Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 236: Ice Core?

Level: 2

Talents:

Pixie's Line (D): Can extend the duration of buffs/debuffs caused by Pixie by 50% longer than their standard durations. Eternal Buff (SS+): Any beneficial effect received by Zeka will become permanent. Identical beneficial effects can stack infinitely.

...

Noan saw nothing particularly noteworthy in Zeka's information, except for one thing that made him slightly uneasy: Zeka's 'Eternal Buff' talent.

This talent could turn every beneficial effect Zeka received into a 'permanent' status. Even identical beneficial effects could stack endlessly.

Was this a cheat?

This talent was many times more terrifying than Alex's 'Devour' talent.

Fortunately, it seemed Zeka had only recently acquired this talent, so Noan could sense that Zeka's current strength wasn't significant.

In fact, Zeka wasn't even as strong as Baron yet.

Nevertheless, if Zeka were allowed to continue living, he could become a ticking time bomb.

Still, Noan wasn't eager to kill Zeka. After all, Zeka possessed a talent even stronger than Alex's, indicating that his fate and fortune were vastly superior.

Thus, Zeka was essentially a treasure-finding radar. By following Zeka, Noan would surely reap considerable rewards.

Noan silently asked the System: "Can I see Zeka's buffs?"

[Ding! Cannot. Zeka's buffs are beneficial and cannot be displayed within the system.]

"Tsk!" Noan clicked his tongue, but it wasn't a significant problem.

After all, he could still sense Zeka's strength. Besides, Vylyss could help him monitor Zeka.

If Zeka displayed excessive growth, Noan would kill him immediately.

After finishing the introductions, Valen smiled and said, "Today is a joyous occasion as we have three new allies, so let's hold a small party to welcome our new members."

Everyone was delighted to hear this and quickly agreed.

After all, in this world, they couldn't cultivate crops due to extremely low temperatures, making food exceedingly scarce.

Holding a party meant they would get to eat their fill. Therefore, whenever Valen mentioned having a party, everyone quickly agreed.

Noan observed the joy and greed in the eyes of the people here and could somewhat guess that their lives were uncomfortable.

While everyone was preparing, Noan called Monica to a secluded corner, frowned, and asked, "What do you know about Valen?"

"Ah!" Monica was slightly startled but obediently replied, "He's the one who created this cave."

"Hm?!" Hearing that, Noan seemed to have some speculation, but he didn't voice it, remaining quiet and letting Monica continue.

"He's a Lord who has fused with the power of a Stone Golem; that's why he can change the cave's shape, creating a refuge for everyone."

Noan nodded lightly upon hearing this.

He glanced at the mission timer, indicating more than twenty-three hours left, and didn't feel particularly anxious.

He merely looked at Monica and continued asking, "How did you meet him?"

"Ah! Well… I met him when I had just arrived in this place. He said he was one of the first people to enter this world," Monica answered truthfully.

"At that time, everyone was desperate, and he appeared, bringing us hope to continue surviving."

Noan glanced at Valen, who stood smiling from afar, directing everyone as they cooked.

Handsome, friendly, kind-hearted, and the sole source of hope everyone could depend upon.

If Noan couldn't detect 'Fate Holders,' perhaps he would have believed that Valen himself was a Fate Holder.

"So, over the past two years, none of you have found any way to escape from this place?" Noan continued questioning.

Hearing this, Monica sighed, "That's right. Whenever we discovered a new method, Valen would always be the first to explore it. But each path always led to a dead end."

"At those moments, Valen immediately encouraged everyone, raising their spirits and motivating them to overcome their difficulties."

As Monica spoke, admiration for the young man named Valen filled her eyes.

Noan didn't feel jealousy; it was just… he increasingly found the young man strange.

Exactly how strange, he didn't know—just that his intuition was urging him to remain cautious around this man.

'It seems I must find the Ice Core myself,' Noan thought silently.

He turned around, intending to leave, when Monica suddenly asked in surprise, "You don't want to join the party? There will be lots of delicious food."

Noan: "…"

He shook his head and replied, "I'll be back."

With that, he activated his Space talent and instantly vanished.

Seeing this, Monica's face lit up with longing. If only she possessed a space-related talent, she could go anywhere.

At that moment, Valen suddenly glanced toward Monica, a strange glint flashing briefly in his eyes before disappearing.

His gaze then shifted to Zeka and Violette, and within it shimmered a hint of greed.

Zeka, sensing Valen's gaze, shivered slightly. He quickly turned his head and saw Valen looking at him with a friendly expression, which eased his nerves.

However, he knew he needed to locate a fortress called 'Black Snow' to complete the System's first mission. Because of that, he walked up to Valen.

"Valen, can you show me the way to the fortress called 'Black Snow'? I need to complete the System's first mission."

Hearing Zeka's question, Valen smiled and replied, "Don't worry, the Black Snow fortress is very close—only about ten miles from here."

"For now, let's enjoy the party first. Afterward, the others and I will take you there."

Hearing this, Zeka felt relieved and didn't question Valen's words at all.

"Thank you, Valen. You're truly a good person," Zeka said with a smile.

"Hahahaha… Don't thank me. We're all stuck in the same situation—we should help each other, right?" Valen said with a hearty laugh.

Zeka nodded in agreement.

To him, Valen's words didn't seem strange in the slightest. After all, the Black Snow fortress was only about ten miles away. With his stamina, he could easily reach it in two hours.

Besides, he still had over twenty-two hours left to complete the mission, so he wasn't too worried.

Even if he took time to eat and sleep, he would still have enough time to finish the task.

But just as Zeka turned to leave and share the news with Violette, Valen's gaze followed him—now brimming with greed.