Yuel headed to the back building to check the fruits, vegetables, and materials they had gathered from the tropical region.
Behind the crystallized mammoth, there was a large freezer where all the food was stored. The materials were kept in the storage room of the same building.
He had already spoken honestly with the mages—one of the two had died, but he had managed to keep a good working relationship with the other.
They had re-entered the cold nature of the Frozen Hollows, and now the chill mist and gusting wind could be felt clearly. Every breath Yuel took was visible as a faint cloud of warm air leaving his nose.
When he stepped into the back building, he was relieved to see it wasn't as cold inside as it was outside. Even the wendigos found this level of cold uncomfortable, and the enchanted wood here—though not much—was enough to keep the interior from freezing over.
Yuel took off his boots and walked on the luxurious carpet. His first choice was either to head to the freezer or the storage room.
He decided to check the storage first.
The storage room was full of materials, piled around the edges of the room and inside chests. Among them were several valuable ores, likely left behind by the previous owners of the crystallized mammoth. However, all of these were metals—there were no crystals, and thus, no mana source.
Still, with these metals, he could forge himself a weapon.
One of them resembled silver but had faint blue lines running through it. Another looked more organic—light brown in color and with a texture like fungus—yet it was incredibly tough, ringing with a metallic sound when scratched.
Perhaps he could upgrade his weapon with these ores?
He would think on it later.
As for the tropical materials—they hadn't had time for proper excavation, so most of what they brought was wood. (Mining was only done in villages, after all. With an endless cold chasing you, digging for ores wasn't exactly easy.)
There probably weren't many materials from the tropics, but surely there had to be some fruit. He'd have to check the freezer before deciding.
With that in mind, Yuel left the storage room and headed toward the room where the food was kept frozen.
When he opened the door, the sight before him was exactly what he had hoped for—dozens of fruits.
For someone tired of eating meat, this was paradise.
Back in the Inksworn Depths, he had eaten fish almost every day. Later, he had hunted and eaten whatever he could catch. But none of this was because he liked meat—it was simply necessity. Yuel had a sweet tooth, and with these fruits, he could finally make something sweet.
Still, he should probably test them first—he couldn't know which were poisonous.
First...
This grape-looking thing.
Or rather... something that only looked like grapes.
It was a branch with dozens of tiny spheres, each one glowing faintly in a different color.
Yuel plucked one of the small fruits—barely a few centimeters long—and popped it into his mouth.
The taste... was unlike anything he had ever eaten. Maybe if he had another, he could figure it out?
He took a second fruit and... huh? He could have sworn the branch had been full a moment ago. Where had the rest gone?
He wasn't sure, but he knew one thing—he needed to cultivate this plant. There was something irresistibly appealing about it. Actually, the taste wasn't that great—it was very sour—but something about it pulled him in.
A silly, unexplainable grin spread across Yuel's face. Why was he this happy? No need to think about it—he could have another wendigo check the storeroom. Right now, he just wanted to savor this feeling. There might be more of this fruit in the storage, but...
If he found more, he'd probably eat it all on the spot. Better to wait until they started cultivating it.
They didn't have any farmland yet, but maybe they could use the rooftops of the buildings?
He would think about it later.
Not wanting to ruin his good mood, Yuel stepped outside and sat on a bench.
The wind blew at a perfect angle, almost caressing him. The mist was starting to fade, and beyond it he could see dozens—no, hundreds—of crystallized mammoths. If there had been some kind of mark revealing he was riding one, they might have attacked, but no one noticed.
And it wasn't just crystallized mammoths—many other creatures were migrating.
Giant spider-like beasts walking along the cliffs, titans with gears embedded in their heads striding quickly, and flocks of tall birds covered in long feathers, each three meters tall.
The birds were all either phase 2 or phase 3 Dhune. And though hidden in the center of the flock, there was likely a phase 5 titan among them.
Phase 4 titans typically claimed a territory and defended it fiercely. When they reached phase 5, they commanded a small army—infection was a good example. Of course, depending on the nature of a titan's Bloodscript, their "small army" could be anything but small. The long-feathered bird flock passing near the sect was a good example of that.
Phase 6 and phase 7 titans were the least understood by humanity. Although phase 7s had been seen often, phase 6s seemed even rarer.
This was likely because most phase 6s had been killed by phase 7s.
Actually... wait. In the Observer's book, maybe there was mention of a phase 6 titan living in the Verdant Requiem.
Yuel whispered, "Unlock system." Though he still opened his mouth out of habit, his ability to speak was entirely gone.
Once the system window appeared, he quickly scanned his inventory. It wasn't easy finding the book among so many items, but he managed.
—Memoirs of the Observer: Verdant Requiem
Yuel calmly opened it. The cold air brushed against his face, and every time he exhaled, a puff of steam escaped, but he didn't mind. There was no one around who needed this book hidden.
When he had first obtained it, he had lied to his whole team. Now, two of them were dead, one was alive, and the last had betrayed him. Yuel hadn't deserved that fate, but... it had happened.
After skipping the first few pages, he found a map.
It was full of information.
There were three human cities within the Verdant Requiem. One was in the west—the one Yuel had found when he returned to humanity, though he had only been able to spend a single day there. Its name was "June."
The second city was near the center, called "July." The last belonged to the Mediterranean Federation, smaller in size, located in the far east.
The Wiviel race had settled in the far south—that was well-known.
Yuel wasn't sure if he would ever cross paths with them. Hopefully, if he did, it wouldn't end like his encounter with the wendigos.
There were also four cathedrals. Three were near the cities, but the last was far to the south—so far that it lay beyond the known map. If Yuel wanted to secure that cathedral for humanity, he would have to deal with the Wiviels. Once again, luck was not on his side.
The Verdant Requiem's phase 7 titan was named Broken Dimension—at least, that's what the Observer called it. As the name implied, its power involved bringing a new dimension into the world.
Yuel had been trapped by it once before, so he thought he knew something about it... wait, no. He didn't? Yes, he had been caught in its ambush, but all he had seen were dozens of fake trees. Where had the titan itself been?
He searched the book carefully, but there was no description of its true form—only one note: You'll only understand once you've fought it long enough.
The Observer had chosen to keep the truth to himself, leaving the work to Yuel. That meant he wouldn't know what it looked like until the battle came.
As for a phase 6 titan?
None.
There were no phase 6 titans in the Verdant Requiem.
All of them had been turned into puppets by Broken Dimension.
Just as Yuel suspected—phase 6s were far rarer than phase 7s.
With disappointment, Yuel put the book back into his inventory.
He stood from the bench—he was starting to feel the cold.
He returned to his mansion and lay down on the most comfortable bed he could find. As always, the intricate interior design caught his eye, but he managed to keep his mind elsewhere. Even while resting, he monitored the wendigos, checking if they were doing their jobs and giving them orders.
The brainwashing process was nearly complete, and soon they'd need more fuel to maintain it. A mining stop would be perfect.
As Yuel thought about this, he noticed something—
Their numbers had dropped. One of the white crystallized bears, along with its driver, had disappeared.
The moment he realized this, he gave the order to search for them—his tone carrying both urgency and command.