Survival Queen of the Frozen Wastes novel Chapter 446

Chapter 446 The Trap of the Ice Lotus

Riley sent C.P. to take point, followed by Bruce, Ketchup, and a rookie named Beagle.

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With C.P. leading the way, Riley didn’t even need to light–an Explorer’s Torch; the flames radiating from the wolf’s body provided plenty of illumination.

The cave wasn’t very deep, only about a hundred feet.

Reaching the end, the firelight illuminated a corner of the cavern.

There were no treasure chests. Instead, a cluster of ice–crystal plants emitting a faint blue glow grew out of the wall.

C.P. realized there were no other creatures inside and looked visibly disappointed It padded over, stiffed the icy plants, lost interest immediately, and backed away.

Riley stepped forward to inspect them. The system only displayed the plant’s name without providing any description.

“Glacial Core Lotus.”

Judging by the name alone, it definitely wasn’t something from Earth. It had to possess some sort of magical properties, meaning taking it wouldn’t be a loss. She just didn’t know if picking it directly would trigger any negative effects.

The lotus was crystal clear and pristine, but the longer Riley stared at it, the more something felt off.

Especially the shallow ring of soft mud surrounding the base of the lotus.

Ketchup’s eyes went wide. “That… an ice lotus this big has gotta be some kind of god–tier natural treasure, right? It’s just kinda weird that it’s growing out of a patch of mud inside a cave.”

Bruce excitedly gripped his shield tighter. “Glacial Core Lotus!/Just hearing the name makes it sound insanely overpowered!”

The three people behind her couldn’t hide the overwhelming excitement in their eyes.

However, standing right in front of this “priceless treasure“, Riley stopped in her tracks.

She reached up and pulled down her goggles–the ones with the Illusion Breaker stat–but still didn’t see anything unusual.

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It wasn’t an illusion, and C.P. hadn’t sensed anything wrong either.

Keep in mind, C.P. absolutely loved eating energy crystals. The fact that it had zero interest in this lotus… did that mean the flower didn’t contain any elemental energy?

What felt even more out of place was its location.

It was way too close to the surface. A slightly heavier blizzard could blow right in. There were no natural magical formations protecting it, and no powerful guardian monsters lurking nearby–just those two Frost Wolves at the entrance.

How could a natural treasure with such an intimidating name grow completely unguarded on a stone platform in a shallow cave?

When things look too good to be true, they usually are. Keeping her guard up was the right call.

Riley turned back and instructed the group, “You guys hold your position here. Stay sharp. I’m gonna go up and take a closer look.”

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12:02 pm

Chapter 446 The Trap of the Ice Lotus

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With that, Riley reached behind her waist and drew her dual Storm Splitter axes. Her muscles tensed slightly as she stepped forward.

Six feet from the stone platform.

Three feet.

The faintly glowing blue ice lotus remained perfectly still. Everything looked absolutely serene and completely harmless.

Riley stopped at the edge of the stone platform, her eyes locked dead onto the exact spot where the lotus roots met the stone.

It was a patch of loose topsoil resting on the rock, and the lotus stem looked as if it had violently squeezed its way out from a crack in the stone.

She narrowed her eyes and gently stepped onto the loose soil.

The texture was spongy. It sank slightly under her weight, but quickly caught firm.

Only then did Riley reach out to grab the root of the lotus.

However, the exact instant Riley’s hand was about to make contact with the stem, something incredibly bizarre happened.

The previously motionless ice lotus suddenly reacted as if it possessed a life of its own. Just as Riley was about to touch it, the stem shivered slightly, and the entire lotus swiftly and agilely shifted backward by less than half a foot!

But that tiny distance was enough to make Riley’s hand grasp empty air, throwing her completely off balance for a split second.

Did it move, or did I miss?

It moved!

Riley’s pupils shrank to pinpricks.

Because at that exact moment, she felt the texture of the mud beneath her boot subtly shift.

It absolutely wasn’t a hallucination.

This lotus… it could move!

Riley stomped hard with one foot, triggering Thunderclap, while simultaneously executing a backflip to Charge toward the others, instantly clearing the lotus’s range.

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