They seized the brief ti when dawn still illuminated the earth, sneaking across the shallow ford of the Holy Furnace River like shadows, persistently heading northward. This place was no longer under human control, as the Beastn clung to it like bloodsucking leeches. Fortunately, by following the great river, they would not encounter much trouble, nor worry about pollution left by the Beastn. As long as the river’s water continued its unstoppable surge, the Beastn couldn’t contaminate it and thus would not approach.
But once night fell, the surrounding sounds grew terrifying. Not only Beastn but so dreadful wild beasts also wreaked havoc during the cloak of evil. It was said that Horror Wolves and Winter Wolves followed the Beastn’s footsteps, slipping down from the northern mountains. They often attacked villages, dragging away livestock and even solitary travelers. The Holy Pate’s residents cursed these opportunistic creatures, while the Beastn fed them stolen at, even training them as mounts.
Every night, Lynch tirelessly set up magical traps to avoid being caught off guard during an attack. They never lit fires at night to avoid drawing attention from enemies. Various crawlers erged from the black land: centipedes, earthworms, land spiders, and many unnad creatures, along with buzzing mosquitoes that seriously affected everyone’s sleep quality — except for Knight Macken, who seed unaffected. The following days’ journey was simply torturous. Much of the brought spirits were used to cleanse the bug-bitten skin, and the Priest’s spells felt sowhat wasted for this purpose. This behavior left Morgan lanting mournfully all day.
However, by the morning of the fifth day, they stopped again. Before them, under the glow of dawn, the Ridge Mountains beca clearly visible, standing like a great shadow before them. The peaks, covered in white snow, reflected dazzling light. Its pinnacle seed to pierce the sky, compelling the endless sea of clouds to bypass its sharpness. Nurous broken hills stretched out from the mountain’s base, with the nearest being over a dozen miles away. Barely any trees grew there, appearing desolate with only sporadic patches of grass growing sparsely like scabs. Each spring, the lting snow would sweep these hills with imnse force, and only trees with millennia-old growth could anchor themselves here without toppling. Now, Lynch and his companions faced this utterly exposed area.
"I absolutely love this place," Morgan exclaid excitedly. "Look at that, the Ridge Mountains! And there’s Crown Peak! Beside it is Ice Furnace Peak and lting Cliff. We Dwarves have worked here for generations. This place has countless stones to showcase our creativity! To be honest, when I retire, just give a solid chisel, and I can build you the most beautiful palace! I can’t wait to enter that Holy Land! Now, it’s as if I already hear the clang of chiseling!"
"Before enjoying the Dwarves’ hospitality, we should consider how to quench the Beastn’s enthusiasm," Lynch said, shading his eyes with his hand as he surveyed the distance. "At least thousands of Beastn stand between us and the Ridge Mountains. They’ve set up camp and may even have cages specially made for Dwarves, ladies, Knights, and Mages."
"Aha! How convenient!" Morgan shouted. "They really know my mind, preparing a pre-dinner workout before returning ho! I say, comrades, what are we waiting for?"
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