When the air stewardess returned to remind Bosco it was time to board his flight, he stood up, bowing his head at Barlin and Bowen. "See you in a year, brothers!"They both smiled and wished him, "Good luck!" Bosco smiled back. "Thank you. I wish you both the best of luck as well!"With that, he turned and followed the air stewardess out of the VIP lounge.With him gone, Bowen asked, "So? How long do you plan to stay in Antarctica? Do you have a next stop in mind?"Barlin replied casually, "Not at the moment. I'll just see how it goes."Bowen laughed, "If you ask me, you shouldn't bother with Antarctica. Why don't you come with me to America? People always called America paradise, a nation of indulgence and decadence. Now that you have a year to yourself, why not enjoy it? Lady Fleur only told us to go looking for anything we can use, but nothing about producing results. So? What do you think?"Barlin shook his head and chuckled, "Never liked crowds. I'm not about to indulge wh

Barlin frowned at Cicero's arrangements. "Why not board at port directly? Why in the open sea?"Cicero had no choice but to explain patiently, "Currently, only research vessels from various countries are at port for resupplying before heading to the South Pole. There are just no commercial ships you can board."Moreover, the research vessels are usually sent by nations with strong economies or political power. Try to board one by force, and your face will be marked forever. It's a huge risk." Barlin shrugged. "Easy—I've even planned it all out on my way here. My Reiki is strong enough to bend their minds.""Yes, but that's only the easy part," Cicero countered. "The hard part is all the cameras and security equipment covering the port and the ship. You risk being seen just showing up at port, and if they find you suspicious, they can track you back to Buenos Aires, or even the Society's base near the city. It's just too dangerous for everyone."Barlin was silent for a while, even

As Charlie's group got off, the brief glimpses of sun for the day were already waning.Some hundred yards away, the three Norwegian researchers who were at the base are waiting by their snow tractors.They were notified that once the research base equipment and facilities were resupplied and refueled, they would be evacuating and leaving the base unmanned. The base's power, heating, and water supply would remain on to keep it habitable. There would be apparatus and equipment to record the status and key indicators, such as temperature, humidity, air quality, and oxygen content, within the research base. If the research base's unmanned conditions remained optimal throughout this winter, a group of research crew would be permitted to stay for the entire winter next year.Because Antarctic winters were characterized by a lack of sunshine and unstable winds, there was virtually no usable clean energy. The most stable source of energy was diesel generators, and the heat generated while

Zars led Charlie to the garage down the center, where four refuelers specifically designed for polar climates were parked. While demonstrating how to refuel the vehicles, Zars explained, "The fuel here is ultra-low-pour-point diesel mixed with aviation kerosene; it can flow fluidly even at -94 degrees. All the vehicles have also been modified for polar conditions. "Aside from needing a little extra time to preheat the engines, they function much the same as inland vehicles." Charlie nodded and pressed him to elaborate on how to use the snowmobiles.When Zars was done, Charlie told him to lead everyone on a tour of the interior of the research base.Despite the temperatures plummeting to below -58 degrees Fahrenheit, the interior of the main research facility was kept at 78 degrees.Spanning over 40,000 square feet, the base houses had over twenty cabins, ranging from four-person to single occupancy, just like the cabins on the Elliot. Moreover, each cabin had their own portabl

When they were less than half a nautical mile away and Barlin could see the research vessel's stern as well as the wake, he told Cicero, "This is good enough. Return to port—I'll board it myself."Cicero quickly said, "Elder, this ship is full of Japanese. You don't speak Japanese, so I'm afraid you won't be able to get through to them!"Barlin snorted coldly. "I doubt that not a single person on a science ship can't speak Oskian. But if they can't, I'll just sink their ship and wait for the Canadian ship!"Cicero quickly asked, "In that case, should we wait here?""Alright," Barlin said. "But keep your distance, and pick me up if the ship starts to sink. If it doesn't sink, it means I've found someone who speaks Oskian, and you can return."Cicero nodded. "Yes, Elder Barlin!"Barlin then smoothed his sleeves and kept his hands behind his back, his soles lightly touching the taffrail once before he shot into the air. Just before he crashed into the sea, he focused his Reiki on