The Snake-men stood in the icy canyon, letting the snowflakes fall on them without moving at all. If one did not intentionally look for them, it would be difficult to spot these hidden ambushers. Lynch slowed his pace to minimize the chance of being detected. Although he was completely invisible visually, the snowflakes floating in the air would collide with him, changing trajectory and potentially revealing his position.

There was a time when Lynch believed that Snake-men couldn't operate in extremely cold seasons. Though they didn't need to hibernate like snakes to survive the season, the drop in temperature would certainly impact their movements greatly. Looking at the brown Snake-men in front of him, they didn't even need any winter clothing to move freely, and they were even more robust than humans and Dwarves. Lynch thought to himself, 'If it weren't for the fact that the number of these modified Snake-men is still small, winter would have long become the season for the great serpents to attack.'

Fortunately, the ambushers of the Snake-men did not pay much attention to whether any Mages would pass by on this road; only the caravans with wagons wrapped in thick fur were their main concern. The sentries at the front merely twisted their necks to glance around and then buried their heads back into the snowdrifts, hiding again.

Lynch and Zilvra turned a corner in the canyon, thinking they could return to the safe road, only to find their path blocked by a row of tents. Many Snake-men were setting up simple tents and bundling stones and wood to make fences. In order not to alert the "snakes," Lynch still chose to go around, which made Zilvra slightly dissatisfied as she lightly patted the Mage on the back.

"Let's fight our way in and pull out this big thorn," Zilvra whispered into Lynch's ear, "Ambushes are my specialty, and you can cover me."

"No, Zilvra, I know your skills are enough to deal with the enemies ahead, but our top priority is Pate's Temple." Lynch drifted further away from the direction of the tents. "When we come back, we will turn the Snake-men's world upside down together."

Zilvra gave the Snake-men a hard glare, as if saying, "You're lucky this time."

But when they were about a kilometer away from the Snake-men's camp, Lynch stopped. He stared in fascination at the snow-covered ground of the canyon, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Zilvra stood beside him, not wanting to disturb him—interrupting a Mage in their thoughts is never a good idea. After a brief moment, Lynch looked up at Zilvra and said, "In such a snowy season, with a thick layer covering the ground, where did those Snake-men find so many construction materials? And how did they transport them? There are simply no traces in the snow near the camp."

Zilvra glanced around, then said, "Not only are there no vehicle tracks, but there aren't even any indentations from the Snake-men passing by. Unless those things have learned to fly? I haven't seen any wings on them."

"No, the possibility of Snake-men flying is still too low," Lynch said, "We should go back and find out the reason."

Zilvra smiled and nodded, drawing her Pierce Thin Sword. She wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, and the Elven garment immediately turned into a mottled white. As long as Zilvra lay gently on the ground, she could blend perfectly with the environment.

Lynch intended to set off first, but Zilvra signaled him to stop. The Mage immediately understood; the female Drow hadn't had the freedom to act alone in a long time, and this was a great opportunity for her to "relax." The Mage merely uttered a Spell to cast a higher-level Invisibility Spell on himself, ready to follow and admire her prowess.

Unlike typical attackers, Zilvra didn't bother with the outermost sentries but used the snow that obscured vision to slip directly into the camp's perimeter. Not only could she use shadows to evade sight, but she could even use the gaps in the Snake-men's vision to quickly cross the barricades.

Compared to the strict defense on the periphery, the inside of the camp was relatively lax. In this world, except for the Paladin's barracks, which could maintain the same standard inside and out, every other camp had its flaws. Of course, the defense of the Mage Association also had its flaws; the deeper one went, the more powerful the Magic Traps became. Many thieves attempted to sneak into the Great Magic Tower to pull some sneaky tricks, but after disabling the gate's trap, they were dealt with by the patrolling Ghost Shadows or Iron Demon Statues in the corridors. Lynch couldn't help but think, if those things could be placed outside, they would at least save the lives of many petty thieves.

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