Ark Journey

[Her fate has changed. I hope that with her participation, Tallulah and the Reunion Movement can get on the right track.]

Chapter 10: Two People in the Snowstorm

The trip went smoothly. It didn't take long, and after getting what they wanted, Alina and Xue Zhi set out on their return journey. The food they had originally carried had been replaced with various vegetables and fruits.

Xue Zhi also exchanged half of the rabbit hunted by Alpha for something that looked like glass that a villager took out. From his professional perspective, this thing was definitely not glass, but more like jade.

Built on a foundation that is not made of glass, the more it looks like glass, the more valuable it is.

Xue Zhi felt that she had made a good deal by exchanging half a rabbit for this thing. After adjusting the shape, it would become a good gift for W.

Alina was in a good mood. She took out an apple from the basket on her arm and asked Xue Zhi:

"We have a good harvest today. Do you want to have one?"

"Try it."

After wiping the apple with the snow on the branch, Alina cut the apple in half and handed half to Xue Zhi.

The two of them walked and ate apples.

"Yeah, still crisp."

"Indeed, it tastes good and not too sweet."

"what?"

"I like lighter flavors when it comes to sweets... Is it cloudy?"

Just as Xue Zhi was seriously explaining the old man's taste in desserts, a cloud suddenly floated in from a distance and interrupted him.

Alina glanced at the sky and nodded.

"It seems like this, we have to hurry."

After quickly eating the apple, the two quickened their pace.

But the weather changed obviously faster. The deadly wind brought hard snowflakes towards us, bringing a slight stinging pain and making it impossible to open our eyes. The temperature also dropped rapidly after the sun set.

The strong wind is like a musician from hell, stirring up the silence of the earth with its unique melody. The wind whistles from all directions, bringing with it a bone-chilling chill that seems to penetrate thick clothing and reach the depths of one's soul. The branches sway in the strong wind, as if struggling not to be broken; the dry leaves are picked up by the wind and flutter in the air like a group of out-of-control butterflies. The sound of the wind seems to be mixed with a shrill whistle, like the howling of a wolf in the wilderness, making people feel extremely desolate and desolate.

Countless accumulated snow was blown down by the wind, blocking the way forward. Every step taken required more effort to pull the feet out of the snow before moving forward.

Alina's hair fluttered in the wind. As she was not in very strong physical condition, she had to lean forward to move forward in this situation. The skin exposed outside her clothes turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Xue Zhi erected an air barrier to keep the raging wind out.

“It’s a terrible environment.”

"The wind has stopped?"

The sudden stabilization of the environment made Alina a little confused, as she did not hear what Xue Zhi had just said.

Xue Zhi, who was standing next to Alina, shook her head and took out a coat and handed it to her.

"No, I just used the Originium technique to create a safe area. Put this on, the temperature won't be restored so easily."

Noticing the shaking branches nearby, Alina became anxious.

"Originium Technique? Don't do that, Xue Zhi, your Ore Disease will get worse very quickly!"

Xue Zhi just smiled and replied:

"I never said I was infected, and it's not difficult for me to maintain this level of Originium skills."

No matter how strong the wind is, it may not be as strong as Alina's mood at the moment.

"What!?"

Xue Zhi sighed, and the coat in her hand automatically floated out and covered Alina's shoulders that were trembling from the cold.

"There's nothing to be surprised about. The infected and the non-infected are not mortal enemies. Our goal now is to get back to the camp. After all, you don't want to make Tallulah worry."

Thinking of Tallulah's panic when she learned that she was trapped in the snowstorm, Alina was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"...Yeah, and thanks for the clothes."

"You're welcome."

The magic power spread out, and the snow on the road ahead that was integrated with Xue Zhi's magic power rolled to both sides of the road spontaneously, revealing the solid ground.

After putting on the coat, Alina felt her body temperature rising. She didn't know what material the black clothes were made of, but it was warm and not too heavy, and it was long enough to cover most of her legs.

Alina glanced at Xue Zhi who was walking in front of her. He was still wearing the close-fitting leather armor, but he didn't seem cold at all.

While walking, Xue Zhi raised her hand and caught Alpha, whose body was shining with rune shields. The environment became worse and worse, and even it was difficult to maintain flying.

But it was holding something like a rabbit on its feet.

After placing it on her shoulder, Xue Zhi looked at the increasingly blurry road ahead and asked:

"Alina, has the environment here always been so bad?"

"Not really, otherwise we wouldn't have chosen to camp nearby."

"That's interesting."

The wind and snow became more and more intense, and visibility dropped to almost zero. Even Xue Zhi could not see the situation ahead. Currently, she had to rely on her mental strength to ensure that she did not take the wrong path.

He remembered that there seemed to be no snow at this time, otherwise Tallulah would not have found Alina so easily, but why did it become like this now? Was it not this time?

Just as Xue Zhi was thinking, Alina's worried voice came from behind:

"Xue Zhi, let's stop for now. It's too much of a burden to continue using Originium skills in this situation."

Xue Zhi didn't emphasize anything more, taking a break was not a big problem.

"Okay, let's find a place to hide first."

After walking for a while, they found a large rock in the woods.

Xue Zhi placed her hand on it, the earth element spread, the stones and soil melted naturally, and a shelter that sloped downward and deep into the ground was formed almost instantly.

"please."

After entering the shelter and looking at the smooth inner walls, Alina was surprised.

"Is this also your Originium technique? It's similar to Mudstone's."

After using the blood magic's blood light mark to point out a few bright spots, Xue Zhi placed a ball of fire on the ground in the middle of the shelter, which made the cave bright and warm.

Looking at the flame that was still burning without any fuel, Alina couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

[Another new Originium skill, what kind is this? Perhaps what Xue Zhi said is true, there are no infected people who use Originium skills so recklessly. ]

"I don't know, maybe it's about the same."

The two of them sat down by the fire in the shelter, and the howling cold wind could not get in at all.

"Xue Zhi, are you really not infected?"

Xue Zhi, not knowing how to prove it, made a joke.

"Would you like me to take off all my clothes and show them to you, Alina?"

This made Alina blush.

"I, that's not what I meant."

After admiring the blushing deer for a while, Xue Zhi suddenly remembered some dusty things in her warehouse.

"By the way, I do have something to prove my identity."

As he spoke, he took out two bracelets, which he bought at Scar Mall.

After handing one of them to Alina, Xue Zhi took the bracelet on her hand.

"Put this on, it can automatically monitor the density of Originium in the blood."

Chapter 11: Moods that change like the weather

Just as Alina was observing this thing curiously, a slight and crisp sound suddenly rang out.

She looked up and saw a small, shiny object falling from Xue Zhi's wrist where the bracelet was worn, and his face looked a little stiff.

The blood collection device of this thing couldn't pierce Xue Zhi's skin, and it even broke itself.

Looking at the error message displayed on the bracelet screen, Xue Zhi felt a little overwhelmed. She had just wanted to use this thing to prove her identity, but she forgot that even large-caliber bullets could not penetrate her skin.

"puff..."

Alina laughed. After all, Xue Zhi's expression was really funny. Even the man who was as steady as a rock in the wind and snow showed that expression.

However, she soon realized her impoliteness and hurriedly covered her mouth, but her crescent-shaped eyes still showed her mood at the moment.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't making fun of you."

Xue Zhi took off the bracelet and sighed. He found the extremely thin needle on the ground and thought it might be useful after reconnecting it.

"Laugh if you want, it's no big deal, it's just a pity for the equipment."

Alina, who was putting the bracelet on her wrist, was curious.

"Is it very expensive?"

Xue Zhi made an estimate.

"It's not bad. If converted into food, it should be no problem to buy about 100 to 200 kilograms."

The feeling of the blood collection needle piercing her skin made Alina cry out in pain, and then she realized the value of the thing in her hand.

"Well, it's expensive."

After seeing her reaction, Xue Zhi, who was standing by, suddenly felt that it was really God's malice that such a girl who was so afraid of pain would encounter such a thing in the original timeline. She could only say that it was fate.

Soon, the test results came out.

Alina turned her thin wrist to make it easier for Xue Zhi to see the number on the bracelet.

"Xue Zhi, what level of infection does this data represent?"

"0.21? It's an early stage infection, so it's not a big problem."

"That's good."

Thinking of her kind nature, she might give the device to those with more serious infections, so Xue Zhi reminded her:

"Just keep this bracelet, don't give it to anyone else. Be careful of diseases that can be spread through blood. I still have a lot here."

Alina's eyes lit up, and Xue Zhi saw through her thoughts.

So she touched her bracelet, smiled and nodded.

"Thank you then."

Outside the shelter, the strong wind showed no signs of weakening and even intensified.

Alpha jumped and hopped several times at the entrance of the cave. It was obvious that walking on the ground all the time was not suitable for it. The eagle owl was not a climbing bird like the parrot.

Xue Zhi, who had nothing to talk about, checked the time and found that it was already noon.

"Let's eat first, and then we'll leave. Many people will get worried if we stay outside for too long."

Watching Xue Zhi start to process the half rabbit, Alina glanced at the scenery outside with some concern.

"The environment outside is so bad, are you okay?"

This is the kind of words a man hates to hear the most when his hands stop skinning a rabbit and cutting it.

However, knowing that Alina had no ill intentions, Xue Zhi still smiled as if everything was under control.

"Don't worry, I've been through worse situations than this."

After preparing a half-cooked rabbit and roasting it over the fire, Xue Zhi placed a few naan and some vegetables like peppers next to the fire. The potatoes were a bit too much, so she changed to a different staple food.

After everything was done, Xue Zhi looked at the rabbit being licked by the flames and planned to ask some questions.

"Alina, did Tallulah tell you something?"

"whats the matter?"

"Her adoptive father placed a curse on her. If one day she is consumed by hatred, then Tallulah will lose herself and become a puppet to be manipulated."

Alina thought it was just some ordinary things, but she was frightened by what Xue Zhi said.