The roar of the engine cut through the wilderness, brushing past the wild grass growing along the hills and the snow blanketing it.
He Ao, covered in blood, sat on the motorcycle. He raised his head and looked at the vast snowy plains ahead, reflecting a faint white glow beneath the starry sky. At the end of those plains stood a city glowing softly. He twisted the throttle even harder.
The icy night wind was like Sharp Knives carrying bone-piercing cold as it scraped across He Ao's bloodstained, dried face.
He lowered his head and glanced at the bloodstained black-and-white mask he had taken from his clothes, its eerie smile fixed in place, then put it back against his chest.
This was the souvenir Sot had bought from Ilan City: a mask of K.
In mysticism, carrying an object related to a High-Level Existence close to one's body could effectively strengthen one's connection to that High-Level Existence, perhaps even drawing its gaze.
Of course, the weaker the connection, the weaker the bond that could be formed.
Sot himself did not know why he had carried this mask. Perhaps he wanted to verify whether K truly existed, or perhaps carrying it reminded him not to forget his original intentions.
But in any case, he had kept the mask against his chest ever since leaving Ilan City.
The butcher's blade that had pierced his body had only barely grazed past the mask without damaging it, but blood had nearly splattered across its entire surface.
He Ao put the mask away, guided the motorcycle over a small hill, and descended into the boundless snowy plains.
Mint City was located in the northern part of the Federation, and by December, the wilderness was already covered in a thick layer of snow.
The cliff wall