"Tch, this damned place. The wind's unbearable."
Alice tugged at her thick fleece clothing.
The white breath escaping her mouth was instantly scattered by the cold wind, and her voice brimmed with barely suppressed irritation.
After they finished dealing with the bear carcasses, the party split in two.
Everyone in Timothy's team except Susanna went together.
The other four took the two horses Cui Ciyou had left them.
Loaded with over a hundred precious Rasta Bear pelts, they headed to the next town to sell them.
Meanwhile, Cui Ciyou's party of five went ahead under Susanna's guidance.
Having a guide familiar with the area was always a good thing.
Otherwise, simply making out the main road as it gradually vanished beneath the wind and snow would have taken considerable effort.
"Bear with it a little longer, Lady Alice."
Susanna's signature dreadlocks stood out distinctly in the wind.
Sometimes people were far apart; sometimes they were close.
Some remained mere guests for a lifetime.
Others became friends in no time at all.
Susanna turned back with a hearty smile and said:
"The town's just ahead. It's Rosenberg."
"Rosenberg?"
Sylphy asked curiously, her pale blue hair looking especially ethereal against her white hood.
"That's right."
Susanna picked up the explanation.
"Its full designation is Rosenberg, the second city of the Basherant Principality."
"This town is about two months' travel from the Asla Kingdom's border."
"You could call it the true gateway into this land of ice and snow."
Cui Ciyou listened quietly, comparing this information with what he had learned from books.
The Basherant Principality was the center specializing in magic research among the Three Great Magical Nations.
Its prosperity was founded largely on its trade in magical implements with the Asla Kingdom.
And Rosenberg was the brightest jewel along that trade