Chapter 1000 — Snow
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"Allow me to interject," Yuri said from the side. "First, the Wendell family is indeed Typhon's most important military noble house, and its head and heir would certainly have access to secrets of this kind. But I do not think Bard can help—he left Typhon more than a decade ago, when the mass-production techniques for the extraordinary were still far from mature. In the many years since, Bard was held by the Church of All Things Ending in a biolab; he should have had no chance to come into contact with such intelligence..."
"We will set this matter aside for later," Gao Yang said after a moment's thought, shaking his head. "We have wandered from the point—our efforts should be concentrated on the normal line of research. Hedy, you may try to arrange for someone to approach the Wendells, father and daughter, but take care not to provoke the opposite effect. Until then, Wendy and Yuri, you will proceed as planned: first select a number of suitable candidates from among the mages and train them. In wartime, our mental defense units must be put into service as quickly as possible. Even if only a small number of elites can be deployed, it may still raise the front-line soldiers' chances of survival."
Having settled the arrangements, Gao Yang did not linger in the laboratory—before evening fell, he still had to preside over a meeting of the consuls.
Leaving the research facility, Gao Yang and Hedy walked toward the parking grounds. A bitter cold wind swept past, and Hedy, who had not activated her breeze shield, instinctively hunched her neck.
Gao Yang looked up and saw that the sky had turned overcast at some point, leaden clouds pressing dark and heavy over the land, restless cold winds threading through their depths. Where the air currents coiled and tangled, crystalline snowflakes came drifting down.
"It's snowing..." Hedy tilted her head back too. The flakes falling from the sky were mirrored in her clear eyes. She reached out, and a snowflake touched her fingertip, only to melt into a drop of water within seconds. "The first snow in the Southern Region this year has come so late..."
"It already snowed in the Holy Spirit Plains last week," Gao Dai said. "The Bureau of Celestial Studies compared the patterns of rain, snow, and temperature over the years and believes this may be a cold winter... colder than any winter in the past twenty years."
"The textile trade with Typhon has already been halted by the war's impact. At least until the war ends, there is no way we will be getting cheap textiles from the east," Hedy said earnestly. "Fortunately, our large purchases last year and the cotton production that has been maintained all along in the western plains have left us with sufficient stockpiles. We need not worry about the supply of cotton clothing this winter. Of course, if the war drags on like this, we will have to consider expanding cotton production—this year's baby boom has brought a great many new births, which requires extra textiles, medicine, and food. The Ministry of Agriculture is already drafting the corresponding plans."
"...So the effects are already beginning to show... The Typhonians will not have an easy winter either. Many of their rail lines still cannot operate independently at all, and a great many factories are waiting on finished parts from us," Gao Yang said, shaking his head. "This will be a test of the new international rules, and the first test of the two settlement zones. The Typhonians will certainly find a way to hold on to their markets in the southern part of the continent, and our trade with the west of the continent must also continue as usual. News of the war should have spread through every nation by now; steady, normal trade activity can strengthen our allies' confidence—and ease the pressure on us as well."
Hedy lowered her head. "I understand, Ancestor."
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