Chapter 84: The Snowman

After stowing the anglerfish in his backpack, Friday suddenly called out to Qin Fei and his companions twice. He stood at the entrance of one of the passages in the ice cave, waving his arms to beckon them over.

From Friday’s gestures, it seemed he wanted them to follow him.

The network of paths within the great ice cave was intricate, and entirely different from those in the game. Even someone as experienced as Qin Fei, with all his gaming expertise, had no idea which way was correct. Neither Caesar nor Sherry had any better suggestions.

So, the three of them simply decided to follow Friday.

After all, Friday lived in this vast ice cave and knew the terrain intimately. As he led the group through the winding passages, they surprisingly encountered no wild beasts along the way.

After half an hour of walking behind Friday, they arrived at a cavern deep within the ice cave.

To their astonishment, there were about a dozen other snowmen living inside, just like Friday.

Upon seeing the three strangers at the cave entrance, the snowmen inside immediately noticed them. They all pounded their fists against their chests and roared in Qin Fei’s direction, looking ready for a fight.

Friday hurried forward and, after some animated gestures and exchanges with the cave’s residents, managed to pacify them and dispel their hostility toward the newcomers.

Having soothed his companions, Friday ushered Qin Fei and the others into the cavern.

Inside were more than a dozen huts built from blocks of ice. Outside the huts, a variety of fish were frozen in the open, preserved in the frigid air.

Most of these fish were the same species Qin Fei had seen in the glacial river—some were even anglerfish. In addition to the fish, Qin Fei spotted some plants resembling seaweed. Apparently, this algae and the river fish made up the staple diet of the snowfolk.

Friday brought them to a particular ice hut, which seemed to be his own resting place. The hut was quite small, with just enough space for one inhabitant. Qin Fei surmised that these icy dwellings were used solely for sleeping, while daily activities and food storage took place outside.

After everyone sat down near Friday’s hut, he fetched some frozen fish and seaweed-like plants from deeper in the cave and laid them before his guests.

From Friday’s actions, it was clear he intended to treat Qin Fei and his friends to a meal.

Qin Fei was at a bit of a loss.

The cave where the powerful artifact was stored was bitterly cold, and he certainly couldn’t stomach biting into raw, frozen fish and algae. He decided to cook the food before eating.

He took some wood from his backpack and stacked it on the ground. Then, he smeared a bit of anglerfish oil onto the pile and used a lighter to start a campfire.

Friday, having never seen fire before meeting Qin Fei and the others, watched in awe as Qin Fei produced wood seemingly from thin air and ignited a blazing fire on the cavern floor.

Curious, Friday edged closer to the flames. In such a frigid environment, the warmth from the fire was a rare and joyous comfort. Even though the snowfolk were immune to cold, Friday’s face showed obvious pleasure as he basked in the fire’s glow.

It seemed that not just humans, but all primates instinctively enjoyed the warmth of fire.

Once the fire was burning brightly, Qin Fei placed the seaweed-like plants and the blocks of frozen fish beside the flames to heat them up.

After a short while, the rich aroma of roasting fish began to waft through the air.

“Roar! Roar! Roar!”

The scent quickly caught Friday’s attention. He watched Qin Fei’s grilling process for a moment, and then, imitating his actions, began roasting fish himself.

As the fish cooked and the delicious scent filled the cavern, the rest of the snowfolk gathered around, drawn by the smell.

“Roar! Roar! Roar!”

With roasted fish in hand, Friday excitedly showed off his newfound grilling skills to the others.

After a minute, the dozen or so snowfolk, having observed for a while, all joined in, eager to try grilling their own food over the flames.

While cooking, Qin Fei took out a small box of salt from his backpack and sprinkled a little on each piece of roasted fish. The snowfolk got their salt from animals or plants, so their taste buds were accustomed to very mild flavors. Bearing this in mind, Qin Fei used only the tiniest amount of salt.

Even so, the taste of the grilled fish was hundreds of times better than eating it raw.

There is no one—no, to be precise, no primate—who can resist the lure of barbecue.

After enjoying their grilled fish, the snowfolk brought out most of their stored food from the cave and began roasting it on the fire as well. It seemed they had no intention of stopping until they were thoroughly satisfied.

While barbecuing, Qin Fei discovered that the algae-like plants, once roasted, tasted quite good. Though they resembled ordinary seaweed, their composition was mostly starch. After roasting, they were fragrant and crispy, somewhat like baked potatoes.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, the mood in the cave grew jubilant. The snowfolk howled with excitement, their voices echoing through the icy chamber.

Having tasted the delights of barbecue, their eyes when looking at Qin Fei and his friends had changed—filled with awe, as though gazing upon deities who had brought them fire.

The snowfolk celebrated wildly for some time before gradually calming down.

Eventually, the one who seemed largest and most robust among them stepped forward. The others, seeing him approach, all showed him great respect and made way for him.

Qin Fei surmised that this must be the leader of the snowfolk.

The chieftain stood before Qin Fei and his companions, gestured with his hands, and led them to the innermost part of the cavern.

There, they discovered another entrance—but it was blocked by an enormous chunk of ice, roughly the size of half a bus, fused tightly to the ground.

Qin Fei guessed that even if all the snowfolk joined forces, they could never move such a massive ice block.

The chieftain pointed at the campfire in the distance, then at the base of the ice block, all the while gesturing emphatically.

Watching his actions, Qin Fei began to understand his meaning.

It seemed the chieftain wanted Qin Fei to build a fire and use its heat to melt the huge ice block blocking the entrance.