Mark's steps became heavier and heavier, and his breathing became more rapid. He felt like his legs were filled with lead, and every step was extremely difficult. He couldn't help but cough a few times in a low voice. Every cough made him feel the loss of energy in his body, and the blue light in his palm dimmed a little.
Karl noticed that Mark's speed had slowed down significantly, and finally stopped and looked back at Mark. "Are you okay?" Karl's voice was torn a little by the wind and snow, but the concern in his tone was clearly audible.
Mark held a protruding rock, panting heavily, and fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. Even in such a cold environment, the sweat still soaked his temples. "Karl... I... My energy... is... running out..." He said intermittently, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly.
Karl walked quickly to Mark's side and observed his condition carefully. Mark's face was paler than before, his breathing was more rapid, and the blue light in his palm was so weak that it was almost invisible. Carl frowned, dug out a bottle of potion with light golden liquid from his backpack, and handed it to Mark. "Drink it." He said briefly.
Mark took the potion, uncorked it without hesitation, and drank it all. After the potion entered his mouth, a warm current instantly spread throughout his body. He felt that the energy fluctuations in his body were slightly stable, and the blue light in his palms also lit up again. Although the light was still weak, it finally did not continue to weaken. "It's...better..." Mark breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Carl gratefully. "But, Carl, what kind of potion is this?" Mark asked in confusion.
"Before we set off, the captain gave it to me. I don't know what it is."
Carl retracted his gaze and looked up at the sky. He found that the intensity of the wind and snow seemed to have weakened. The snowflakes were no longer as dense as before, and the visibility was slightly improved. He noticed that the density of the black particles mixed in the wind and snow had also decreased significantly. He bent down, picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, and threw it into the air with force. The stone fell into the snow after drawing a parabola, but did not stir up any black particles. The dense black particles on the surrounding snow almost disappeared.
Carl stood up and took a deep breath. The cold air rushed into his lungs, bringing a refreshing feeling. "It seems that we have walked out of the dense area of black particles." He said with a hint of relief. He looked up again, his eyes fixed on the ice peak that was vaguely visible in the distance, "Let's go, speed up."
Carl took a big step and walked towards the ice peak. Mark also quickened his pace. Although his body was still weak, he tried to keep up with Carl's pace. From time to time, he looked back at the road he came from, his eyes full of worry. The area covered by black particles and Carl's bottle of golden potion were like a huge shadow, shrouding his heart, making him feel a little inexplicable fear.
The mountain road was steep and rugged, and every step on the snow-covered hillside was extremely difficult. The biting cold wind scraped across their cheeks like a knife, and the whistling sound of the wind echoed in their ears, as if warning them of the danger ahead.
Carl walked in front, and he would stop from time to time to observe the surrounding terrain to make sure they were walking in the right direction. A thin layer of snow had covered his heavy fur coat, but he didn't seem to feel the cold. He looked ahead with a firm gaze, and his steps were steady and powerful.
Mark followed Carl, and he tried to adjust his breathing and save his energy as much as possible. His eyes stayed on Carl, as if Carl was his only hope. He didn't dare to look back, because he was afraid of seeing the way he came, and afraid of seeing the area covered by black particles. He clenched his fists tightly, and the blue light in his palms flickered, as if fighting against his inner fear. He gritted his teeth and walked forward step by step, and never gave up even when he was exhausted.
After walking a distance, they met a team of soldiers on patrol. The soldiers wore heavy armor, held spears in their hands, and watched the surrounding environment vigilantly.
"Stop! Who are you?" A soldier who looked like a captain stopped them and asked sternly.
Carl stopped and signaled Mark not to speak, turned around, and replied calmly: "We are travelers, heading to Bingfeng."
The captain looked up and down at Carl and Mark, his eyes full of suspicion. "Bingfeng? It's a restricted area, no one is allowed to approach."
Carl took out a silver badge from his arms and handed it to the captain. "We were ordered to investigate Bingfeng."
The captain took the badge, checked it carefully, and then returned it to Carl. "So you are an investigator, please forgive our rudeness." The captain's tone softened a little, "However, there has been some unrest near Bingfeng recently, you have to be careful."
Carl nodded to express his gratitude. "We will pay attention."
The captain of the soldiers made way, and Carl and Mark continued to move forward. Mark looked back at the soldiers, they had turned around and left, disappearing in the wind and snow. He retracted his gaze, quickened his pace, and followed Carl. He didn't know where Bingfeng was, why Carl had an additional identity as an investigator, and what the relationship was between Bingfeng and the Frozen Hell. Everything was like a thick fog enveloping him.