The footsteps of spring always first knock on the doors of a warrior's heart, yearning for battle.
When the icicles under the eaves dripped in strings, and the roads outside the fortress turned into an ocean of mud, the most restless and wild heart in Blackwood Fortress could no longer endure this dormant tranquility.
Hask, the Wolf Cavalry commander who had carved charging and slaughter into his very marrow, felt every bone in his body itching.
The high-intensity training throughout the winter had long since honed him and his Wolf Riders vanguard into something incredibly sharp; this blade, thirsting for blood, urgently needed a target to strike down.
He blocked the door to Colin's study almost every day, silently applying pressure with eyes that read, "I want to fight."
Finally, after confirming the basic conditions of the roads and stocking up on sufficient supplies for the march, Colin approved the first, and most significant, military operation since the western expedition—Northern Exploration.
The moment he received the order, Hask's howl reportedly startled all the dozing crows on the fortress towers.
On a morning when the winter snow had just begun to melt, the sky was still gray.
One hundred of the most elite Wolf Cavalry had already assembled in front of the fortress's main gate.
They were the elite that Hask had carefully selected from the three hundred Wolf Riders. Each one was a warrior with the richest experience, the most exquisite horsemanship, and the toughest will.
The Snow Giant Wolves between their legs were also taller and more robust than their ordinary counterparts, their eyes flashing with the same fierceness and belligerence as their masters.
After a winter of arming, they had long since upgraded their equipment.
They wore tough leather armor with iron plates embedded in key areas, rushed out by Berg's smithy; at their waists hung sharp battle blades, in their hands they carried brand-new spears, and on the side of their saddles hung four heavy quivers of short arrows.
Most eye-catching of all was the exquisitely crafted repeating crossbow carried on their backs; its cold, metallic texture was enough to make any enemy's heart turn cold.
This small-scale unit, with its superior equipment and fierce momentum, was enough to make any army ten times its size tremble with fear.
Hask rode on his "Bonebreaker," like a white iron tower, inspecting his troops with satisfaction.
On his face was undisguised fanaticism and excitement for the impending battlefield.
Colin, along with Lena, Anna, Goff, and others, personally came to see them off.
"Remember your mission, Hask." Colin's voice was calm and powerful, like a pebble dropped into the boiling lake of Hask's heart. "I will say it again: you are an exploration team, not an expeditionary force."
He held up two fingers.
"You have only two tasks. First, find and confirm those demi-human tribes mentioned by Elder Nuo that are struggling to survive in the bitter cold lands further north.
I need to know who they are, how many there are, what kind of life they lead, and whether they are friend or foe to us. Do not act rashly if you encounter humans; I want intelligence, not heads."
"Second, scout and confirm any valuable mineral resources.
Berg's furnaces are never full, and the iron mines on the human side still need to be monitored. If you can find new iron mines, or even other minerals we are unaware of, that will be a greater merit than winning a battle."
Colin looked at Hask, his eyes becoming sharp: "I give you maximum autonomy, but the bottom line is: do not initiate large-scale conflict with any tribe without my orders. Do you understand?"
"Understood! Leader!" Hask shouted in response, although his expression clearly telegraphed the subtext, "If they are blind enough to provoke me, that's another matter entirely."
Colin shook his head helplessly, knowing that saying more to this guy was useless. He could only turn to look at a special figure in the ranks.
The old Wolfman Nuo.
This former elder of the Remnant Bone Tribe was currently wearing a thick fur coat, riding a relatively docile Snow Giant Wolf.
On his back, there were no weapons, only a huge pack filled with maps, water, and food.
His face was a mix of nostalgia for his homeland, anxiety about the unknown, and anticipation of finding his kin.
Colin handed a small wooden box wrapped in iron plates to Nuo.
"Elder Nuo, inside here is a token prepared for them.
If you encounter a tribe willing to communicate with us, give it to their leader." Colin said solemnly. "You were once an elder of the Remnant Bone Tribe and once lived in the north; you know how to deal with them.
Remember, Hask is the sharp sword of this operation, and you are the brain. When necessary, you must hold back this sword that is too sharp."
Elder Nuo felt the weight of the wooden box in his hand, as if feeling the heavy trust Colin placed in him.
He straightened his somewhat hur it would be war or communication, the choice seemed to have fallen into Hask's hands.