Chapter 511, Section 510: A Tearful Decomposition

Number Four initially wanted to leave, but found himself frozen in place.

It tried to kick the elemental lord away with its huge short legs, but as soon as it kicked out, it was frozen before it even touched the other.

The extreme cold, though insufficient to kill the resilient giant beast Puji, did trap it in place.

Number Four acted decisively, taking advantage of the fact that the tentacles could still move, reaching into his stomach, pulling out Inanna, and throwing her away with all his might.

Inanna remained inside, unaware of the changes happening outside, only knowing that it was getting colder and colder.

Suddenly thrown out, she rolled twice on the ground to regain her balance and looked up to meet the pale blue figure that had floated in front of her.

The Frost Elemental Lord extended his slender fingers, formed from ice crystals, and gently cupped Inanna's cheeks.

The moment she touched him, frost quickly spread across Inanna's body.

Only now did Inanna truly see the other person's appearance—an ice lady with a smooth, mirror-like face and no features, whose chest seemed to shimmer with stars, exuding an inhuman ethereal elegance and a chilling death.

A cold, white mist rose up and completely engulfed Inanna.

...

Pink and fluffy!

Although she had warned of the danger, Lin Jun still felt a little embarrassed that Fenpuji had actually been frozen solid while helping her.

Fortunately, Lin Jun had made preparations in advance; the stone tablet at the bottom of the lake had already been retrieved beforehand…

wrong!

Now is not the time to think about such things.

Lin Jun, oh Lin Jun, how can you wallow in sorrow? The most urgent thing now is to figure out a way to get the pink ice sculpture onto the fungal carpet...

Um?

Pinky, why is your panel still there?

A new line of description has appeared in the status bar:

【Frosty Blessing】

The frost and mist that had enveloped the area gradually dissipated.

Inanna now wore a long gown made of ice crystals, the style of which was exactly the same as the Elemental Lord's gown, light and flowing, without appearing bulky at all.

Inanna's [Cold Resistance] was not enhanced, but all the cold was absorbed by the dress, which was equivalent to having an extra layer of protection.

The elemental lord was floating slowly around Inanna, his crystalline fingers occasionally touching her cheek with gentle movements.

Snow Servant and Frost Knight, two high-level Frost Spirits, finally broke free of their restraints and gave chase.

But he could only stop ten meters away, watching helplessly as the Elemental Lord monopolized Inanna.

Number Four broke free of the frozen parts of his body, clumsily standing up as he regenerated. Looking at this harmonious scene, he tilted his enormous mushroom cap:

"Um...should we still fight?"

...

The vampires who had broken in have now been dealt with, and Lin Jun handed Inanna over to the Cold Spirits, allowing them to gather in a corner of the ruins.

Apart from a few unlucky spirits who missed the opportunity and couldn't attend the gathering, the entire ruins are no longer a threat.

The next step was the rescue operation.

Many corridors and rooms within the spiral structure collapsed, burying many soldiers of the mushroom castle under rubble and icicles.

Fortunately, after the mycelium forms a symbiotic relationship, everyone's vitality is more than doubled. They are not so unlucky as to die immediately, and it is very difficult for them to die from those injuries.

With the added sensing capabilities of the connected microbial network, no one will be overlooked during a rescue operation.

After two days of rescue efforts, all the surviving soldiers were brought to safety.

However, more than seventy soldiers still returned to the Fungus Carpet, making it arguably the operation with the greatest casualties since the Fungus Castle was built.

A small incident occurred when Lin Jun was dissecting the document with tears in her eyes.

After most of the souls decompose, they become like slippery loaches, and Lin Jun cannot keep them.

But this time there was an exception. After the soul was sucked clean, it did not immediately merge into the world. Instead, it stuck to the surface of Lin Jun's soul for two seconds before breaking away and disappearing.

Although it was brief and Lin Jun didn't have time to do anything, this anomaly did catch his attention.

What's so special about this guy?

Lin Jun turned around and checked on the dead half-demon.

He was originally a slave in a medium-sized tribe. Due to the drop in temperature, the entire tribe was eventually recruited by Fungus Castle, and he followed them.

Since Fungus Castle did not need that kind of slavery, he gained his freedom and then volunteered to join the Fungus Castle army, where he was trained by the little pig for several months.

In short, he was an ordinary soldier with no relatives or friends and nowhere to send his pension.

But... there's nothing special about it.

There are many people with similar experiences in Fungus Castle, and he himself doesn't have any special skills. He can't possibly have some hidden half-demon bloodline, can he?

With no further clues available, the matter had to be temporarily shelved, as the investigation into the ruins was far from over.

...

The primary issue is naturally this elemental lord.

As the root cause of the continued cooling in the North, eliminating it directly would be a permanent solution, but its current obsession with pink and rosy things makes it seem like it's half an ally in some ways, a force that can be utilized.

It's not impossible to just ambush and kill them, but it seems like a waste no matter how you look at it.

However, if left unchecked, the cold wave could spiral out of control at any time, causing even greater disasters.

Moreover, these soulless creatures only become docile when they are near Inanna. Once Inanna leaves, they will still attack you. Inanna can't stay here forever as a stabilizing force, can she?

The Yellow Book proactively offered the following suggestions:

[Boss, use the seal!]

"Do you have a magic circle capable of sealing elemental spirits of this level?"

I don't have any ready-made here.

"Are you kidding me?"

[I wouldn't dare! What I mean is, I don't have it, but I know where to find it!]

[Boss, don't we still have an entrance to the molten lava dungeon on the dwarves' side?]

[The dwarves sealed that elemental lord away for hundreds of years!]

Let me study the damaged seal structure; I should be able to replicate something similar!

"A master of magic circles?"

The two pages rubbed together sheepishly.

[Hehe, I only learned a little bit from my previous owner.]

Lin Jun did not agree directly, but it was still a viable approach.

Besides relying on the Yellow Book, we could also consider using Inanna's identity in the human kingdom to try and directly request the sealing technology from the dwarves.

Although the chances are slim, it's worth a try.

After including the matter of the Elemental Lord in the plan, there is one last important thing left in the ruins—the treasure!

The war puppets are one thing, but someone has already been sent to accompany the two dwarves to re-explore the forge. This time, without the threat of the Frost Spirits, they can search more thoroughly.

Whether it's finished war puppets that still have research value or valuable scrolls, they should all be collected and shipped out.

The dwarf named Tolin was so busy with this that Lin Jun even suspected he would be willing to pay to work for him.

The other one is the treasure scroll brought by the vampire marquis!

Cassinar remained stubborn, and Lin Jun and Huang Pishu patiently counseled him for three whole days in a secluded room where no one knew him, until he finally opened up and explained everything.

Following instructions, his men dug out a still-intact room from the ruins.

It was originally located on the upper level of the core area of ​​the building, but fell here due to structural collapse. It has miraculously remained intact, which in itself illustrates its special nature.

The door to the room was engraved with intricate magical patterns, forming a sophisticated combination lock. A creature called "Puji" attached its tentacles to the surface and, following the guidance of a parchment scroll, lit up the nodes in the patterns in a specific order.

The last rune lit up, and the door slowly slid open, revealing a pile of things inside.

(End of this chapter)