Chapter 977: Ice Anomaly

“I didn’t expect you to choose the Northern Anomaly. I thought you were going with Dan,” Arabel told Irene honestly, exiting the portal at the border of the outer and middle layer of the Ice Anomaly, which was located in the north of the Central Continent.

“Well, Dan’s not small anymore, besides, there are a lot more people in the south than here,” Irene replied calmly.

“And you didn’t choose this place because my brother decided to come here?” Arabel asked through a mental link so that no one could hear them.

“Oh, of course not,” Irene replied instantly, blushing deeply. Combined with the cold wind blowing in her face, it was obvious.

Arabel’s avatar smiled and decided to leave her, glancing at Arslan, who followed them out of the portal. She was glad that everything seemed to be going well for the couple.

“Perhaps soon they will finally begin to openly express their sympathy for each other,” she suggested, looking at the vast white expanses in front of her.

A new landscape has appeared in place of the former forests and fields: icy plains, sharp ridges of frozen rock, deep frosty canyons and hills where the winds howl incessantly.

Sharp ice pillars, ridges, and spikes grew out of the ground, forming entire fields of crystalline formations. Cold fog accumulates in the lowlands, and areas of eternal icing have appeared on the hills. The ground became glassy from the frost, and some areas turned into thin crystalline fields.

“Great job, Neri!”

Arabel was distracted when she heard Irene praising her doppelganger in the form of a white fox, who opened the portal and created a safe place around the gathering place.𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“The combination of Ice and Wind is very strong here,” Lucinda approached Arabel. “I suggest giving everyone the opportunity to get used to it and learn how to protect themselves from the cold and strong wind, and then move on.”

“I agree,” Arabel nodded. Unlike her, the others didn’t have a bloodline that gave them immunity to the ice element.

Besides, the Awakened Ones had only been cultivating for three years, and not all of them had basic resistance to the elements.

But knowing that the Awakened Ones had Systems, Arabel believed that with the right approach, they would be able to develop this resistance faster than ordinary cultivators.

Arabel created an ice barrier around the group and ordered Neri to remove the protective barrier.

Then she began to gradually increase the concentration of the ice element inside, allowing all the members of the expedition to get used to the cold.

As Arabel noted, her brother Arslan was the fastest to adapt to the cold due to his innate affinity with the element of ice.

Arabel realized that Arslan had inherited this affinity from their father, while his mother had an affinity for the element of darkness.

“I wonder what Irene’s affinity for the elements is?” Arabel wondered, glancing at her husband’s sister.

“As far as I know, she has awakened an affinity for darkness due to the Sierra phenomenon. But Irene originally has a Rare System, and therefore she must have an innate affinity for one of the elements.”

“But which one exactly?”

As the group adapted, Arabel slightly opened the barrier, allowing the wind element to rush in.

Howling winds and strong gusts disrupted the group’s concentration, complicating already proven methods, forcing them to take a fresh look at problems and eliminate shortcomings.

As Arabel had predicted, the group learned and adapted quickly.

For greater safety, she took her time, giving everyone enough time to adapt.

In the upcoming journey, she will be with everyone hunting for resources and beasts, while Lucinda, left alone, will go to the central layer to join the fight for the seeds of law.

As much as Arabel wanted to, she was here in Bera’s body, not in her true form. Otherwise, she would have personally participated in the race.

Her Ice Spirit Form was perfect for this Anomaly, but because she inadvertently got pregnant by Idan before the disaster, she couldn’t come in person.

But Arabel didn’t regret it, and she didn’t blame her own indiscretion.

As time passed, one by one, the Guild members began to gain resistance to the elements of ice and wind, which made them happy.

Watching them, Arabel wondered if they had distributed their forces correctly.

She was especially worried about Idan. Unlike the other three Anomalies, there was no one with a Diamond Rank in the Fire Anomaly.

If Eulalia was in the Storm Anomaly, Lina was in the Thunderstorm Anomaly, and Lucinda was here, then there was no one there.

And most importantly, Idan was going to personally participate in the race for the seed of the law there.

No matter how much she believed and trusted him, she couldn’t help but worry about him.

“Sis, is something wrong?” asked Lucinda, noticing Arabel’s agitation.

“Eh? No, nothing,” Arabel quickly shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me, sis,” — Lucinda smiled. “It’s written on your face that you’re worried about your husband.”

“What exactly is bothering you about him?” she asked.

“That he might meet Serafina there or Rezkar?”

“Or something else?”

“Everything,” Arabel confessed after a short silence. “I can’t describe it, but every time I think about him, I start to worry.”

“Perhaps this is due to your special condition, although only a little more than a week has passed since conception,” Lucinda suggested.

“Could it be that using my Spirit Form earlier had something to do with it?” Arabel wondered.

“Maybe,” — Lucinda agreed.

“But you should relax and try not to think about it, and the best thing is to rest,” she advised, referring to Arabel’s true body.

“As for Idan, don’t worry. In the Fire Anomaly, in his Flame Spirit Form, he is invincible,” Lucinda stated with confidence.

Her confidence rubbed off on Arabel, and she let go of her worries a bit, focusing on maintaining the barrier.

Soon, the group partially adapted to the conditions of the Anomaly, and they began to move towards the middle layer of the Ice Anomaly.

I would like to express my gratitude to those who give gifts, power stones and golden tickets. Your support allows me to stay motivated and continue working on the book.