Looking up, the ring of snow midway up the mountainside was visible. Despite it being summer, a cold wave struck the mountains, rendering the season practically null.2

“Sigh.”0

The breath lingered long in the air, and a chill ran over the skin.0

The expedition members all took out another coat and prepared themselves without a word. They spent two more days in the mountains. The cliff area ended, and a gentle ridge appeared, but no one said that it was over. They knew this was just the beginning.0

“Do you see down there?” Regal said as he pointed to the gorge spread out beneath the ridge.0

“I do see it,” Urich, stroking his frost-coated beard, nodded.1

“We'll continue building Yailrud all the way down there. Right now, there's nowhere to step, so no one can pass, but if we keep building bridges along the cliff, it will become a path. After passing through there, a trail going all the way down appears if we climb the gorge.”0

“Oh, so if we go down that path, we finally get to the west?” Urich asked, his eyes wide. Regal shook his head.0

“In theory, yes, but in reality, it's a rocky and downhill path, so there's a high risk of hurting your ankle. Many in the expedition have...0