Because of treaties and alliances with Redania, Temeria was also forbidden from exporting goods to Kaedwen.

With no other options, Kaedwen was forced to import iron from Kovir at a high price. After all, Kovir was a neutral state, and anyone could buy from it. So, even though the Aedirn exclave was to Kaedwen's north, if they offended Kovir, Kaedwen would be forced to fight with sticks.

To the northwest of Kaedwen were the many small states that had broken away from Kovir during the Bolle of Poviss. But these were protected by the steep Kaedwen mountains, making them hard to attack and easy to defend.

To the southwest was an open, flat plain, but that was the territory of the Northern Realms' strongest kingdom, Redania. After once being thoroughly humiliated by King Vizimir of Redania, Henselt had developed a severe "Redanian-phobia." He wouldn't dare set foot in Redanian territory again, and even seeing their crest would make him soil his breeches.

So, for all these years, King Henselt and his ministers had focused on the southern kingdom of Aedirn. However, this "southern advance" had been ongoing for years, and Kaedwen had only managed to bicker with Aedirn along their border.

Sometimes, Kaedwen had a stroke of luck and managed to cross the Aedirn border. But any advantage was short-lived, and they were often pushed back. More often than not, they couldn't even breach Aedirn's defenses.

To solve the dilemma of not being able to expand, King Henselt came up with two brilliant strategies:

The first was to regularly harvest prosperous nonhuman settlements. Those that hadn't developed much were left alone for now. But for the ones that had, he would send soldiers disguised as bandits to plunder their assets and fill the royal treasury.

The second was to expand into the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains were a vast, continuous range. They stretched east from the north of Aedirn, then turned south, hugging Kaedwen's eastern border all the way to Aedirn and Lyria. Henselt refused to believe that such a massive expanse of land was nothing but mountains; surely after crossing the rugged peaks, there would be land suitable for settlement.

This was why he had sent this group of riders into the Blue Mountains. As for why he sent them during a blizzard and not in the summer, it was because Henselt was a man who acted on an impulse. If they found something, all the better. But if they died in the mountains, it was of no consequence. They were merely cannon fodder.

The riders trudged through the deep snow. After a long while, they finally spotted two buildings.

"Two small huts ahead. Let's go warm up there."

The riders approached the two isolated buildings standing alone in the snow. They opened the door of the left hut first and found a stable inside. They led their horses in and then walked toward the right-hand building.

One of the riders pushed open the door and stepped inside. He immediately recoiled, his face pale with horror.

"Captain Kiusa!"

"What is it?"

"Inside... there's a corpse inside."

Kiusa was taken aback by the frantic, fragmented words. "A dead body startled you?"

Kiusa drew his sword and entered the hut. On the floor lay a young woman. She was headless and dressed in a crude garment made of animal hide. A quick examination led him to a conclusion.

"She's been dead for a while. No external injuries. Looks like she froze to death."

Another rider asked tremblingly, "Captain Kiusa, do we still have to stay here?"

Kiusa shot him a contemptuous glance.

"What's so scary about a dead person? Who hasn't seen a corpse left out in the open? We're on the road." He waved his hand dismissively as if shooing a fly. "Throw the body out. The snow is thick enough to cover it."

Two riders stepped forward and lifted the body. As they passed Kiusa, he suddenly stumbled sideways as if by reflex.

"Captain Kiusa?!"

Everyone looked at Kiusa, who was ashen-faced and terrified. But his terror quickly turned to rage.

"Which one of you just grabbed me?"

The two riders carrying the body exchanged glances and shook their heads frantically. "Captain Kiusa, we're carrying the body. How could we grab you?"

Kiusa calmed down and thought about it. They were right. His eyes fell to the floor, and whether by coincidence or some other reason, they met the empty space where the woman's eyes should have been.

In that instant, Kiusa felt a chill run down his spine. It was as if he was being watched. He nearly lost his footing again.

But the two riders, unaware of what Kiusa was thinking, carried the body out.

With the corpse gone, Kiusa felt a little better. He thought for a moment and then ordered, "You, go find some firewood and burn that corpse."

"Captain Kiusa, it's too cold to start a fire." No one wanted to do the miserable chore.

As Kiusa had said earlier, who hadn't seen a dead body? Famine, disease, war... each of these could cause countless casualties if they afflicted ordinary people. Perhaps only noblewomen and young ladies who never left their castles had never seen a dead person.

A single grain of sand from the times, falling on each person's shoulder, was a mountain. A corpse is a corpse, just leave it in the snow. Why bother finding firewood to burn it? What a hassle, and it's so cold outside.

Kiusa was furious. "Don't argue. Do as you're told."

The men didn't understand why Kiusa was so angry, but they obeyed.

A while later, Kiusa watched as his men returned with dry firewood. They laid a layer on the snow, placed the corpse on top, and then piled more wood on it, setting it alight with a fire starter.

Watching the roaring fire, Kiusa finally felt a little peace.

The exhausted riders returned to the hut, sat on the ground, and ate their dry rations with some ale. But the bitter cold kept seeping in through the cracks in the walls, making them curse.

One rider suggested, "Captain Kiusa, maybe we should start a fire in here, too. It might be okay during the day, but we won't survive the night. A friend of mine froze to death. The old-timers say that if you're not careful to stay warm, you might not die, but you'll get frostbite and have to lose a limb."

Kiusa had no reason to disagree.

A rider opened the door to go out and collect more firewood. But before he could step out, a blizzard rushed in.

.....................

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