Tundra District, blanketed by heavy snow.
A small, slender figure in a black cloak walked through the snowstorm.
"Beep."
"Beep."
Amid the ice and snow, with the freezing wind howling, a faint, rhythmic electronic tone rang out across the Snowy Wasteland.
The black-cloaked figure walked on in silence, but after covering some distance, she finally chose to answer.
"Did you see the message sent by Cloud Mirror?"
A man's deep, helpless voice came through the communicator.
"..."
A fierce gust lifted her cloak, revealing the pale, almost sickly face of a young girl.
Faced with the question, the girl remained silent.
"Source Tower has urgently summoned the Four Envoys. The higher-ups have issued a new mission. It's very important, and now you're the only one missing."
Red Dragon sighed softly. "I should have told you that this training trip away from Central Continent was only supposed to last one month. Once the time was up, you should have come back on your own... Your identity is highly sensitive. You should have some sense of safety. You need to understand that the outside world is dangerous."
"Beep—"
Before Red Dragon could say more, the girl hung up the communicator.
She tore off her cloak completely and took a deep breath of the frigid air.
Five years.
Five years had passed since Sang Continent Grotto sank.
Many changes had taken place across the Five Continents during those five years... but the tundra had barely changed. For centuries, it had remained a bone-chilling expanse of snow, vast and endless in every direction.
Gu Xiao Man looked over the miserable white tundra of ice and snow. Recalling Red Dragon's words from the communicator, she pondered for several seconds before making her decision.
Rather than turning back, she continued onward.
Every step she took was