The Blue Reef is naturally the first choice.

Because ice storms surround this area all year round, the Polar Expedition Team named it “Philos Glacier” – a tribute to the girl who single-handedly held back the Tower of Babel in the Second Academy War.

“…”

Looking at Sophia’s excitement, Mei Xinghui smiled slightly and turned to the side:

“The concentration of factor energy is unprecedentedly high. Perhaps we can give the nuclear reactor a rest for a while?”

Just as she finished speaking, she noticed that Grissom behind the rudder was staring at the Pole Continent in front of him, his ice-blue eyes blank.

It took him a long time to react to what Mei had just said, and he nodded:

“Okay… um… crew, please note, change the ship’s power supply from nuclear reactor to factor-energy engine.”

The reason they did this was simple: in the past fifteen years, the destructive factors in the atmosphere have begun to decrease sharply, and the rate of loss is also accelerating. According to the detection of the [Ladder 3] satellite, this is because the speed of the disintegration of the [grave] covering the entire planet is accelerating. Although this process did not allow the “crazy starlight” in the Federation’s [Starry Sky Ladder Project] to flow into the atmosphere, the loss of destructive factors can be detected.

Therefore, the [Alliance Federation] launched the [Factor Containment Plan], aiming to collect all existing destructive factors into containers made of Vo1d crystals and convert them into reserve energy.

In other words, they are competing with the universe for factors.

This plan encountered a lot of opposition after it was implemented. After all, all the infrastructure in the world is currently built around the factor energy technology tree. The limitation of factor energy will inevitably lead to a decline in people’s living standards, which is nothing short of a catastrophe for ordinary people.

There were even several small-scale riots and marches among the people. As the alliance failed to suppress them, this force was used by the long-lurking Odin Parliament, and the Akademi Federation almost became independent.

It was not until the archives of the [Star Staircase Project] were made public that people who realized the truth gradually chose to believe in reality, and the Odin Parliament was quickly and completely purged.

After that, scholars took a different approach from traditional physics and chemistry and developed a new system that was far less efficient than the factor energy technology tree but was still effective enough – the nuclear reactor on the “Blue Reef” was the product of that new system.

In fact, this “Blue Reef” is no longer the one from the Second Academy War. That battleship has long been retired. Today, the “Blue Reef” is just an exploration ship under the Dila Republic, responsible for exploring the remains of the former civilization north of the East Continent, in order to find more treasures from the previous era buried under the sea.

The new “Blue Reef” has both factor-powered and nuclear-powered engine systems, which can flexibly respond to different situations. It can be said to be a leader among contemporary expedition ships.

Naturally, only an excellent captain like Grissom Tran can steer an expedition ship of this level.

“…”

Grissom looked at the ice field in the distance. The blue and white of the ice field spread in his sight like paint, and finally turned into a pair of serious and determined blue eyes.

“I’ve come to the end of the world, sister…” Grissom murmured in a low voice that only he could hear, “Where are you?”

“…”

With the successful anchoring, the entire “Blue Reef” was in a frenzy. Landing craft were thrown into the icy sea one after another. The expedition team prepared their equipment, eager to be the first people to reach the Pole.

On the bridge, only Grissom was silent. He quietly held the rudder without saying a word.

……

After the landing craft docked, Sophia was the first to fly out and disappeared in a flash.

“Hey! Sophia! His Majesty asked me to keep a close eye on you! Don’t run around! This is…”

The expedition leader’s voice became increasingly distant, and in an instant he was left several hundred meters away.

In the biting cold wind, Sophia laughed loudly, her lake blue eyes flashing with polar icy light, and her rosy little face looked as if she had just come out of a cabin with a fireplace, not at all like someone running in the snow.

She ran very fast, as fast as a wolf on the Wanren Mountain – no, faster than a wolf.

During the years when she was growing up in Monark Fortress, she would sneak out whenever she had nothing to do and race at high speed on the mountain trails of Wanren Mountain. No one could catch up with her, and no one could find her.

Generally speaking, running away from home like that would end with Uncle Pace catching her – she would always be picked up from behind while hiding, and then meet a pair of helpless black eyes.

“Sophia… do you love running so much?” Pace once asked her.

“Of course I have to run! If I don’t run, how can I get outside the mountain and to the other side of the sea? Dad is still waiting for me to find him!” Sophia always shouted similar answers angrily.

Now, this is outside the mountain, across from the sea! Dad will find it soon!

How can I not run! Run! Run as hard as I can!

“call–“

Sophia nimbly jumped across a rift in the snow. Everything in front of her was white, but she seemed to know where she was going and where she should go.

Now that we’re here, just keep running. It doesn’t matter if we get lost.

When she was still on the Wanren Mountain, Sophia learned from Uncle Pace how to identify directions based on the starry sky. She knew almost every constellation in the sky, such as the White Flame that was always hanging above her head, and the Morning Star that shines like the sun even in the daytime.

“Follow the morning star and you will always find your home.” Sophia vaguely remembered Uncle Pace saying this.

At that moment, she actually saw a hint of sadness in Pace’s eyes, as if he knew the star.

This was actually a bit unusual for Sophia. After all, she later learned from outsiders that Pes Monak’s imperial title was “Tyrant.” He slaughtered the Iron Fortress alone, overthrew the Iron Regime represented by Venia Irenforno, and climbed to the top of the Wanren Mountain.

He was also the most outstanding general in the [Second Academy War]. Not only did he lead his troops to win the Battle of Aston Plains, he even single-handedly pierced through the iron curtain of the Old Federation, broke into the silver tower, and took the lead in capturing the evil Laplace von Valantia.

In Thebeth, the mere mention of Pace Monarch was enough to frighten children into going to bed.

But such a man looked so sad when he looked at the White Flame Throne, like a boy who had not grown up yet.

really weird.

“call–“

After crossing a rugged glacier, a big mountain appeared in front of Sophia – this mountain looked abnormal, because it seemed to have been broken in half once. The ridge on the left and the ridge on the right seemed to have been one part, but were broken by some powerful force.

What could be so powerful? Sophia wondered as she began to climb the mountain in front of her.

As she climbed higher and higher, the snow gradually came. She pulled on her cold-proof mask, took out her trekking pole, and walked forward in the snow with ease. For mountain people, a snowstorm is just like a rain, just a trivial matter.

But the process was so boring that Sofia began to think about random things. She thought about the time when she hid in the cabin waiting for her father, and then thought about her time in college in La Vatino, and the happy days when she and a few girlfriends ran to the neighboring city of Wilkin to drink in the middle of the night.

That day, she took first place in her major course and got all her girlfriends drunk in the Wilkins bar. After settling those guys who couldn’t drink much, she strolled alone in the bustling streets, staring at the night sky in a daze.

As she watched, she inexplicably recalled the dark nursery rhyme she often heard as a child: “We grew up under the range of the Tower of Babel.”

This nursery rhyme sounds scary to many people. It is said that this is because the old Federation’s super weapon [Tower of Babel] once killed many people, leaving a deep psychological trauma on everyone.

But Sophia disagreed. She seldom went out since she was a child. When she was taken out of the mountains by Pace, the Tower of Babel was long gone. She didn’t even understand what the “tower reaching into the clouds” should look like.

In fact, the new generation of children don’t quite understand the horror of the Tower of Babel. As far as they can remember, such things only exist in legends. And what’s so scary about things in legends?

However, Aunt Ashlia… No, Sister Ashlia did tell Sophia very seriously about some past events, such as the devastating annihilation ray during the Second Academy War.

It is said that the sky over Aston Plains was not as blue as it is now, but rather dim and even close to red.

This is indeed quite scary… At that time, Sophia nodded repeatedly, after all, Sister Ashlia looked very serious.

Then, Ashilia read some sentences to Sophia. It was said that it was written by an old friend named Perlis… What the hell, the name is very long, I can’t remember it clearly…

It seems that guy is the object of worship of some kind of [Flower Worship Cult]. Sophia doesn’t quite understand it. After all, she doesn’t care about those supernatural things at all.

However, the poem was well written. It didn’t have any fancy words, but it was very sincere, and Sophia remembered it very clearly.

That night, as Sophia wandered around the busy streets, she was slightly drunk and could not help but recite the poem:

“We grew up within the range of the Tower of Babel.”

“The night is long, covering the sky that is no longer vast, and blocking every pair of eyes that look up at the stars.”

“But the dawn will come. It will always come.”

“I will continue to look up at the stars until that ray of light arrives.”

“Until the moment I reach the top of the Tower of Babel, I will never admit defeat.”

As she was reciting, she suddenly realized that the starry sky above her head seemed brighter – no, not the starry sky, just a certain constellation was brighter.

It is [White Flame Constellation].

“…”

A white light lit up among the outlines of the wind and snow. Sophia raised her head suddenly and recognized the direction of the light at a glance.

That is the Morning Star. There is no way Sophia, who has memorized the star map since childhood, could make a mistake!

Sophia quickened her pace, and in the extreme wind and snow, she used the light as a guide and climbed even harder.

The terrain became steeper and steeper, but she had no intention of slowing down. Looking at the stars, she would always think of that night.

It was the night when Pace taught her to read the star map. That night, after Pace said, “Follow the morning star, and you will always find your home,” Sophia tilted her head and said:

“So, if I follow the morning star, can I find my father?”

“call–“

The higher they climbed, the faster the wind became, and Sofia almost fell to the ground. She stuck her trekking pole deep into the mountain, and the tip of the pole, which was attached by energy, pierced into the rock, making a “sizzling” sound.

In fact, Sofia already knew where her father had gone. She was not stupid at all. After learning that Uncle Pace was a general in the Second Academy War, she sneaked into the underground library of the Monarch Fortress to look for the army’s recorded list of participants in the war, and soon found Vasily Popov’s name.

During one of her trips back to her hometown with her sister Ashlia, she secretly went to visit the Confederate Monument on Aston Plains late at night. That night was very quiet. The black-haired girl walked alone beside the monument in front of the ancient fortress, her eyes sweeping over the names of the deceased engraved on it.

Finally, she found her father’s name in the corner.

“…”

The wind and snow gradually deprived the girl of her strength, and Sophia suddenly realized that she might have underestimated the enemy – the blizzard on Wanren Mountain was severe, but how could it be more severe than the extreme storm?

Gradually, she could no longer support her body and soon fell to her knees in the snow, with darkness growing in front of her eyes.

She shouted in the blizzard, but her voice was drowned out by the wind the moment it came out.

She could only helplessly look at the white light in front of her, and stretched out her hand, but was unable to touch it.

“…”

That night, Pace did not answer Sophia’s question, but just looked at the night sky silently, looking at the White Flame Constellation.

Sophia suddenly understood that emotion: the man must have lost someone very important to him, so just looking at a star would reveal such sadness.

But that sadness did not make him look decadent. Instead, it made him look more dignified and inviolable – he and that person must have fought for the same thing and successfully defended their ideals.

Was Dad like that too? In that great war against the Tower of Babel, was Dad standing beside Uncle Pace, roaring at the star with him?

He sacrificed himself, and the star has been hanging in the sky ever since, never to fall again.

“Ugh…ah…cough…”

Sophia felt like she was about to lose all her strength. She hugged tightly onto the trekking pole that was embedded in the mountain. Her small body curled up and trembled slightly.

At this moment, a pair of big hands lifted her up and held her tightly in their arms:

“Sophia…are you that into running?”

The girl turned her head in astonishment and met those helpless black eyes again—the mountain-like body of Pace Monarch was standing behind her, protecting her and preventing her from falling.

“You…when did you…” Sophia’s voice was intermittent.

“I’ve been following you. You’re not far away,” Pace sighed. “Hurry up. We’ll almost reach the top of the mountain.”

Sofia tried hard to hold up her body, and with the help of Pace, she struggled to pull the trekking pole out of the mountain and then stuck it back in, moving towards the summit step by step.

From time to time, she turned her head to look at Pace – the bearded man looked straight ahead calmly, his black eyes reflecting the white light in the snowstorm.

The man seemed to know what he was about to see. Fifteen years had made the contours of his facial features more profound, but his black eyes were still like a child’s.

“call–“

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Sofia’s trekking pole dug into a flat area.

She used all her strength to move forward against the wind and snow, taking a big step forward.

——But stepped into the warm sunshine.

“…..!?”

In the blink of an eye, the snow and wind that filled the surroundings disappeared, and Sophia was surprised to find that she had stepped onto the flat ground on the top of the mountain. The sunlight was warming her frozen little face, making her a little overwhelmed.

What’s going on… Where’s the snowstorm? It was just…

Before Sophia had time to think further, the scene before her almost made her scream out –

——The blooming sea of ​​flowers covers every corner of the ice field!

The flowers were all pure white, the sunlight outlining their round petals, which were sparkling with crystal dew and gleaming with little lights.

A sea of ​​flowers bloomed in a place where there was little vegetation growing!

“This…this is…”

Sofia stuttered, not knowing what to say.

She looked into the distance and saw a silver spire standing at the end of the sea of ​​flowers. White flames were burning on the top of the spire, which was obviously the source of heat for the sea of ​​flowers.

The white sea of ​​flowers and the pure white flames made Sophia dazed for a moment, and she even forgot the fatigue from walking through the wind and snow.

She suddenly heard laughter – beside her, Pace suddenly laughed.