Endless ice fields stretch north from Sarah's northern border, and as far as the eye can see, they are covered in snow, without a trace of other color. Fern and his party were walking through this barren land, the boundless white was painful to the eyes, and the unchanging environment was frustrating.

Fern walked first, stepping on a knee-deep footprint with each step, and his companions behind him all stepped on his footprints to conserve energy. But even so, everyone feels tiredness that goes deep into the bone marrow, like a powerlessness that never ends in sight.

"Fern, how far do we have to go to Dagger Mountain? I feel like there's never an end to it. Ness struggled to lift her feet and step into Fern's footprints, the snow was so thick that the mage had to lean towards his center of gravity with each step.

"We'll be there almost tomorrow, it's not far on the map, but we can't go as fast as we can't. Fern simply stopped and stood there for a moment's rest.

"If we have a dark tide here, I don't think we're defenseless. Queai buried his face in his hood, which was held up in a bun at the back of his head.

Stan gasps at the back of the line. "Unless this is a battlefield, there are very few dark tides, because very few people try to cross the Permafrost Plains in winter, and even the demons know that. ”

"Permafrost, will the snow never melt here?" asked Ness, curious.

"Yes, this is the northernmost point that the whole of Wallis has ever reached, and here there is no summer, and the warmest season is colder than the coldest part of central Wallis, and the snow does not melt all year round. Stan's breath calmed down a bit, and he exhaled heavily. "Further north, there is the Far North Realm where no one has ever been, and it is from where the Dark Tide appears, and legend has it that the Lord of the Dark is also sealed there, but no one knows the exact location. ”

Fern smiled a little self-deprecatingly. "I guess our ultimate destination is there, the Far North, the Dark Tide's Nest. ”

"It's not funny at all. Rui glared at Fern angrily. "Putting the five of us in the face of the entire army of the Dark Tide is tantamount to suicide. ”

"Wait, I didn't say I was going, I wouldn't have come here if it weren't for Hessey's request. Quiai frowned, and pulled his cloak tighter again. "Although Duluth is a relatively cold place, it is really a small comparison to this place, and I must ask Hussey to give me another ring when I go back this time. ”

"Don't be in such a hurry to dissociate yourself from us, have you forgotten that there is another person here?" Rui rubbed his frozen red nose and hid the smile on the corner of his mouth behind his hand.

"Well, I'll go with you if Fern needs me. With that, Quiai's eyes sent autumn waves to the mercenary.

Fern quickly turned his head away. "You're almost done, so let's get back on our roads. With that, he stepped into the snow again.

Rui suddenly remembered a question and asked as she followed Ness in front of her. "Since we won't be able to get to Dagger Mountain until tomorrow, what are we going to do tonight? There's no place to camp here. ”

Fern looked back and smiled brightly. "This Stan and I have discussed it a long time ago, so you can see our show later. ”

The three mages looked at each other inexplicably, and Ness couldn't help but sneer at the mercenary, "Fern, what's the method, tell me?" she said, blinking her big blue eyes and looking at Fern seriously.

Fern looked at Ness's lovely face and forgot that he was still walking in the snow almost as thick as his knees, and if he was not careful, he tripped and lay on the snow. Fern quickly got up, sat down on the snow, and spat out two mouthfuls of snow from his mouth.

Rui watched and quipped to Ness, "Why don't you kiss Fern and he'll tell you how about kissing your face or forehead?" ”

Ness's face flushed to her neck. "Rui, what are you talking nonsense? After saying that, he didn't ask Fern anymore, and just stood in the snow blankly.

Quiai suddenly and quickly stepped from the back of the group to the front, holding the right side of Fern's face who had barely stood up, and his lips quickly touched the left side of his face. Everyone's mouths opened in surprise, and Fern's mind went blank, neither speaking nor struggling, and he stood there.

Finally Ness broke out. "What are you doing, Queai!" he said, and went up and grabbed Queai's arm.

Quiai let go of Fern with a triumphant smile on his face. "Rui also let you kiss Fern, you didn't have the courage to kiss him yourself, but you came to stop me?"

"You! you're too much!" Ness stole a sneak glance at Fern out of the corner of her eye, worried that the mercenary would be seduced by Queay's kiss.

Fortunately, Fern had regained his senses, and he touched the side of Que's face that had been kissed, and without saying anything, he turned and walked on.

Ness glared at Queai angrily and followed Fern.

Rui walked up to Ness, leaned into her ear and whispered, "Ness, you have to be bolder, or I think Fern will be snatched away by her sooner or later, it's so easy for a woman to chase a man, let alone a charming woman like Queai." ”

There was a cry in Ness's voice. "Rui, I don't know what to do, what can I do? I'm conflicted, I don't know ....... ”

Rui straightened up, sighed, and didn't say anything more.

The wind began to blow louder, blowing across the endless snowfield, and the snowflakes flew in the air like sand in the desert for some distance before landing in the same place as before. Small, fast-moving dark clouds gradually obscured the low-hanging sun, and the temperature became even colder.

Fern looked at the sky, and the clouds were getting denser, darkening the already dim sky. "Let's stop here today, and prepare to camp while we still see it. ”

"Camping, did you just say that, here?" Rui took off his hood and looked around suspiciously.

"You don't have to look at it, it's all the same here, you can go anywhere. Fern winked at Stan.

Stan unloads the package from his back and pulls out the shovel that was tied to it from the armory. "I'm ready, let's get started, Fern. ”

Fern didn't know when he also held a shovel in his hand, and the mercenary circled around the group, while using the shovel to carve a rectangle about five yards long and wide in the snow. "Ness, Quiai, you stand here, scorching this half of the snow with fire magic. Fern draws a circle under his feet with a shovel, and then stands with Stan on the side with a shovel and waits to see the show.

Ness glanced at Quiai with some unhappiness, but the other party stood in the circle drawn by Fern very generously, and began to concentrate on casting spells, a fireball appeared in Quiai's hand, and the mage slowly pushed his hand into the snow, and the fireball was suspended a few inches from the ground, slowly melting the snow.

With an angry expression on her face, Ness deliberately walked a few steps away from Quiai and began to chant the incantation. A fireball almost the size of Ness's head quickly spawned and slammed into the snow, causing a large cloud of snow with a muffled thud, drenching Fern and Stan from head to toe as they stood opposite.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Fern...... Stan. Ness glanced at Queai beside her, and saw that the mage had a gloating expression on his face, but the fireball was still very well controlled, and a rather deep snow cave had appeared below the fireball that was slowly moving downward.

Ness, you can't lose to her. Ness calmed down, followed Quiai's example, and re-unleashed the fireball, slowly pushing towards the snow.

The snow melted very quickly under the scorching heat of the two fireballs, and the snow was thicker than Fern had expected, exceeding the height of his calf, but still not to see the ground.

"It looks like we just stepped on the harder snow down there, not the ground. Fern crouched on the edge of the hole, groping his beard.

"The snow underneath has been deposited and squeezed over hundreds of years, and is even harder than stone, but fortunately there is a flame, otherwise it would be really difficult to get it. Stan crouches next to Fern as well, touching his pale yellow stubble.

After a while, the damp gray-brown dirt finally appeared before Fern's eyes. "Alright, you can rest for a while, and I'll need your help later. With that, Stan and Stan jump into the pit, pick up the shovel and start digging out the softened snow and meltwater.

Quiai stopped beside Rui. "I think I know their way. ”

Rui nodded. "I really admire them for coming up with this solution, otherwise it would be impossible to find a place to spend the night on the plains where there is no cover at all, and I'm afraid we would all have to freeze to death here. ”

After Fern and Stan climbed out of the half of the hole that had been dug, they did the same to remove the other half of the snow, and a makeshift shelter large enough for everyone was completed, bringing a touch of warmth to everyone's hearts in the increasingly cold wind.