Night Falls

At dusk three days later, a snow-white owl circled over Shata, a small town more than three hundred kilometers west of Eskil City, then flew toward the hills northeast of the town.

The owl flew swiftly. Before long, it had left the town by more than twenty kilometers. Finally, flapping its wings, it entered a forest and landed on an outstretched arm.

The owl possessed intelligence, but it could not compare to a human. Therefore, it could not communicate with people in human ways. Even now, its method of communicating with Zhang Tie was simply flapping its wings, using those flaps to tell Zhang Tie everything it had seen.

Zhang Tie had taught it this: if there were people ahead, the owl would raise its left wing when it returned; if it saw buildings, it would raise its right wing. And when the obedient owl continuously flapped both wings like it was doing now, there could only be one explanation.

There were many people ahead, and many buildings as well...

That was the information Zhang Tie had received from the owl.

"Go on. Rest, find something to eat, and come back tonight!" Zhang Tie raised his hand, and the owl immediately flew away.

After releasing the owl, Zhang Tie took out the Prospector map and compass he carried with him and studied the map carefully.

"No need to look. Shata is up ahead. Once you reach here, you've entered the southern region of the Ice and Snow Wilderness. Keep going west from here, and you'll reach the Hydra Glacier Rift!" The masked woman Zhang Tie had captured three days ago spoke, her tone as cold as ever.

Zhang Tie put away the Prospector map and compass, then scratched his head as he looked at the woman. "Could it be that