Chapter 108: Antarctic Landing Operation

The Antarctic Expedition Team was the last of the Star-Bearer realm exploration teams to arrive. Although it had the highest number of players, it had the fewest number of Star-Bearers. Its primary leader was Li Ang, who claimed among the players that he had just had a stroke of good luck. And Li Ang was a notorious "iron beast" among the players.

Because there was no timely rescue during the initial Norsca rescue, and no team was even organized to save him after the war, Li Ang, while becoming a bridge between the Star-Bearers and the player teams, was a very unstable one.

For example, right now, although the Antarctic Expedition Team had the largest player scale, that was only because they stayed for the card draws and all sorts of strange benefits. Otherwise, who would stay on a ship for a month?

The Shipwreck Research Team, which had faster progress, had already begun establishing an exploration outpost on the ocean, starting to explore news regarding ancient shipwrecks and markers of some ancient cities. Some lucky players had even dug up a large chest of Gold Coins; in such a situation, expecting the Antarctic Expedition Team to be in a good mood was truly asking too much.

But relatively speaking, the reason the Antarctic Expedition Team had such abundant player resources was not solely because of Li Ang, that beastly player leader. It was because the Star-Bearers had promised that in every realm, players could apply to become the leaders of the local garrison factions.

And to be honest, the other regions were not exactly places where humans could stay.

They were, respectively, the Frozen Realm Wall with its ten-thousand-foot ice walls, the Thousand Sails Deep Dive which was simply on the sea, the volcanic crater deep within the Norsca Hell Peaks, the Chaos Fortress further north, and some teams that went to the Elf Outpost and the Dark Elf Archipelago; none of these looked like places that could give players any land.

Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, and coupled with the backstory of the Star-Bearers having once transformed the Arctic, the players decided that while developing Albion Island, they would also commit some teams and forces into Antarctica.

It could make money, and it could give the Star-Bearers some face, letting the final Antarctic team build up some momentum—why not? Moreover, many opportunists also believed that Antarctica, as a place where Chaos was rampant, must certainly be under the gaze of many Chaos Gods. As long as they performed well enough, or even if they didn't necessarily need that 10,000 Gold Coin guarantee, they could go and compete for destiny with those rich people.

Furthermore, the leader of the Antarctic Expedition Team was Li Ang. No matter how dissatisfied or beastly Li Ang was, he was still a player. A player was certainly living in reality, and everyone knew each other's roots.

If there was any major event or discussion, he could also follow along and bring it up. Those players who assassinated him had also been magnanimously beheaded directly instead of having their Souls sucked away.

This was enough to prove that Li Ang was indeed maintaining a certain degree of goodwill and had not become a traitor to humanity.

Or rather, Li Ang had operated many things from within. At least in the eyes of the players, although this guy spent his days in the captain's cabin banging Elf sisters, he had still done some real work.

For example, persuading the Star-Bearers to let the player teams take the right to land on the Antarctic coast for the first time, letting these people get the first wave of Performance Points. Another thing was letting the players play a role, and after establishing basic facilities and camps, letting the Star-Bearers build the protective barrier regarding the landing site.

Although it looked like just a small change, in essence, everyone knew clearly that this was sending good things to everyone.

One Performance Point per person, with a starting price of one silver coin—was that not loyal enough?

Although they knew that the first person to rush to the Antarctic beachhead would certainly be in danger, well, in this Old World, you had a certain amount of risk even if you just survived. Not to mention that they were even paying you money?

The players immediately and joyfully summarized some experiences and events, and finally decided to choose a player who had considerable experience advantages, was very familiar with various Chaos events, and could be considered an authority among the players to step out from the shadows and decide to preside over the current landing operation plan.

With long purple hair, and a face that was now completely that of a cute, soft girl, Edward was standing at the bow of the ship, blankly looking at the continent covered in black.

"This looks a bit too excessive..."

Edward, the leader of the first batch of players heading to the Antarctic region, took a breath, looked at the pale purple smoke he exhaled, and shook his head with some helplessness.

And this radiant image greatly boosted the morale of the accompanying players. Although the players now felt a burning sensation in their lungs just by inhaling some of the air coming from the Antarctic territory, out of trust in their own Undying Nature and the missions they carried, the players did not cry out.

But watching that dark continent gradually approach, and facing land that was almost the same color as the ocean, Edward still sighed in his heart.

Her view on this operation was not very optimistic; she even felt extremely pessimistic.

The players' tasks were numerous and complex, and they looked very repetitive.

Basically, it was going to XX coordinates to conduct exploration, then the XX team would conduct a re-check; if both sides matched after the re-check, they would anchor, and if they did not match, a third player team would be dispatched to inquire. After all three teams encountered problems, the Star-Bearers would conduct an inspection, and after confirming it was a Chaos zone, a bounty would be given.

Even if no special terrain was found, there would still be a bounty and Performance Points for normal records. And these Performance Points could be exchanged for the right to choose regarding the Golden Rune—this was the players' name for the golden Rune.

Everything was very orderly, and full of temptation, even making people feel heart-pounding.

However, Edward felt a sense of eeriness.

Ever since being blessed by the Chaos Gods, she often had such eerie feelings.

Sometimes she could even feel a strong torture in the real world, a kind of pain, a kind of indescribable despair and fatigue entangling her. Telling her that she was a man, not a woman.

In reality and in the otherworld, Edward, who had grown into an unimaginably beautiful person, enjoyed the pursuit of countless people. Almost every player, every person from the otherworld they met, would be shocked by her beauty and purity. Because it was truly a kind of innocent sweetness, as pure as if it had never been defiled by anyone.

However, Edward's inner self was a man. The more he experienced the convenience of his life, the more he felt a kind of panic.

It was as if the Edward of the past had never existed at all, and the current Edward was the truly real existence. She was already the most prestigious player. Except for Li Ang, that iron beast who used card draws and gambling methods to milk the Star-Bearers for Gold Coins, purely from the perspective of fame, Edward was already the highest one.

Those eyes as clear as crystal beneath the long purple hair, the trembling nasal sound in her breathing. And the habit of staring straight at the other person when speaking, as well as the habit of showing a brilliant smile and reaching out to shake hands and hug after confirming cooperation.

These personalities and actions on a man would be bold, generous, unconstrained, and look very approachable. But changed into such a cute girl, it was simply placing a bomb on people's hearts.

Edward had already lost count of how many love letters from men she had received, along with some letters with fervent wording.

They all believed that Edward's Soul was a gentle and timid woman, swearing to bring Edward out of purgatory, and to present Edward's beauty to everyone in the world, as if exhibiting some peerless treasure. Such actions instead caused a trace of rebellion to rise in Edward's withered heart.

She wanted to prove herself, to prove that she was still that legendary admiral, that commander of the player fleet. So she volunteered to join the Antarctic investigation and scientific expedition team, becoming the first and second in command of the player team together with Li Ang.

She worked hard to complete every one of her tasks, coordinating conflicts between player guilds, and even organized many team-building activities within this month, and even team-building in reality.

However, she had never invited Li Ang.

Because, upon seeing the golden Rune on Li Ang, she felt a trace of... fear.

This should have been impossible.

After accommodating the blessing from the Prince of Pleasure, Edward felt that she would never be afraid again in her life.

She just had a higher threshold for happiness, required more from the surrounding environment, and looked like a woman, starting to become sentimental, starting to treat things emotionally.

But what of it? She had transformed into an otherworldly existence, and no one could constrain her anymore. Yet, upon seeing that golden Rune, and those players who were glowing with golden light and saying something, she still felt a trace of fear.

That fear was like the embodiment of the ugliest thing on her, the thing she least wanted people to see.

He felt that those players in Hope City were whispering. Those players with golden patterns carved on their skin were now fighting demons and Warbands in Hope City, supporting war with war.

Those golden lunatics seemed to have separated themselves from the official, privately establishing a closed organization, and were secretly plotting something. When their brilliant eyes looked at Edward, the expression was not like looking at their own kin, but rather like looking at a plump, delicious prey that had gradually matured and could begin to be harvested.

Edward even had a part of the reason for wanting to leave Hope City, which was because she didn't want to see these extremely terrifying player individuals anymore.

But now, Li Ang also displayed such a performance.

Although he looked greedy for money and lustful, always talking about his past resume, and acting very angry, fully embodying the diversity of the Human species, there was always a voice in Edward's heart telling herself.

That was not his true appearance, that was not the real look of that guy. He was a monster lurking extremely deep. Even, whether the thing under that layer of human skin was even human was somewhat worrying. Behind that look of being greedy for money and lustful, what kind of terrible and terrifying thoughts were hidden?

Although she obtained the blessing of the God of Pleasure, allowing her to shuttle between the two worlds with her current appearance, Edward always felt that a huge void seemed to be spreading in her heart, a hungry crack seemed to be spreading silently in her heart, making him chase after fame and more powerful stimulation. Then, as Li Ang who was eroded by the Star-Bearers, what was he pursuing in his mind? Was he also able to feel this kind of fatigue and numbness coming from the Soul? Was he also pursuing some kind of destiny? Perhaps it was because of such thoughts that she would abandon everything and insist on pursuing the top position of this landing ship?

Watching the black coastline gradually approach, Edward's heart was in a mess, just watching helplessly as the ships began to be lowered in an orderly manner, starting to move toward the beach bit by bit.

The players' small boats carried various materials, starting to march toward the Antarctic Continent like ants in the dark ocean.

And as the leader of the landing plan, Edward tidied up her sentimental emotions, stood up, and prepared to follow into the small boat, driving it while carrying some wood for building a temporary pier, heading toward the dark continent. But just as Edward was about to walk down, a pair of players glanced at each other, each stretched out their palms, and blocked Edward's path.

"Miss Edward..."

"Just call me Edward."

Looking at the two players blocking in front of her, Edward raised her eyebrows.

"Is there something you need by stopping me? This is a very important moment. If you want autographs, please wait until the specific tasks are finished, and I will sign them for you, alright?"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Edward. We were paid to deliver a message from Li Ang."

"Li Ang? What does that guy want to say?"

"'The Star-Bearers told me that the first player fleet is about to die, and it's all your fault. Can't you use your Prince of Pleasure aura to shield the players' ships? Or do you have to be scolded by me before you'll use your brain?' Those were his exact words."

"Wha—"

Edward's beautiful eyes were filled with fury, but before she could say anything, a sudden change occurred.

The player ships, which had been advancing steadily and had even reached the continental shelf area, were suddenly struck by a layer of dark sea waves that rolled up out of thin air from the ocean as they headed toward the beach.

The strange waves were not large, but they were cruel enough, possessing a unique, cunning quality that seemed not to belong to the mortal world. They leaped from the seabed in an instant, tearing the player fleet to shreds in the blink of an eye like a predator. The first beachhead fleet was wiped out without even making a sound.

Watching everything that happened in just a few short seconds, Edward could only stare in a daze, completely unaware that such a thing would happen.

"Wh-why is it like this? This isn't scientific! Why would there be such huge waves in such a shallow place?!"

'Are you still living in this world without realizing what's happening? The wrath of the gods, my God-Chosen. You received the grace of the gods before I did, and you still don't know what's going on?'

In front of the stunned Edward, a projection appeared instantly.

Served by two Elf sisters, Li Ang, wearing a bathrobe and wiping his hair, was swirling a red wine glass, looking at the shocked Edward with disdain.

The relationship between the two of them had never been good. Back then, Edward had made empty promises and nearly tricked Li Ang into working for free in the Hell Peaks. Therefore, someone as greedy and lustful as Li Ang was not at all deceived by Edward's slightly parted lips and breathtakingly beautiful appearance; instead, he started his insults head-on.

'Is your head just there for decoration? The higher-ups told us to cooperate with you, and this is how you cooperate with me, damn it??'

'I emphasized long ago that the Antarctic Continent has deep Chaos pollution. You should either bring anti-Chaos golden Runes or bring Chaos Runes. Otherwise, something will go wrong sooner or later. Did you treat my words as wind in your ears?'

'I patted my chest and guaranteed to the big brothers of the Star-Bearers that the players wouldn't mess up, which is why I brought you here. In the end, you go and cause a huge mess for me right away. Are you afraid that the status of us players is too high, and you want to suppress it to avoid overshadowing your master? If you can do the job, do it; if you can't, go back and be a vase. You're a piece of trash who can't do anything anyway.'

"..."

The surrounding players looked at each other, watching Edward trembling with rage, and shrugged at one another with tacit understanding.

The discord between Li Ang and Edward was famous among all players. After all, Edward used to boast about being the number one player, throwing out empty promises everywhere; it was understandable that she was now being "pua'd" into waking up and being scolded.

However, many people felt pity for Edward, especially since Li Ang appeared so hateful and detestable. Many people made statements, feeling that it was a bit excessive for a man like Li Ang to be so extreme toward a girl. Yet, Li Ang's response was very simple.

The surrounding players, faced with this scene, kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, pretending they saw nothing.

Edward was silent, just keeping her head down in silence. But the surrounding player fleet discovered that a pale purple mist seemed to be emanating from the player ship where Edward was located.

The sea conditions, which had been as malicious as a child, seemed frightened and immediately subsided in the face of the pale purple mist. The invisible Veil shrouding the Antarctic region seemed confused as well upon contacting the pale purple mist, wondering whether or not to let these people in.

Only Edward knew nothing; this pure person took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

"... What are the Star-Bearers doing now?"

"They seem to be planning to build a landing base with that guy Li Ang; we just heard."

A player who looked very honest said softly: "They said they want to purify the Winds of Magic and then rebuild a landing point city... In the absence of that Witch King, they said the situation is not optimistic. It might take two or three months to establish a preliminary base. The entire Antarctic island is covered in Chaos Wind, and it takes time to break through it by force."

"Is that so? Then that's easy to handle. Let's build our docks and infrastructure in two or three days! I want to see what that piece of trash who relies on good luck to throw his weight around can actually do to me!"

Edward, her eyes red with rage, slapped the cabin wall.

As a God-Chosen of the Prince of Pleasure, the girl's angry, twisted face contained unimaginable brute strength, and she punched through the wood of the cabin with one slap. But there was no time for pity; Edward just glared at everything around her, screaming to express her intense thoughts.

"It's just a so-called barrier! Who isn't a God-Chosen! I don't believe that a ship belonging to the God-Chosen of the Prince of Pleasure can't make it to Antarctica!"

"He, Li Ang, a student by background, a Norsca slave who was deprived of his personal freedom—what right does he have to throw his weight around here!"

"When I went to surrender to the Star-Bearers, he was still playing hide-and-seek in the Hell Peaks!"

"Follow me! I'll lead you out!"

It's just a naturally occurring Chaos barrier; watch me shatter it with the power of an inside agent! Edward looked at the people around her and let out a cute roar, and then the pale purple mist around her body became increasingly dense.

Some invisible will seemed to see this scene and, dissatisfied, intended to reach out a branch to do something. But the moment that invisible will was about to descend upon the fleet, the golden main battleship suddenly shone with brilliant light, and the Rune representing the Destruction Brand flashed with light for an unknown reason.

And Li Ang, sitting in his chair watching the ocean gradually shrouded in pale purple mist, shrugged.

"Antarctic landing operation successful."

"You really are full of wicked humor, my lord."

"Just call me Li Ang, Oliver."

"Yes, Lord Li Ang."

As one of Li Ang's bodyguards, Oliver stood calmly in the cabin, watching Edward, whose physique had even begun to change due to anger and abnormally intense emotions, without the slightest change in his expression.

Whether she revealed a sweet and pure expression like an innocent girl, or like now, an angry outburst of her Slaanesh God-Chosen aura that began to change the surrounding environment, or in the near future, when this skin would be completely torn apart by the evil god's joke, Oliver would not change.

Because in front of him, his master, shrouded in radiance, was admiringly watching everything before him.

"Look, this is great. Before they attack our team, they will definitely have to kill all the demons of the Prince of Pleasure internally. Even if they know I'm the one who brought people in, they still have to make choices and confront them. So, many times, demons only need a pretext to fight, and we can easily move in."

Look, their monolithic sorcery already has cracks.

Watching the player fleet reorganizing on the sea level, the smile on Li Ang's face grew increasingly happy.

Reached the limit... ten thousand is the limit for today... I write too slowly... I even slept for a few hours halfway through, I'm really sorry. I feel like my biological clock is a bit messed up. I will try to adjust it and update at six in the evening. It's Saturday today, I have nothing to do, it should be fine... Sigh, I don't feel very confident, at most ten thousand words these few days. I'm really sorry.

(End of chapter)