After a fairly long journey that felt brief because they were all looking around in absolute awe, they finally reached the end of the rainbow bridge—a vortex-like cave that looked like a whirlpool of milk this time. They stepped inside one by one, and as they emerged, "swooosh," "brr," everyone immediately started shivering and hugging themselves. The only exceptions were Geoffrey, Milia, Mirea, Ard, and Eva, who already knew that coming out near the city of Whitdale meant being hit by a gripping, bitter cold, since the entire city was buried in snow at the foot of a frozen mountain.

Alicia, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Claudia, Ainsley, Pyria, and Irwin turned to see Ard and Eva pulling warm clothes out of their dimensional storage, while Geoffrey, Milia, and Mirea were already putting theirs on. Looking around, they saw they were inside a cave with the entrance just ahead; they had emerged from an altar at the base of a Dragon God statue, a spot usually used for prayer by pilgrims. Immediately, the freezing group rushed over to Ard and Eva.

"H-help, big brother... where are my warm clothes... it's so cold," Adeline said.

"Here... put them on, quick," Ard said, handing the clothes to Adeline.

"Y-yes, thank you. Why didn't you tell us our destination was going to be this cold, big brother?" Adeline asked.

"You didn't ask... and I forgot to mention it, haha," Ard answered casually.

"Come on, hurry up and get dressed. We still have to walk a bit to get to the city," Eva replied while handing out warm clothes to Alicia and Beatrice.

After that, Alicia, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Claudia, Ainsley, Pyria, and Irwin quickly bundled up in their full winter gear, right down to their gloves. Then they began walking out of the cave. Ard and Eva glanced back and nodded to Irina, who was walking behind them and nodded back.

After that, Alicia, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Claudia, Ainsley, Pyria, and Irwin quickly finished putting on their full warm outfits, right down to their gloves. Then they walked out of the cave. Ard and Eva glanced back and nodded to Irina, who was walking behind them, and she nodded back at them.

Once they stepped outside, they found themselves standing on top of a cliff. To get down, they had to wind their way along a narrow path until they finally reached the edge of a forest with a trail leading toward Whitdale. From a distance, they could see the sprawling city of Whitdale sitting beyond the woods, with numerous chimneys puffing out smoke. From afar, the city looked like a place deep in the winter season, as if it were celebrating Christmas.

"So that's Whitdale," Alicia said, pointing toward the city in the distance.

"Yep, that's it. The city where I was born and where my mama's house is," Mirea replied.

"Looking at it from here, the city is pretty big, but where's the mine?" Ainsley asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Over there."

Geoffrey pointed toward the side of Whitdale that sat close to the icy mountain cliffs. Scaffolding structures resembling watchtowers were visible, along with three tiered openings in the cliffside connected by mezzanines. Plenty of people were descending and exiting the mine, while others were just heading inside, wearing helmets and carrying pickaxes.

"Those are just the entrances; the actual mine is inside," Geoffrey said.

"Oh... I see," Ainsley replied.

"So those mine caves are the entrances to the tunnels dug by the dwarf tribes long ago," Claudia muttered.

"Yes, that's right. At least according to the legends," Mirea replied.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's an ancient gate inside, and the tunnels look incredibly sturdy, lit by crystal lamps of unknown origin that still glow to this day. Is that right? I've read about it too," Milia said.

"Exactly. I went inside once and saw the gate myself," Mirea replied.

"Wow... are we planning to go in? I want to see it," Beatrice said, her eyes sparkling.

"Please don't get any wild ideas, Princess. Remember our primary reason for being here," Rosalind countered.

"Yeah, I know. Don't be such a nag," Beatrice snapped back.

"I want to see it too; I'm curious," Adeline added.

"See... we're just curious, right Adeline?" Beatrice added, glancing sharply at Rosalind with a smirk.

"Grr... I'm not letting you two go in there. It's too dangerous, unless we absolutely have to go there for our mission. Do you understand, you two spoiled princesses?" Rosalind said, growling in frustration.

"Yes... we understand. Sorry, Sister Rosalind," Adeline replied.

"Hey... why are you snapping at Adeline, Rey... I mean, Rosalind?" Beatrice asked while hugging Adeline from behind.

"Sorry... but spoiled is spoiled, and I have zero tolerance for it. So please be quiet, Princess, and don't test my patience," Rosalind said, looking like she was about to explode.

"Enough, already. You guys are constantly fighting. The important thing is that we get to the city first and talk to the dark elf elder... even though I'm honestly reluctant to meet him," Pyria said.

"Oh? Why is that?" Alicia asked.

"Elves and dark elves have a history... and clearly, that history isn't a pleasant one, and it definitely wasn't a friendship," Pyria explained.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I'm just finding this out now," Milia said.

"I always thought elves and dark elves were basically the same," Geoffrey added, thinking it over.

"They're different. While it's true that physically they both have long ears that point outward—and any differences are usually just eye color or the fact that their skin is dark—that's not really the point. Elves and dark elves have different philosophies. Elves live in harmony with nature, while dark elves are more social and rely heavily on magic and technology."

"Hmm... so that's how it is," Ainsley muttered.

"Whatever, let's just head down. It's getting colder by the second up here," Irwin said impatiently, even as he kept glancing back, looking right at Irina who stood directly behind him, though she remained invisible.

"Irwin is right, let's head down," Ard urged.

They began to walk one by one along the winding path that clung to the cliff wall, as the trail they were taking was only wide enough for a single person. Ard held Adeline's hand to make sure his sister didn't fall, while Eva followed behind Adeline to watch over her. Alicia accidentally glanced down into the abyss below and immediately felt dizzy, but Milia caught her from behind.

After a grueling thirty-minute walk filled with struggle and the constant battle against the biting cold, they finally reached the bottom. They immediately set off along a path through a sparse forest, following an arrow-shaped signpost pointing toward the city of Whitdale. Everyone felt a wave of relief; inside the woods, the wind died down, and being at a lower altitude made the temperature more bearable. Emerging from the trees, they arrived directly at the southern gate of Whitdale, where two guards—one a dark elf and the other a human—stood watch and signaled for them to stop.

Ard stepped forward, intending to negotiate with the guards and pay the entry fee, but when Mirea pulled back her hood and looked at the human guard, his expression shifted from stern to shocked, then brightened with joy.

"Wait, Lady Mirea? You're home? But why are you coming from the mountain pass?" the guard asked, his questions coming in a rapid-fire burst.

"Hello, Mr. Nord. Yes, I took a bit of a detour," Mirea answered.

"Lady Jolene is at her shop. You should head straight there. Are these your friends from the academy?" Nord asked.

"Oh, yes, that's right. These are my friends from the academy. Is Mama doing better now?" Mirea asked.

Nord's expression flickered slightly as he shook his head. "She's definitely spirited; she's bound to get well. Alright, everyone, head on in," Nord said, pulling back his spear to clear the way.

"Thank you, Mr. Nord," Mirea replied.

With Mirea leading the way, they all entered the city, nodding respectfully to Nord and the other guard. Once inside, their eyes immediately widened. The city was incredibly bustling even though almost everyone was bundled up in thick clothing. A thin layer of snow coated the streets, but it was so light it could almost be ignored.

The air was filled with delicious aromas drifting from the chimneys, and the sound of merchants negotiating with customers added to the lively atmosphere. A few miners were just stepping out of a bar, and the whole city felt truly vibrant and alive.

Then Alicia, Beatrice, Adeline, Rosalind, Mirea, Claudia, Ainsley, Geoffrey, Milia, and Irwin turned to look at Pyria. It turned out Pyria had already changed back into Patricia and was wearing her hood.

"Oh... you're back to being Patricia?" Milia asked.

"Yes, there are a lot of dark elves here," Patricia answered, looking at the many dark elf residents around them going about their daily lives and mingling with humans as if it were perfectly normal.

"Hmm... well, whatever. For now, let's head to Mirea's house first. We also need a place to stay, don't we? Tomorrow we'll meet with the dark elf elder. How does that sound?" Ard asked.

"Agreed," everyone replied, including Eva.

"Thank you, Ard. Of course you all can stay at my house," Mirea said.

"Great, thanks. Come on, Mirea, you lead the way," Ard replied.

"Alright, follow me, everyone," Mirea replied.

They all immediately followed Mirea toward her house to meet her mother, Jolene. Meanwhile, Irina gave a signal to Ard that she wanted to scout around and study the situation, and Ard simply replied with a nod.

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