Alice, Rachel, and Zalgo were teleported to the Frigid International Airport by Noelle, seeing the ash-covered landscape and volcanoes churning out lava right outside of the large windows. It looked hotter than an oven outside already, but the air-conditioning inside of the airport was top-notch.

"Phew," Alice said, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "It's a good thing the airport has air-conditioning. Otherwise, I'd be a hot mess right now."

That was when Alice looked at a television screen that showed the temperature outside. 67 degrees Celsius. "Uhh," she mumbled, "Guys, I'm not familiar with Celsius, what's that in Fahrenheit?”

Zalgo, who was more familiar with the metric system, quickly did the conversion in her head. "That's about 152 degrees Fahrenheit," she said, her eyes widening at the high number. "Yeah, it's scorching out there."

Rachel held her head, her expression exasperated. "How is it even possible for a place to be this damn hot all the time?!”

As they spoke, other passengers nearby couldn't help but overhear their conversation. A dark elf couple, dressed in light summer clothes, turned to them with concerned expressions.

"You're heading out in this heat, dear?" the dark elf woman asked Rachel with a motherly tone. "You must be mad. It's dangerous out there.”

Rachel sighed, knowing the woman was right. "Yeah, I know it's risky," she said, her voice weary. "But it's important. We have to save a World Core at the base of that volcano. No matter what."

The couple looked at the three women, their eyes filled with worry. "But it's so hot, even for us dark elves. Are you sure you're prepared for it?”

"We have sunscreen, water, and the right gear," Rachel replied, trying to sound confident. But even she couldn't hide the hint of trepidation in her eyes.

The woman shook her head, frowning. "That's good, but it's still highly dangerous. You realize the heat can drive people insane, don't you? Heatstroke is no joke.”

The dark elf man spoke up, his tone sympathetic. "We admire your courage, truly. Just...be careful, alright? We've lost track of the number of foreigners and tourists underestimating the heat here and dropping like flies in minutes.”

Noelle nodded, her determination flaring up. "Thank you for your concern. We'll be careful, promise."

Zalgo also chimed in, a rare serious look in her normally mischievous eyes. "We'll look out for each other and stay hydrated.”

Rachel jumped in, "But can you please tell us why this place is called FRIGID and yet it's BOILING hot here?!"

The dark elf couple chuckled at Rachel's question. The man explained, "Ah the name is rather odd for how hot it is, isn't it? The name was given ages ago, when Frigid was a frozen hell, with temperatures far below zero, and nothing but ice and snow covering the entire place.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Wait, seriously?!" Rachel asked, surprise obvious in her expression. "This place was a frozen wasteland in the past?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, it was. But centuries ago, when the volcanoes started becoming active all of a sudden, the region has undergone drastic changes. All the heat released over the years has been trapped by all the volcanoes surrounding the region, so the heat had nowhere to go. So the heat called this region home. The frozen hell you hear in the myths and legends is long gone. Now it's a hot hell instead.”

"Wow," Alice mumbled, still wrapping her head around the drastic change. "So how come everyone still calls this place Frigid, even though it's a furnace now?”

The man shrugged, a bittersweet smile on his face. "Habit I guess? The name Frigid has stuck, you know, even after the drastic shift in climate. And now, even the locals prefer to call it by its old name."

Zalgo let out a small laugh, "Sounds like a major branding issue. Frigid? More like Inferno!”

The dark elf couple chuckled and nodded in agreement, "You're not wrong there!"

Rachel shook her head in disbelief, the information still sinking in. "So let me get this straight. This place was an icy wasteland, then it suddenly became a volcano party zone, and everyone kept calling it Frigid? That's nuts.”

The woman chuckled, clearly amused by Rachel's reaction. "Yes, it's a bit absurd. But that's how it is. History and tradition can be stubborn sometimes, even when they no longer apply."

"It's wild though, this sudden shift in temperature," Zalgo mused. "From freezing cold to roasting hot, just like that. And all because of volcanoes? Just what kinda volcanoes are these?”

The dark elf man sighed, "As for the volcanoes, they are no ordinary volcanoes. They are extremely active and volatile, with frequent eruptions. Geologists from all over have come here to study them, but no one seems to understand what's causing such abnormal activity."

Alice, ever the curious one, spoke up, "And the locals aren't concerned about these dangerous volcanoes?”

The woman shook her head, a resigned look in her eyes. "They've lived with the volcanoes for generations. To them, it's just a part of life here. And these eruptions, well, they've become a common occurrence."

Rachel, still in disbelief, looked out the window at the volcanoes outside. "Just another day at the office for these folks, huh? Living under the constant threat of fiery doom. Sounds like a fun time.”

The couple chuckled at Rachel's sarcastic comment.

The woman spoke, "It's not always fiery doom. Sometimes, it's just ash falling from the sky. The locals have learned to live with it. It's just a part of life here."

The man added, "But the heat, the heat can still be dangerous. Even for us dark elves, beings with naturally higher heat resistance, the heat can be intense. Hence why, during the summer months where temperatures are the most brutal, we dark elves travel to cooler places. Albeit it's still summertime in other countries in the northern hemisphere, we'd easily rather take 32 degrees or 37 degrees instead of 78."

Alice scratched her head. "Uhh...Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, please?”

The dark elf man smiled, "Sure. 78 degrees Celsius is about 172 degrees Fahrenheit. It's definitely hot enough to be uncomfortable for even us dark elves."

The woman nodded, "Yes. The heat can be quite oppressive, especially for longer periods of time. That's why we take seasonal migrations during the peak of summer."

Zalgo, listening in, nodded thoughtfully. "So the heat here is like a yearly cycle of hellish summers? And locals either evacuate or just tough it out?”

The man nodded, "That's about right. Summer here is no joke. It's almost unbearable for humans and is downright dangerous for less heat-resistant races. But the locals either evacuate, or they've adapted their lifestyles to suit the heat."

The woman added, "There are also underground cities and settlements here, where people can find shelter from the summer heat. And of course, there's the air-conditioning!”

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "So people just spend their summers underground? Like moles?"

The dark elf man chuckled at that, "Pretty much. It's either that, or you stay indoors and bask in the air-conditioning. And let me tell you, the electricity bills are no joke during the summer months."

Zalgo, a playful glint in her eyes, added, "I wonder if there are any 'summertime only' deals for electricity here. Like 'Buy one heatwave, get one free.”

The couple laughed at Zalgo's comment, clearly amused by the girl's sarcasm.

The woman replied, "Oh, wouldn't that be convenient? We could have a summer sale on our electricity bills!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, still not used to dealing with Zalgo's jokes. "Yeah, yeah, very funny, you two. Welp, nice meetin' you guys, but we have a dragon to handle here.”

The couple nodded, expressing their well wishes. "Stay safe out there. And remember, don't underestimate the heat."

Zalgo grinned, saluting mock-seriously. "You bet. We'll avoid spontaneous combustion as best we can!”

The man chuckled at Zalgo's reply, clearly amused. "Oh, and watch out for those volcanoes too. Not just the heat, but the ash can be nasty."

The woman added, "Oh, and the lava. That's no joke either."

Rachel nodded, appreciating the warnings. "Thanks for the advice, folks. See ya around."

The dark elf couple bid them farewell, and the four prepared to leave from the cool airport to the heat outside.