The tower’s silhouette of the administrative building gradually becos clear in the fog.
It is the most orderly place in Red Tide City, with newly paved stone bricks and a brightly polished emblem at the entrance.
Mike pushed the door open and entered. The conference hall was warm, with the stove burning vigorously.
Louis sat in the main seat, Bradley stood beside him, and a young clerk was organizing scrolls.
Mike paused for a mont, quickly took off his gloves: "Sorry, Lord, did I keep you waiting?"
Louis looked up: "No problem, you arrived just in ti."
Mike glanced at the piles of parchnt on the table, suspicious in his heart.
Having returned from Dawn Port only three days ago, he barely caught his breath before being called into the main hall, and this setup does not look like a routine report.
Louis did not waste ti on pleasantries, instead he directly spread several drawings on the table.
The corners of the thick parchnt were weighted with stones, and Mike leaned over to look.
The drawings were already densely filled, not casual sketches but a complete set of plans.
It was the prototype of a circular fortress, with outer walls embracing the main castle; the south tower near the geothermal areas; the west tower standing on high ground overseeing the entire city.
Cross-sections, towers, basent layers, pipeline directions, all were drawn neatly, layered upon each other as if ready for workshops to directly apply.
Mike held his breath, his fingers uncontrollably reaching out to touch: "This... are you planning?"
Louis stated directly: "To build a real castle. The mountain roads are nearly completed, craftsn and labor are freed up, it’s ti to start."
"Castle?" Mike repeated, his eyes gradually brightening from surprise.
Louis nodded.
"Finally." Mike couldn’t help but smile, a smile filled with irrepressible excitent, "To be honest, Lord, I’ve disliked those few earth towers the most over the years.
Although winters are not cold, does that look like the heart of a territory? Red Tide Territory is now the first in the Northern Territory, and the Lord resides in such cylindrical buildings."
Bradley spoke beside him: "Indeed, this matter should have been done earlier, the Lord finalized the draft of the plan last night. Inviting you here today to confirm procedures and tilines."
Louis picked up a pen, the tip lightly tapping on the parchnt: "Outer wall thickness is five ters, starting from the northern section."
Then he followed the ink line, leaving a clean arc: "The rock layer here is sturdy and can bear load. Once the foundation is stable, extend south.
Outer wall is a double-layered structure, with inner layers carrying energy and exhaust pipes, outer layers made of cold iron. Tower tops covered with copper, conducting heat and preventing ice.
Geothermal pipes need to be laid in advance, under the first floor, along the entire northern side as a circle. This is the furnace tower, close to geothermal area, can try steam heart for heat supply."
He looked up at Mike: "Can it be done? Would it be too forced?"
Mike scratched his beard: "Add a few layers of diversion pipes, but it’s achievable. If the fire pressure is too high, add a buffer valve. As for the steam heart, I’ll try getting Hamilton to assist."
Louis nodded, making a mark on the drawing.
Bradley watched from the side, adding a word: "What about the grain storage area? Would it be too close to the heat?"
Louis thought for a mont, added another partition wall outside the wing building: "Add a ventilation shaft on this layer, channel the heat away, and there won’t be a problem."
Bradley nodded, saying no more.
Louis continued drawing upward.
"Here is the west tower and the main castle," he pointed to the tower’s outline, "The main castle is my own residence, also serving as a watchtower. Tower top needs an observation layer and signal platform."
"Put a spiral staircase up," Mike supplented, "That way, it’s easier to operate during ergencies."
"East tower for communication, hoisting Gale Birds and signal flags. North tower for garrison, storing reserve weapons and Magic Explosion Devices. Main road enters from the south gate, directly to Fierce Tide Square."
Mike listened, nodding constantly, eyes fixed on the drawings: "The width of this main road?"
"Eight ters," Louis replied, "can handle parallel carts."
"Then what material?"
"You decide the material."
...
Their conversation was brief and clean, and the annotations on the drawings grew increasingly dense.
When all designs settled.
Mike stared at those design drawings, after a long pause finally said: "This layout is too smooth... defense, heating, transportation all thoughtfully considered.
Lord, this is not a craftsman’s possible mindset, if you were a craftsman, you’d be the world’s number one craftsman"
Louis just said coolly: "Enough flattery."
"Haha," Mike embarrassedly scratched his hair, "I’m serious."
Bradley looking at the drawings was equally excited: "If truly built according to these plans, it’d beco the Northern Territory’s first castle, simply a wonder."
Mike laughed: "That’s appropriate, worthy of the Lord’s greatness."
Louis put down the pen, pushed the drawings to them: "Any more questions? If not, take them back for refinent."
Mike shook his head, a rare serious expression: "No questions, Lord. Even if I die on the construction site, I will build this castle for you."
Louis glanced at him, laughed: "I cannot bear to see you die, if you fall, I’d have to personally oversee."
"Then I’ll give it my all!" Mike rolled up the drawings, tied them with a rope, his entire person lightening with excitent.
When he stood, the chair slid backwards with a muffled sound.
"I’ll go to the workshop to organize personnel." Mike smiled and saluted, his speech filled with uncontrollable excitent: "This ti, let them see the wonder drawn by the Lord."
Louis just nodded: "Go ahead."
Mike responded, turned and walked briskly out the door.
The mont the thick door closed, only the soft burning of the stove remained in the air.
Bradley stood still, waited until Mike’s footsteps completely faded away, then pulled out a letter from his chest.
The envelope bore a deep blue wax seal, the seal pattern a dragon.
"This arrived last night," his voice deliberately lowered, "a letter from His Highness the Sixth Prince Astha."
Louis took the letter instantly, opened it directly to read.
His gaze swept across the letter face, lips slightly moving, as if reading the contents:
"Next April, the Frost Dragon Territory will host the Northern Territory Reconstruction eting. Hosted by the Imperial Capital’s Special Envoy Camille, regional lords need to send representatives to discuss the future of the Northern Territory and territorial reconstruction plans..."
Louis placed the letter down, fingers lightly tapping twice on the tabletop.
"So, next April, the next Northern Reconstruction eting is set in Frost Dragon Territory?"
Bradley frowned slightly, tone lowered: "Without consulting you?"
Louis shook his head, yet his tone was calm, even tinged with a bit of rciful ease: "No, he directly wrote in the letter, invited Red Tide Territory on behalf of all Northern Territory lords, even calculated the timing for ."
Bradley’s expression grew colder: "Although he is the Imperial Capital-appointed reconstruction envoy, isn’t Northern Territory’s current administration, grain routes, and military maintenance all depending on you, Lord? His arrangent... seems like he’s the Lord of the North."
Louis chuckled slightly, the smile bore no dissatisfaction, rather with a hint of careless indifference.
"It’s normal for him to want a bit of presence. After all, Frost Dragon Territory’s days aren’t easy." He folded the letter again, placed it aside, "Frost Dragon Territory isn’t far from Red Tide, the journey convenient, let’s go take a look."
Bradley nodded, still sowhat discontented: "Shall I draft a reply?"
"Mm." Louis nodded, "Just write that I will attend punctually."
Bradley noted it in his notebook.
Louis reclined back into his chair, looking out the window: "I was planning to hold a eting in another two years anyway, necessary to et them eventually, staying in Red Tide Territory all day isn’t ideal, maybe a glimpse of other cities brings so marvelous discoveries."
"Then I’ll prepare," Bradley closed the notebook, bowed left.
Inside was left Louis alone, pondering the letter’s contents.
He wasn’t worried about this prince using authority to seize power, for on this permafrost land, whoever holds the grain, holds the order.
The Empire gave Astha a title but not a cartload of flour, this kind of envoy is destined to live only off appearance.
So be it, might as well see how many nobles in the Northern Territory are truly loyal to him.
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