[Vol. 9] Chapter 55: Signs of Turmoil
Even though the circle they made was several kilometers wide, it was clear that those people hadn’t truly confirmed the location of the hot spring. But their clear goal in searching still made Veranica’s mind race, and she became more and more uneasy.
She didn’t know why such a hot spring existed on Icefang Island, nor could she be sure if these people really came for it or how they knew the general location. But one thing was certain, that place must never be discovered.
The biggest shortage on Icefang Island was food. Yet that hot spring could be used to produce almost endless amounts of Snow Spirit Grass, which was basically equal to having a food supply that would never run out. Just this alone was enough to attract the attention of the other three gangs, and even all the forces on the peninsula. If exposed, the [Scavenger Gang] would instantly become everyone’s target.
For so many years, Veranica never dared let anyone know she held this secret. Even her closest people, including Yiyi, only knew part of the truth. She understood too well the saying, ‘An ordinary man is innocent, but carrying treasure makes him guilty.’
And that wasn’t even the most important point. If these people’s true target was really the spring, and they went to such great trouble to act, then it meant that the secret inside, and its value, was much more than just removing the cold from the Snow Spirit Grass.
If the benefits were great enough to make outsiders take it at any cost, then the original residents of Icefang Island would be the first to suffer. It was even possible they would all be wiped out just to keep the secret hidden.
If nothing else, the Preston Kingdom was definitely capable of doing such a thing.
Realizing the danger, Veranica felt a rush of panic. She quietly looked at her close followers behind her. Yiyi, as always, was the first to notice the change in her expression. She leaned closer and whispered:
“What’s wrong, big sis? Your face doesn’t look too good.”
“......”
Looking at her little sister’s worried eyes, Veranica opened her mouth several times, wanting to speak, but no sound came out. As the [Scavenger Gang]’s most trusted vice leader, Yiyi was someone she had thought about sharing the whole secret of the hot spring with. But after hesitating again and again, she had still kept part of it to herself.
On Icefang Island, trust didn’t exist. Veranica didn’t know if keeping secrets was right or wrong, but since she had already chosen this path, she could only continue down it.
“Yiyi, you take the others and keep tracking them. Remember, safety and caution come first. Even if you lose them, never let them find you. Do you understand?”
The young vice leader blinked in surprise, nodded, then asked with confusion.
“No problem… but sis, what are you going to do alone…?”
“I have some important things to take care of. After you find out where these people are staying, return to our base. While I’m gone, you will be in charge of all group affairs.”
Her voice carried undeniable authority. She wasn’t just saying this for Yiyi, she wanted the other close followers to hear it too. Without this, Yiyi didn’t yet have the strength or reputation to make everyone obey her alone.
The tone in Veranica’s words carried not just determination, but also a faint feeling as if she were entrusting things for the worst. The others’ faces changed slightly at once. But before they could speak, Veranica waved her hand.
“No more words. If you still see me as your leader, just do as I say. After I finish, I’ll return to the base. In the meantime, pack all the food and supplies into crates, and be ready to travel far.”
Once these words came out, the [Scavenger Gang] members immediately showed serious expressions, with even a bit of excitement on their faces. Though they didn’t fully understand why their leader had suddenly made this decision, they knew very well what the words “travel far” really meant.
Led by Yiyi, the senior members of the [Scavenger Gang] all dropped to one knee and respectfully bowed.
“We will make all the preparations and wait for big sis to return!”
“Mm. Oh, right, hand over all the Snow Spirit Grass you have.”
The group exchanged glances. They didn’t really understand why she wanted this, but they didn’t hesitate. They quickly gathered everything they had collected and put it all together into a basket.
Veranica lifted it up with one hand, gave a slight nod, and said nothing more. She turned around and walked away alone, leaving the main group and heading in another direction.
Icefang Island was just like its name. It looked like a sharp beast’s fang. Its tip pointing out to the open sea, while the landward side was wide and thick. The island had almost no vegetation, but its terrain was especially rugged and complex. Sheer cliffs, strange rocks, and countless valleys made it feel like a natural maze. Anyone unfamiliar with the island who wandered in without a guide could easily get lost, or even die trapped inside.
This was one of the main reasons why the Preston Kingdom had always only stationed troops to guard the [Endless Corridor], but never actually sent an army to invade the island itself.
Veranica had lived on the peninsula for more than ten years, so she was very familiar with most parts of the island. Her tall, agile figure moved quickly through the cliffs and valleys. Each leap carried her more than ten meters, letting her move across the rough terrain as if it were flat ground, rushing toward a certain place.
She was going to investigate the mysterious hot spring.
It had been years since she first stumbled upon it. Veranica had long suspected the spring might be hiding some kind of secret. The water gave off a strange power, like fire poison. The temperature didn’t feel very high, but if she stayed too close for too long, her skin would break out in red rashes like burns, followed by shortness of breath and dizziness.
Even with her strong body, she couldn’t endure being near it for long, let alone touch the water or study it deeply.
Because of that, other than when she brought large amounts of Snow Spirit Grass there to process, she usually never stayed near the spring for long.
But now, with these uninvited strangers suddenly appearing, though they hadn’t yet found the hot spring, at the rate they were searching, even if they had to turn over every inch of land, eventually they would stumble across it. No one could predict what might happen then, so Veranica had to prepare in advance.
Before long, she reached a mountain valley filled with jagged rocks. This was a stone valley, covered with caves and pits of all sizes. After carefully checking to make sure no one was nearby, she walked straight toward an unremarkable pit and jumped down.
Below the pit was a long sloping tunnel. Veranica slid down for more than a hundred meters before reaching the bottom, where she arrived at a winding underground river.
The underground river had many branches and passages, blocked by strange jagged stones. With her two-meter-tall Ice Demon body, she often had to crawl on the ground to squeeze through narrow spots. But Veranica stayed silent, moving forward along a set path.
If not for that time years ago when she was chased by enemies and ran blindly for her life, plus a stroke of luck, she probably never would have discovered this place.
To protect the secret of the spring, she had deliberately left all the natural stone obstacles in place. That meant she still had to crawl and squeeze through the rocks every time. But by now, after walking this path countless times, it was no longer as difficult or clumsy as it had been at the beginning.