Chapter 1151: The Legend of the Sludge Frost Spirit
Chapter 1151: The Legend of the Sludge Frost Spirit (Combined)
The police station was in chaos.
Thousands of familiars had nearly filled the entire station, inside and out.
Reporters rushed into the police station, bombarding everyone with questions.
"Why are there so many familiars here all of a sudden? Has something big happened?"
"I heard these familiars were all once missing. Is that true?"
"Bingbing! Bingbing?"
"Could you tell us what exactly happened? I just saw a Guardian Sloth Bear. Is it the one that went missing eight years ago?"
"Jingjing? Jingjing?"
The reporters were held back by the police, who were already overwhelmed and had no time to deal with them.
Undeterred, the reporters aimed their microphones at the familiars who were about to leave the station, asking them questions.
Some familiars, either excited or in tears, responded, providing some useful information.
The reporters' faces showed shock and disbelief, which gradually turned to excitement as they realized this was big news.
Many of them started live streams on the spot.
By that evening, the news of the missing familiars reappearing on Ice Island had trended.
Inside the police station, each familiar was being questioned to confirm their identity and to contact their bonded Beastmaster or family.
Qiao Sang was seated on a soft chair, surrounded by families of familiars, engaging in heartfelt conversations.
"Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I might never have seen Blossom Bud Flower again!" An elderly man with gray hair said, tears streaming down his face.
"Zhi Zhi! Zhi Zhi!" Blossom Bud Flower sobbed beside him.
"Benefactor!" A plump middle-aged woman pushed the elderly man aside, gripping Qiao Sang's hands with gratitude.
"My Phantom Elephant is so grateful to you. After it went missing, I couldn't sleep or eat. I lost so much weight. If you ever need anything, just come to me..."
Before she could finish, a large white bear beast, over two meters tall, pushed her out of the way, calling out happily:
"Wen Wen!"
"Wen Wen!"
He then handed over a bank card.
Familiars are really something... Qiao Sang looked at the bank card and instantly understood the white bear beast's intention.
Just as she was about to refuse, a police officer squeezed through the crowd, pushing people and familiars back, and shouted:
"Those who have confirmed their identities, please leave. There are too many people and familiars here. Don't crowd the area!"
With the police's urging, the number of people and familiars around Qiao Sang decreased, but more kept coming in, quickly filling the police station again.
"Xun Xun~"
"Xun Xun~"
Treasure Seeker floated at the entrance of the police station, waving its claws and bidding farewell to the familiars who were about to leave.
A police officer with white hair at his temples, clearly a veteran, approached Qiao Sang and said solemnly:
"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, these missing familiars would never have returned safely."
Since learning that Qiao Sang had brought these familiars back from the Sludge Frost Spirit, the police had treated her with great respect.
"Do you know it was the Sludge Frost Spirit who did this?" Qiao Sang asked.
The police officer sighed. "We know part of it, but we didn't know the Sludge Frost Spirit had frozen so many familiars."
Qiao Sang, recalling the innkeeper's words, asked:
"If you knew, why didn't you send people to rescue them?"
The police officer smiled bitterly.
"All the police on Ice Island combined are no match for the Sludge Frost Spirit. And it's not easy to request enough police force to deal with an Imperial Beast. Unless the Imperial Beast is truly dangerous, the higher-ups generally don't get involved."
Qiao Sang couldn't help but say:
"Isn't the Sludge Frost Spirit dangerous enough?"
The police officer sighed.
"The Sludge Frost Spirit is actually quite reasonable. It rarely leaves Ice Island and only acts if it sees a familiar that interests it."
He paused, then gestured to the various familiars chatting in the police station.
"You've seen it for yourself. The familiars frozen by the Sludge Frost Spirit are still alive. For example, the Weng Weng Tan that went missing 21 years ago is now in perfect condition, with no signs of aging."
21 years... Qiao Sang's eyes widened in shock. "So, all the beings frozen by the Sludge Frost Spirit don't die?"
The police officer replied:
"There's no definitive proof, just speculation. One Beastmaster was frozen by the Sludge Frost Spirit and returned nearly 50 years later, looking exactly the same. According to him, the Sludge Frost Spirit got tired of him and decided to replace the ice sculptures, so it threw him out."
Half of that is probably a lie... Qiao Sang thought to herself.
Having thawed so many familiars, she knew they were completely unconscious during the freezing process, with no awareness at all. If not for Treasure Seeker explaining, they wouldn't even know how they got out of the ocean.
The police officer continued:
"Later, some elderly or terminally ill familiars and Beastmasters heard this and came to the Sludge Frost Spirit to be frozen, hoping to be thawed out decades later. For a while, the number of tourists here surged, but the Sludge Frost Spirit has its own criteria for freezing, so the number of visitors eventually decreased. Over time, this information was forgotten."
"During that period, one piece of news circulated. It said that the Sludge Frost Spirit froze a 200-year-old Beastmaster. This Beastmaster only had a child in her 100s and, as her health declined, her only wish was to see her daughter get married."
"But she didn't want her daughter to marry just anyone because of her. So, she sought out the Sludge Frost Spirit and asked to be frozen. We don't know how they negotiated, but the Sludge Frost Spirit agreed. She appeared at her daughter's wedding, and the news was soon forgotten. We only found it again recently while researching the Sludge Frost Spirit."
Reflecting on this, he said:
"If it weren't for you bringing back these missing familiars, I would have thought these stories were just myths."
So, the Sludge Frost Spirit's freezing effect can put beings into a suspended state, allowing them to be revived decades later... Qiao Sang fell silent.
If that's the case, it makes sense why the higher-ups haven't sent anyone to deal with the Sludge Frost Spirit. If the Sludge Frost Spirit were willing to cooperate, it could help many terminally ill people extend their lives.
As she thought, the police officer said admiringly:
"I never expected that during my tenure, someone would brave the Sludge Frost Spirit's territory alone and rescue all the missing familiars. On behalf of everyone..."
Before Qiao Sang could finish speaking, she interrupted:
"I’m not alone."
The police officer was taken aback. "Who else is with you?"
Qiao Sang also paused, suddenly remembering something she had forgotten.
Damn! Teacher Mikara!
…
Meanwhile, under the dark night sky.
Migala and Pengamei hovered in the air, facing the Sludge Frost Spirit, which was panting heavily below.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated.
Migala pulled out her phone and felt a wave of relief when she saw the caller ID.
It seemed everything had been secured…
"Let’s go", Migala said.
Pengamei’s eyes immediately glowed blue, and she disappeared with her Beastmaster.
The Sludge Frost Spirit watched as the two and their familiar vanished into thin air, letting out a silent sigh of relief. It turned and spread a chill aura, causing the ground ahead to instantly freeze over with a layer of ice.
The Sludge Frost Spirit moved forward, sliding on the icy surface.
…
Above the sea.
Migala looked down at the calm waters, then scanned the surroundings. She picked up her phone and dialed back.
The call was answered after a single ring.
"Hello, Teacher, why did the call suddenly drop?" Qiao Sang’s voice came through the speaker.
"I was teleporting", Migala replied.
"Oh, I see." Qiao Sang sighed in relief. "That explains it."
Migala asked, "Where are you now?"
Qiao Sang apologized, "I forgot to mention, I’m at the police station. When I sent you the message, I thought I’d be heading straight back to the inn. But when the frozen familiars thawed, they were still alive, so I brought them to the police station."
Migala was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Did you send me a message?"
Qiao Sang was puzzled. "Didn’t you see it? I sent it as soon as I left Ice Disaster Island."
Migala asked, "When did you leave Ice Disaster Island?"
Qiao Sang thought for a moment. "A few hours ago, I guess."
Migala: "???"
There was silence on the other end.
Qiao Sang called out several times, "Hello? Hello?" before Migala’s voice came back.
"Did you find all the Ice Crystals?"
Qiao Sang nodded. "I got them all, but I’m not sure if we found the level we need."
With so many people and familiars around, she didn’t want to be too specific.
Migala chuckled. "You were quite efficient."
Qiao Sang reflected, "I didn’t expect the Treasure Seeker’s ring to expand to about ten meters in diameter. With Psychic Power, it was easy to collect them."
Her tone became more reflective as she continued, "There were so many frozen familiars. If the ring wasn’t big enough, I wouldn’t have been able to fit them all. Lulu took a long time to thaw and heal them."
Migala chuckled again. "You managed to get the Ice Crystals and the frozen familiars from the ocean, and you even went to the police station. You’ve been busy."
Her tone seemed a bit sarcastic… Had Teacher not seen the message and been fighting the Sludge Frost Spirit all this time? Qiao Sang hesitated and asked, "You haven’t been fighting the Sludge Frost Spirit this whole time, have you?"
Guess what… Migala denied it. "No."
She paused and added, "I’ll be waiting at the inn."
With that, she hung up.
Migala checked her phone and opened the messaging app, finding the message Qiao Sang had sent.
It was three hours ago.
Three hours… She had been fighting the Sludge Frost Spirit for three hours. Migala sighed, feeling exhausted. "Let’s go back."
"Spray spray."
…
At the police station.
Teacher Mikara seemed a bit off… Qiao Sang stood in a corner outside the station, putting her phone away.
"Momo?"
Dragon King called out, asking where Migala was.
"Ya ya."
Fangy translated.
"She said she’s waiting at the inn", Qiao Sang said.
"Momo."
Dragon King frowned, indicating that she had only just returned, and might have been fighting the Sludge Frost Spirit all this time.
Could Migala have weakened over the years?
"Ya ya."
Fangy translated.
Just as Qiao Sang was about to say something, a young man accompanied by a Cold-Blooded Toad hurried over.
The light from inside the station helped her recognize him as the innkeeper where they were staying.
He stopped in front of them, his pale face showing both excitement and reverence. "Thank you so much! I never thought you’d actually save the Cold-Blooded Toad."
He glanced to the side and asked, "Where’s the other senior?"
Anyone who could save so many familiars from the Sludge Frost Spirit’s territory deserved the title of senior.
It seemed Teacher Mikara hadn’t returned to the inn… Qiao Sang said, "She should be back at the inn now."
"Perfect, let’s go back together", the young man said. "I’ll have the Cold-Blooded Toad prepare our best dishes for you."
Her stomach growled, reminding her she was indeed hungry. Qiao Sang nodded. "Sure."
She then called out to the Treasure Seeker, who was saying goodbye to the other familiars at the entrance.
"Treasure Seeker, let’s go."
"Xunxun…"
The Treasure Seeker waved its claws at the familiars it was talking to, indicating it was being called back and they would meet again.
The other familiars looked sad but hopeful, calling out in agreement.
"Xunxun~"
Feeling their affection, the Treasure Seeker’s eyes curved into a smile as it waved its claws. Its golden ring shone with a metallic luster.
…
At the inn.
In the suite.
Migala and Dragon King looked at each other.
Dragon King suddenly snorted and turned away.
Migala: "???"
The Treasure Seeker crawled into the enlarged ring and began unloading the crystals.
Soon, the floor was almost covered with them.
Even though Migala had braced herself, she was still surprised. "So many?"
Qiao Sang smiled. "The Treasure Seeker emptied the place."
"Xunxun~"
The Treasure Seeker nodded proudly.
Migala scanned the crystals as she spoke. "Find all the Ice Crystals, and I’ll get a professional appraiser to evaluate them."
"Okay", Qiao Sang said, starting to sort through the crystals.
Migala sat cross-legged on the floor, helping with the sorting.
Then she thought of something. "Even though there are many Ice Crystals, don’t get your hopes up. SS-Rank materials are one in a million, not easy to find."
Qiao Sang remained optimistic. "It’s fine. If we don’t find one, we still have a few weeks to keep looking."
Even if they didn’t find an SS-Rank Ice Crystal, the abundance of Water-Type and Ice-Type materials was already a huge win.
(End of Chapter)
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