A group of people was traversing the Dark Snow Forest.
The branches and leaves were withered yellow, the ground muddy, and a nauseating stench of decay permeated the air.
The knight leading the group remained silent, focusing solely on guiding the way, while the mages following behind mostly wore Silver Masks, with only the leader wearing a Purple Gold-Edged Mask.
"May I ask... how much farther?" one of the female mages asked quietly, frowning.
"Almost there." The leading knight responded without turning his head, "Walk forward for another half an hour, and you'll see the outpost on the slope. At our current pace, we'll reach the ruin by afternoon."
The mages nodded and continued forward.
Towards the back of the group, a young mage complained softly to his companion, "Didn't Viscount Calvin say he had already 'dealt with' the Nest?
Since it's been dealt with, why are we even investigating? It's redundant... I was planning to go back and study the Fire Prison Array."
