The origins of the plague could actually be traced back to a year before its outbreak.
In the northern regions of the Goblin Empire, the icy plateau.
This area was actually outside the control of the Goblin Empire.
Although the Goblin Empire claimed to rule the continent, it did not fully occupy all of Ferland.
To the north of the Empire's northern territories was a great river that flowed through the entire northern region, dividing the northern part of the Ferland continent into two areas.
The southern part was the relatively warm and resource-rich northern frontier of the Empire, where some border lords and many races subject to the Goblin Empire, including humans, lived and thrived.
To the north, however, lay an expansive desert plain, home to several nomadic races such as the centaurs, trolls, kobolds, pigmen, bull-headed people, and others. These tribes had lived in the northern wastes for generations, struggling to survive.
Once, the Frostclaw Tribe of trolls, who had sworn allegiance to the Empire, had been among these nomads, but they were not the strongest tribe.
Of course, they had long been driven back to the desert, and it was unclear how they were faring now.
Far to the north of the desert, stood a towering plateau.
A vast mountain range separated the desert from the highlands.
Some Legendary creatures from the desert had once ventured to the plateau but quickly turned back, for the climate there was even colder, unsuitable for normal life.
However, life did exist there. Many ice-related species thrived on the plateau, all of them towering and massive.
The highlands seemed to be the cradle for giant creatures.
Historians of various races from the Fifth Chapter even speculated that the ancestors of the Titans might have emerged from the highlands and traveled to central Proadas, where they grew stronger, developed their extraordinary powers, and ultimately ruled the world.
There were many giant creatures on the plateau.
One such species was the Frost Giants.
While their size was no match for the Titans, with adult Frost Giants reaching around 7 to 8 meters tall, they were still imposing figures.
Each Frost Giant tribe had around dozens of individuals, grouped into several families.
Frost Giant tribes almost always kept mammoths as mounts, and in battles, they rode the massive beasts, making them the dominant force in the icy plateau.
However, they were not invincible. A wise race called the "Bimons" also inhabited the plateau.
The Bimon race had two sub-species: the Golden Bimon, which possessed intelligence and grew to about 3 meters tall, and the Bimon Beasts, towering creatures nearly 10 meters tall, resembling wild beasts.
Only the Golden Bimon could reproduce, and their offspring were either Golden Bimon or Bimon Beasts. Often, they were born of the same litter, so Golden Bimon frequently controlled and rode the Bimon Beasts, ruling over parts of the plateau.
In fact, the Frost Giants' use of mammoths as mounts was influenced by the Bimons as well.
Yet, due to food scarcity, the Frost Giants lived in small tribes.
In addition to these creatures, the plateau was home to giant bears, ice wolves, giant deer, ice cattle, and even the colossal Blue Sea Serpent that resided in the Central Ice Sea, a vast ocean-like expanse.
On this icy plateau, where outsiders rarely ventured, these enormous species fought daily for survival.
Their world had little to offer beyond what they already knew.
The plateau was vast enough to sustain them for generations.
But, a year before the outbreak of the plague in Year 694 of the Goblin Empire, the peace of the plateau was shattered.
While hunting large fish in the shallow waters of the Central Ice Sea, a Frost Giant unearthed an ice coffin buried beneath the sea floor.
Inside the coffin lay a stunningly beautiful woman, dressed in bright red, her body glowing like fresh blood.
The Frost Giant, intrigued by her tiny form, decided to bring the heavy coffin back to the shore.
To his surprise, the moment the coffin touched the shore, it began to melt like water.
The gorgeous woman in red awoke from her slumber!
She had blood-red eyes, and her lips were a vivid crimson.
Though her face was pale, as though recovering from a long illness, she smiled at the Frost Giant, radiating an astonishing beauty.
"Did you wake me, giant?" she asked.
The Frost Giant felt a powerful aura emanating from the woman, and, sensing the pressure, he dared not act rashly. He nodded in silence.
Though she spoke a different language, for some reason, the Frost Giant understood her perfectly.
"Though I have awakened earlier than expected and my injuries are not yet healed, I feel the world is reborn. Has the new era arrived?"
She gazed around, observing her surroundings.
"Covered in ice and snow, at the edge of the sea, I'm still on the northern plateau."
She stood up gracefully, her figure slim and graceful.
Then, facing the vast sea, she raised her hand.
Countless scarlet threads pierced the sea, and in mere seconds, countless fish were pulled to the surface. Among them was a giant fish over 30 meters long.
As the fish fell to the ground with a loud thud, the Frost Giant looked down and saw a heap of fish around his feet.
But these fish appeared strangely withered, as though much of their blood had been drained.
"You woke me, giant. Take these fish with you," she said.
Before the Frost Giant could react, the woman transformed into a red light and vanished.
The Frost Giant stood dazed for several minutes, watching the woman disappear before he finally exhaled in relief.
He looked down at the giant fish, a smile forming on his face. He dragged the largest one toward his tribe's direction, feeling pleased with his catch for the day.