’Is this some kind of special season for Half-Elf arsonists to be popping up all over the place?’

While complaining internally, Colin stepped forward and said to the shopkeeper, "Three sets of snow gear. Two of the lighter sets, and one heavy one."

"Three of the lighter sets. We’re locals, after all."

"Just do as I said," Colin added.

Even though he was wearing the Winter Wolf Necklace, he could still feel a distinct chill.

It was like stepping outside on a gloomy, rainy autumn day in a short-sleeved shirt; every gust of cold wind gave him goosebumps.

’I guess the effect of this Magic Item is just enough to keep you from freezing, so it’s still necessary to wear something a little warmer.’

Fortunately, Kase had given his own Winter Wolf Necklace to Orelia on the way here. Otherwise, the Tiefling probably wouldn’t have been able to stand the cold. Though she wasn’t afraid of fire, she seemed to be more sensitive to cold than a normal person.

"Three of the lighter sets for three Gold Coins. Pay up," the shopkeeper said, placing the clothes on the counter.

Colin reached out and slapped the money onto the counter, adding two Copper Coins on top.

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes.

"Has anyone been to Snow Deer Ridge up north recently? Do you know what the situation is like over there?" Colin asked.

"The people over there are living well. At least, they’re definitely better off than the folks a little further south."

The shopkeeper swept the coins off the counter, his expression unchanging. "As for the situation, it should be pretty safe for you to head over now. I don’t know why, but the Silver Scale Trout and Bone Carved Small Decorations from Snow Deer Ridge are still coming through as usual."

"Thanks for the information."

’Same as the intel I got before,’ Colin thought.

’Based on his limited adventuring experience, the more things seemed like this, the more likely it was that something big was waiting for them...’

The group took their new things, left the shop, and found a place to change into the clothes.

Each set of this so-called snow gear included a heavy fur coat or cloak, a fur-lined hood and gloves, and a pair of goggles to prevent snow blindness.

There were also snowshoes with exceptionally wide soles for walking on snow, and detachable crampons to help walk on ice.

Colin, with his Viking Helmet, couldn’t easily wear the hood. So, like a medieval knight carrying a Giant Helmet, he used a thin cord to hang the helmet behind his head so he could put it on at a moment’s notice.

After putting on the clothes, Kase looked even more burly and intimidating.

Orelia, on the other hand, wasn’t very tall, and wearing these clothes made her look like a strange, red-faced penguin.

After getting dressed, the group went to a few taverns and other such places to see if anyone wanted to join them.

The locals thought Colin and his party were scammers trying to lure people out to rob and kill them. The more rational ones were simply unwilling to travel with a Half-Demon.

In short, they couldn’t find anyone.

Without any further delay, the party set off toward the World’s Roof.

Although Mokewick was the last major city in the north, it was still a long way from the foot of the World’s Roof mountains.

The entire World Ridge Mountain Range stood on the horizon like a city wall rising abruptly from the earth, blocking the icy blizzards that raged further north.

From a distance, however, they could see gales blowing continuously out of several gaps in the World Ridge Mountain Range. The snow particles carried in these gales outlined their forms, literally making the wind visible.

The group struggled forward through thigh-deep white snow.

Kase led the way at the front like a bulldozer, with Colin following behind him and Orelia taking up the rear.

Not long after leaving the city, the wind began to pick up across the snowfields.

Colin looked down at the note Edwin had given him. Countless white snowflakes slapped against its surface, and the howling wind felt like a thousand hands trying to snatch the paper away from him. Meanwhile, his cold breath frosted over his goggles, blurring his vision with white.

The wind here was wild, too.

Even after putting on the heavy clothes, Colin could still feel the chill.

’It was a good thing they’d bought the heavy clothes before setting out, or the next few days would have been hell.’

Even so, the Half-Orc, who didn’t have a Winter Wolf Necklace, remained completely unfazed. It felt as if the temperature around him was dozens of degrees higher than for the other two; he seemed completely unaffected.

After confirming the note’s contents again, Colin said, "We’ll head to Snow Deer Ridge first. It should be the largest trading post for entering Snow Deer Valley, which is inside the World’s Roof. Edwin said there’s a small station there that can provide us with supplies."

Orelia’s muffled voice came from behind.

"By the way, Mr. Colin, are there Dwarves under this mountain? I heard there are Dwarves under every mountain."

"There are. But supposedly, these mountains are home to Dwarves and their cousins, the Gray Dwarves. The latter are evil slavers and have a deep-seated hatred for normal Dwarves."

"Their situation here must be so difficult, then."

"What?"

"I mean the snow. It’s already up to Mr. Langgrin’s waist," Orelia said. "I feel like they wouldn’t be able to walk at all."

The Tiefling’s tone was genuine; she really sounded worried for the Dwarves she’d never met who lived here. But her words made Colin involuntarily start to imagine Dwarves trying to walk through the snow, and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Did I say something weird?" the Tiefling asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Kase chimed in. "What’s so hard about it? I’ve personally seen a Dwarf swimming in the snow. The snow was a lot deeper than he was tall. The Dwarf just held two wooden boards, lay on top of the snow, and used the boards to dig and push himself forward. It was just like swimming. Or you could say it was like rowing a boat."

Colin laughed for a bit after hearing that and said, "We’ll have to bring Donkexes and the others here to have some fun sometime."

"You mean you want to mess with them," Kase said.

The group moved forward, talking and laughing, which helped chase away some of the chill.

They walked until evening, when Kase found a large boulder to use for shelter. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

As a local, he skillfully found a patch of compacted snow, then used his Battle Axe to cut out suitable snow bricks and stack them up. Colin used a [Flaming Arrow] to light a campfire and melt some snow, then used [Water Manipulation] to control the water and reinforce the snow shelter they were building. Orelia helped out on the side.

The group worked quickly, building a shelter large enough for them all in just half an hour.

Although living in the snow sounded cold... alright, it was cold inside too. But compared to the howling wind outside, it at least stayed around zero degrees, which was relatively warm.

Orelia used [Light] to create a small lamp on the ceiling.

By its faint glow, the three of them gnawed on their dry rations.

"By the way, Kase, do you have any ideas about why that other team went missing?" Colin asked.

The library in Thousand Masts City didn’t have many records on the monsters of the north. The few it did have were about White Dragons and Frost Giants.

’To put it bluntly, even if they knew the weaknesses and habits of such creatures, their small team would have a zero percent chance of winning an encounter. As for anything else, it was best to rely on the opinion of a local like Kase.’

"There are too many possibilities. Frostland Druids who didn’t like the look of them, a wandering Winter Wolf Pack, a bored White Dragon... the causes of death out here are many and varied," Kase said. "Scrounging for food in the snow isn’t easy, my friend."

Orelia, holding a piece of jerky, twitched her nose.

She said, "Speaking of which, do you guys smell something rotting?"

"Did the rations go bad? I’m gonna go demand a refund from Donkexes!"

"I don’t think so... But it’s gone now."

"Could it be the Undead?" The Tiefling’s words put Colin on alert. After all, Edwin himself had admitted that her ability to perceive evil was very strong.

"Dead things, huh? That’s possible," Kase said. "But it should be fine. As long as we’re not unlucky enough to run into the ’Cold Land Walkers,’ we should be okay."

"We should probably come up with a solution, just in case."

"A solution? The only solution is to run. That thing isn’t something a living creature can defeat. It’s a living... wait, let me think how to say it in the Common Language... a living Ghost!"