Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 53 Boiler No. 2
“I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do.” Fafnir looked at the ceiling of the corridor and said to Kyle beside him, “My father left a long time ago… The only thing he left behind was this damn canary. I trained hard and climbed to become a regular knight, just so that the only thing he left behind wouldn’t be buried… But that’s just my fantasy, right? That guy is long dead, he died without dignity in the mine. He didn’t teach me anything, he didn’t ask anything of me… This canary is more of a curse than a talent.”

"I do whatever the army tells me to do. I obey orders not because it's my duty, nor because I like being ordered around, but because if no one orders me, what is the point of my existence?"

"At least in the army... I am a weapon, a soldier, not some meaningless wandering soul."

“So that day…” Kyle began, frowning.

“The bishop gave me a new meaning,” he said. “I don’t care how much blood I have on my hands. I’m not affected when he berates me. He says that people’s cries and suffering have nothing to do with me, but he says that I am a human being, his brother and sister, his believer, and God’s chosen people.”

“You understand, Kyle? Sometimes I feel that people just need an identity, they need someone to tell them who they are.”

“I don’t mind being ordered around by the army, nor do I care if Renn treats me like a expendable tool, but the bishop gave me a better status, so I chose to follow him. I know he is compassionate, so I repent.”

Kyle remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "What is this? Is this some kind of tadpole looking for its father?"

Fafnir chuckled, pulled a cheap cigarette from his pocket, but without a lighter, he grumbled and shoved it back in.

"Think what you want," he said.

"Why are you telling me?" Kyle asked calmly. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the bishop?"

“He probably already guessed most of it, didn’t he? He’s very perceptive. Sometimes I feel like he’s a god. Otherwise, how could he know me better than I know myself?” Fafner smiled. “Just like he certainly knows about your situation, but he’s just too busy to do anything else.”

Kyle paused for a moment.

“And I think you should be able to understand me,” he said. “The bishop is sometimes frighteningly perceptive, but you are different.”

Kyle said with a forced smile, "Am I stupid?"

“You and I are pretty much the same, and you can empathize, right?” Fafnir said, puffing on a half-lit cigarette.

“I have nothing to sympathize with you about,” Kyle said coldly. “I sympathize with your father, but I don’t sympathize with you.”

He lost his good mood ever since Fafnir said he had no regrets about becoming a weapon.

“You must have lost your father at a young age, right? I can tell you see your brother as your father.” Fafnir turned to look at Kyle, hoping to see a kindred spirit in him.

“Yes, my father died a long time ago,” Kyle said. “He died in the Blue War.”

"The Blue War? Oh, you mean the Glorious War..."

Fafnir paused for a moment, because that was the most famous war between the modern church and the Albion Empire.

“So I’m different from you, we have nothing to say to each other.” Kyle turned his head.

Fafnir watched Kyle's retreating figure, silently borrowed a light from a soldier beside him, gave a bitter smile, and his face gradually blurred in the smoke.
-
Soon, Siren came down and met up with his two officers, bringing with him the news that Renn was seriously injured.

So the two of them were eager to try their luck, wishing they could turn Speyer upside down right now and take back all the areas that had fallen into the governor's control.

Then he was immediately met with a cold shoulder from Xilun.

Although Renn was seriously injured and unconscious, his personal guard was still intact. Including previous casualties, he had about twenty Royal Knights and about twenty regular knights remaining. In addition, the militia had over forty regulars and trainees, and more than ninety able-bodied soldiers. These men were currently guarding various key locations. They were short-handed, which allowed them to tolerate the church's gradual expansion of its territory. If they were to launch a large-scale power grab, their only two regular knights wouldn't even be enough to take away.

"Is Boiler No. 2 the turbine that provides life support?" Xilun suddenly asked.

Fafnir nodded: "Yes, boilers one and two both drive the life support engines, which are responsible for providing the shelter with water circulation, lighting, fresh air system, heating system for the residential area, constant temperature system for the livestock and agricultural areas, garbage disposal system, etc. They are the most important engines. However, boiler number two is burning mercury, so only one regular knight is stationed there."

Xilun nodded: "Are there any easy targets in the agricultural area?"

The knights exchanged glances and understood Xilun's purpose.

The life support engine directly intervenes in the pastoral and agricultural areas, but the output of the pastoral areas is not a necessity; meat, eggs, and dairy products are considered luxuries in Speyside.

Therefore, controlling a portion of the agricultural areas can stabilize the basic situation – having grain in hand ensures peace of mind.

From Xiren's perspective, Raine wasn't ruthless enough. Otherwise, he could have relied on his control over resources to forcibly implement resource coupons. Anyone who dared to go to the church would not receive a coupon. The food reserves in the Holy Culprit wouldn't last long, and in the end, he would have had no choice but to obediently bow his head.

However, he was still somewhat reasonable. Based on the information he gathered during the last debate, although Ryan was lax in his management, he also valued the opinions and lives of ordinary people.

—Just like the most common aristocracy in the 19th century.

Even though this "attention" is masked by layers of lies from others.

However, he didn't use this method before, probably because he didn't think Xiren was a big threat at the time. But now that he's awake, things are different, so he has to fill this gap immediately.

“Uh… William’s Farm in District 9 is a privately owned farm of a minor nobleman, guarded by only a few noblemen’s guards. With the city in such chaos now, it’s possible that there aren’t even any guards.” Fafner thought for a moment and said, “I was the one who took that knight to choose the land, so we know each other very well.”

"How big?"

"A ten-acre vertical farm, 14 stories underground, with a plantable area of ​​approximately ninety acres."

Xilun visited the agricultural area, where each floor is about ten meters high. After deducting the space for the installation of systems such as lifting platforms, ventilation, irrigation, gas circulation, and heating pipes, there is about seven meters of planting space. Among them, there are ten layers of vertical farms, which rely on a flexible steam lifting and retrieval system to help farmers reach each floor.

What price did he pay when he bought it?

“Uh… ten pounds…” Fafnir scratched his beard.

Xilun frowned. Although he wasn't very familiar with the land market, he knew that the price was a bit low: "Isn't it cheap?"

"All extra fees were waived, and it was sold at half the cost price. I heard it was because of connections with some official," Fafnir said.

“I’ll give you twenty pounds to buy it. If the other party refuses, beat them up, but don’t forget to pay after you’re done, understand?”

“Understood!” Fafnir shouted—he was sure that no one in the entire church knew this better than him.

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(End of this chapter)