The Crimson Empire, the northern territories.
After the bitterly cold winter nights, the promised warm spring and summer hadn't arrived in this land. Bitter snow and wind still blew through the mountains and forests. Even though it was already July, temperatures in most of the territory were still only over 10 degrees Celsius, far from warm.
The center of Hanye Territory, Bingzhen City.
This is the coldest and most remote city in the empire, located in the north, close to the Mountains of Sighs. Beyond the ridges and forests north of the Frostleaf Territory is a sea of floating ice chips.
Inside the lord's castle, thick candles lit with pine wax were placed on the table, illuminating the figures in the room covered in wind and snow.
Lord Tusen sat at the head of the long table, wearing thick armor. Under the bright silver armor plates was a solid black cotton layer. Although it looked clumsy, it gave people a feeling of heaviness like a mountain.
"This snowstorm is expected to last for a long time, not just this month, but also next month, this year, and even next year." There were still a few pieces of ice on his thick beard, which slowly melted in the candlelight.
After hearing this, the dozen or so heavily armored knights present fell silent. Only the hot steam rising from their noses from time to time indicated that everyone was not so uneasy.
"Winter is coming..."
In this extraordinary world of Mana, cold and heat are more pronounced and variable than on Earth in the past. Cold waves aren't just short-term drops in temperature; they're widespread, lasting for months or even years. And this isn't the first time such an event has occurred in the North.
"We have to go south again to purchase food. Fortunately, the population in our territory is not large, so we need less food." Tucson placed his wrist wearing arm armor on the table and tapped it lightly.
"The southern part of the empire is not very stable now. Who is willing to go and purchase food?" he asked the knights in his territory.
The task of purchasing food is not easy. Not to mention how to cross the thousands of miles of rugged mountain roads and pass through the fiefdoms of many other nobles, even the money for purchasing food is often not sufficient, which tests the means of the executor even more.
Hanye Territory is not rich, and the output here is not much, so it cannot provide sufficient funds.
Although everyone can live a stable and orderly life in normal times, once this kind of time comes, things will become tense and critical.
After Tucson finished speaking, the knights below fell into deep thought, constantly analyzing the impact of this incident.
They were all vassals of Viscount Toussaint, owning villages, small manors or castles in their own names, and were the lowest class of nobles in the empire.
If he takes on this task, the lord will generally not assign him and his family any other tasks within ten years after completing it, and will also take care of the younger generations.
However, such a task is by no means easy. Failure to complete it will not only lead to the displeasure of the lord, but also the complaints and anger of the people. The North is far from the southern part of the empire. The harsh environment is life-threatening, and the people will not tolerate their anger. One night, a group of people might storm your small castle or manor, set it on fire, and attack you with swords.
Such things have happened several times in local history. Afterwards, in order to appease the people, the lord found it difficult to deal with these troublemakers because this land really lacked people and could not withstand killing.
A dozen knights in thick armor remained silent. After thinking for several minutes, many of them believed that this mission was extremely difficult and taking it on rashly would only bring disaster.
Seeing that no one spoke, Lord Tucson tapped his fingers slowly, and his deep blue eyes slowly swept over the faces present. Most of these people were 40-50 years old, with brown-black beards, and wearing armor of different styles. At this moment, some of them looked at the table, some looked at the candlelight on the table, and some looked at their rough palms, lost in thought. No one spoke.
Tucson was well aware of this. This time, the situation was different from before. The situation within the empire was unclear. Several uprisings had already broken out in the south, and the nobles were beginning to play it safe. The imperial family's prestige had plummeted, and even rumors of internal instability were circulating. For a time, everyone was in a state of panic. Even he, a lord in a remote corner, received a lot of confusing and confusing news from his relatives.
Some say that the Duke of Raven has begun to mobilize troops and forge weapons and armor, while others say that the Griffin family in the west has begun planning to restore their country and is preparing to break away from the empire. There are also folk rumors that the descendants of the former Crown Prince Ansel are still alive, and that they are the ones who should ascend the throne. Those who were once loyal to the Crown Prince are becoming active again in secret, spreading rumors that are unfavorable to the Eckerman brothers.
"In order to survive this cold winter, I plan to sell some of my past treasures and collect 1,800 extraordinary gold coins. I wonder if there is any loyal knight willing to go." Tucson spoke again and stated the conditions he had prepared this time.
After hearing these words, the knights finally changed their minds. Their gazes were no longer fixed on the table and the pine wax candles. Some of them turned their heads and looked up at Lord Tucson.
They began to fall into a new round of analysis and hesitation.
Finally, three knights raised their hands.
"We are willing to serve Lord Tucson." They then pushed aside the heavy wooden chairs and stood up. Amid the sound of armor rubbing against each other, the three of them placed their arms on their chests and bowed in salute.
"Then I'll have to trouble you." Looking at the three people, Tucson nodded slowly, then called the clerk and began to prepare the contracts, documents and other necessary things.
The pine wax candles in the room were still burning, emitting a little black smoke and pine scent, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed at this time. Some knights began to communicate with each other in low voices, feeling relieved.
Looking at the appearance of these people, Lord Tucson shook his head slightly and stopped talking. Instead, he turned his gaze to the window of the gray rock. The coniferous trees on the mountain were covered with white snow, and only a little black could be vaguely seen under the snow piled on the branches.
The pure white snow-covered world does not mean beauty in the eyes of the locals. They are not surprised by such a huge snowfall like the people in the southern part of the empire. Instead, they feel annoyed and depressed.
There was snow on the branches, on the roads, on the haystacks, on the roofs, and in the fields. It was cold snow that froze my hands, ice that didn't melt on the ground, fuzzy frost on the windows, and condensed hard surfaces in the water tanks.
The coldness finds its way into every corner and every crevice of life, cutting through your body like a knife, making you painful and sober, aware of your own insignificance and powerlessness, and the gradually overwhelming despair and suffocation.
Faced with the slowly approaching giant of the winter solstice, local residents can only hold on to the remaining warmth at hand, struggling to meet the test of the cold winter with prayers and extreme frugality.
This kind of scene was not limited to Hanye Territory. The biting cold wind began to blow towards the entire northern border of the empire.
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