Yakutsk was always snowing; at least, that was what the people here believed. It was so cold, yet so warm; in this infinitely sprawling city, everything existed, except for an end.
It was still a season of swirling snow. A deathly silence lay over the suffering land, yet even in such a painful season, pathetic people still lived within the tracks of fate.
Li Yue opened her eyes. Habitually, she looked out the window; as always, a layer of water vapor failed to obscure the pale, snowy landscape outside.
She changed into thin clothing—not for the sake of solemnity, but simply for ease of movement.
Compared to her companions, Lane and Aestherin, she was like a Snow Girl from the myths of an Eastern borderland nation, one who did not fear the bitter cold as she walked through the mortal world. However, she did not seem to have much desire to save humanity.
Aestherin didn't seem to like this cold weather much; she kept herself wrapped tightly in her overcoat. In this area of the Outer Ring, they waited in the freezing wind for three or four minutes before the carriage sent by the factory slowly approached from the end of the road.
Li Yue rummaged through her ring and finally found a veil she had used before. But on second thought, she realized no one would recognize her anyway, so she gave up on the idea.
The carriage took only a few dozen minutes to cover the distance that had taken Li Yue and Lane several hours to walk through the wind and snow last night, traveling from the Outer Ring, which still held a trace of life, to the deathly silent edge of the district.
There were no dreams here, no hope; even the craving for survival was minimal. Most lived day to day, committing a slow, chronic suicide in the increasingly cold weather.
The factories were built around the Energy Tower, and there seemed to be a perpetual supply of coal being transported here from various places. Li Yue watched the transport carriages passing outside the window, piled high with pitch-black coal. For some reason, the color reminded her of Diana’s father and the many people whose eyes held no hope.
“How often do mining accidents happen here?” The silent atmosphere was interrupted by Li Yue’s question. Both Lane and Aestherin were startled, seemingly unsure how to articulate an answer that was common knowledge.
“In this specific area, there isn't a set pattern. But if you're talking about all of Yakutsk, the answer is quite simple,” Lane’s voice was slow and heavy. “Every single day.”
Li Yue nodded, still staring at the cartloads of coal outside. Aestherin and Lane withdrew their gazes; they glanced at each other and then stared at the floor, neither of them speaking further.
“Some people are much more cruel than I am, yet so fragile they dare not face a blood-soaked corpse. They prefer to hear numbers, because numbers sound insignificant.” Li Yue leaned against the carriage wall, no longer watching the outside. She slowly closed her eyes, enjoying this moment of peace, even if it was only for a few short minutes.
The vibration of the carriage gradually came to a halt. The driver climbed down from the seat, cleared the accumulated snow from the handrail, opened the door, and made a gesture of invitation.
The three of them stepped down one by one. The temperature here was much higher than outside; countless heating stoves were burning coal to generate enough heat, which was then transported through pipes to the Energy Tower and distributed to every client.
“Miss Aestherin, long time no see.” A man in a blue coat appeared to have been waiting for a long time. He wore a hat that closely resembled a military cap and had a sturdy build.
“Mr. Mordred. The last time we met was when you were transferring convicts to the prison, wasn't it? Let me think... half a year ago,” Aestherin said with a smile. She pushed up the silver-framed glasses she had specifically worn today, which made her look much more dignified and serious.
At least, she looked far better than her usual image of wearing a fleece sweater with her hair haphazardly combed. Sometimes Lane couldn't stand it and would bring a comb to help her tidy up her messy hair.
However, according to the young lady herself, back when she was with her family, there were specialized maids to handle her daily life. To cultivate her own ability to live independently, she hadn't brought a single maid with her to this dilapidated Outer Ring.
Mr. Mordred shook hands solemnly with Aestherin, appearing to hold her in high regard. Afterward, he smiled at Li Yue and Lane but didn't engage in much conversation, seemingly treating them as ordinary attendants.
Mordred led them through the factory, from the burning furnaces to the heat transport pipes. Everything appeared normal; there wasn't the slightest hint of anything wrong. Even the heat transport and summary data matched up. Li Yue and Lane followed Aestherin, numbly marking red checkmarks in box after box.
“Mr. Mordred, I’ve noticed that the heating intensity in the surrounding areas seems to have decreased. A cold wave is approaching; haven't you noticed this?”
Aestherin hesitated for a moment before finally voicing her suspicion.
“Perhaps there’s a leak in the pipes, or the Energy Tower is accumulating energy. The current cold is to ensure better heating when the cold wave arrives.” Mordred rubbed his beard, a composed smile always on his face. “It is indeed a problem. I will send engineers to the residences of those low... the citizens to begin maintenance work.”
Lane and Li Yue walked side by side, left behind as if they were merely guards.
“May I take a look at the thermal energy distribution reports?” Li Yue suddenly spoke up. Mordred, who had been chatting enthusiastically, stiffened slightly. He gave an awkward smile, his eyes searching Aestherin’s face to see if he should ignore the question.
“Bring them out for a look, sir. Just consider it part of the routine,” Aestherin said with a smile. Watching Mordred shrug helplessly, she silently let out a sigh of relief.
They followed Mordred to his office. It couldn't be called tidy, but in a factory where coal was burned every second and countless workers shoveled coal on the front lines, this place seemed excessively clean. Not even a trace of coal dust could be seen.
It seemed this gentleman disdained meeting any of the people he called 'lowly.'
Mordred rummaged for a while and pulled out the heat transport summaries for the past few months from several folders. Everything seemed normal: a portion was used for crops, a portion for purifying water, and a portion was sent to the poor. Upon verification, there appeared to be no issues at all.
Helplessly, Aestherin checked the final box. It felt like she was just following a script the other party had prepared in advance; the whole process seemed entirely meaningless.
Mordred didn't seem ready to end the visit yet; he warmly invited Aestherin to dine with him, but she declined, citing busy affairs at the prison.
“As expected, on the surface, there isn't a single problem,” Aestherin said, biting her nail. “It’s precisely because I hate this play-acting that I came to the Outer Ring.”
“Truly impressive. Just the liquor in that cabinet alone would be enough for the residents of the Outer Ring to live comfortably for a lifetime.” Lane’s lip twitched. He pulled out a piece of paper with a small map drawn in charcoal.
“Do you have a general understanding of the layout here?” Lane handed the map to Li Yue. “The real files are likely hidden in the rooms of the areas we didn't visit.”
“I’ve memorized all the places we saw.” Li Yue stared at a distant, falling snowflake. “As for the places we didn't see, we’ll find out what’s hidden there tonight.”
“Don't get too carried away,” Lane sighed.
Li Yue looked at her fingernails, which had turned dark red at some point. Her memories drifted back to those countless days and nights when her hands were stained with blood.
Without a hint of nervousness or fear, there was instead a trace of uncontrollable excitement and anticipation.
I suppose I really am sick to the core.
Rate on N.U.
