Survival Queen of the Frozen Wastes novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Sour Payment

Chapter 16 Sour Payment

415 Free Coins

She glanced back at the corner. Hadn’t noticed anything last night before bed. Did that little thing actually sneak over here in the dark? Brave kid.

“Well, since you’re putting in the effort…

Riley thought for a second, then pulled a piece of leftover black bread from her inventory.

The stuff tasted terrible–like chewing compressed sawdust–so she wasn’t exactly heartbroken to part with it. If the kid liked it, might as well trade.

She broke off half the piece and set it on the same rock where the berries had been.

Then she grabbed the cluster of bright red berries and headed back, popping one into her mouth on the

way.

Looked sweet. Probably sweet, right?

“Crunch.”

The moment her teeth broke through the skin-

An explosion of sour hit her like a freight train. Brain–melting, jaw–locking, eye–watering sour.

“S$SS–!!!”

Riley’s face crumpled like a paper bag. Every muscle in her face clenched.

“That’s SO sour!!!”

Her teeth felt like they were dissolving. Saliva flooded her mouth. Tears actually pricked at the corners of her eyes.

This wasn’t wild fruit. This was concentrated lemon essence in berry form.

“No wonder…”

Once she finally recovered, Riley stared at the beautiful little poison in her hand, torn between laughing and crying.

“No wonder that kid ate that sawdust bread like it was a five–star meal.

“Guess she’s never tasted anything good in her life.”

As ridiculously sour as they were, Riley didn’t toss them.

In polar survival, vitamin C was gold. A long–term deficiency would wreck her–scurvy was real, and it was deadly. These berries tasted like punishment, but they were still fruit.

“Down the hatch. Medicine.”

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Chapter 16 Sour Payment

+15 Free Coins

Grimacing. Riley braced herself and shoved two inore in. The sour hit made her whole body jolt, waking her up more effectively than coffee ever could.

She stored the remaining few carefully in her cabin. Future “enjoyment” could wait.

After that unforgettable breakfast, Riley grabbed her axe, hauled her homemade sled, and started another day as a lumberjack.

Light snow today. Wind had died down, too.

Heading toward the forest, Riley noticed something pleasant: the wind had scoured some areas clean, exposing patches of bare rock that had been buried before.

Several grayish granite chunks, each about the size of a basketball.

“Recyclable Resource: Loose Rock

“Recycle?”

“Yes.”

Riley hit confirm.

“Acquired: Stone x3”

“Every little bit counts.”

Rocks the system recognized as recyclable weren’t everywhere. They had to be loose like this, big enough to matter. Bedrock didn’t count. Tiny gravel didn’t count.

She stopped and started multiple times on the way, scooping up quite a few, converting them into 12 units of Stone total.

That put her a little closer to the “Stone x50” requirement for Level 3.

At the woods, she got to work.

“Ha!”

Axe up. Axe down.

With yesterday’s practice and her boosted Strength, she was even faster today.

Riley barely stopped all morning.

By the time the sun hung overhead, she’d made three sled trips back and forth. Fifteen logs total.

Back at camp, she recycled everything.

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20:14 Mon, May 4

Chapter 16 Sour Payment

“Acquired: Common Wood x90”

Riley wiped sweat off her forehead, watching her wood count climb. Satisfying

“Ninety wood. That’s days of fuel right there.”

Noon. Riley sat at the table, chewing white bread, sipping juice.

“Still wish I’d gotten that deer, though.”

She sighed.

“Easy to get used to the good stuff. Hard to go back.

“Might as well try my luck again this afternoon.”

+35 Free Coins

After lunch and a short rest, Riley geared up and headed back toward the woods where she’d met the elf yesterday.

Two goals this time: hunt for crates, and maybe run into “Sour Berry Girl” again.

Afternoon sun hit the snow plain, casting everything in soft gold.

Riley followed yesterday’s route all the way to the massive ancient pine.

Bloodstains were gone now–fresh snow had covered them. Only faint hints remained.

“Anyone here?”

Her voice echoed through the empty woods.

Nothing.

Dead quiet. Not even a bird.

“Guess she’s not around.”

Riley felt a flicker of disappointment.

She circled the area a few times, even expanding her radius beyond yesterday’s search. Nothing. No elf, no crates, no nothing.

Not even a ghost.

Reluctantly, she turned back. At least she’d picked up twelve Stone

n the

Not a total wash.

The days passed–monotonous, exhausting, but quietly satisfying.