Diego knew the road through the Alterac Mountains was not easy, but he didn't know it would be so bad.

The road carved out of the mountainside was not narrow, and it was no problem to run three carriages in parallel, but the terrain was extremely treacherous, with steep mountains towering into the sky on one side and deep valleys on the other, which could lead to a fall into the abyss if you were not careful.

After the destruction of the kingdom of Lordaeron, the road was potholed and rugged, and the wagons with their baggage had their axles changed three times, and if they broke twice, they would have to face the dilemma of having no axles to replace.

Many sections of the road are still covered with thick ice, and it is difficult for the carriage to keep its own trajectory when walking on the ice, and even if the wheels are wrapped in net-like chains, it cannot stop it from slipping. As a last resort, Diego and Masrae had to join the party on foot, freeing up two Kodomon to act as pack beasts in case the carriage actually fell off the cliff.

Although they thought they were well prepared to climb over the snowy mountains before setting out from Andohar, when they actually entered the snowy area of the Alterac Mountains, faced with the freezing cold wind and almost endless wind and snow, Herfman found that they still had too few supplies to prepare! If it weren't for the help of Brian Copperbeard, who has lived in the snowy icebergs of Danmoro since childhood, Diego thinks they must have been defeated by this ice and snow road. It was the experienced dwarf who came up with all sorts of practical tricks that helped them get through this unprecedented difficulty.

From the dried silver-leaved grass that fills his boots to keep them warm, to the fluffy and warm cedar bark cape, to the ironthorn thorn twigs that tie to the soles of his shoes, Brian is like a magical jingle cat, and he surprises them from time to time.

They trudged through the icy road, and in the middle came across a goblin caravan on their way to Andorhar - not every goblin merchant had their own goblin cargo airship, and the small caravan was clearly not that well funded.

The self-proclaimed human soldiers of the Storm Whip were surprised to find that although they came from the warm Kozan Islands, these goblin merchants were more resistant to cold and cold than them, and it must be said that the goblins' fanatical belief in gold made them dare to face any hardships, and it was this belief that made the goblin merchants spread to every corner of Azeroth, building a huge goblin trade network.

However, after Diego bought all of the goblin merchant's spirits for the price he had sold after reaching Andorhar, their march sped up considerably. The goblin caravan, which had been lightened off a lot of weight, also sped up, and the big-nosed goblin merchant called this a "win-win"!

To be honest, when the spicy dwarven liquor poured into his throat, Diego really felt that he was not cold at all, his whole body was steaming full of strength, and he would not get tired even if he continued until dark!

"I felt the taste of home." The dwarf Brian took a big sip of the liquor and said with a flushed face, "But I bet it's not Rhapsody or Thunder Ale from the Thunder Wine Distillery in Karanos, it tastes more like an impostor made from Marais Ale in the nearby Spirit Village!" ”

"I think it tastes okay," said Masrae, who had reverted back to his human form, disapproving - the elven druid had remained in his bear form since entering the snowy mountains, and his thick fur made the dwarves' eyes hot, and he kept muttering that he needed a bearskin coat - he pointed to a line of inconspicuous dwarven text printed on the corner of the bag, "and it's not an impostor, you see, it says its brand and its origin—hot wine, Marais Ale from Spirits Village!" Wow, Brian, your tongue is better than the best tasters, you can taste it all! ”

"Of course! In your opinion, this wine is already a good wine," said the dwarf, triumphantly, gesturing his thumb and forefinger, "but in the eyes of a real dwarf, it's a little bit worse!" ”

"Good enough!" Huffman strode past the dwarf, his legs now full of strength, and not only him, but each soldier of the Storm Whip was given a bag of dwarven spirits. Stimulated by the alcohol, everyone looked flushed and in high spirits.

"I suggest, this time, to our generous boss!" Huffman raised the bag in his hand and toasted loudly. As Diego's personal guard captain, Huffman has fully adapted to his new status.

"To the boss!" The soldiers raised their wine bags and replied with a bang. When they weren't drinking, they didn't dare to be so unrestrained in front of a saint, and now they were bold enough to cover the sky.

Perhaps it was the stimulus of the spirits, they had walked farther that day than any before, and when the snow-covered road finally stopped climbing upwards and went straight ahead, Diego knew they had completed the toughest ascent.

It is a rare stretch of mountain flatland, with the Sodoril valley on one side and a narrow valley to the northwest leading to Lake Lordamere. Every summer, meltwater from the area trickles down the gorge and eventually into Lake Lordamere.

They walked for about two more hours in this open area, and finally it became dark. But to be honest, on this white snowfield, the night will not be dark, and they can still see the road under their feet. But because of the increasing wind and snow, they can't see too far, which is really tangled.

So when the town of Steinbled suddenly appeared in front of them, they were all taken aback, and it felt like the town had suddenly jumped out of the snow on its own.

The town of Steinbrad was originally the territory of the Kingdom of Alterac, but during the Second Orc War, the Kingdom of Alterac was divided among various countries due to the betrayal of humanity, and Steinbrad came under the rule of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. Before the outbreak of the Scourge War, the orcs of the Frostwolf Clan hiding in the Alterac Mountains attacked the area, and although Prince Arthas and Uther Lightbringer arrived in time to defeat the orcs, the inhabitants who felt no longer safe moved away, leaving behind a deserted and empty town.

After the initial consternation, there was a burst of enthusiastic cheers, and although the town had been abandoned and dilapidated for a long time, it was better to spend the night under a roof that sheltered from the wind and snow than to camp in the middle of nowhere and be buried alive in the snow.

After pouring into this empty town, the whole team suddenly became busy. Some people are busy cleaning their houses and cleaning out the places where people live; Others were busy herding their cattle into the stables, adding fodder, boiling water and drinking the horses. The cooks began to unload their baggage, bury the pot and cook, and under Huffman's command, everything went on in an orderly manner.

For the first time, Diego felt how easy it was to be served, and he, Masrae, and Brian had nothing to do, and they were invited to a cleaned room, where they sat around the brazier and roasted comfortably.

"I wish I hadn't fallen to the point where I couldn't survive alone in the wilderness!" Feeling the comfort of the warm flame baking his fingers, Diego said embarrassedly, "They took care of me so well, it's like clothes to open your mouth and food to reach out." ”

"Come on, don't take out that aristocratic face, you won't be bored in a long time like this, you cheap bone!" Masrae said with disdain on his face, he really knew nothing more about this human nature.

"You say, do we want to arrange a night watch?" Diego, who was bored with himself, suddenly asked worriedly, "This area is the territory of the syndicate bandits, will they come to find trouble?" ”

"If you wish, go ahead and arrange it that way," Masrae rolled his eyes and mocked, "and if any of the bandits could stand to go out on a snowy day like this, and they wiped my neck in the middle of the night, I would be willing." ”

Diego nodded helplessly, but during dinner, after consultation with Huffman, the latter still demanded that when he went to bed at night, someone in each room must be awake, so as not to really "be wiped on the neck".

After a full meal, a few people stayed in the warm room, smoking pipes comfortably. It was the first time in a few days that they were in the mood to chat like this.

On the floor in the middle of the room, a brazier was blazing, and the freshly cut cedars were bubbling with oil under the licking of the flames, giving off a pleasant smell of pine. From time to time, huge snowflakes drift in from outside the empty window frames, and as soon as they hit the ground, they melt into water droplets.

The room was as warm as spring, and the faces of several people reflected the red light from the charcoal fire, while the cold wind whistling outside the window made people feel a chill in their hearts, and they couldn't help but want to lean towards the brazier.

"It's getting colder, but this blizzard shouldn't last long." The dwarf whispered, not for nothing, but from his years of experience in the snow and ice of Danmorrow.

"I hope so," Masrae leaned over the brazier again, almost setting himself on fire when it came close, "I never imagined that one day I would put my life on a fire, and if I had spoken to the rest of Darnassus, they would have thought it was a joke. ”

"I guess they don't even know what snow is." Brian said sarcastically.

The joke was cold, but everyone in the room burst out laughing, as if people needed laughter more in such a difficult environment.

Huffman walked to the window and looked out at the reddened sky in the distance.

"Hopefully the snow will stop tomorrow," he said with some concern, "or we'll have to stay here for a few more days, and to be honest, it's not a good place to stay longer." ”

Perhaps because of the fatigue after eating, or perhaps because of the comfort of sitting by the brazier, Diego leaned against a pillar with some sleepiness, looked at the constantly shaking fire, and gradually closed his eyes. In a trance, he heard the mournful sound of the wind outside the window gradually weakening.

"Don't worry, tomorrow is going to be a good day." Half-asleep, he muttered under his breath.