[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283488,4467,"Chapter 10: Chapter Nine: Pure Pragmatism","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>From the perspective of the Enos Kingdom, the Ice Sea can also be called the North Sea. Departing from Wendeng Harbor and heading northeast, one soon enters this sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the name suggests, the Ice Sea is named for its floating shards of ice; the smaller pieces are barely enough to fill a barrel, while the larger ones can barely be called icebergs. Meanwhile, because ships of this era have abysmal speeds, by fortunate accident, there will be no couples on deck shouting, “You jump, I jump.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst case is merely colliding with a miniature iceberg at night, requiring wooden planks to patch the hull and buckets to bail out the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thirty-plus days of smooth sailing, the medieval Gospel Warrior Frank successfully set foot on the ice plain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this brief span of over a month, this future priest endured trials unlike any in his past life: first severe seasickness, then violent diarrhea after eating fish caught by the crew. Finally, as they neared the north, temperatures plummeted, and he realized the clothes he had imagined bringing were utterly insufficient against such cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, William still had a few furs left. He sold them to Frank and his attendants at a true friend’s price—three kingdom silver coins per fur. This price was so honest it was hard to say it didn’t carry a hint of guilt over sending someone to their death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These experiences were decidedly unfriendly, but William soon realized he had seriously underestimated the boy. This seemingly delicate missionary somehow endured—while his attendants clung to the mast vomiting and defecating, Frank clutched his holy scripture tightly. William had even prepared a contingency plan: if Frank changed his mind midway, he’d refund half the fare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not been too nauseated to speak, William believed Frank would have loudly recited the classic passages of the saint’s suffering—though his disheveled appearance made him far less saintly than when he had set out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he set foot on the ice plain, this missionary earned the basic respect of all aboard, at least enough for them to witness his faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of respect for his faith, William decided once again to try changing his mind. After all, watching a decent man blindly throw himself into this unreasonable place was psychologically hard to accept. The ticket money was already in hand; given this substantial income, a little extra effort wouldn’t hurt—and it might even gain him another contact back home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this thought, William personally supported Frank, whose steps were unsteady, as he stepped off the ship onto the crude dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was less a dock than a stone wall built along the shoreline from scattered rocks, meant only to mark a relatively safe anchoring spot amid the vast coast. Large black stones were packed with smaller stones and soil; from afar, they formed a shape, but up close, you could easily believe it was nature’s own handiwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of furry figures had already waited on the dock. Their faces bore unrecognizable painted patterns, and their full-body fur suits—made of material equivalent to plate armor—had stitching so crude it was nearly nonexistent, yet their practical value here was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing William’s party disembark, they did not lower their weapons. One man, noticeably taller than his companions, stepped forward and embraced William in a bear hug with genuine bear-fur texture, greeting him in fluent Wendeng Harbor Enos dialect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah ha, William! What a surprise—you’re two full days early!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” William replied, waving to Frank behind him to come forward. The attendant, still weak from vomiting on the ship, leaned on his sword and eyed the giant warily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Bjorn,” William told Frank. “His name means ‘as strong as a bear.’ All these dozen or so people answer to him. By the way, did you study the language of the snow plains before coming to preach? Let me tell you—he’s an exception.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine. The first step was already blocked. William hadn’t expected Frank to have considered this at all. It made sense—he probably thought Enos was some universal language, or simply didn’t consider coming to the ice plain as leaving home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was perfect—it had a striking deterrent effect. William turned his back to Frank and gave Bjorn the ice plain’s fist-strike-down gesture, meant as a warning, then continued: “This man wishes to introduce his god to you. Please explain the rules here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bjorn understood the gesture: “Simple. We ice dwellers have few rules—just complete our traditional ritual. Let’s load the goods onto the sled and head back.” He pulled a large sled made of rare ice plain wood and began unloading cargo from the ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frank thought Bjorn made it sound simple—until they arrived and realized the only simple part was explaining the procedure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From this coastal settlement, looking deeper into the ice plain, one saw barren, snow-covered land. At the horizon, abrupt mountains rose like waves. This natural boundary divided the true primitive ice plain from the relatively milder region beyond the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their wall-building method resembled that of the Enos Kingdom, but omitted wooden structures entirely, adopting dome-shaped dwellings like snow houses. One reason was the scarcity of vegetation—only low shrubs and moss grew here. Another was that in a place perpetually below freezing, there was no need to worry about clay crumbling or rain loosening stones—only blizzards mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After unloading the sled, Bjorn pointed to a black rock taller than the houses beside the settlement: “See that big black rock over there? That’s where the ritual begins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid Frank and his attendant’s puzzled stares, he suppressed a grin and explained the ice plain’s religious tradition: It was universally known that survival on the ice plain had always been the greatest challenge, and all religious practice revolved around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, to prove your god worthy of worship, you must show your god grants powerful survival ability. The old custom required departing from a tribal-designated point—naked, unarmed, with no water or food—and marching toward the distant mountains. Within those black-rock mountains lay countless caves; deep inside, you’d find “living stone.” Bring back a piece as proof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The duration varied by tribe’s distance to the mountains, lasting from several months to a year. Tribes would democratically select a few individuals to follow from afar as witnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for “living stone,” according to Bjorn, it was nearly identical to most ice plain rocks—the same black stone used for building, for marking departure points, for forming the mountains. Its difference lay in one undeniable trait: you could instantly tell it was “alive,” and it could only be found deep within mountain caves. Once chipped off, it would die within days, and only witnesses present could verify it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You enter a cave of your own choosing once you arrive. Your god will guide you. No one follows you down—it’s hard to get out once inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You ask how one survives without clothes, tools, or food? The ice plain isn’t devoid of animals. Use the power your god grants you to take from them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you complete this ritual and prove your god truly grants the power to survive, the tribe will build you the strongest house as a divine messenger. The living stone you bring back will be embedded in the wall as proof of the miracle. Thirty years ago, the old shaman received a revelation from the Stone God and completed this feat under the witness of several trusted warriors, and thus the entire tribe converted to the Stone God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he died, his successor must also undergo this ritual. But since those truly touched by the divine are exceedingly rare, most tribes remain without faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, William had never heard this before. He glanced at Bjorn with suspicion, signaling whether he was exaggerating too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t look at me—I speak nothing but truth. We never joke about this.” He gestured to the difference in their physiques and laughed. “Honestly, I never imagined a Northerner attempting this ritual—yet from what I know, even among your many priests, how many truly possess divine power like our old shaman?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1352,"2026-06-20T02:15:55.761Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d1b020767fdbbda9b130f70b57a4085712ea674270bc526711738fa4ef5b539d","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-11","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-9",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]