Chapter 684: Chapter 451: Terrifying Snow Accumulation, Driving Practice

"First start... then push the Tier 3 power lever..."

"Preheat the drill machine..."

"This is the gear for the drill machine, and these levers are for the power gears..."

"The main control lever is used to control the direction. When drilling, the rear tracks will lift and tilt to a certain degree."

"The center of gravity is on the drill at the front, which will drill downwards at a certain angle."

"Returning to the surface or changing directions is done the same way..."

Thanks to the golden annotations, Zong Shen quickly grasped the functions of these control mechanisms.

At the same time, he also gained some understanding of how to operate the [Magic Energy Drilling Machine].

"Let me give it a try then..."

Zong Shen started the magic energy core and pushed open the Tier 3 power lever.

Amidst the friction sounds from the transmission parts, the machine started vibrating continuously.

A few seconds later, the vibrations stabilized, and the unpleasant friction noise disappeared.

Only a stable "teng teng" sound was coming from the magic energy core.

Zong Shen began to push the main control lever, moving eastward, leaving the central district from the city gate.

There is a large open space here where this novice driver can boldly experiment.

The thick snow couldn’t stop the advancement of the magic energy drilling machine.

The front drill only needed the lowest gear power to penetrate the snow, with almost negligible durability loss, as the snow posed no resistance in front of the drill.

Additionally, the glass dome of the cockpit had a mystery. In the snowstorm, the glass dome could heat automatically, quickly melting the snow on its surface, not obstructing the forward view, and maintaining a consistent temperature inside the cockpit.

This machine could indeed travel through thick snow, and it wasn’t slow either.

If Zong Shen were braver, he could even control the drill machine to break through the several-decimeter-thick ice layer for an even bolder travel method.

According to previous information, its drill could even break granite and, at times, serve as a special vehicle for clearing obstacles, drilling through buildings directly.

However, the drill’s durability would rapidly decrease when facing harder objects.

The drill on the drilling machine can be replaced, but it can only be obtained from certain workshops in the giant cities of the Human Race and goblin cities.

After confirming the feasibility of traveling with the drilling machine, Zong Shen was relieved.

Although this machine could only seat two people, that was enough for him.

At least he wouldn’t miss the third stage of the Frosty Winter Treasure Chest.

At most, he’d have to put in a little more effort and open a few less chests.

He knew his own strength wasn’t weak, and he carried several summoning skills with him.

Calling upon Aisha or Doris, who came with large-scale offensive and support skills, to accompany him, extinguishing three or five groups of Icefield Monsters and opening some treasure chests wouldn’t be an issue.

As for Frosty Snow Beasts, once the third stage begins, their numbers will likely dwindle significantly.

The surviving great lords alone can take out more than half of them within this time.

Zong Shen had grown tired of the Frosty Snow Beasts after two days of hunting.

Especially after encountering the incident of them collectively freezing yesterday.

So his focus for now remains on the Frosty Winter Treasure Chests and Icefield Monsters refreshed in the third stage.

Only 1000 Frosty Winter Treasure Chests will fall in each region.

These treasure chests are not only comparable to Silver Treasure Chests in terms of rewards, but they also provide a fixed 500 points of bonus.

Plus, defeating the guarding Icefield Monsters will also earn some points.

Overall, it’s far more profitable than just killing Frosty Snow Beasts.

The biggest challenge in the present and next stages is actually about traveling.

Once the traveling issue is resolved, the rest is about testing Zong Shen’s personal combat skills.

In terms of strength, Zong has never conceded to anyone.

Judging by his current overall strength, he is entirely capable of soloing Orange Dominator Level Monsters.

The only drawback is that he can’t travel in groups, so searching for the Frosty Winter Treasure Chests is much less efficient.

However, no matter what, Zong Shen now still has more advantages than most lords in the region, satisfying travel and strength conditions.

He can still venture out actively to find treasure chests.

While other lords can only rely on luck, hoping the Frosty Winter Treasure Chests fall near their territory, or take greater risks to venture out.

Confirming the [Magic Energy Drilling Machine] is indeed effective, Zong Shen’s mood lifted greatly.

Yesterday’s emotional turbulence was cast far away.

He drove the drilling machine repeatedly on the open land next to his territory.

Completely mastering the relevant driving techniques, even attempting ice and ground drilling.

He practiced for over an hour until dawn before returning to the Lord’s Small Tower.

Now, Zong Shen could proficiently operate the drilling machine.

This thing was a Rare Level magic energy mecha, with a magic energy core more powerful than that of the Burden-Bearer Mecha, adding to its lack of additional load, allowing it to maintain a speed of 30~35 km/h in the snow.

Zong Shen replenished the consumed magic energy to full before putting it away.

By the time he returned to the small building, it was already past seven in the morning.

Marie, Wenresa, Luna, Madeleine, and Mapple were already awake.

In the kitchen, hot porridge was being cooked in pottery jars, with sausages heating in a nearby iron pot.

The ladies had already prepared breakfast, now chatting enthusiastically in the living room.

The breakfast in the kitchen was specially left for Zong Shen.

Seeing Zong Shen return, the women hurriedly got up and gathered around him.

They brushed the snow off his body, took off his battle helmet and cloak.

Just like maids would.

"My lord, where have you been?"

Luna asked curiously, as Zong Shen’s woman, she was a bit more forward.

In response, Zong Shen only smiled slightly and walked slowly towards the kitchen.

As he reached the long table, he finally responded.

"I went to try driving the [Magic Energy Drilling Machine]."

"It can travel easily on ice and snow."

"But besides the driver, there’s only one passenger seat left."

He said while walking into the kitchen, his voice becoming somewhat unclear.

Taking out some clean utensils, Zong Shen stood in place and began enjoying breakfast.

Currently, the snow outside was very severe, and the blizzard would continue for more than two hours before stopping.

His subjects were not suitable for going out, so Zong Shen didn’t have any tasks to assign to them.

The only task for everyone now was to stay in the house and avoid harm from the Frosty Winter climate, safely welcoming the upcoming third stage.

As long as they endure the next 24 hours of the third stage, the Frosty Winter Challenge will be completely over.

It’s just unclear when the next challenge will arrive.

According to Chen Rui, the next one might involve a hot climate challenge.

Then, there’s a chance for a three-day buffer period like this Frosty Winter Challenge.

During these three days, Zong Shen can take in refugees, preparing to build a large pasture with Master Mars.

Meanwhile, he could address the Griffin’s Nest issue, then head to Boss Bang to set up a teleportation array and explore the Lion Knight’s ruins with Baron Bezos.

He could also allocate some population to start excavating the ruins beneath the Bandit Camp.

As for the Goblin Tribe and Little Black Dragon matters, they can be postponed.

Heat isn’t like Frosty Winter, which causes freezing and snowing.

They wouldn’t need to wear heavy coats, nor would they float atop ice in the eyes of the indigenous people.

At most, it would be hot, so they’ll wear less.

By then, preparing some frost-type items should solve the problem.

Zong Shen thought optimistically while eating breakfast.

Last night’s discussion already confirmed Chen Rui’s credibility!