Robert led them. Stone walked beside him, and while he still regretted being forced to leave the Callas Hammer behind, he kept moving forward.

He looked more cautious and tired than ever, but he always stayed by Robert's side.

It wasn't easy, as Stone insisted on moving in his full armor of ancient armor, the weight of which kept him deep in the snow with every step.

Behind Stone and Robert was Calamon. He trudged through the snow like a bear, his weapons rattling, and he carried his armor and rations, as well as Rodlis's portion.

Just looking at Calamon made Robert feel very tired, because the big man not only walked easily in the snow himself, but also helped the people behind him to clear the way in the snow.

Of all the people, the one Robert felt most dear to was Gilsenas who walked behind Calamon.

The two grew up together, but Gilthenus was an elven nobleman and the youngest son of the leader of Quelinos.

And Robert is just a mongrel born of an indescribable elven woman, only half elven blood.

To make matters worse, Robert had the audacity (though at first seemed very naïve) to secretly like Gilcenas' sister, Lorana.

Not only did this make the two unable to even be friends, but Robert always felt that Gilsenas would rather see him die.

River Breeze and Crimson Moon walked side by side behind the elven nobles.

Wearing their heavy fur cloaks, the weather wasn't too cold for them.

This cold was nothing compared to the fire of love that ignited in their hearts. They have just been married for more than a month, and the mutual trust and self-sacrificing love between these two people has given the world the opportunity to see the ancient true god again.

Now it's even hotter because they've found new ways to express that emotion.

Behind are Elistan and Lolana.

Elistan and Lorana, Robert felt strange to himself, looking at the Scarlet Moon and the River Wind with envy, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but look at them.

Elistan and Lorana, the two are always together.

Always focused on conversation.

Elistan, Palatine's priest, dressed in white satieth that also shines in the snow.

Despite his gray beard and thinning hair, his appearance is still very attractive. It's the kind of image that will appeal to little girls.

Few men or women can look into his eyes without feeling inexplicably excited, because the person in front of him has been closed by the gate of hell and has found a stronger faith.

Next to him is his faithful "assistant" Lorana. The young elven woman boyishly escaped from Quellingnos and followed Robert.

She was forced to grow up quickly, forced to open her eyes to this suffering world.

Knowing that many in the team (including Robert) felt she was a liability, Lolana worked hard to prove herself.

In Elistan, she found an opportunity.

As the daughter of the Sunsinger, she has the blood of a politician in her veins.

As Elistan struggled to feed and clothe more than 800 people in the Underworld, it was Lolana who stepped forward to share his worries.

Slowly, she became indispensable to him, a fact that made it difficult for Robert to accept.

The half-elf gritted his teeth and forced himself to look away from Lolana and away from Lena.

Originally a waitress, Lena is now an experienced adventurer.

Rodrith's brother asks her to walk beside the emaciated mage because he has to walk in front, and neither Lena nor Rodrith seem to be happy with this arrangement.

The red-robed mage walked silently with his head bowed and facing the wind. He was often forced to stop, coughing incessantly until he almost fainted.

At this time, Lena would always see Calamon's concerned eyes, and would always hesitantly try to hold him up. But Rodrith always pushed her away with a vicious look.

The old dwarf walked at the rear, walking with difficulty in the snow. His helmet and the "griffon's mane" on top are the only things visible in the snow.

Robert tried in vain to tell him that griffons don't have manes, but Hubble always defended himself with a severe allergy to horses.

Robert smiled and shook his head.

Hubble insisted on being at the front of the line until Calamon had dug him out of the snow three times in a row, then he gave up and grunted to the back of the line to be a "defender".

Happily strolling beside Hubble was Wade, whose voice was audible even to Robert at the front.

Wade is telling a surprising story to the old dwarf when he spotted a mammoth (whatever it was) being imprisoned by two strange wizards.

Robert sighed, Wade always made him nervous. He had already sternly reprimanded Wade for not allowing him to hit Stone on the head with a snowball again.

But he knew it didn't work.

The Kander were born to take risks and absorb new experiences, and Wade was enjoying every minute of his reluctant journey.

Yes, they are still here. They did follow me.

Robert suddenly turned around and looked south. Why me?

He kept asking himself in the back of his mind.

I had no idea about my future, but everyone wanted me to lead them.

I don't have the ideal of banishing the evil dragon and becoming the second of Shuma like Stone. Nor do I have the sacred mission of spreading the knowledge of the true God to everyone, like Elistan.

I'm not even like Rodlis, who is passionate about chasing great power.

Stone nudged him and motioned for him to look forward. A line of low mountains appears on the horizon.

If the Kande's map is correct, the city of Tarsis is behind these hills.

Tassis, winged white swan boats, white shining towers. The beautiful city of Tarsis.

Robert unfolds the map of the Khandians. They had reached the base of the desolate hill, from which they should be able to overlook Tassis, according to the map.

"We shouldn't have climbed up in the daylight," Stone said, taking his scarf off his mouth. "We're going to be obvious targets that we can see for a hundred miles. ”

"Not really," Robert agreed. "We're going to camp at the foot of the mountain. But I'm still going to climb up and take a look at the city first. ”

"I don't like that, not at all!" Stone muttered to himself depressedly. "Something isn't right. Do you want me to come with you?"

Robert shook his head when he saw the worried look on his face. "You organize other people. He was put up in his white winter cloak and prepared to climb the snow-covered rock-strewn hill. Just as he was about to climb up, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the mage's glittering golden eyes.

"I'll go with you. Rodrith whispered.

Robert looked at him in surprise for a moment, then looked up at the hillock. It wasn't easy to climb, and he knew that mages weren't meant to exercise too hard. Rodrith saw his eyes and quickly understood what he meant.

"My brother will help me," he said, pointing to Calamon, who was taken aback, but quickly ran over to his brother's side. "I'm going to see the beautiful city of Tarsis with my own eyes. ”

Robert looked at him uneasily, but Rodrith's expression was as stubborn as steel.

"Good. The half-elf said, looking at Rodrith. "But you will look like a conspicuous stain of blood on the hillside, find a white robe to cover yourself. The half-elf's evil smile was almost comparable to that of Rodrith. "Go and borrow one from Elistan. ”

Standing on the top of the hill overlooking the beautiful city of Tarsis, Robert began to curse in a low voice.

Displeased words were mixed with water and moisture. He put the hood of his cloak over his head and looked at the aching city in disappointment.

Calamon nudged his twin brother, "Little brother." He said. "I don't understand. ”

Rodrith coughed again. "Your merit is in the hand in which you wield the sword, brother. The mage whispered, "Look at Tassis, the legendary harbor, what do you see?"

"Hmm," Calamon thought for a moment. "It's the biggest city I've ever seen. And there are ships there—just like the legends—"

"White winged boat in the beautiful city of Tassis. You saw the boats, brother, did you see anything different?"

"They look a little tattered. The sails are worn out, and—" Calamon blinked, gasping for air. "There's no water!"

"It's really observant. ”

"But the Kande's map—"

"That was before the Cataclysm. Robert interjected, "Damn, I should have known that!"

I should have thought about this first! The legendary seaport, the beautiful Tarsis is now far from the sea!"

"And needless to say, it's been going on for three hundred years," Rodrith whispered.

"When the burning mountains fell from the sky, it crashed out of the deep sea, just like we saw in Shaksharos.

But at the same time, it also destroyed the original ocean. Half-elves, what are we going to do with these refugees now?"

"I don't know," Robert said unhappily. He looked at the city, then turned around. "It's useless to just stand on this side.

The sea doesn't run back for convenience. He turned and walked slowly down the hill.

"What are we going to do?" Callamon asked his brother. "We can't go back to the South Gate. I noticed that someone or something was following us. ”

He looked around uneasily. "Even now, I feel eyes watching us—"

Rodrith took his brother's hand. For a brief moment, the two looked very similar, like two sides of light and shadow.

"You're smart enough to trust your instincts, my good brother," Rodrith said softly.

"We are surrounded by terrible evil, great danger.

I felt it from the moment the people arrived at the South Gate, and I tried to warn them—" He coughed incessantly.

"How do you know?" asked Calamon.

Rodrith shook his head, unable to answer for a long time. Then, when that gasp had passed, he suddenly took a deep breath and looked at his brother in exasperation.

"Haven't you learned?" he said angrily.

"I just know! All I can say is that in the Tower of the Magicians, I have exchanged my health and reason for it.

I'm for—" Rodrith snapped back, looking at his brother.

Every time Calamon mentions this trial, his face turns pale.

He tried to speak, but couldn't, and cleared his throat. "I just don't understand—"

Rodrith sighed, shook his head, and withdrew his hand. Leaning on his staff, he began to walk down the hill.

"You wouldn't have understood," he muttered. "Never. ”

Three hundred years ago, the beautiful city of Tarsis was the royal city of Abenisia. White winged boats sail from here to every corner of Candela.

They come back with all sorts of goods, precious, exotic, beautiful, and ugly.

The market of Tarsis is almost a spectacle.

The streets were filled with sailors, their golden earrings and knives reflecting the daylight.

Ships brought people of different colors from other places and sold all kinds of strange goods.

Some are dressed in bold, brightly colored silks, which are also decorated with beautiful jewels.

They sell spices, tea, oranges and pearls, as well as big, brightly colored birds in cages.

Others are topless and sell the ornate fur of rare animals.

Of course, the bazaar in Tarsis is also filled with a wide variety of customers – almost as diverse as merchants.

Mages dressed in white, red, and black robes walked the square, looking for rare medicinal herbs that could help them cast spells.

At that time, they were suspicious of everyone and walked in isolation among the crowd.

Only a few people dared to speak to the white-robed mage, let alone anyone dared to take advantage of them.

The priests also stayed here, looking for the herbs needed for the potion.

Because in the Candela Empire before the Cataclysm, some people served the gods of good, some held the gods of neutrality, and some worshipped the gods of evil.

Every kind of priest has absolute power. Their prayers, whether good or bad, will be answered by God.

At all times, among all these various people, there is always a knight of Sorenia.

They maintained order, protected their territory, lived a disciplined and strict life, and lived by knightly rules and oaths.

The knights were Paladin's followers and were known for their selfless loyalty.

Surrounded by walls, Tarsis had an army of its own and is said to have never been captured by anyone.

The entire city is governed by a lord and a knight of Sorenia, maintaining the pride of reason, peace, and justice.

From then on, the beautiful Tarsis began to turn into an academic hub.

Wise men from all over the world gathered here to share their wisdom and life.

Schools and huge libraries were built, and majestic temples were dedicated to the great gods. Young people thirsty for knowledge come to Tarsis to find the answers they want.

Tarsis is different from other cities, there are not many knights and magicians here, there are only scholars who have passed down the knowledge for thousands of years, and there are scholars who are responsible for recording history.

For this reason, Tarsis is also known as the "City of Learning".