After Fingel heard Lu Chen's words, a look of surprise appeared on his face, "Really?"
Lu Chen nodded and looked serious, "Really, but senior brother, are you sure you don't want to go? Although I don't know what happened before, but that place has a big impact on you, right?"
Lu Chen himself said that if possible, he would not take anyone with him. The Nibelungs are very complicated and full of changes. Although he plans to find a way to bring Brother Fingel and Chu Brother, go out first and take care of the rest.
But in reality, many things will not go as planned. Going to the North Pole with him is definitely a high-risk mission.
After listening to Lu Chen's words, Fingel also put away the mean expression on his face, "It seems that the principal has told you, but junior brother, what kind of person do you think I am? Someone who is filled with the flames of revenge in his heart. , someone who wants to find out the truth at the risk of his own life? "
Lu Chen stared into Fingel's eyes. The two looked at each other for a few seconds. Lu Chen nodded and said, "I think so."
He has always been very accurate in judging people. Although Senior Brother Fingel is usually very unconventional and seems to have no limit, in fact, the other person is by no means a real loser.
"Okay, okay, I surrender. It doesn't matter if I can be praised like this by an S-level junior brother, and I can accompany you for a while."
Fingel raised his hand, then put on a mean expression and said: "But junior brother, you have to protect me, senior brother, I am very weak."
"Senior brother, you'd better weigh yourself first and say how weak you are."
Lu Chen looked at Fingel's strong body. In ancient times, he was definitely a fierce general.
"Don't worry about the weighing or anything like that. By the way, junior brother, can you take me with you to download tonight's dungeon?"
Fingel smiled flatteringly and opened World of Warcraft. He still lacked two pieces of equipment.
Lu Chen smiled and said, "Let's go then."
…
Boom—
Boom—
The glaciers that have accumulated over the years are falling apart under the feet of the steel behemoth, sinking into the water and then rising up. The sound of impact is reminiscent of summer thunder, but this place can never be compared with the hot summer.
Gullfaxi is the name of this steel behemoth, which is said to be the mount of the frost giant Hrangnir.
Gurfaksi is 134 meters long, 30 meters wide, has a displacement of 23,000 tons, and is equipped with two reactors. It can be used in deep waters in the Arctic Circle and has an ice breaking thickness of 2 meters.
This is an Arktika-class icebreaker, produced in the former Soviet Union, and there are only five of them in the world. It seems that the academy has indeed spent a lot of money on this mission.
Lu Chen stood in front of the deck, looking at the endless snowfield and feeling the sharp cold wind coming from the deck.
Only when you truly come to this place can you appreciate the ruthlessness of nature. The endless frost covers everything, turning the world into a white snow, as if it has purified the dirt of the world.
Lu Chen exhaled, and the white water vapor rose to half the height, and then gradually sank again. In an environment of more than 30 degrees below zero, the water mist would condense instantly.
"Junior brother, do you want to take a bite?"
Fingel shivered and walked to Lu Chen's side. The man was wearing a warm down jacket, a thick military coat, and a cashmere hat on his head, which almost covered his ears.
He held a bottle of vodka in his hand and looked at Lu Chen as if he were looking at a monster, because the other person was only wearing ordinary casual clothes, with only thin autumn clothes and long trousers. This was what he wore in the academy, and he still wore this when he came to the North Pole. !
Lu Chen took the vodka from Fingel, not minding that the other person had just drank it, and blew on the bottle. The hot liquid went down into his stomach, and a wave of warmth arose, dispelling the cold feeling caused by the severe cold. some.
"Where's Brother Chu?"
Lu Chen returned the bottle to Fingel.
"Junior Brother Chu is studying Inuit in the house, because if we set foot on the eternal frozen soil, we will only have Inuit as guides."
Fingel trembled and rubbed his hands.
"It's really like Brother Chu's style."
Lu Chen smiled, thinking that if he wanted to learn an unpopular language in a few days, only people like Chu Zihang who had the strength and patience could do it.
This was already the third day of their departure. The ship traveled from the port in northern Greenland and went all the way deep into the Arctic Circle before seeing the scene in front of them.
"Director Lu."
At this time, Captain Augustus of the Gurfaksi came to Lu Chen and saluted respectfully.
"Just call me by my name, or call me Commissioner. I don't like this title very much."
Lu Chen has emphasized it many times in the past few days, but some people still call it wrong.
"Commissioner Lu, with the power and configuration of this ship, if we travel another fifty kilometers, we will not be able to go any further by about nineteen o'clock."
Captain August reported respectfully that even if the young man in front of him did not have the status of honorary school director, he would still have high respect for him.
The opponent is not only a newly born legendary dragon slayer, but the target of this mission may also be a first-generation opponent. However, seeing the young man's calm expression at this time, the logistics team who are on board the ship are also full of confidence.
"Are the supplies ready?"
Lu Chen wanted to confirm.
"Food, fuel, camping and other equipment are all prepared, but there is a small problem now."
Speaking of this, Captain August was a little embarrassed.
"what is the problem?"
Lu Chen frowned. The execution department should have arranged everything. This is a serious mission and there is no room for error.
"The Inuit suddenly changed his mind. He said that we couldn't go in this direction. He said that there were man-eating demons in front of this snowfield, and anyone who sets foot on this land will be punished by the gods."
Captain August is one of the few commissioners who understands Inuktitut and has many years of naval experience. Therefore, even though his bloodline is only B-level, the academy still arranges for him to be the captain of the Gurfaksi.
"Junior brother, look, you must believe what the locals say when I tell you. Many of those myths and legends have their own explanations. Why don't we go?"
Fingel was timid again.
Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Tell them that they will be given ten times the original reward. They only need to take us fifty kilometers deep and then turn back. If they are still unwilling, we will leave the sled dogs behind and we will do it ourselves." Walk."
Lu Chen didn't have the habit of forcing others to do things. These Inuit were just ordinary people, and the college had no intention of letting the Inuit lead them all the way.
At this time, another crew member came over and said something in Captain August's ear. Then August looked up and said, "It's been negotiated. The reward will be increased eight times and we will be taken fifty kilometers deep."
Lu Chen turned around and waved to Fingel, "Go back and rest for a while. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep in such a comfortable environment in the next few days."
After entering the cabin, he saw Chu Zihang talking to a person in words he didn't understand.
The other person is a man wearing a heavy leather jacket. He is short in stature, has a broad nose, and has black and straight hair. He is an Inuit.
In fact, there are also people called Eskimos, but the Inuit people don't like people calling them "Eskimos" because this term comes from the language of their enemy, the Indian Algonquin tribe, which means "people who eat raw meat." "Inuit" is their name, which means "human beings".
At this time, the man's left hand was holding the hand of a little girl, which made Lu Chen feel confused and looked at Captain Augustus.
"Because these people have no fixed place to live, and this gentleman lost his wife early and only has this daughter, so he has to take it with him wherever he goes. We pay per person. He was very happy at first, but now he doesn't He is also happy because he doesn’t want his daughter to take risks with him.”
Augustus explained from the side.
"Then let the children stay. Everyone knows what we are going to do. We can't take risks with our children."
Lu Chen glanced at the girl wearing a furry hat with only a small face exposed. She was about nine or ten years old. She was a little short and had a boyish look on her eyebrows. She was probably a wild girl at ordinary times.
At this time, Chu Zihang seemed to have finished communicating with the other party and came to Lu Chen's side. "We have discussed it. They will take us in depth, guide us in the right direction, and then return."
"Well, let's go and rest first. Tonight...it doesn't seem to be night here at the moment. We plan to leave at nineteen o'clock."
Lu Chen knew that Chu Zihang had very little sleep in recent days.
The icebreaker continued to move forward, but at a slower and slower speed. Lu Chen and the others slept under the heater in the cabin and got ready to set off.
"Woof woof—"
More than thirty Alaskans were released from the cabin by the Inuit
These large dogs were led off the ship by their owners and rolled happily on the snow. Their fluffy fur and thick layer of fat allowed them to adapt to the ice and snow environment, but they were somewhat uncomfortable in the warm cabin.
Later, with the help of the commissioners, many supplies were transported onto the sled. The high-calorie food was enough for four people to eat in the snowfield for half a month, and the fuel allowed them to keep warm during their rest.
The Inuit man picked up his daughter and said something. Then Lu Chen saw that the little girl was a little disappointed, but she still returned to the ship obediently.
The Alaskans were tied up in front of the sled one by one, and these trained animals suddenly became quiet, waiting for the owner's instructions.
Chu Zihang checked his equipment and got on a sled. Fingel also teased the big dogs with a novel look on his face, and then got on another sled. Their sleds were all tied up with various things. Plant supplies.
There is also a sled that is the most spacious. It is pulled by sixteen sled dogs in front. The bottom of the sled is widened to balance the stress surface. This sled does not sit on anyone, but only pulls a black box like a coffin.
Lu Chen walked off the boat with his two swords in his hands, and the commissioners behind him all saluted and presented him with respect.
He walked to Chu Zihang, took a sleigh with him, and said, "Let's go."
Originally, sled dogs were enough to pull four or five sleds, but because Hei Xuan was too heavy, he was released to pull them alone.
Lu Chen originally wanted to carry Hei Xuan directly on his back. Anyway, he had plenty of physical strength, so it would not be a big deal to walk long distances on the snowy fields. However, the snow here is very thick in some places. The weight of Hei Xuan would be too heavy for him to carry, and he would sink in, which would be troublesome. .
With the shouts of the Inuit people, the Alaskans all started running happily, and sleds were speeding on the ice.
After marching for about an hour, the Inuit man asked the Alaskans to stop and said something that Lu Chen couldn't understand.
"He said the dogs needed a break."
Chu Zihang translated.
Lu Chen looked back and saw that the group of Alaskans pulling Heixuan were panting and couldn't run anymore. It was really difficult for them.
So a few people stopped to light a fire, and the Inuit took out the food and water in the car to feed Alaska.
After doing all this, he walked up to Lu Chen and said a series of words. He knew that this was the speaker of this "scientific examination".
To be honest, the man has always been surprised. This scientific expedition team seemed suspicious to him. The people on the ship did not look like scientists, but like soldiers. What was even more suspicious was that after arriving at the destination, they actually asked a few young people to get off. investigation.
Chu Zihang translated: "He is introducing himself, his name is Verus."
"Verus?"
Lu Chen felt that the name was quite strange.
"In the Inuktitut language, it means fluff and warmth. They are very particular about their names, and they will bless future generations with a beautiful vision."
Chu Zihang explained, and then Verus spoke again.
"He said we would have to rest for more than half an hour before setting off, and we expected to reach the longest distance he was willing to go into around midnight."
Chu Zihang continued to translate.
"You tell him that when he goes deep enough, he can return on his sled. We will not force him and let him lead the way with peace of mind."
Lu Chen showed a gentle smile to Verus, but the other person shrank his neck.
After resting for a while, the group set off again. At first, Lu Chen felt it was novel to admire the scenery of the snowfield, but after looking at it for a long time, his eyes felt a little tired.
White snow, there is white snow everywhere. In the season after the spring equinox, there is a polar day phenomenon deep in the Arctic Circle, which means that there is basically no night here, but it is not always bright daytime, but dull white.
If you look at it for a long time, you will feel that this snowfield is like a creeping giant beast, hiding some turbulent crisis, choosing people to eat.
It was not until eleven o'clock in the evening, when there were still seven or eight kilometers away from the previously agreed distance, Verus shouted again for the Alaskans to stop.
"He was unwilling to go any further, saying that there was a devil hiding ahead, and based on his experience, there would be a snowstorm ahead."
After Chu Zihang translated, he looked at Lu Chen, waiting for him to make a decision.
"Then let's do it. It's not difficult for him. We'll walk the rest of the way by ourselves. It's not necessary to be a guide. We just have the dogs."
Lu Chen was about to ask Verus to turn back. He asked Chu Zihang to ask about the devil Verus mentioned. It was said to be a myth circulating among their small Inuit tribe.
Their tribe has passed down from generation to generation that there once was a god on this piece of eternal frozen land, and the god protected all living beings. Legend has it that the place blessed by the god was warm and snow-free, but later humans offended the god and was abandoned by the god. From then on From now on, demons will come to this land and devour anyone who dares to look for a warm place.