Chapter 37: Stepping into the Frost Spirit Marsh

As the spaceship slowly approached the planet shrouded in thick purple mist, Kyle and the others looked out of the porthole at the mysterious and dangerous scene before them, and a trace of unease welled up in their hearts. As the spaceship gradually delved deeper into the mist layer, the data on the instruments jumped wildly, various warning lights flashed continuously, and the cold air seemed to seep into the cabin bit by bit through the spaceship's hull.

"The environment here is even harsher than we imagined," Kyle said, gripping the control stick tightly, his brows furrowed, and fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. The spaceship struggled to move forward in the mist. The surrounding mist was like thick ink, tightly enveloping the spaceship, greatly limiting their visibility.

Alicia quickly operated the instruments, trying to stabilize the various parameters of the spaceship. "The temperature is dropping sharply, and the spaceship's hull has already started to freeze. If this continues, our energy consumption will increase significantly, and the maneuverability of the spaceship will also be severely affected," she said, her voice tinged with a hint of anxiety as her eyes were fixed on the constantly changing data on the instrument screen.

Morgan stood aside with his arms crossed, looking at the white expanse outside the window. "This damned place. It feels like danger lurks everywhere," he muttered to himself. His illusion ability seemed to be somewhat restricted in this environment, and the surrounding cold made the outlines of the illusions a bit blurred.

Cavin closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the surrounding environment with magic. After a moment, he opened his eyes, his face looking a bit solemn. "I can feel a powerful and icy energy surging around. This might be the cold energy we're looking for, but the energy fluctuations here are very complex, and we must proceed with caution."

Just when everyone felt a bit at a loss, Kyle suddenly noticed a dark figure looming in the mist ahead. He quickly adjusted the direction of the spaceship and slowly approached the figure. As they got closer, they could make out the appearance of the figure. It was a tall and burly man wearing a thick fur coat, with a striking scar on his face and a determined look in his eyes. He was standing on a huge ice block and waving at them.

"Who is that? How could there be someone alone in this environment?" Alicia said in surprise.

Kyle didn't answer. He piloted the spaceship cautiously and slowly landed on a relatively flat ice surface near the man. When the man saw the spaceship land, he quickly jumped down from the ice block and ran towards the spaceship.

Kyle and the others opened the cabin door, and a biting cold wind blew in, making everyone shiver. The man entered the spaceship, took off the fur hat on his head, revealing a slightly messy head of brown hair. He laughed heartily. "Haha, you outsiders are really bold to dare to break into the Frost Spirit Marsh Star Domain."

Kyle looked at the man warily. "Who are you? Why are you here?" he asked.

The man patted the snow off his body. "I'm Eric, an ice plain hunter. I've lived here for most of my life and know this place like the back of my hand. Your spaceship was just wandering in the mist. It's obvious you're not familiar with the situation here. If you had flown any further, it would have been dangerous," he said, pointing outside the window. "See that purple mist out there? It's not ordinary mist. The cold energy it contains can turn your spaceship into a huge ice block in the blink of an eye."

Alicia asked curiously, "Dangerous? What kind of danger is ahead?"

Eric walked to the porthole and pointed to the vaguely visible glaciers in the distance, where the wind howled and blew ice debris flying in the mist. "In the area ahead, the glaciers can collapse at any moment. Once hit by the falling ice, your spaceship will be completely destroyed. Moreover, there is a group of Ice-Winged Snow Dragons living there. They won't be polite to outsiders who intrude on their territory. Just look at these glaciers. They seem quiet on the surface, but in fact, there are undercurrents surging inside, and the ice cracks are constantly expanding. No one knows when they will collapse."

Kyle and the others were startled when they heard this. They hadn't expected the dangers in this star domain to be so great. Eric continued, "Judging by your appearance, you're here to look for cold energy, right? It's not that easy to obtain this cold energy. The entire star domain is filled with dangers, with spirit marshes hidden under the ice layers everywhere, and all kinds of terrifying ice and snow creatures. Look, those ice prisms in the distance. Some of them are taller than our spaceship and as sharp as knives, wrapped in cold energy. If they fall, they can pierce the spaceship right through."

Morgan couldn't help but ask, "Then can you tell us how we can safely obtain the cold energy?"

Eric shook his head and sighed, his gaze throw towards the unknown place shrouded in mist in the distance. "It's not easy to obtain the cold energy. The cold energy in the spirit marshes is guarded by the Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs. Those creatures are very cunning and can set up all kinds of ice traps. If you get close to the spirit marsh, you'll find that the ice layer around it seems solid, but it might actually be a trap laid by the Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs. As soon as you step on it, it will collapse, and you'll fall into the bitterly cold spirit marsh and be frozen stiff in an instant. However, I can take you to a safe place to take shelter for now, at least so that you can first get to know the situation in this star domain."

Kyle and the others exchanged a look and thought Eric's proposal was a good one. They really did need a safe place to carefully plan their next moves. So, under Eric's guidance, Kyle piloted the spaceship and flew towards the safe ice cave he mentioned.

Along the way, Eric introduced various dangers in the star domain to them. "Look at those huge glaciers. On the surface, they seem calm, but in fact, their internal structure is very fragile. The slightest movement can trigger a collapse. And those mists are not just ordinary mists. They contain extremely cold energy. If you're exposed to them for a long time, your body will be frozen stiff. Look, over there is a small ice plain. It was originally quite flat, but after a cold energy storm, it became full of potholes and ice holes everywhere. Once you fall into one, you won't be able to get out."

When the spaceship flew over a glacier area, suddenly, a violent tremor came. Kyle's face changed. "No, it's a glacier collapse!" he shouted. They saw a huge glacier ahead start to crack, and ice blocks kept falling and crashing towards them.

Kyle quickly maneuvered the spaceship to dodge, while Alicia nervously stared at the instruments, providing Kyle with various data. Morgan and Cavin were also ready to deal with the danger. Eric stood aside calmly. "Fly to the left. There's a narrow passage there. The ice blocks from the glacier collapse shouldn't be able to reach there," he said.

Kyle followed Eric's instructions and piloted the spaceship towards the left. At the critical moment, the spaceship rushed into the narrow passage and avoided the collapsing glacier. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, still feeling a lingering fear.

After some twists and turns, they finally arrived at the safe ice cave Eric had mentioned. The ice cave was located inside a huge iceberg, and the entrance was blocked by a thick layer of ice, making it difficult to detect from the outside. Eric led Kyle and the others into the ice cave. The ice cave was spacious and warm, and some crystals emitting a soft light were inlaid on the cave walls, illuminating the entire ice cave.

"I discovered this place by chance. It's one of the few safe places in this star domain," Eric said.

Kyle and the others settled down in the ice cave, and Eric began to introduce in detail to them the difficulty of obtaining the cold energy. "The cold energy mainly exists in the spirit marshes, but the spirit marshes are guarded by the Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs. These Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs are not easy to deal with. They can manipulate the energy in the frost marshes and create all kinds of ice traps, such as ice spike arrays and frozen swamps. Once you get caught in them, it's very difficult to escape. Moreover, the Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs can also summon Ice-Winged Snow Dragons to help. Those snow dragons have huge wings and can soar freely in the cold air. The cold breath they exhale can freeze everything in an instant. Just imagine, by the spirit marsh, the Frost Marsh Spirit Frogs hide in the dark and suddenly shoot out ice spikes from under the ice layer, catching you off guard."

Hearing this, the expressions of Kyle and the others became very solemn. They realized that the task of obtaining the cold energy this time was much more difficult than they had imagined. At this moment, Eric's face suddenly became a bit heavy. "Actually, I also have something to ask you for help. One of my companions got lost in the depths of the glacier during a hunting trip, and I haven't been able to find him after searching for a long time. I'm worried that something bad has happened to him, but my strength alone is limited. Can you help me look for him together?"

Kyle and the others exchanged a look. They knew that looking for the missing hunter might delay their time to obtain the cold energy, but they couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Kyle nodded. "Okay, we'll help you look for him. After all, you've also helped us, and we can't turn a blind eye."

Eric looked at them gratefully. "Thank you so much! My companion's name is Tom. He's also an experienced hunter, but there are just too many dangers in this star domain. We need to set off as soon as possible. I hope he's still safe. In the depths of this glacier, there are ice cliffs that can collapse at any moment, and there are also undercurrents hidden under the ice layers. One careless move, and you'll be swept away."

So, after a short rest, Kyle and the others, together with Eric, walked out of the ice cave and headed towards the depths of the glacier, starting the task of looking for the missing hunter.