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Ah! Despite my human past, even I found that flowing white hair incredibly stylish, especially when it danced in the wind. "How could one simply describe it as 'handsome'?" Now, it's all ruined. The fur on my body will molt come next spring, and my hair might take even longer to grow back. As I was lost in self-pity, I saw Antala, the leader of my disciples, accompanied by an unfamiliar young werewolf shaman, approaching.

"Master, we found a kidnapped werewolf shaman in our camp."

"Greetings, Honorable Messenger of the War God," I quickly rose to pay respect. In the Beastman Alliance, shamans held high prestige.

"Hello, brave Snow Wolf warrior. Thank you deeply for your rescue. May the glory of the War God Odin shine upon you," he replied.

I lifted my gaze to study the shaman before me. His silver-blue fur indicated he belonged to our wolf clan's Heavenly Wolf Tribe, and he appeared very young, no more than thirty. Moreover, he was handsome with an elegant demeanor, clearly born into nobility. Yet, despite his shabby, dirt-covered shaman robe, it was a red robe, symbolizing an advanced shaman. Damn, old Zechariah from Blizzard Hut had spent his entire life only to become a middle-ranking white-robed shaman. Comparing wolves only leads to frustration!

As we sat down to talk, I learned that this young advanced shaman was named Romeo Sky Wolfe, the second son of our Heavenly Wolf Tribe's chieftain. On his return from the War God Temple, he was assigned a secret mission.

Of course, it was originally a secret mission, but now that it had been exposed and disrupted by humans, there was no need to keep it from us. Thus, Shaman Romeo began recounting the events. Strangely, the usually composed Antala paled at the mention of Shaman Romeo's name. Once he confirmed the other's identity, he panicked and made up some nonsensical excuse before hurriedly fleeing, leaving behind a look that combined three parts pity, three parts sympathy, three parts guilt, and one part schadenfreude.

"What's this kid up to? Once I find out, I'll burn off all his fur. Forget it, Great Shaman Romeo, please continue," I said.

Romeo was an excellent storyteller. Knowing my humble origins and that much of my knowledge came from hearsay, he started from the beginning.

Four hundred years ago, after the Beastmen retreated to the north, humans were severely weakened and unable to pursue. Two decades later, when they prepared for another war, they realized they would face the majestic Eagle Bear Fortresses in the Sun-never-setting Mountains' War God Corridor, along with the revitalized Eagle and Bear tribes and the fully-staffed Beamon War Beast Legion.

The other route, the Beastman Wasteland, had been ravaged by the Twelve Sages' forbidden curse, "Dusk of the Gods," leaving contaminated water sources and deadly zones. Apart from the monstrous Beastmen, not even the ordinary Beastmen dared to venture deep into the region. Despite the heavy cost, human explorations could only uncover a route that would take an army three months to traverse, with scarce supplies, limited water, and harassment from Beastmen. The final obstacle was the rested army of Minotaurs and Werewolves lying in wait. Thus, this path was eventually abandoned.

Where soldiers couldn't tread, merchants found a way. Initially, it was the Viking merchants who navigated the northern seas, following the Rhine River into the Flower-Speaking Plain. With lavish gifts, they convinced the Lion nobility to open trade routes. Envious Eagle and Bear tribes followed suit, conditionally opening trade routes in the War God Corridor to share in the profits. However, both routes were controlled by Beastman nobles, who imposed heavy taxes. Greedy merchants thus sought a third trading path.

Eventually, someone discovered a shortcut through the Beastman Wasteland. Departing from Purple-Jade City at the edge of the Duchy of Langton, one could sail up the Red River for half a month, reaching the ruins of the Ancient Beastman Empire's Fontainebleau. From there, one could enter the Devouring Marshes and, following a few secret, relatively safe paths, reach the Snow Wolf Grasslands within twenty days. The vastness of the marshes made it impossible for Werewolves to fully control them, and through illicit trade, the quality of life for the Wolf People significantly improved. Although the profits were less than the other two routes, the Wolf leaders tacitly allowed it.

For merchants, despite the dangers and losses, the rewards were even greater, resulting in a flourishing smuggling operation. Traders, adventurers, and fugitives from across the continent gathered here, establishing a massive hub in the ruins of Fontainebleau, known as the "City of Fallen Grace."

Initially, the smuggling route could only accommodate small-scale groups, and the human empires' militaries used them primarily for espionage. However, circumstances changed.

Last winter, a severe earthquake of unknown magnitude struck where the Red River met the Sun-Undying Mountains. This seismic event altered the underground waterways of the Red River, leading to partial drying in some areas of the Devouring Marshes, creating a passable route for military forces.

Due to the slow revelation of the topographical changes, neither side initially noticed. It wasn't until recently, when the volume of smuggled goods increased, that the Wolf People's upper echelons took notice. Shaman Romeo was dispatched to investigate, carrying the treasure of the War God Temple: a golden parchment map that could automatically detect and map nearby terrain.

Unbeknownst to them, humans had already learned of this through adventurers and dispatched a squadron of Temple Knights to investigate. Sword Master Lanster and his companions were part of this force. Upon obtaining information on Romeo's movements and the map's ability through spies, they hired the local swamp gangsters, the "Cobra" mercenary group led by Old Hake, to ambush Romeo and his party after they completed their survey.

Romeo's followers fought desperately, carving a bloody path out of the Devouring Marshes. However, their wolf mounts suffered significant losses, and they were eventually caught up with at Iceberg Village. Hoping to leverage the villagers, they found that the able-bodied men were away hunting, leaving only the elderly, children, and women behind. The village priestess, using the divine spell "Divine Call," combined with financial incentives, rallied three thousand Beastmen to aid her. The resulting flames were extinguished by a mage's magic, and they were ultimately captured.