The cold atmosphere in the room seemed to subside a little, and the living people who were shivering from the cold finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But Tirian still did not respond to the series of "suggestions" put forward by the confidential secretary. He just stared calmly at the things on the table, and it seemed like a century had passed.

When everyone was almost overwhelmed by the silence, he finally raised his head and said, "This is the wisdom of maintaining order. I believe that this wisdom played a big role half a century ago."

"You should know how far the Frost had reached back then," the confidential secretary's eyes did not evade, "Great people will do many great things, but the mistakes they make can be as fatal as their great achievements - in order to control the situation, there are some things we have to do. General Tirian, I have studied history, in fact... I personally always think that Her Majesty Lenora is a great ruler, but this cannot cover up the mess after the failure of the Abyss Plan."

"Yes, you have studied history - and I have experienced history myself," Tirian said calmly. "We all know what happened back then, so I don't mean to be harsh. To be fair, you at least kept the Frost at peace for another half a century after that."

The tense nerves of the confidential secretary finally seemed to relax a little. He subconsciously leaned forward and said, "So, you mean to agree..."

Tirian said nothing, but just put his hands on the documents, applying a little force.

The power of extreme cold permeated the paper, and the tiny ice crystals quickly condensed and shattered. With a rustling sound, those records that were enough to leave countless heavy traces in history turned into debris.

The confidential secretary's eyes widened instantly, and General Lister, who had remained silent, couldn't help but exclaimed in a low voice: "You are..."

"That's not what I want," Tirian raised his head and looked at the Frost Man opposite him. "What I want is the real record - what exactly is wrong with the mine, how exactly did the cultists infiltrate the city-state, who is responsible and who is not, and the true trajectory of Governor Winston's governance - without considering the premise of 'quickly restoring order', give me the most authentic first-hand information."

He paused and continued: "This is something that is necessary to control the situation."

The confidential secretary was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted: "You have accepted Han Shuang's 'invitation'... But with all due respect, you still need the information on the table just now. You can certainly get the real information, but you also need to find a way to divert the public's attention——"

He hesitated for two seconds, as if he had made up his mind, before continuing, "To be honest, the situation in the city will be very bad. A lot of infrastructure may have to be shut down for a while. Coupled with the pollution caused by the 'mud', the fuel supply will be tight, food distribution will be a problem, public security will deteriorate, and there will be public outrage caused by this. We must find a way to divert people's attention. Diverting it to the previous government and the governor is the most effective way..."

"If fuel is in short supply, use the reserves. If that doesn't work, I can find a way. If food distribution is chaotic, implement strict supervision and punishment. Implement a rationing system for the entire city, including the Upper City. If public security deteriorates, impose temporary martial law. People need someone to vent their anger on - then we can actually catch the cultists, the subversive elements, and those who are truly responsible," Tirian said seriously. "This series of things will certainly be more difficult, but at least it can actually solve the problem and truly 'let more people survive'."

The room suddenly became quiet; one could even hear people breathing. The confidential secretary, who always looked elegant and proper, seemed a little stiff for a moment. Facing Tirian's powerful words, he seemed to not know how to respond.

Tirian just smiled faintly and shook his head gently: "I will not belittle your efforts and your solutions - because within your capabilities, there is no better alternative path. You chose the method that best suited the situation back then, but the situation is different now. I don't want to repeat these fifty years again, Mr. Secretary. The Sea Fog Fleet has its own methods, so you might as well raise your expectations a little bit."

The confidential secretary seemed to finally react. He blinked, adjusted his posture, and looked at Tirian with burning eyes: "Can you really do what you said?"

"As long as the remaining forces of the City Hall can cooperate to the greatest extent, as for the others..." Tirian paused deliberately, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Mr. Secretary, do you know who is the most orderly person in the Infinite Sea?"

"The most orderly one?" The confidential secretary was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't react. "Is it the city-state navy? Or the ocean-going merchant fleet?"

"It's the pirates, the great pirates of the Frigid Sea," Tirian laughed. "The city-state navy always has a stable supply port and a safe harbor, and the ocean-going caravans always have the protection of the church and the escort of the navy. Only the pirates - to fight against the Infinite Sea, we can only rely on strict discipline and order."

The confidential secretary was silent for a while, as if he didn't know how to discuss this topic - this was obviously beyond his daily work scope and professional ability.

Tirian just smiled and patted the other man on the shoulder.

"Relax a little, Mr. Secretary. Compared to fifty years ago, the current situation of Frost is actually not that bad. I also know many 'trade partners'. I believe that if they know the real situation here, there will be many people willing to provide help. At least in terms of secular order, you don't have to worry too much. As for the part outside of 'secular order'..."

Tirian paused suddenly and looked out the window.

The deep night enveloped the city, the light of gas lamps meandered through the port area, the snow stopped at some point, the dark clouds dispersed, and the cold and pale light of the Creation of the World enveloped the world - and under this light, the city was peaceful tonight.

"The part outside the secular order... I think my father will find a way."

The big pirate hesitated for a few seconds, and finally spoke slowly in a strange tone.

Many people in the room shuddered visibly.

"Your father, He..." General Lister couldn't help but speak, even subconsciously using the word "He" in his address, "Is He still watching Han Shuang? Where is He now?"

Of course I was watching the frost, maybe even from the second-floor window, living at 44 Oak Street, renting the house from your Citizen Services Center...

A series of answers instantly emerged in Tirian's mind, but he hesitated and didn't dare to say it out loud.

After all, it seems that these Frost people in front of him don’t know that "he" is currently in the city. If he tells everyone about it without his father's permission, he may be beaten by his father again - he is about to become a consul, and he can't afford to lose face.

"He is still paying attention to this matter, but the details cannot be disclosed," the big pirate said vaguely after hesitating for a long time, "He is usually very busy, and he has to contact me more than just me."

Liszt was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Ah...I understand."

I don’t know how he understood it.

The confidential secretary couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "Your father...what does he do on a daily basis?"

Tirian resisted the urge to roll his eyes - how could he know? My father was shrouded in mystery after returning from the warp. Who knew what he was doing on a daily basis? He couldn't just be an ordinary retired old man fishing, walking the dog and feeding pigeons...

The confidential secretary noticed the subtle change in Tirian's expression, realized that his question had gone beyond the limit, and quickly adjusted his expression: "Sorry, I said too much."

"It's okay, but ordinary people really shouldn't discuss too much about things related to 'him'. Just for the sake of physical and mental health, let's end this topic." Tirian waved his hand and quickly changed the subject.

Then he let out a long sigh, slowly got up from the sofa and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The lights outside the window were still on, and at several intersections leading to the city, one could vaguely see the temporary barricades built during previous battles.

When the sun rises tomorrow, the barricades will be removed, and then... the city's administrators will do their best to restore order.

In the distance, Tirian saw the lights of thousands of houses in the city blocks.

"I haven't seen the scenery here for many years, and it hasn't changed much since then."

General Lister came over and stood behind Tirian: "But after today, there should be a big change."

"...Fifty years ago, the last royalists left the city, the rebels set up a new city hall, and I became a rebel. Fifty years later, I came back, and the city is still the same as when I left..." Tirian looked at the distant scenery and suddenly felt something, "After going around in circles, everything seems to have come back - General Lister, what do you think is the meaning of our past fifty years?"

Liszt was silent for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

The confidential secretary came over and pointed out the window.

"General Tirian, these are the meanings."