernst did not believe that the leaders of the prehistoric civilization at that time were truly so "benevolent." And in their heyday, they didn't need anyone to expound any "ancient theories."

Benevolence alone cannot unify the cosmos.

Turn to the grand stage of Xinghai, if you're lucky enough to be there, come!