Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 123

12:43 pm P P W

Chapter 123 Looting the Fortress

Chapter 123 Looting the Fortress

“I’ve got two potions left. Take them!”

“Hand me those herbs! I’ll work my ass off and brew as many as I can.”

+20 Free Coins

“I’ve got nothing left to give… but I can stay right here and pray. Come on, everyone… let’s take those Nightfall bastards down.”

Hundreds, then thousands of trade notifications lit up the system.

Nearly every survivor still breathing had dug out their last stash of healing items–their final safety net–and traded them to Tartking for almost nothing, often accepting just a token item in return.

One person offered up a precious, fully–stocked first–aid kit.

Another handed over adrenaline shots they’d been saving since their last dungeon run, the kind you hold onto for a true life–or–death moment.

Someone even sold their only high–grade potion, just to have enough credits to buy a different one from the market… and then sent that one to TartKing.

That relentless, seemingly endless wave of potions TartKing had chugged earlier hadn’t come from her personal stash alone.

It was the last ounce of fight left in every survivor in Region 8, pooled together and pushed into the hands of someone standing on the front line.

Riley scanned the trade logs, and a faint warmth spread behind her eyes.

She’d always seen this world as a cold, ruthless survival game.

She traded, she fought, she fortified her base–all to keep herself alive. She’d written off most of the others as dead weight, opportunists, or lambs just waiting for slaughter.

But in this moment…

Those very “lambs” had pulled out their last strands of wool, spun them into a rope, and thrown it down to her as she dangled off the cliff’s edge.

Riley took a slow, steadying breath and typed into the regional channel.

“SpicyBurger: Did everyone catch the global alert just now? Nightshade is dead. Nightfall is finished.

“SpicyBurger: Thanks for the potions, everyone. Tasted like victory.

“SpicyBurger: The sun’s up. We… actually won.”

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Chapter 123 Looting the Fortress

The message posted.

For a full ten seconds, the channel stayed completely silent.

+20 Free Coins

It was as if no one dared to believe it, everyone holding their breath, double–checking the system notifications.

Then-

“Boom.”

“WE WON!!”

“Holy shit, SpicyBurger is insane! TartKing is a legend!”

“Oh my god… it’s finally over. That monster is really dead…”

“We made it. We actually freaking made it!!”

The chat exploded instantly–a cascading flood of all–caps cheers, crying emojis, disbelief, and pure relief.

Riley’s gaze drifted from the shattered remains of Nightshade to a faint orb of light hovering above the corpse–the loot drop that appeared after a player’s final death.

The glow was an unusual, murky shade of deep violet.

She reached out and touched it.

“Clatter.”

An inventory panel unfolded before her.

First, a scroll of parchment covered in intricate arcane patterns.

“Blueprint: Basic Teleportation Array (Rare/Special)

“Use: Constructs a pair of fixed spatial anchor points.

“Cost: Significant quantities of spatial crystals and mana cores.

“Note: Core technology for point–to–point teleportation. Construction is expensive, but it serves as a bridge between distant outposts.”

“Figured as much,” Riley murmured, her interest sharpening.

With this, if she ever formalized a long–term alliance with Pineapple Beer or TartKing, they could install one array at each base. Visiting would become as easy as stepping through a doorway.

Next came an assortment of rare materials harvested from Nightshade’s inventory, plus six blue–tier equipment schematics–all solid, high–value loot.

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12:44 pm pp

Chapter 123 Looting the Fortress

+20 Free Coins

Alongside the blueprints were several Random Skill Upgrade Tokens and Equipment Enhancement Scrolls, basically the equivalent of cold, hard cash in this world.

But the final item made both Riley and PineappleBeer pause and frown.

It was a hand mirror.

Small enough to fit in a palm, its frame was carved from some unknown black metal into twisted, tentacle–like shapes. The reflective surface wasn’t glass, but a deep, light–swallowing black stone that seemed to draw the warmth from the air.

Holding it sent a bone–deep chill straight through Riley’s glove.

“Special Item: God–Touched Mirror

“Quality: Unknown

“Function: Unknown

“Description: It is said that on the deepest, coldest nights, an offering of blood allows the holder to hear the whispers of a “god.” Nightshade once used it to obtain powers over death… though the exact price paid remains unclear.”

“A ‘God–Touched Mirror‘?” Riley turned it over in her hands. The surface didn’t show her reflection–only a shifting, blurry black mist. “So this is that ‘divine walkie–talkie‘ Nightshade was talking about?”

“Doesn’t look like anything good to me,” PineappleBeer said, taking a half–step back with clear distaste. “I’ve got a strong feeling this thing is why Nightshade turned into that… fleshy abomination. It gives me the creeps.”

“We’ll hold onto it for now.” Riley found a thick piece of treated canvas, wrapped the mirror in several layers, and tucked it into the very back of her inventory. “We can look into it later.”

After collecting the boss loot, the two didn’t head out immediately. They began searching what was left of the Black Iron Fortress for anything of value.

Though the structure was mostly rubble, near the back of the compound, they discovered something that made the air feel even colder.

There was a rift in the ground–a deep, seemingly bottomless crevasse,

It lay on the fortress‘ shaded side, like a raw scar torn into the earth. An icy wind whistled up from the darkness below, carrying with it faint, echoing roars that sounded like no creature either of them had ever heard.