Dragon Raja 5; Chapter 228: For Your Majesty (43)

Dragon Raja 5

Food was not a problem; they still had some self-heating canned food, which Caesar had brought out. As for drinking water, they could just melt some ice in the oil stove. Finger volunteered to do the hard work, while Caesar hid in the tent studying the map he had found in the navigation manual.

The polar night has begun, and with the blizzard, the temperature has dropped below minus 30 degrees Celsius. In such a low temperature, even a high-intensity flashlight cannot be used for long. The battery life is insufficient, so Caesar can only use a fuel stove to illuminate.

Finger handed over a glass of whiskey in a servile manner, “Boss, what are you researching?” They were not short of good wine. The liquor stored on the YAMAL was enough for them to drink for a whole winter.

“That so-called research station is a bit unbelievable,” Caesar smiled. “The Arctic and Antarctica are different. The Antarctic research station can be built at the South Pole because there’s land beneath the ice. The Arctic is a vast ocean with very few islands, and beneath the ice shelf lies thousands of meters of seawater. Could that research station be built on a piece of floating ice?”

“Could it be that there is something wrong in the navigation manual?” Finger became nervous again.

“This kind of professional information, even the punctuation is correct.” Caesar closed the map. “We have to go check it out no matter what. Without support, we might all die.”

“Except for that old Schneider who seems a bit overwhelmed, the others are strong and healthy. I think they can hold out until the ice melts next spring.”

“Have you heard of the British explorer named Benjamin Franklin? He was a pioneer in Arctic exploration. In 1818, he led two of Britain’s most advanced ships at the time, the Terror and the Erebus, hoping to find a route across the Arctic Ocean to Asia. They carried two years’ worth of food and over 100 experienced crew members. But their ship froze in the ice, and no one survived. When they were found years later, their bodies were still frozen in the ice, looking remarkably lifelike. The cause of their deaths remains unknown. The few dozen people who remained tried to cross the frozen sea on foot, using their companions for food along the way, but ultimately failed. It’s very similar to our current situation. The sea can easily wipe out a ship’s crew than the Dragon King. Seafarers should always respect the sea.”

“But if the ice storm doesn’t stop, will there be a ship to pick us up? Is there a more powerful icebreaker than the YAMAL?”

“There are one or two other options, such as nuclear submarines, which can sail under the ice without being disturbed.”

“Boss, you’re reliable!” Finger gave a thumbs up. “If I hadn’t seen you so calm, I would have been scared to death.”

“You won’t,” Caesar smiled. “If something happens to you, I’ll take this map and find the research station. I’ll get four hours of sleep, and we still have a day and a half to travel.”

He didn’t give Finger a chance to speak, crawled into the sleeping bag, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

By the light of the oil stove, Finger glanced at the sleeping Caesar. Having not shaved for several days, Caesar looked haggard and worn. This young man, raised in luxury from birth, had become somewhat different. He spoke less, spent more time thinking, and acted more efficiently, like a young monarch about to take over a kingdom.

Finger also crawled into the sleeping bag, put the shotgun under his head, and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

The wind howled outside the tent. Half of the sled dogs were awake, while the other half were asleep in a circle. These snow elves would sound the alarm when danger struck, so there was nothing to worry about.

At the summit of the snowy peak, a lone figure, like a pine or bamboo, stood. Even in the freezing cold of -30 degrees Celsius, Jude Mai still wore her ninja uniform, which perfectly outlined her figure, but she wore a crow’s wing felt coat over it to keep warm. Her rigorous ninja training had enabled her to endure any extreme conditions.

The two expedition teams from the YAMAL actually camped on the hillside not far from each other. From where Jude Mai was, there were only two balls of warm light in the world of ice and snow.

    ***

Caesar suddenly opened his eyes and his breathing became a little rapid.

He took out his watch and glanced at it. Only two hours had passed. Finger was still fast asleep, his snoring almost as loud as the sled dogs outside.

It’s not that he woke up because he had enough sleep, but that he didn’t sleep well and had a lot of dreams.

In his dream, he and Nonuo walked hand in hand on a long bridge by the sea, saying nothing. Pompey was even there, and he had returned to his childhood, Pompey taking him on a motorcycle, surrounded by endless alfalfa fields. He screamed with excitement, and Pompey laughed heartily through his goggles. Caesar had forgotten he had such a warm relationship with his father, yet everything seemed so vivid, like fragments picked up from memory.

However, the dream that woke him up in the end was one in which he was with his mother. His mother was wearing a long white dress and was sitting on the steps of Milan Cathedral with her arm around his shoulders. There were stars and the moon in the sky, candlelight as big as a mountain and a sea in the church, and the huge square was empty.

He and his mother had never been to the Milan Cathedral together. The first time he went there was for his mother’s funeral. Even in his dream he knew very well that his mother was no longer alive, but he felt warm and relaxed.

“How I wish my little Caesar would never grow up,” said his mother softly, “that all the sorrows would never come to you.”

Such a gentle voice speaks the eternal truth: when you grow up, sad things will definitely come to you.

He has indeed grown up. All the people and things around him have suddenly become uncertain. His fiancée suddenly ran away with the heir he chose. The good-for-nothing Finger is still smiling but unfathomable, and his best friend Abbas may be a fake person who never existed.

He pretended to be frank and calm, but only he knew the hidden hesitation and anxiety in his heart.

The sky outside was getting slightly brighter. He got out of his sleeping bag and walked out of the tent to breathe some fresh air.

The moment he walked out of the tent, he was frightened. Goose bumps covered his body and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The extremely cold air felt like he had swallowed a large piece of ice.

The polar night has begun. The sun will not rise in the Arctic Circle throughout the season, and of course there will be no dawn. What illuminates the sky is the blue aurora, as bright as the skirt of a goddess, which is boundless and extends to the end of the sea and sky.

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