abnormal mutation

Chapter 7 Lord of Order
Outside the door, everything was a vast expanse of white, with towering ancient trees covered in snow as far as the eye could see. There was no sign of any living creature, and one could not see very far, nor did one know where one was.

Roland was deeply shocked, and a sense of insignificance and loneliness welled up in his heart, along with a faint feeling of despair.

He knew it was all an illusion. Countless creatures lived in this snowfield, and there were more than just one or two towns inhabited by humans. Perhaps he would see smoke rising from chimneys and signs of human habitation just around the corner.

Clutching his skis, he trudged through a meter-deep snow, searching for higher ground around the hut. The snow that had fallen the night before was too loose; he needed a gentle slope or higher ground to get into a skiing state.

"If only we had sleds." He turned to look at the two wolves, who seemed relaxed, and said thoughtfully.

They don't sink very deep, and can even glide using their glossy fur. They can easily leap more than two meters into the air, and they aren't afraid of the cold. They are perfectly adapted to the harsh environment here.

Roland decided to go back and make his own sled. While others used sled dogs, he would use a giant wolf, maximizing the emotional impact.

The hunter's cabin was located in a sheltered spot, with its wooden door facing east. To the north were two giant trees, and to the south was a slope. Roland could see it as soon as he went out and walked around. He rushed up to it, and the sunlight poured down, enveloping him completely.

He squinted, the golden sunlight warming his face like a pair of gentle hands caressing his cheeks, melting away the gloom in his heart with its tenderness.

After adjusting for a while, he looked south and was met with a huge, golden-red sun filling the sky. It was so enormous, appearing to be at least a hundred times the size of the sun, crowding out a large portion of the sky and giving him a sense of overwhelming pressure.

Despite inheriting the original owner's memories, Roland was still stunned and stood frozen in place upon first seeing him.

"This is the head of the Nine Pillars, the Lord who ended chaos and enlightened the world's order, the supreme Father of all Gods, the ever-burning eye of the world, the source of light and hope..." He recited the beginning of the Thanksgiving prayer fluently.

The original owner was a general believer in the Lord of Order, who frequently attended worship services and occasionally enjoyed free bread and frozen fish. The late priest treated him very well and tried several times to adopt him as his godson, but he declined.

The Enneads are the main religion of the Sid Empire and neighboring countries, with a wide distribution of followers. They are considered orthodox gods and have a significant influence in the secular world. In addition to the Enneads, there are numerous other major and minor gods, and the faith base is also quite strong. There are more than a dozen churches in the small town of Glacier.

In his previous life, Roland was an atheist, but he still frequently worshipped the God of Wealth and his ancestors. Now, living in a mysterious and unpredictable other world, he dared not speak or worship recklessly; maintaining reverence was never wrong.

After a long while, he calmed himself down, found a good spot, and firmly tied his fur skis and snow boots together. Then he checked again whether his hat, face mask, and leg guards were secure. Finally, holding his ski poles, he leaped down the snow slope.

The fur-lined skis landed lightly, kicking up plumes of snow. Roland leaned forward, knees slightly bent, using gravity and momentum to accelerate faster and faster. The surrounding scenery rushed past, the wind whistling in his ears, creating an incredibly exhilarating experience.

"Whoosh-"

He leaned forward, his skis creating a wave of snow as he gracefully circled a large tree. Skiing was the original owner's forte, but Roland reacted even faster and felt confident he could do it better.

"Awoo..." Kili and Freych sensed their master's mood and excitedly responded, jumping around their master.

Roland's target was the Iron Axe Sawmill north of Glacier Town. He ordered his two wolves to search the area thoroughly, leaving no potential hiding place unchecked. His plan was to wipe out Ugly Bear's accomplices and weaken White Bear's forces.

The original owner had worked at the Iron Axe Sawmill and was quite familiar with the area, but was unfamiliar with the forests and snowfields further north. He relied entirely on a compass and headed south, leaving everything else to chance.

The blizzard had covered up all previous traces, and the snowfield was not safe, so Roland had to remain vigilant at all times and could not move very fast.

Along the way, he found many signs of animal activity. If he hadn't been busy, he would have loved to hunt a few and take them back with him—that's money!

'Being a hunter isn't bad; it's easier than selling charcoal and frozen fish,' Roland thought to himself. Hunting was a high-risk profession in Ice River Town; even with the assistance of hunting rifles and dogs, the mortality rate remained high. But the rewards were high; many rare plants and animals could only be found in the snowfields, making it a highly sought-after profession.

More than an hour later, the surrounding environment gradually changed. The snow layer thinned, the trees became sparser, and other colors began to enter the field of vision in addition to the white snow. This made Roland feel a little familiar.

"It seems... we've gone astray."

He took off his mask in distress and shook off the ice and snow on it forcefully.

Before me lay a vast expanse of dark, barren land with hardly any snow. In some places, smoke was rising from the ground, which looked quite dirty due to its uneven surface. Several square wooden houses stood atop a few hills.

This is a mine in the northeast of Binghe Town, producing hexagonal spodumene, one of the town's four pillar industries. Due to the special properties of spodumene, the area around the mine is very hot and free of snow, making it easy to spot.

In just a short while, the garrison at the mine spotted Roland. Not daring to linger, he pretended to be a hunter coming down from the mountains, bowing and scraping from a distance, looking cowardly as he turned and left.

Heading southwest, about ten minutes later, a wide road covered in snow came into view, winding its way from north to south.

This is Waterner Avenue, which connects Glacier Town and the sawmill, and stretches northwest into the forest. All the felled timber is transported along this road to the sawmill, where it is processed and then transferred to Glacier Town.

Due to the frigid weather, railways could not be built, and timber was still transported using the relatively primitive method of reindeer sleds.

Locals usually choose this route when entering the snowfield. You can ride with peace of mind, without worrying about sudden tree stumps, rocks, or fallen logs. Wild animals will not easily approach this route unless they are starving.

Once Roland arrived, he felt confident. As a native of the area, he knew this place very well.

Heading south along the main road, after turning over a towering snow slope, a massive factory suddenly comes into view, with several tall chimneys puffing out black smoke and the faint roar of steam turbines in the air.

The factory buildings and walls were painted bright red, a striking red that stood out against the vast snowfield, bringing a sense of warmth to the heart.

"This is it."

Looking at the black smoke and busy workers not far away, Roland felt as if he were in another world.

The sawmill is open to everyone, and there's nothing too secretive about it. The south gate also openly sells wood scraps; you can take away a lot for just a few cents, but the downside is that you have to transport them yourself.

The raw materials for the charcoal sold at "Roland's House" are basically obtained from this source.

The current situation is somewhat unexpected for Roland; he never imagined the sawmill would actually be back in operation. As a government-run organization, they've never been particularly diligent, and taking a day or two off after a blizzard is normal practice.

The factory suddenly started operating, and with so many people around, Roland wouldn't dare rush in and kill anyone, even if he had ten lives. The Hitler Empire had been powerful for over a thousand years, and its influence still lingered; no one dared to provoke it.

Roland had the two wolves hide, while he crouched behind a dead tree, quietly observing the factory.

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(End of this chapter)