Chapter 527, Sled Dogs

Translator: Silavin

 

*Step step step…*

 

Su Bai and the others spent over an hour reaching the riverside, though by now the great river had long since frozen solid.

 

Looking out across the expanse, everything was a blanket of white, with snow still falling from above, deepening the sense of endless whiteness.

 

Moreover, wisps of mist drifted across the frozen river surface—those snow-white vapours were cold air. Simply standing by the river’s edge, one could feel the chill emanating from the ice blocks on the water’s surface.

 

“It’s only been a few days and it’s already completely frozen. The temperature must be very low…” Su Bai remarked with feeling.

 

However, he was also grateful they had dressed warmly, wearing not only gloves but also hats and scarves. They had put on snow boots that morning and were wrapped in large cloaks behind them. Each person appeared bundled up so tightly they were impervious to wind, providing excellent protection against the cold. Had it not been for the lack of a thermometer, he would have genuinely wanted to see exactly how many degrees below zero it was at present.

 

“Shaman, allow us to go and inspect first.” Ye Jiu immediately stepped forward and said.

 

She knew the Shaman and others wanted to walk directly onto the ice surface, but at this moment they still did not know whether the ice surface held any dangers. They could only personally go up and examine it, thus ensuring whether the ice surface was solid and whether any other dangers existed.

 

“Sure, but you must be careful.” Su Bai nodded.

 

*Step step step…* Ye Jiu and the others stepped slowly onto the ice surface, each person walking extremely carefully, for the ice surface was very slippery and one could easily fall with the slightest carelessness.

 

Ye Jiu scanned the surroundings seriously, gripping a Crocodile Blade tightly in her hand while accepting a spear passed to her by another.

 

She forcefully thrust the spear in her hand towards the ice, but only the slightest traces appeared on the ice surface—merely some ice shavings scattered out. There were neither cracks nor any penetration.

 

She did not stop her spear work because of this, continuing to strike the ice surface, determined to ensure safety.

 

After the spear proved unable to penetrate the ice surface and even broke, she switched to another weapon.

 

She took up an extremely sturdy Crocodile Blade and began striking the ice surface. Similarly, this caused no great damage to the ice surface. Again, only some ice shavings scattered out, with the most serious result being merely some small ice fragments appearing.

 

There was no other major penetration. One could say the frozen river’s ice surface was extremely solid.

 

“Shaman, the surface is solid. You may step onto it.” Ye Jiu reported.

 

She was rather meticulous in this regard. Anything that might pose even the slightest threat to the Shaman’s safety could not be permitted to exist, which was why she had been particularly careful just now, testing for such a long time.

 

“Okay.” Su Bai nodded, carefully stepping onto the ice surface. Since a pad had been sewn beneath the snow boots, they were quite slip-resistant.

 

After stepping onto the ice surface, he scanned the surroundings, discovering the view was extremely open, though visibility was rather poor.

 

Due to the continuous snowfall and the waves of cold air emanating from the ice surface, looking out at the moment revealed nothing but white expanse—nothing else could be seen.

 

Precisely because of this, those Totem Warriors became even more tense, all gathering around Su Bai in a protective formation surrounding the Shaman.

 

Yan Hua was not nearly so cautious, stepping carelessly onto the ice surface. The smile on her face was simply irrepressible. After all, this was her first time coming onto the surface of the great river.

 

During previous snow seasons, everyone had stayed indoors without venturing out, Yan Hua had been no exception.

 

In past years when the great river froze, only a very few people would go onto it, and these were the Tribe’s Totem Warriors who went up out of curiosity.

 

Others had no way to go up—they could not even leave the Tribe, all staying obediently in their respective wooden houses.

 

“So, this is what the great river looks like on top when frozen. It’s my first time seeing it,” Yan Hua exclaimed with feeling.

 

She crouched down to touch the ice surface, wanting to experience what it would feel like when the normally vast and boundless great river froze.

 

“It looks dangerous,” Yu Ying was somewhat frightened, her hands continuously gripping tightly to Sha Lan, who was beside her. Her pink eyes kept blinking, fearing she might suddenly fall into the great river.

 

“No need to worry. It has already been tested—the place where we’re standing now is safe.” Sha Lan reassured her.

 

She had just gone up to test alongside Ye Jiu, naturally becoming aware of the solidity of this great river.

 

“En, mm!” Though Yu Ying nodded, the expression on her face still showed she was very scared.

 

“Shaman, now that we’ve come here, what shall we do next?” Yan Hua asked curiously. Since she knew this trip was for relaxation, she was naturally rather curious, having maintained this curious attitude since before leaving the tribe.

 

“Bring up all those things we’ve made, then we can advance steadily across the ice surface,” Su Bai smiled.

 

The things he spoke of were sleds. He had given Gu Mu and the others blueprints to have them manufactured beforehand.

 

On the Earth, sleds were generally used for transporting goods or as entertainment.

 

Naturally, the blueprints Su Bai had provided were for rather low ice sleds, with their primary function being transportation.

 

The manufactured size was also quite large—no longer the small type from Earth, but rather the floor-standing type of ice sled.

 

Two pieces of wood of equal length were fitted beneath the ice sled as runners, after which two pieces of polished bone were mounted on the runners. These bones were extremely long and sharp.

 

These bones were all from Stone Armoured Crocodiles, possessing extremely high durability and wear resistance. They had been polished both thin and sharp before being fitted beneath the wood, thus reducing friction with the ice surface, making movement less laborious while maintaining relatively high speed.

 

“Shaman, what exactly is this? Why does it look like a chair?” Yan Hua asked curiously.

 

“They are sleds. Things that allow us to advance across the ice surface without needing to walk.” Su Bai explained simply.

 

“Sleds?” After hearing this, Yan Hua was completely bewildered.

 

“Shaman, are these sleds meant to be pulled by those dogs?” Sha Lan asked curiously.

 

Indeed, the Flame Dragon Tribe now had dogs. Though they had some before, most would be eaten, but this time the dogs were different.

 

This time, the Flame Dragon Tribe’s dogs were all sled dogs from Earth, appearing very similar to Alaskan Malamutes, except these sled dogs had rather more honest-looking faces.

 

Moreover, their size was also slightly larger, with longer fur on their bodies, all of the same grey-white colour.