The gates of Stormwind were even more imposing up close, their sheer scale creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The stone archway soared fifteen meters high, its surface adorned with bas-reliefs of lions and swords.
The scars of time—weathered erosion and fresh blade marks—crisscrossed its surface, silently testifying to the blood and fire this border fortress had endured.
Beneath the gate, the temporary recruitment station was pitifully crude.
A few creaking wooden tables were haphazardly pushed together. Behind them sat three armor-clad officers, their expressions as impassive as the stone walls behind them.
The line to register was short, mostly filled with dust-covered adventurers whose eyes burned with the greedy flame of war profiteering.
"Name, class, level, any military service experience?"
When it was Lin Qingyue's group's turn, the young officer in charge of registration didn't even look up.
His quill pen hovered over the parchment as he mechanically rattled off the questions.
"Lin Qingyue, Level 22 Priest."
"Lin Xiyue, Level 22 Paladin."
"Su Wan, Level 23 Ice Mage."
"Xia Lian, Level 22 Ranger."
Snap.
A sharp crack echoed.
The tip of the young officer's quill pen snapped, spattering a small drop of ink onto the clean parchment.
He finally jerked his head up, his gaze sweeping rapidly over the four girls, each with a distinct aura. His eyes locked onto Lin Qingyue and Lin Xiyue, the holy practitioner sisters, and his eyebrows shot up to an exaggerated height.
"A Priest, a Paladin, a Mage, and a Ranger?"
The middle-aged officer seated in the center was startled by the commotion and turned his head. The gruesome scar that ran from his brow to his chin twisted with the movement, and his eyes were sharp, like a butcher sizing up livestock.
"A very standard party composition," the scar-faced officer rasped, his voice like a wheezing bellows scraping against metal. "And two holy practitioners... healing and protection are both covered. Where are you from?"
"A small town to the north," Lin Qingyue replied calmly, completely unfazed by the scar that could make a child cry. "We heard the front line was short on people, so we came to see if we could help."
The scar-faced officer's scrutinizing gaze raked over them, finally lingering for an extra half-second on the intricate ice crystal patterns woven into Su Wan's mage robes and the obviously expensive heavy shield in Lin Xiyue's hands.
He nodded.
"Alright. With a composition like yours, Frontline Command will be glad to have you."
He pulled out a sheet of parchment stamped with a crimson seal, scrawled a few lines with swift, flowing strokes, and handed it to Lin Qingyue.
"Take this to the Quartermaster's Office in the west district to receive your supplies and temporary identification badges."
"First thing tomorrow morning, a convoy will take you to the Northern Front—to Frostscar Fortress."
"Once you arrive, report to Commander Rodney. He'll assign you specific missions."
The young officer, having recovered his composure, quickly added, "A word of warning: the roads have been unsafe lately. We haven't seen any Elven Rangers, but... other things have been active. Be careful."
Lin Qingyue accepted the parchment and thanked him.
As the four turned to leave, she clearly heard the scar-faced officer's low murmur behind them.
"Two holy practitioners... Let's hope their faith is enough to get them to the fortress alive."
-
By the time they finished collecting their supplies, dusk had fallen.
The temporary dormitory arranged by the Quartermaster's Office was a large, barracks-style room—spartan, but clean enough.
For now, the four of them had the eight-person room to themselves.
"Did you guys feel like that officer was hinting at something?" Lin Xiyue asked in a low voice, inspecting the standard-issue plate armor she'd just received. "'Other things'... It's not going to be more aesthetically challenged monsters like those centaurs, is it?"
Xia Lian shivered at the thought and subconsciously touched her hair—thankfully, it wasn't pink.
Su Wan, sitting on the edge of her bed and carefully polishing the crystal atop her staff with a soft cloth, looked up. "The Dungeon's rules don't repeat themselves. But if he made a point to warn us, the danger must be significant."
Lin Qingyue didn't join their discussion.
Her gaze was fixed on the temporary identification badge she'd just received, resting cold and iron in her palm.
The badge was iron, its face bearing the emblem of a golden lion on a blue field, its back engraved with her name and serial number.
It was all too familiar.
The design, the craftsmanship, even the deliberately worn edges meant to simulate age—everything was identical to the one in her memories.
"...Sis?" Lin Xiyue noticed her silence and moved closer.
"It's nothing."
Lin Qingyue snapped back to the present. She pinned the badge to her collar with a crisp, efficient motion, as if handling nothing more than an ordinary trinket.
"Let's get some rest. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Su Wan walked to the window, glanced at the sky sinking into twilight, then turned back to the others. "I'm going to conjure some clean water to wash up. Do any of you need some?"
As she spoke, her ice-blue eyes remained as cool and detached as ever, as if she were merely stating an established fact.
"Hold on."
Lin Qingyue stopped her.
Su Wan turned, her ice-blue eyes tinged with a hint of inquiry.
Lin Qingyue lazily raised a hand and waved it casually toward herself and her sister.
"Don't go to all that trouble."
"Cleanse Spell!"
Two halos of pinkish-purple light descended from above, sweeping over them like a gentle current of water.
In an instant, the dust from battle, dried bloodstains, and sticky sweat vanished without a trace.
Their clothes became pristine, even carrying the fresh, warm scent of sun-dried laundry.
Then, Lin Qingyue snapped her fingers, a mischievous glint in her smile.
"Bonus hair-dyeing service included."
The moment the pinkish-purple light faded, Lin Xiyue's short black hair transformed into a vibrant, shimmering pink, practically glowing in the dim dormitory.
"Sis! You could have at least warned me!" Lin Xiyue touched her new pink hair, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You'd have to use it sooner or later anyway," Lin Qingyue said with a grin, turning to the other two. "Ladies, care to try? Professional priest services online—cleansing, skincare, and hairstyling all in one. Introductory price: free."
Xia Lian glanced at Lin Xiyue's surprisingly beautiful pink hair, then at Lin Qingyue's mischievous grin. She was clearly tempted.
"This... how long does it last?"
"Ten minutes."
"Then... then I'll try it too!" Xia Lian made up her mind.
A halo of light descended, and she too found herself with a head of soft pink hair, which made her perpetually shy face look even more adorable.
Now, only Su Wan remained.
Su Wan stood frozen, her expression showing a rare flicker of conflict.
The strict upbringing she'd endured since childhood made her instinctively reject such "frivolous" things.
But deep inside, a rebellious spirit, suppressed for who knew how many years, was frantically pounding on its cage, screaming its lungs out: Try it! Just for ten minutes! Try it!
She looked at the three girls in the dorm, all with pink hair.
Their smiles seemed exceptionally bright and free in the dim light.
It was a kind of unrestrained, carefree joy she had never experienced—the freedom to do as one pleased.
"Will... anyone see?"
Su Wan finally spoke, her voice laced with a tension and anticipation she herself hadn't noticed.
"Don't worry. We're in the dorm. Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know. No one else."
Lin Qingyue coaxed her gently, like a witch luring a good child with a lollipop.
Su Wan bit her lower lip, as if making a life-altering decision.
Finally, with an almost imperceptible nod, she whispered, "Alright."
A halo of light descended.
The ice beauty's waterfall of black hair was instantly dyed a brilliant shade of pink.
The soft pink miraculously softened her usual cold, distant aura, enveloping her in a dreamlike, gentle beauty.
She stood there like a cherry blossom blooming silently in the snow.
Four pink-haired heads huddled together, staring at one another.
"Pfft—"
Someone burst out laughing first.
The sound was like a lit fuse.
"Hahaha!"
"Su Wan, you look... so beautiful like this!"
"Xia Lian, don't cover your face! Let me see!"
Su Wan stared at the complete stranger in the mirror, then at her companions collapsing with laughter beside her. The corners of her perpetually tense lips finally, uncontrollably, curved upward into a smile so unfamiliar it startled even herself.
The joyous laughter in the dorm only subsided as the brilliant pink faded like a receding tide.
Ten minutes were up.
The three heads returned to their original hair colors.
Su Wan subconsciously touched her long hair, now restored to its original state. Her fingertips seemed to retain the lingering warmth and surreal feeling of that fleeting moment.
She glanced at Lin Qingyue beside her, whose smile still hadn't faded. In Su Wan's ice-blue eyes, a solid glacier was silently melting, shattering into tiny motes of light.
"Alright, we've had our fun. Time to rest."
Lin Qingyue clapped her hands and stood up with perfect composure, as if the witch who had just proposed a "hair-dyeing party" had been a collective illusion.
She had reverted to the calm, composed captain who handled every situation with poise.
Xia Lian and Lin Xiyue also suppressed their smiles, and the atmosphere returned to normal.
Only Su Wan remained standing in place, seemingly savoring the memory.
"Are we continuing the mission tomorrow?" Lin Xiyue asked.
"Of course," Lin Qingyue replied firmly. "We have no other leads for now. But remember our primary objective: find the Core and purify the Dungeon. We're not here to be saviors for this kingdom."