The Warmwater River and Snowmoon Lake still hold certain value for the Kingdom of the Hami people—as foraging grounds for the snow wolves. To ensure the combat prowess of the snow wolves, none of them are ever kept in captivity in the Kingdom of the Hami people; all are raised in the wild. Or, to put it more accurately, after war breaks out, the Hami people rely on their innate senses to locate packs of wild wolves and then recruit them into service. The wild wolves are exceptionally cooperative: the war wolves are divided into various wolf cavalry teams by pack, with the alpha wolf becoming the captain’s mount, and the other wolves assigned to warriors of different ranks according to their status within the pack.

In fact, the Kingdom of the Hami people does not have the resources to feed so many war wolves. For the Hami Empire, built on the barren, icy continent, any war that mobilizes the entire population cannot last more than six months, or else the national economy will collapse automatically. The core reason for this economic collapse is being impoverished by the war wolves’ appetites.

The number of snow wolves has always hovered around 150,000. Originally, they were scattered across every corner of the frozen continent. Ever since the Amy Empire gained territory on the frozen continent, the snow wolves have strangely retreated to the lands of the Kingdom of the Hami people and the Northern Hami Kingdom, with about 70,000 in each. Flora and fauna are extremely scarce on the continent, making it very difficult for snow wolves to find food; often, it takes days and nights of roaming to catch a single prey. As a result, attacking non-Hami human villages has also become a main means of foraging for the snow wolves. The Hami people do not object to other races living on the frozen continent—as long as they pay taxes—but they absolutely do not allow anyone to harm the snow wolves. In every human village, there are various ways to avoid wolf packs. Moreover, more and more permanent residents have become accustomed to this “when the wolves come, I hide; when the wolves leave, I come out” lifestyle, and consider it a kind of tax that should be paid to the Kingdom of the Hami people. The Hami people’s government is already so clean and frugal that it does not levy much tax on its citizens, so even with the addition of the “wolf head tax,” it is still much lighter than in other countries.

Haike Village is just such a village that needs to pay the “wolf head tax.” People have already gotten used to taking only the main large livestock away each time the wolf pack arrives, leaving some poultry behind for the “wolf grandpas” to enjoy. The wolf packs generally do not stay long. First, they are not used to the stuffy, humid air; second, the next village is only half a day’s journey away, and taxes need to be collected there as well. They usually do not stay for more than half a day.

“Thump... thump... thump...”

Amid the scratching sounds of wolf claws, the iron plate above Amy’s head began to ring rhythmically, and a pleasant male voice sounded: “Excuse me, is this the Haber residence?”

Volume One: Friendship of Ice and Snow

Chapter Two: Iron Horses and Frozen Spears Enter the Story

5

Perhaps, five hundred years later, we can discover the true purpose of the King of the Continent from another young mercenary also named Amy. —Research Notes of Feile, Royal Scholar of the Amy Empire, Expert on the King of the Continent

※※※

“Who is it?” Amy asked instinctively, then suddenly realized the coexistence of wolves and humans, and, frightened, clung tightly to his grandfather, almost screaming.

In Haike Village, there had never been a visit from the Hami people themselves; even when taxes needed to be collected, the Hami people would send humans of other races.

So, in this area, where there are wolves, there are no people; where there are people, there are no wolves. Wolves and humans never coexist at the same time.

“Um, is this the Haber residence? I’m a friend of Laike Haber.” The man’s voice drifted down from above.

“Dad, Dad, he’s Dad’s friend!” Upon hearing his father’s name, Amy almost forgot everything and reached out to unlock the iron plate door. The old man pulled Amy back.

“Judging by your accent, you’re not a Hami person. You must be from the Amy Empire, right?” the old man asked in a deep voice.

“Yes, that’s right. You must be Uncle Haber. Both Laike and I serve in the Amy Empire’s border guard.” The man’s voice remained calm and slow.

“How are you together with the snow wolves? They eat everyone except the Hami people. You...” the old man asked hesitantly.

“Oh, it’s fine. I’ll have them leave. Hehe, Uncle Haber, due to some special circumstances, I’m one of the few people from the Amy Empire who won’t be eaten by snow wolves.” After the man finished speaking, he seemed to address the snow wolves inside the house: “Hey, brothers, let’s go. I have things to do. Xiaobai, have your brothers leave this village.”

“Ooowww~~”

After a low wolf howl, the sounds of snow wolves inside and outside the house quickly faded away.

The old man hesitantly opened the iron plate door a crack, and after confirming through the gap that there were indeed no snow wolves, he finally opened the door fully.

A middle-aged man dressed in the traditional attire of the Amy Empire sat by the bed. When he saw the old man come out, he immediately stood up and nodded politely in greeting.

“Uncle Haber, hello. I’m a friend of Laike Haber from the army. My name is Ethan Brooks, or you can call me Ethan Brooks if that’s easier to say.”

6

“Uncle, where’s my dad?” Amy jumped out of the cellar and immediately asked the young man anxiously. The old man’s expression also revealed the same question.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know either. That’s why I came here.” The young man replied earnestly.