351: Chapter 351 The Authority of Frost! Temperatures Rise

When the three of them walked out of the spatial rift, the corridors of the Shelter had already descended into chaotic pandemonium.

Not the bad kind of chaos.

It was the excited kind of chaos where everyone was running, shouting, and pulling each other to rush outside.

Ye Qingxue walked toward them, holding a monitoring report in her hand, her expression rarely betraying a hint of irrepressible excitement.

"The temperature is rising."

She handed the report to Lin Yuan; her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed her.

"Starting from minus 210 degrees, it has now reached minus 190 degrees. Xia Muqing says this trend is continuing."

Lin Yuan took the report, glanced at the data, and said nothing.

Ling Shuanghan stood beside him, watching the string of numbers, her eyes tightening slightly.

Minus 190 degrees.

She knew better than anyone what this temperature meant in the Everwinter World.

It meant that those plant seeds frozen in the ice might still be able to germinate.

It meant that those mechanical devices, unable to operate properly due to the extreme cold, might be able to restart.

It meant that humanity still had a chance to survive on this land.

"Where will it eventually stabilize?" she asked.

"Xia Muqing predicts around minus 120 degrees," Ye Qingxue said.

Ling Shuanghan was silent for a second.

Minus 120 degrees.

It was slightly higher than before the second temperature drop.

She lowered her head and took a deep breath in a Ling Shuanghan-style, extremely restrained manner.

...

In the plaza of the Shelter's outer city, the refugees had spontaneously surged out.

They stood in the "warm" minus 190-degree air—

This temperature was still lethal to ordinary people.

But the Shelter's cold-protection equipment and the protection of Ability Users allowed them to stand here—

Looking up at that lead-gray sky that had never changed color.

Some people were laughing.

Some people were crying.

An old man tremblingly reached out his hand, as if wanting to catch something.

But nothing fell down.

Only the temperature was inching upward, bit by bit.

...

Lin Yuan returned to the command room, closed the door, sat down, and closed his eyes.

He needed to digest.

Absorb the torrent of energy brought by the Icebound Body.

It was still surging within him at this moment.

Those chaotic, massive amounts of energy.

Needed to be dismantled, converted, and integrated into his constitution and Spiritual Power, bit by bit.

This process was an impossible task for ordinary people.

For Lin Yuan, it was a kind of...

A bit like the feeling after digesting a meal that was too greasy.

Full, but satisfying.

The constitution data was slowly pulsing in his mind.

Climbing all the way from 110,000, it finally stabilized at 150,000.

Yes, Lin Yuan's constitution had long since reached an incredible 150,000!

His Spiritual Power had also risen from 120,000 to 170,000!

【Ding! Detected that the Host has absorbed a large amount of frost source energy, new ability unlocked—】

【Authority of Frost (Primary): The Host can directly manipulate the rise and fall of temperature within a certain range, not relying on ice-type Superpower, but by interfering with the concept of "cold" itself.】

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and reviewed this new ability over and over again in his mind.

Interfering with the concept of "cold" itself.

This was not an ice-type Superpower.

Ice-type Superpower was about creating cold, while the Authority of Frost was about rewriting the rules of cold.

The difference between the two was like the difference between "knowing how to swim" and "being able to control water."

He tentatively used it.

The temperature in the command room rose by two degrees silently.

There was no energy fluctuation, no visible effect.

It was as if someone had turned an invisible dial.

Lin Yuan withdrew the ability and made an assessment in his mind:

This thing was very useful, but it couldn't be used casually.

Each use would consume the energy of the authority fragment, and long-term use might affect the integrity of the fragment.

His judgment was: keep the Authority of Frost as an emergency measure.

For daily heating, continue to rely on frost crystal stone and everwinter alloy.

...

The information from the beacon, while he was digesting the energy, was also gradually becoming clear.

That silver beacon had been buried by the cleanser underground on Blue Star for about ten thousand years.

What Blue Star was like ten thousand years ago, Lin Yuan did not know.

But he knew that from that time on, the cleanser had already listed Blue Star on its "to-be-processed list."

The function of the beacon was simple: to periodically send reports to the cleanser headquarters. Blue Star's civilization level, the status of the authority fragment, and whether anyone was collecting fragments.

Now, this beacon had disappeared.

In the next reporting cycle, the cleanser headquarters would discover that Blue Star's signal had been interrupted.

Lin Yuan called for Luo Qinghan.

"When is the next reporting cycle?"

Luo Qinghan calculated based on her memories from her previous life.

"About... three months later."

Three months.

Lin Yuan put this number together with another number: the Ice City would arrive in about 56 days.

"The timeline is tightening," he said.

Luo Qinghan did not refute.

She just flipped through the timeline comparison chart in her hand once more.

...

In the evening, Ye Qingyue found Lin Yuan.

Her expression was a bit subtle—

Not worry, but that kind of struggle of "I have something to say but am not sure if I should say it."

"Shen Bingtong's medical examination report."

She handed over a document, "Take a look."

Lin Yuan took it and glanced at it.

Silver energy fusion rate: increased from 12% to 19%.

"She actively invoked the power of the cleanser fragment today."

Ye Qingyue said, "After that, the time her eyes remained silver changed from a few seconds to a few minutes."

Lin Yuan closed the report and did not speak immediately.

Ling Shuanghan happened to be passing by the corridor, stopped at the doorway, and looked at Lin Yuan.

"That matter I spoke to you about in private."

She said, "The higher the fusion rate, the greater the influence of the cleanser fragment on her. This is not necessarily a good thing."

"Does she know herself?"

"She should be able to feel it."

Lin Yuan was silent for a moment, then put the report back into Ye Qingyue's hand.

"Strengthen her regular medical examinations. Report the changes in silver energy once a week."

Ye Qingyue nodded and turned to leave.

Lin Yuan did not go to talk to Shen Bingtong about this.

Not because he didn't care.

It was because he knew that for some things, speaking about them would instead accelerate their occurrence.

He just had Ye Qingyue keep an eye on it.

...

That evening, Lin Yuan made an exception and approved a feast for the entire Shelter.

It wasn't something he initiated.

It was when Chu Yanran came to find him and casually said:

"The people in the outer city are all crying today; I want to cook them something good."

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"Do it."

Chu Yanran was stunned for a moment, not expecting it to be approved so easily.

Then she immediately turned and ran toward the kitchen, her footsteps as light as if she were stepping on cotton.

The celebration feast was set up in the central plaza of the Shelter.

Nearly 8,000 people—Core Zone, outer city, military zone—everyone had come.

Tables were pushed together one after another, extending all the way to the edge of the plaza.

Chu Yanran led the kitchen team to show off their skills—

The Evolved Beast meat harvested from the beast tide, the top-tier ingredients from the system supplies, and the spices from the Everwinter World brought by Ling Shuanghan's Northern Border Army mixed together to create an unprecedented feast.

Steaming hot food emitted white smoke in the minus 120-degree air.

Like tiny little clouds.

Ji Wushuang and Murong Xueer sat together, and at some point, they began competing over who could eat more.

By the fifth bowl, Murong Xueer put down her chopsticks and conceded.

"Are you a Vermilion Bird or a Taotie?"

Ji Wushuang held her seventh bowl, her expression calm:

"This Empress consumes a lot when fighting."

Murong Xueer: "...Did you fight today?"

Ji Wushuang paused.

"No."

"Then what's the logic behind you eating seven bowls?"

"Pre-supplementing."

Murong Xueer: "..."

Ling Shuanghan sat next to Lin Yuan, eating quietly.

She ate three bowls of rice, two plates of meat, and one bowl of soup.

After eating, her expression remained calm.

But Ye Qingyue, sitting diagonally across, noticed the tips of her ears were slightly red.

Ye Qingyue lowered her head.

Silently noting this detail in her heart, she did not say it out loud.

Lin Yuan sat in the very center, with only a bowl of porridge and a plate of side dishes in front of him.

He ate very slowly, occasionally looking up to see the lively scene around him.

Ye Qingxue sat on his right, picked up a piece of meat for him, and said nothing.

Lin Yuan looked at her and ate the meat.

He didn't say thank you, nor did he say it was delicious.

But after a while, he actively picked up a piece himself.

Ye Qingxue lowered her head.

Taking a sip of soup, the arc of her mouth lifted slightly.

In the plaza, someone started singing.

It wasn't some tragic, epic song, just a common old song that had been popular before the Apocalypse.

But as they sang, the people nearby joined in.

Then more people.

The sound grew louder and more uniform.

In the minus 120-degree cold air, it scattered into a patch of white mist.

This was the liveliest night in the Shelter since the Apocalypse.

Lin Yuan sat in the center of the crowd, listening to those songs, and said nothing.

He just slowly finished the porridge in his hand.