Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 791 - 435: Varius’s Observations (Part 2)

Supplies delivered, troops deployed, and orders communicated.

No wonder the Northern Territory was able to conquer the Gray Rock Province in such a short time.

In front of this steel beast, all old warfare theories become a joke.

"The Northern Territory is bitterly cold?" He looked at the howling wind and snow outside the window, whispering self-mockingly.

......

The train slid into the platform under the cover of darkness.

The moment the train doors opened, the scent of steam and metal surged in, like a thick fog clinging to the nostrils.

People disembarked with their luggage, and even as they stepped onto the hard ground of the platform, they could still feel the tremors from the tracks.

They followed the signs towards the exit.

Varius remained silent all the way. The sound of the whistle still lingered in his mind, like an echo that couldn’t be stopped.

It wasn’t until he stepped out of the station doors that the cold air hit his face.

The sky was so low and deep that it was almost dark blue, and by rights this kind of night should swallow everything.

Yet there was no night in the city before him.

Magic Stone Street Lamps and Gas Lamps intertwined into a massive web of lights, spreading from the main street and extending to the farther alleys, illuminating every patch of snow.

Snowflakes swirled and fell in the light, like finely polished crystal fragments.

In the distance, the Red Tide Main Castle hung on the mountain wall.

It was not a castle in the traditional sense.

A huge dome was fixed to the rock wall and steel frame, with a surface that emitted warm red light, like a steadily beating heart.

Heat waves slowly seeped from above, forming a thin white mist in the cold air, sliding down the mountain wall.

Varius instinctively raised a hand to his chest.

He recalled the Imperial Capital, where the city too had lights, but the lights were only in the Nobility district, and the night in the commoners’ district was like a silent well, so dark it was suffocating.

But here, even the most peripheral alleys were lit, and it seemed only natural.

Patrolling Knights passed the street corner, their steps steady, snowflakes falling on their capes.

Workers pushed small carts along the roadside, the sound of wheels softly rolling over the hardened pavement.

Children’s laughter leaked out from the cracks of some door, only to be quickly engulfed by the warmth inside.

Varius stood for a moment before realizing he had been in a daze.

"Please follow me." A gentle voice sounded beside him.

They were led to the station’s side hall.

Someone was already waiting there, an elderly man in a neat black uniform.

His hair was white, but his spine was very straight, his gaze not cold, and even carried a well-judged sense of distance.

Varius had seen many similar people in the court.

The difference was that this elderly man had no air of flattery, and simply placed a hand on his chest, giving a crisp salute.

"Bradley." The elderly man introduced himself, then handed over a neatly bound thin booklet and a somewhat heavy bronze key.

The cover of the booklet had a few clear words, "Accommodation Guide."

Varius suppressed the inappropriate fluctuations in his heart and spoke quickly, "I wish to meet with Lord Louis Calvin immediately. I have important amendments to legal codes and intelligence regarding the Imperial Capital..."

Bradley smiled slightly, "My lord, the Lord is currently inspecting the test firing of new cannons at the armory and is unlikely to return for three days."

Varius frowned.

But Bradley did not give him a chance to continue speaking, "Moreover, you’ve traveled far and wide, and it would be disrespectful to meet the Lord in your current state.

Please first rest for a few days in an apartment and experience life in the Red Tide. You will better understand what kind of people the legal codes you wish to amend should protect."

Varius opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to argue.

The apartment was not the kind of mansion used to flaunt status in the court, but a standard stone building, not very tall, with simplistic exterior walls.

Bradley simply pointed out the direction and then no longer accompanied him.

Varius pushed the door open alone, and as the door closed behind him, it isolated the sounds from the street.

The temperature inside made him stop instinctively.

It wasn’t the scorching heat of a fireplace, but a uniform warmth seeping out from the floors and walls.

Following this warmth to the side, he saw a metal faucet embedded in the wall.

He hesitated for a moment but still reached out to turn it on, and clear hot water immediately flowed out.

Varius was stunned.

In the Imperial Capital, it took three servants to take turns boiling, carrying, and then lifting a bucket of water upstairs. But here, it was as readily available as air.

He continued inward, and in a white and quiet compartment, there was a strange white porcelain fixture.

Next to it was a brief usage instruction—it was a toilet. Following the instructions, he pressed a metal button, and the water spun down, neatly carrying everything away.

Beside the window, there was an expansive double-glazed pane, barring the cold wind outside, while preserving the night and lights in their entirety.

Even during early spring, snow still fell in the Northern Territory, and the city’s web of light quietly stretched into the distance.

That night, he slept deeply.

The next morning, Varius walked alone onto the streets.

The main street was bustling with people, yet it wasn’t noisy.

Workers pushing carts, children with backpacks, and women carrying baskets, each heading in their designated directions.

A newspaper-delivering teenager paused, around thirteen years old, dressed in a thick cotton coat, with a bulging cloth bag on his back.

The teenager pulled a newspaper from his bag, skillfully checked door numbers, and marked something off a list he carried using a charcoal pencil.

Varius slowed his steps.

Watching the sequence of actions, he finally couldn’t help stepping forward.

"Child," he lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing something, "do you recognize the words on it?"