Large chunks of ice crystals stood like sentinels around them. The frigid air was so intense that even the brown stone of the mountain walls was coated in a thick layer of frost. The collapsed remnants of ancient structures were half-embedded in the mountain, likewise sheathed in a dense casing of ice.
Jiang Bai had a hunch—this must have once been the path to the summit, now buried by ruin and snow.
"Hm? There are signs someone climbed here." Jiang Bai crouched beside the wall and examined it closely.
They looked like the marks left by someone ascending with ice picks or claws, chipping their way upward bit by bit through the frozen surface.
He tried to look up, but the light from the torch didn't reach far enough to illuminate what lay above.
"These must be Cartis's tracks, right?"
The marks were still fairly fresh, likely left just a short while ago. The cave was sealed off from snow or rain, preserving them perfectly.
And it was just recently that Cartis had come to Dragonspine, stubbornly determined to reach the peak.
Aside from him, Jiang Bai couldn't imagine anyone else leaving these behind.
"Most likely."
Albedo stepped closer and followed the trail upward with his gaze.
Cartis had explored Dragonspine for years. It wouldn't be surprising if he'd managed to find a route to the top.
"There seems to be a narrow path above. Too dark to see clearly, though."
"Then let's go up and check it out!"
Climbing smooth ice walls was no easy feat. Jiang Bai stuck his torch into the ground and pulled out climbing gear—ice picks, hooks, and spikes. He began carving footholds into the wall, inching upward slowly.
Albedo held a light source for him, illuminating the way.
It was grueling work. Just a few meters up, Jiang Bai already felt numb to the bone. His gloves did nothing to stave off the chill—his fingers were turning bluish-purple from the cold.
Even his eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair were dusted with white frost, frozen by the combination of his breath and the biting air.
If I had a big beard right now, I'd be the perfect Santa Claus…
"It's so damn cold. Don't tell me this is the source of the mountain's entire chill?"
At this point, Jiang Bai would've gladly wrapped himself in a giant comforter—or jumped straight into a fire. He felt like he was seconds away from becoming an ice sculpture.
If he was struggling this much, how had that adventurer managed to make it all the way up?
Albedo nodded. "Most likely. The ley line energy here is intense. Normal people staying too long could be in serious danger."
If his guess was right, Cartis had likely died as a result of that overwhelming ley line energy.
"I'll make something to help with the cold."
Albedo promptly gave a live demonstration of what top-tier alchemy looked like. With a wave of his hand, unseen materials gathered in his palm—rays of light swirling, merging, forming—until a softly glowing orb of warmth took shape.
Not only did it radiate heat, but it also emitted light. Though dim, it was enough to illuminate the path ahead.
"A simple heating device. It should last a while," Albedo said, handing the orb—resembling a glowing bulb—to Jiang Bai.
Jiang Bai took it, and warmth flooded into his palms, like holding a hot water bottle filled to the brim.
He turned it over in his hands, amazed.
"Alchemy's seriously convenient. Is this… creating something out of nothing?"
"Not quite. Alchemy isn't about creating from nothing—it's material transformation. The principles behind it are complex. If I had to explain it, I'd have to start with the basics…"
"Nope, nope, not important, not necessary." Jiang Bai quickly cut him off. One more word and this cave would turn into a classroom.
He tucked the orb into his belt. A gentle warmth spread from his waist through his body, enough to keep him from freezing into a block of ice.
They slowly, arduously climbed higher—until Jiang Bai finally found it: a narrow passage, just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a passage. More like a gap left behind after some ancient building collapsed, later sealed by years of snow and ice—blocking what had once been an upward path.
Then Cartis had discovered it. Enduring bone-deep cold, he'd smashed through the ice, dug through the blockage, and clawed out a path by sheer determination.
Jiang Bai crawled slowly through the cramped tunnel, just barely able to wriggle forward.
He had no idea how long he'd been crawling when he finally saw light.
Exhausted as he was, strength surged back into his limbs. He quickened his pace and pushed through the final stretch of the tunnel.
What he saw when he emerged took his breath away.
A massive column-like structure—like a titanic hammer—was embedded in the ground, its surface inscribed with mysterious runes. The material resembled the base of the Statues of The Seven.
The upper portion of the pillar had fractured, revealing a strange glowing crystal wrapped within layers of stone.
It looked as though it had fallen from the sky, driving itself into the summit like a nail. The impact had gouged out an enormous crater in the mountain peak.
Now, that crater was sealed in thick frost. Jagged spires of ice surrounded the mysterious "nail," and shattered fragments floated motionless in the air—silent, suspended in this cold, desolate ruin.
As Jiang Bai stood there in stunned awe, Albedo emerged behind him from the tunnel.
When he saw the towering, nail-like stone structure, his eyes widened in shock. "What is that…?"
This was the first time he'd learned of such a thing existing atop Dragonspine.
Could this be the reason Dragonspine is blanketed in eternal snow and ice?
"Cartis!"
Jiang Bai had spotted the frozen figure of the adventurer—Cartis, now completely encased in ice.
He was caught mid-motion, body sealed within the frosted spires that surrounded the stone nail. His posture was one of determined ascent, arm stretched out as if reaching for the strange pillar. But the closer he had gotten, the stronger the cold must have become—until he froze solid, transformed into a sculpture, forever frozen in place.
Jiang Bai had known Cartis was dead. But seeing him like this… there was a strange, indescribable weight in his chest.
Cartis had spent half his life on this mountain. And in the end, he died here. Did he ever fulfill his goal?
Probably, Jiang Bai thought. He made it to the peak, after all.
He stepped forward and began working to extract the body from the ice.
Cartis's remains had fused with the ice, making the task difficult. Working together, Jiang Bai and Albedo finally managed to break him free—away from the mysterious stone nail that, while divine in appearance, had only brought destruction.
They found a sheltered spot and lit a fire. As its warmth radiated outward, they began to melt the thick layer of frost covering Cartis's body. Jiang Bai prepared to retrieve his belongings and get him ready for cremation.