Northern Border Province.
Banderra City was a city-state situated at a high altitude, surrounded by steep mountains and rugged cliffs. In this frigid region, eternal snowfall and icy winds created Banderra City's unique atmosphere.
On the snowy plain several hundred meters south of Banderra City, snowflakes drifted thickly through the sky, floating toward the earth or the bottomless ravines between the mountain cliffs.
At that moment, a sleigh pulled by a gigantic black Demon Realm Fox left a distinctive trail across the silent snowy plain.
The sleigh stopped beside a frozen lake. The lake's surface was like a flawless piece of white jade, reflecting the pale sky. Several towering trees stood along the shore, their branches long since covered in snow.
Two figures jumped down from the sleigh.
"Judging by the timing, the investigation team left long before us. If they took a similar route, we should have been able to gather some information or detect traces of their return along the way."
Lanchi had Cat Boss put away the Portable High-Durability Sleigh as he gazed into the distance at the city and muttered to himself.
Banderra City amid the wind and snow resembled a gigantic dark-gray sculpture carved into the snowy plain. It stood firm and unshaken. Snowflakes fell upon its towering steel-like walls, yet could never dye them white.
The various towers and spires outside the city reached toward the heavens. Dotted with dim yellow lights amid the snowfall, they seemed to proclaim its resilience, vicissitudes, and glory to the world.
There had been only a few fortress city-states and villages along the way these days. Geographically speaking, the two of them had already arrived in the Northern Border Province.
Lanchi and Sid tried to stop in towns at night whenever possible. Only when they could not find