Tess found a small hole in the corner of the waterfall, apparently leaving some yellow-green liquid that had been frozen over the edge of the ice.

"That goblin," said Norvi, "came out of here. ”

"Is it a goblin den?" said Naria, "and we'd better stay away from it." ”

The elf was silent.

"Akhan, can you knock this here a little bit more?" he turned back to the big man who was curiously crouching behind him for help.

Akan nodded briskly, picked up his hammer, and the people in a circle immediately dodged in both directions.

"Don't push too hard!" added the elf, fearing that Akan's brute force would shatter the entire waterfall.

Fortunately, the snowy waterfall was stronger than he had imagined, and under the hammer blow of Akan, only that corner had collapsed, and the hole was so big that Akan could squeeze through it.

"That's enough!" Nova, stopping the big man's next blow, "stay here, if a goblin comes out—" He made a smashing gesture, Akan grinning and nodding vigorously.

The elves got in.

The three people who were left behind without even an explanation were at a loss for a while.

"Is he trying to blast those goblins out to prevent trouble?" asked Naria.

"It doesn't sound like a hobby for him. "I bet he's hiding something from us." ”

Ed pricked up his ears, glad he didn't hear any fighting.

Soon the elves came out.

"There's a road inside. He said, but the glint in his green eyes clearly wasn't just for that.

"And what?" asked Tess.

"It's just a road. Norway laughed, unable to hide his excitement any longer, "A road built by elves!"

Halfway through, he had doubts. The path in the valley seemed to be natural, but there were still places where it was too natural to be coincidental, and it reminded him of the habits of elves. They always try to make roads as natural as they are, for the sake of secrecy and safety, and as a boast of their skills. But the craftsmen were tempted to leave a mark of their own, and Norway found the evidence he needed on the rock behind the waterfall - a flower-like elven letter, carved into a small coiling snake that could only be seen from a certain angle.

Thousands of years ago, elves traveled across the continent and established countless city-states. Norway knew that the elves had once had a city in the Northlands. In the account of it, it is described as being surrounded by mountains and forests. Norvi had thought it would be in the mountains of Karnak, in what is now the long border between Rutgar and Anktann in the mountains of Karnak. But it may be further north than he thought.

The city was abandoned more than a thousand years ago due to a drastic decline in population, and the remaining elves moved to the south and never returned. And his family, the Sunchaser, is one of those elves from the north.

"So, follow this road to the place where your ancestors once lived, a city of elves?" asked Ed happily and eagerly.

"Yes. The elven city will not have only one exit to connect to the outside world, and I believe that it is also possible to reach the forest that Mork said by passing through it. Nori replied with a smile.

"So what are we waiting for!" Ed shouted happily as he was the first to rush into the ice cave.

"But," asked Naria, "why did a goblin come out of it?"

The elf, who had forgotten about the goblins because of the excitement of the moment, finally thought of this question.

"Maybe it just ran behind the waterfall by accident...... he said.

"It's also possible that the goblins discovered the ruins of the city and happily moved in. Tess knew she shouldn't have deliberately gloated at this time, but she just couldn't help it.

Norvi's face darkened at the words.

Ed's head sticks out of the ice cave.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, a little uneasy.

"Right now!" Naria exclaimed, grabbing her luggage and grabbing Akhan, quickly escaping the strange air between the elves and Tess that seemed to have countless tiny spikes piercing her skin.

Norway untied the reins of all the horses and let them walk home, or live freely in the forest, then picked up the rest of their luggage and burrowed into the ice cave without saying a word.

Moch screamed, jumped out of Tess's arms, and chased after him, stopping at the entrance of the cave, and looking back in bewilderment, not understanding why the hostess, who had always loved it, suddenly pinched it so hard.

Tess stood there, aggrieved and regretful. But she knew very well that the elves would not come back to her.

She strode over, stooped down and scooped Mochi into her arms, and followed, cursing lowly and comforting herself—at least, Norway hadn't left her luggage there for her to take for herself.

The path hidden behind the waterfall leads to a small cave, and the exit on the other side of the cave is hidden behind a few rocks, and the path that also seems to be eroded by flowing water winds around a mountain peak and extends in an easterly direction.

As they went up, the mountain gradually flattened, but no one felt any lighter because of it.

"I like to walk. Riding a horse is faster, of course, but it makes my legs, buttocks, and lower back hurt as if they weren't mine. But I prefer to swim, do you like it? I can swim from the pier in Visa City all the way to the Aguile Lighthouse! If the water doesn't freeze here, maybe I can swim down the stream all the way to the ice field, like a fish. Speaking of fish, my father said that there is a fish in the sea that is as big as a boat, and even a single tooth is not as big as ...... Hey, don't you think the dwarves like one-toothed, and if it dies one day, they'll probably be sad......"

Ed chattered along the way, baffled by the unprecedented stalemate between Norway and Tess, the heavy air was more breathless than the luggage on his back, and if he didn't say something, he would be so uncomfortable to death.

But the result of the incessant talking was that he was more tired than anyone else, and finally had to crouch on the side of the road, mouth wide open, and the veins in his chest and head were pounding as if they were ready to burst at any moment.

Naria turned back and gave him a look of disdain and whispered something to Akan, the big man nodded, walked back to Ed, grabbed him, and easily threw him on the other shoulder like luggage.

"Wait......" Ed shouted, reaching out in a panic and grabbing the clothes behind Akan's back, the sudden rise in height made him tremble a little.

But soon he found that this position was safe and comfortable, so he collapsed to himself, and persistently said to himself: "I don't usually get tired so easily, it must be because the mountain is too high." Legend has it that the mountains in the north were originally created by the gods for giants, so they are too tall for humans...... Hey, Akhan, aren't you really a barbarian?Where did your hammer come from...... Why did you stop? If ......?"

"Shut up!" said Naria, "we're here." ”

Ed had never heard her speak in such a tone, full of awe and yearning, as if the temple of the gods was in front of him.

He twisted desperately over Akan's shoulder, the sight before him making him forget all words.