You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

[Polar Expedition Team No. 2 confirms a major geographical discovery: the Arctic Ocean]

We reached the northernmost point and prayed to God amidst the aurora borealis—a truly wondrous sight, yet it pales in comparison to even a fraction of the divine intervention that comes with it.

However, dangers lurk in the distance; traces of pollutants can be found.

really.

Ordinary geographical explorations are not worth recording in a leader's log; they are specifically marked as representing cognitive expansion.

Feng Tianyin was slightly taken aback. Compared with the world "Earth Online" in the database, the "Siberian Permafrost" here was obviously not that exaggerated in area, at least half the size. Relatively speaking, the location of Daqian was actually further north.

She was certain that the south was more expansive, and that the other side of that inland sea was also vast.

Heaven has bestowed upon us a realm of benevolence and righteousness, but also a more intense world. Civilization can develop relatively easily, but it will also erupt into fierce friction.

It's better to have less rotten land.

This means that Feng Tianyin has to re-evaluate the strategic value of the North. If it were permafrost, there would be no need for in-depth development, but now it has been confirmed that the permafrost area is not that large, and there may be shipping lanes, tribes, etc. along the Arctic Ocean coast.

"That's good news, but we'll have to wait until they get back to know the specifics."

A month later.

When Linchun welcomed Expedition Team No. 2, they learned that:

The entire crew was exposed to subspace contamination.

The priests immediately presided over a blessing ceremony and various medical treatments, and they were busy with treatment for another month, but the condition continued to deteriorate.

Due to the limited medical resources on the grasslands, they eventually had to move to Xiayi for treatment.

But in reality, it's gambling.

The arduous journey from the Great Wall to the capital was enough to kill any patient, but the expedition team agreed nonetheless. Not because they believed there was any hope, but because they wanted to see their homeland one last time.

They arrived in Xiayi along with a large amount of research records.

Even though Feng Tianyin personally intervened to treat the patient after a long absence, it was difficult to stop the organ failure, and the optimal period for rescue had long passed.

As if they had barely managed to complete their mission, the pioneers fell into eternal sleep a week after returning.

The long and arduous expedition has come to an end.

............

Springtime of the 50th anniversary of the Enlightenment.

Far beyond Xia Yi, in a land thousands of miles away, the boundless frozen waters roared beneath the ice, and fierce winds swept through like knives. Amidst the heavy snow, a barbarian in a fur cloak arrived, riding a sled pulled by eight huskies.

The man stepped off the sled, his empty eyes gazing into the distance, a flash of iridescent light in his pupils.

Xia He was watching.

As the next round approached, she learned of another outbreak of subspace contamination and immediately switched to first-person perspective, possessing the body of an Eskimo and venturing deep into the Arctic.

The geographical term "extreme northern permafrost zone" is quite apt, according to Daqian.

When she initially chose to start on the continent, she was very gentle, significantly adjusting the proportions of desert and frozen land to minimize the presence of the worst of the worst lands.

That's right.

Only then can more brilliant civilizations be born.

The continent where the Great Qian Dynasty is located is modeled after Eurasia, but there are differences. For example, the area of ​​"Siberian permafrost" is relatively small. If the Arctic Ocean is enlarged slightly, it will be less likely to freeze, which will be enough to open up more stable shipping routes in the future.

Even the temperature wasn't that cold, because the summer foliage made the cyclone above this frozen land relatively warm, so it wouldn't blow cold winds all the time.

However, due to the lack of sunlight at high latitudes, one should still be careful when walking on the thick snow.

Even after the winter when the wind and snow have decreased, it still gives people a strong sense of danger.

"It would be nice as a travel simulator too."

Xia He's eyes lit up behind the screen. The feeling of being surrounded by the vast world was truly exhilarating. The barbarian who possessed her was temporarily protected by divine power and remained unmoved. She had reached a distant place that ordinary people could not reach and witnessed the magnificent scenery:

aurora.

A bluish-green band of light stretched across the sky, cutting through the firmament, dancing with the magnetic field of the planets in the wind, connecting heaven and earth, making one feel the insignificance of humankind.

Life is too short, and there are so many sights we haven't had time to see.

The universe is vast, so civilization always strives to reach it, because civilization begins with the curiosity of gazing at the stars.

"Many years ago, the naked apes in the East African Rift Valley also gazed at the sky in this way."

After a moment of reflection, Xia He looked around, then decided it was time to get down to business. Since they were investigating subspace contamination, where should they begin? How should they start? She only sensed a faint reaction.

"Woof woof woof"

"Bruce, what did you find?"

She didn't know how the barbarians called these huskies, so she just called them whatever came to mind.

But the sled dogs responded enthusiastically, their eyes pointing to a patch of snow in the distance, where a figure appeared to be lying down.

The skilled and daring possessed figure quickly stepped forward.

The possessed body stepped forward and was shocked to discover the remains of the members of the Great Qian Expedition Team.

Pollution!

The frozen face was contorted with madness, muscles bulging, veins standing out, limbs twisted and outstretched. Moreover, similar corpses lay nearby, suggesting a bloody battle that had ultimately wiped out the entire group.

Continuing the search, relevant log reports were indeed found.

"...They were the first adventure team from the Great Qian Dynasty to arrive here, and the team that was ultimately identified as missing."

According to the message, the ones who died from terminal illness upon returning were supposed to be the second group that arrived and the first group that returned. Unfortunately, they were already contaminated, which ultimately led to the sacrifice of all of them.

Feng Tianyin presided over the elaborate funeral.

Furthermore, the news of the explorers' stiff and terrifying appearance before their deaths was kept secret.

She will not allow rumors that might dampen enthusiasm for exploration to emerge. Humans are brave, but bravery needs to be nurtured, cultivated, and guided.

Therefore, the temple's leadership, on the one hand, blocked the news, and on the other hand, they publicized and commended the family members with great fanfare, gave them a state-level funeral, rewarded them with a large sum of money, and promoted their descendants, which was enough to protect their descendants.

Fortunately, at least the second expedition team survived a week back in Xiayi and was commended.

The group of people in front of Xia He were not so lucky.

"It's probably because the pollution had already occurred once, leaving relatively little room for the second wave of pollution, so they took precautions in advance."

Misfortune and fortune are intertwined.

The sacrifices of our predecessors paved the way for those who came after; their efforts were not in vain.

There's no need to worry about whether the subspace pollution will return to Xiayi with the second expedition team. The High Priest's abundant spiritual energy alone is enough to dispel evil spirits. The title of "the most virtuous place" is not just a figure of speech.

Even setting aside the small robot...

The remaining celestial phenomena over there were enough to shatter the tentacles of the subspace, annihilating them completely.

Xia He controlled the man to take the spear from his back and scanned the snow. Sure enough, they found bloodstains and the remains of a weapon, further confirming their suspicions...

"Wang Woo!"

Suddenly, a mournful howl came from the husky behind them, and almost simultaneously, a spear was thrust out.

The zombie that grabbed the dog's tail had its head pierced through, its brains splattering everywhere, and a wisp of polluted spiritual energy completely dissipated.

The barbarian weapons, in theory, shouldn't be able to shatter a skull with a single blow, but Xia He managed to do so under his control. Miracles happen with brute force; a single strike made these contaminated objects disappear.

Unfortunately, there were constant sounds of breaking and shattering all around.

Monsters continue to emerge from the frozen soil that has been sealed for thousands of years. They bar their fangs and howl like ghosts. These are the corrupted [Family] wild monsters.

Dozens or even hundreds of them surrounded the sled dogs and the driver.

The husky barked incessantly, protecting its owner in the center, its fur standing on end and its fangs bared.

"Wang Wang!"

"Bruce, well done, but you don't need to lift a finger."

Xia He didn't hesitate to connect to the combat module. In an instant, the mod loaded and activated, adopting a top-down view controlled by the user. The barbarians in their animal-hide coats assumed their stances, gripping their spears tightly, their imposing presence overwhelming.

She has switched to a controller to deal with enemies with a higher skill ceiling.

The members of the clan were stunned for a moment. Their biological instincts told them that something was wrong. Why had the other party's rank suddenly risen so high?

Click!

The spear swept across, creating a powerful gust of wind, and heads fell to the ground.

This single attack instantly killed four monsters, causing them to vanish completely. Normally, this weapon would have very limited lethality against familiars, but under Xia He's control, it became an invincible divine weapon.

The remaining members of the family, though lightly dressed, were not afraid and launched an attack from behind.

Turn around and carry the spear!

With the long pole resting on his shoulder, he simultaneously lunged and turned, unleashing a surge of power that pierced through their chests, continuing his momentum as he swept through three men. At the same time, he lifted one hand and hurled the three unfortunate souls, sending them crashing like cannonballs onto his accomplices.

The impact even created large craters in the frozen ground, with snowflakes falling and cries of agony filling the air.

The sled dogs beside them all showed human-like expressions of shock. Wait, how did our owner suddenly become so strong?

"Roar!"

The surviving monsters are still charging.

Xia He, who understood the game mechanics, knew that these guys were extremely troublesome and would fight to the death, which couldn't be explained by common sense. Therefore, she had to be ruthless and completely wipe them out to prevent them from corrupting future generations.

The next moment, she controlled the main character to turn around, lower herself to fire, fire in mid-air, and fire horizontally in quick succession.

The three attacks, unleashed simultaneously with terrifying force and flashing light, unleashed a surge of psionic energy from the end of ancient times, seemingly sweeping across the land alongside the aurora borealis—

boom!

The entire family within a radius of 100 meters was wiped out in an instant.

They were like shattered ice sculptures, completely destroyed and unrecognizable, none of them survived.

A few scattered members of the clan in the distance finally realized they were fleeing, but they hadn't regained their senses. Instead, the hazy, warp-like thoughts behind them sensed something was wrong. This is bad, they couldn't be killed; this kind of annihilation was different—

Whoosh!

Xia He raised her gun and threw it, piercing through the last survivor with a single blow, and a mournful cry echoed from the distant subspace.