Bruno led his squad forward through the cold wind. Though the snow was deep and travel was difficult, they remained alert, muffling every step as much as possible to avoid alerting any bandit sentinels that might be hiding nearby. Following Kiribe's directions, they approached the mountain on the right. The mountaintop was deathly silent, with only the howling wind and snow in their ears.
A soldier lowered his voice and said to Bruno, "Captain, this seems to be a mine. It doesn't look like there are many guards."
Bruno stopped, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings with a slight frown. "Don't let your guard down. There may be hidden sentries. Scout carefully and make sure it's safe."
The soldiers nodded, then spread out and continued forward cautiously. Before long, they found a narrow path through the snow leading up the mountain. Following Bruno's hand signals, the squad advanced slowly, keeping close to the cliffside to avoid being spotted by possible enemies in the distance.
Not long after, they reached an area of shacks. The shacks were crudely built, with straw-covered roofs and walls pieced together from old boards that let in the wind and snow with ease. Bruno raised a hand, signaling his men to stop. "Check carefully. Don't alert the people inside."
A soldier silently stepped out from the group and crept toward the shacks under cover of darkness. Every shack was crammed with people. They were dressed in rags, wearing nothing but thin, tattered clothing, their bodies little more than skin and bones. The soldier could faintly hear suppressed coughing, as though they were afraid of alerting someone.
This is too miserable... the scouting soldier sighed inwardly. He checked several shacks one by one and found that they were all much the same. These people were likely mining