Chapter 158: Solitary Madness
Chapter 158: Solitary Madness
Lindsey: "Is anyone there? Can someone keep me company and chat with me?"
Lindsey's Air Companion: "Am I not here? You're not alone."
Lindsey: "But you're not real; you're just a product of my imagination."
Lindsey's Air Companion: "Perhaps I'm not real, but my presence gives you comfort. Isn't that important?"
Lindsey: "Maybe you're the squirrel I ate earlier, now calling out from my stomach?"
Lindsey's Air Companion: "Or perhaps the coyote you ate last week?"
"Or the coyote from two weeks ago, or three weeks ago..."
Lindsey:
"Enough!"
"Just talk to me about anything!"
In the vast wilderness, Lindsey converses with himself, then clutches his head and lets out a hysterical scream.
After the scream, he starts running.
Lindsey dashes through the wilderness, like a raging fire, wildly and rhythmically waving his hands, fully embracing his nature.
Half an hour later, he tosses the Treant Wreath from his head and stares intently at the falling pink azalea's trajectory in the air.
At the perfect moment, Lindsey leaps high and catches the Treant Wreath in his mouth.
He then lies down, savoring the taste of the petals in his mouth while counting the clouds in the sky.
"Hmm... How long has it been since I set out?"
"Four months or five months?"
Lindsey opens his backpack and sees a grayish-white stone icon in one of the item slots, with a stack of 137.
"137 days."
Lindsey releases the wreath, takes out a stone, and licks it with his tongue.
Since his departure, he has collected a stone from his surroundings and placed it in his bag every night before sleeping, using it as a timer.
This also means he has been traveling alone for four and a half months.
Even his willpower attribute has improved slightly under this torment.
In the past two weeks, he crossed a plain, then encountered a vast lake convergence zone, which took a month to navigate around. After that, he traversed a rugged road connecting a mountain range to a basin, and finally, he crossed a swamp to reach the current wasteland.
Along the way, Lindsey hasn't encountered any real danger, and ordinary monsters are no match for him.
Perhaps it should be rephrased.
In a world where temperature is heavily influenced by altitude, monsters also choose suitable heights to live more comfortably.
Lindsey's journey, which traverses the terrain without regard for interference, does indeed reduce the chances of encountering dangerous monsters.
However, this also brings about intense loneliness.
In his previous life, Lindsey had also lived alone, with minimal interaction with the outside world. But as a modern person, he could play games, communicate directly with friends through social platforms, and always find ways to pass the time and alleviate loneliness.
In his current state, he is truly alone.
As social creatures, humans find the torment of months of loneliness almost unbearable.
He even considers catching a grouse or rabbit to keep him company.
But in this world, wild animals also exhibit monster-like behaviors, and aside from the occasional scavenging coyote, Lindsey doesn't even have the opportunity to keep a pet for now.
"Ah! Er... Oh..."
Lindsey utters unintelligible sounds.
A soft, fluffy white cloud drifts by, blocking the sunlight and casting a shadow on Lindsey.
He waves his hand, calling back the Snow Wolf he had sent to scout ahead, and vigorously rubs the head of this summoned creature.
Although this summoned being lacks intelligence.
But the sensation from the touch on his hand still brought Lindsey a sense of reassurance.
After wriggling on the ground like an earthworm for a while, Lindsey gathered his spirits and began preparing his lunch.
The squirrel he had encountered yesterday was already devoured.
Today's barbecue was the coyote chest meat he had saved from last week.
After leaving the Hidden Borderlands for over four months, he had only consumed 12 of his meat biscuits. Under no circumstances would he use these reserve resources when there was food available.
An hour later, Lindsey finished his lunch.
The perfectly grilled coyote meat enhanced his attributes, and he stood up with vigor, patting the air as if greeting an imaginary friend.
Then, while unfolding the map, he continued his journey eastward.
Regarding geography, Lindsey didn't encounter any troubles. One of the books he brought with him when leaving the Hidden Borderlands contained the records of the expedition team.
With the help of the sun and his compass, Lindsey was confident that he was on the right path.
"After crossing this wasteland, there's another low-lying basin ahead. Beyond that is the Rift Zone of the Black Mountain World, which will be a challenging journey. Then, you'll reach the largest mountain range in the Black Mountain World, an endless mountain range situated in the world's center. Occasionally, you might find other terrains in the gaps between the mountains..."
As Lindsey contemplated the terrain he was about to face, he continued his journey.
Something seemed amiss in his surroundings, and his subconscious warned him not to repeat the same mistakes as before.
"..."
Lindsey suddenly came to a halt.
The snow wolf by his side followed its master's actions, standing guard beside him with a majestic stance.
Lindsey scanned his surroundings.
Every inch of the wasteland was filled with loneliness and desolation.
The sunlight shining on the ground made it seem like a long-suffering patient forcing a faint smile.
The sparse vegetation occasionally displayed a hint of vibrant green, but as it swayed in the wind, it seemed to convey a sense of helplessness, emitting the only white noise in the wilderness...
"Wind!"
"Right, where's the sandstorm?"
Lindsey's expression changed.
He was currently at a lower altitude, so the temperature should also be higher.
During his journey a few days ago, whenever the wind blew, no matter how gentle, a thin layer of sand would swirl on the ground.
Now, there was wind, but where was the sand? Lindsey crouched down, dug his fingers into the ground, and scooped out some soil. Although it was dry, it wasn't coarse enough to be crushed by a finger, and it had a certain stickiness and a deeper color.
Lindsey suddenly realized what was happening.
He quickly removed his cold and heat resistance gear.
"Has the temperature dropped here?"
Lindsey furrowed his brows.
The terrain of this wasteland was relatively flat, even showing a downward trend.
Along the way, the elevation changes in the terrain could not have caused such a noticeable temperature difference.
There were two possible causes for this abnormal phenomenon.
He was currently in a temperature anomaly zone;
Or he was very close to the swamp mentioned in the records, so the water vapor from the swamp had slightly moderated the temperature and soil condition on this side.
"Let's go see what's ahead."
Lindsey, who was traveling alone, was extremely cautious.
He dismissed the snow wolf and summoned a bat to scout ahead, while he himself used a telescope to observe the surroundings.
The telescope didn't reveal any further information, as this change hadn't affected the terrain over a short distance.
Fortunately, the bat soon returned from its aerial reconnaissance.
It reported back to Lindsey using its unique sound waves:
"Cold, ice, plain!"
(End of Chapter)
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