Hitzfeld said softly.
"Mr. House said he waited there for almost two hours, which means the train was ready to leave at a little after four. If you were someone who was planning to get off the train and hang out—or even run out of the station to buy something, would you do that without finding out the departure time?"
"Definitely not..." Xia Yibing raised her eyebrows, "Only a madman would do that. He's betting that the car won't move..."
"So Esther knew about this," Hitzfeld concluded. "She knew the train would leave at around four o'clock, but she didn't know when we would be back."
"She can clearly see House's movements, so she also knows that the time of the train departure is linked to the time of our return. But she is not sure when we will return - which means that from the time she knows this news, every remaining minute is precious."
Because we might come back at any time, and as soon as we come back, the train will leave, and she will have no time to run to buy things.
Xia Yibing could fully understand this logic.
"Then here's the problem."
The girl paused with her raised finger.
"She was so pressed for time. There was almost an hour between four and five. Why did she insist on waiting until five to leave? Why didn't she leave right away around four?"
She didn't get the news until almost five o'clock?
Xia Yibing thought quickly in her mind. She felt that this was not the reason, because that idiot House...it was too easy to get words out of him.
And just as Aisuen said, a person who plans to get off the car temporarily to do something knows that she is not important enough for the car to wait for her, and she will definitely take action after clarifying these details.
So why.
Why did she have to wait until five o'clock...?
It was almost like thinking hard. After all, Aisuen had listed the key information. If Xia Yibing still couldn't think of it, she should doubt her ability.
"Don't tell me!"
Seeing Hitzfeld laughing over there, the woman smiled embarrassedly and gave him instructions.
"I'm a little... I must have consumed too much energy when performing the blood source secret technique, causing my brain to be a little slow..."
"But I can definitely think of ..."
"Give me a little more... just a little more time..."
Think quickly...
Aisuen must have thought of that, which is why she smiled like that.
Then I have to think about it too.
Closing her eyes, Xia Yibing began to sort out every detail she had collected along the way.
From the moment he met Esther Murphy and Rob Murphy, to Vera and the others swearing that Esther was sick, to Esther's sneaky and abnormal behavior, all the key points were merged into a linear thread.
"Vera Girls' High School..."
After opening her eyes, Xia Yibing suddenly brought up another topic.
"If I remember correctly, this middle school is actually located on the outskirts of Wayne... It's right at the tail end of the Kacha Mountains, and they were blocked outside by that barrier."
"That's the northernmost part of Wayne Harbor. The temperature there is even colder than that of Trierred!"
The more she spoke, the faster her words became, and finally her eyes lit up: "So the key here is actually 'temperature'!"
"She fell ill as soon as she arrived at Trierred and was afraid to go out because she was 'afraid of the heat'!"
"She is not afraid of the cold. She even dares to dress like that when the temperature is almost zero degrees now. But she is 'afraid of heat'. When we came back, it was almost five o'clock and it was getting dark. The temperature in the whole area began to drop at that time! That's why she waited until five o'clock to go out - she couldn't stand the temperature before five o'clock!"
Hitzfeld didn't say anything, but just smiled and clapped silently, as an encouragement for her correct guess.
"But that doesn't make sense?"
Xia Yibing became confused again.
A strange disease that makes her afraid of heat but not cold... She is not a tree person or a wooden person.
Besides, this disease isn’t that hard to talk about, right?
It's not like you've been infected with an evil curse that's causing your body to be deformed, so why would you hide it from even your friends?
"I believe she has her reasons."
Hitzfeld shook his head.
"Didn't she say that? Rob knew about it."
"The parents are watching, so it would be impolite for us to intervene."
"No wonder you only mentioned it once at the time and there was no movement in the following days."
Xia Yibing sighed, suddenly reached into the quilt, and directly touched the girl's legs.
"It's very cold..."
"So come and keep warm."
"There's a stove over there..."
"Didn't you say this place is always open to me?"
The two of them wrapped themselves in the quilt and played around for a while, then gradually fell silent, and the playfulness was replaced by another kind of noise.
A few more days passed like this, and finally, everyone received a notice that they were about to arrive at the terminus of this route - the legendary Ice Crystal City, the ruins left behind by Orwater.
At this point, there is really no road ahead. The remaining roads are dirt roads in the mountains that have not been fully developed. Not to mention the railway lines, even small carriages cannot go up, so you can only rely on your own two feet to trek.
After packing his luggage, Hitzfeld stepped off the train, stood on the empty platform and looked out over the valley, his eyes filled with nostalgia for his old friends.
The disaster that destroyed the city caused a deep canyon with Orvoth as the center. Standing here, she could see the snow-capped mountains shrouded in mist and some ruins buried under the snow. She couldn't help but think of the image of the Golden Knight Carl, and she thought of all the Orvoth people who died in the disaster, hoping that their souls could rest in peace.
"Over there." Heidi also came down and pointed to the direction of the mountain top to introduce it to them.
"We have to go around or over that mountain, and then cross a snowfield, and we can almost reach Binghu Town."
This road is too difficult to walk on.
Xia Yibing frowned and stared at the narrow mountain road, then turned his gaze to the merchants.
Those are all Chamber of Commerce teams heading to Binghu Town.
It’s been almost a year, and it’s time to go to the local area to ship the goods.
They also brought donkeys and horses. She didn't know whether they were hidden on the train or taken from nearby villages and towns. She found that the frames of those people's bicycles were a little different from ordinary ones. All the wheels were either tied with iron chains or nailed... Was this an anti-slip measure?
Suddenly she realized - it seemed that her previous assumption that goods could be transported by sled was taken for granted.
It is easier to go down the mountain than to go up like this, and how to stop is also a problem.
Seeing that there were some vacant frames waiting to be rented on the roadside, Xia Yibing immediately went up to negotiate the price and agreed to transport them to the end of the Far North snowfield and drop them off. She would then pay these Ori people 2000 goli.
Not cheap, but that's how it goes.
These Ori people can barely be said to be the remnants of the destruction of Orwater. They have always claimed this to the outside world, but in fact they have only built villages outside the ruins of the old city. Some experts and scholars suspect that they are all liars.
But at least they have lived in the north for a long time, and have basically made a living by doing this business for generations. They are absolutely professional in this regard. Not only do they know the way, but they can also help them avoid many inherent risks in the snow-capped mountains and snowfields.
We walked like this for most of the day, endured a dark night of ice and snow, and walked for two hours early the next day. The end of the snowfield was finally revealed from the swirling wind and snow.
It was a flat ice field.
There is dark sea water beside the ice field, and on the other side of the sea is a towering snow-capped mountain.
Binghu Town is at the foot of the snow-capped mountains.
This meant they had finally arrived.
Chapter 20: Arctic Terroir (Two in One)
A town.
A population of 20,000.
The moment Xia Yibing stood on the cliff and looked at Binghu Town, she suddenly realized: if there was anything worth the Trierred Chamber of Commerce organizing a large-scale northward movement, it certainly couldn't be "dumping goods."
How many people can fit into this tiny place? Even if each of these people had the purchasing power of the middle class in Wayne Port, and if she maximized their demands, it would be difficult for her to make a profit from a trip to do business for them.
Because the circle is so small, so small that the currency may not have any value. She suspected that the locals were simply exchanging goods in a bartering way, and this primitive society had almost no rigid demand for goods.
Luxury?
Most likely not in love.
The finest wood and steel?
I'm afraid it's of no use to the locals.
There are more than six branch variants of the northern pine forest. Among them, the broad-leaved needle forest is tough, strong, and resistant to corrosion and burning, making it an excellent material for making ships and houses; and the big-ear needle forest is rich in oil and is extremely suitable for making charcoal fuel. The locals are completely self-sufficient in building materials.
And from what she had heard about the current status of these two types of wood, they could not only meet personal needs, but could also be sold as specialties.
So what could they need?
Xia Yibing thought about it for a long time and felt that it was nothing more than some handicraft products that were difficult to produce in a small workshop.
For example, clay jars with good sealing properties, porcelain plates and bowls with smooth surfaces that are easy to clean, lamp covers suitable as ornaments, and various sturdy and durable dyed fabrics.
But unfortunately, none of these things can be sold at a high price. Oh, the cloth is indeed expensive depending on the color, but she doubts whether the people of Binghu Town will choose to be wronged.
"What are you thinking about, Sheriff?"
A hoarse voice belonging to a middle-aged or elderly man came from behind.
Accompanied by the sound of crunching footsteps on the snow, a man wearing a thick cotton coat and a leather hat with ear protection walked over and stood side by side with the girls.
"Who are you?" Xia Yibing was surprised at his courage, so she didn't drive him away immediately.
"My name is Jager, Jager-Dully." The man exhaled white mist in the cold wind with a warm smile on his face. "I am the general person in charge of this joint operation of the Slo Chamber of Commerce and the Perry Chamber of Commerce. I am in charge of the two groups behind."
Slo Chamber of Commerce?
Xia Yibing raised her eyebrows. She remembered that the father of the defected agent, Solo Lawrence, seemed to have worked as a businessman in this chamber of commerce.
"You can just call me Yager!" the man said enthusiastically, "I noticed that you have been standing here for a while, and you haven't followed the team down... Do you have any questions to consider?"
"Ask him about the situation here." Hitzfeld reminded Xia Yibing in a low voice.
It is indeed not convenient to get to know each other on the train because they have "more important things" to do.
But now that we are almost there, it is always good to get more information.
Xia Yibing nodded and casually expressed her initial doubts.
She said that she didn't understand how the chambers of commerce made their profits, the customs and habits of the people in Binghu Town, and what she couldn't understand the most - why didn't these people just move to the south.
After all, "the South" is a very abstract concept. For Port Wein, Bartlett belongs to the South. But for Bartlett, perhaps the Diocese of Sinze belongs to the South.
The "south" of Ice Lake Town was too broad. She didn't mean that they should move to the southern end of the continent at once, but even if they just returned to the Orwater Mountains along the same route they came from, they could either make a living in the new Orwater City or learn from the Ori people to take root in the wilderness around the mountains - it would still be much better than living at the foot of the Arctic Mountains.
Because obviously, the climate here is too harsh.
Anyone, no matter who, who wants to walk in the snow, not only has to wear several layers of thick clothes, but also has to have a hat that covers their entire head.
They can't breathe freely, because the cold wind is like an invisible blade that freezes the nasal cavity and cuts the blood vessels. They can't drink water or go to the bathroom freely, because in such a cold environment, any fluid will be frozen instantly if you dare to expose yourself.
For Xia Yibing, who had handled cases in the north before but had only been as far as Amilun, she could not understand how anyone could prefer to live here for generations rather than move away.
"Oh... this has something to do with their customs!" Yager nodded vigorously, "They... they have always regarded themselves as the descendants of the Ice Lake Warriors! They think they are the survivors blessed by the goddess! So they want to stay here! No matter who persuades them, it's useless!"
The wind and snow were very light at this time, but because he had difficulty breathing, he spoke very loudly and had to gasp for breath between each sentence.
"As for the question of profit... we certainly don't just make money from that little business!... The most important thing is to trade with them to buy some 'specialties', and then resell these 'specialties' to other places!"
"Like several kinds of pine?"
"Of course! The Black Forest here..." Yager looked across the water, at a large pine forest that stretched from the bottom to the foot of the mountain on the other side, "...is definitely the best quality wood resource I have ever seen!!"
He was obviously trying to get close to Hitzfeld and his group, and was walking with them all the way to the town, sparing no effort to tell them what he had learned.
"The people of Ice Lake Town are more cold-resistant than other Sara people."
"It's not possible in this season. It's the Ice Month now, and the lowest temperature here can drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius, and in extreme cases it can drop below minus 40 degrees Celsius, so this temperature is not possible... But every year around May or June! When it's minus 10 degrees, if you come here, you'll see those crazy people wandering around outside in short-sleeved vests!"
"Afraid of the cold?... Of course they are afraid, but they - it is said that their skin is different from that of ordinary people. They can sweat when they should sweat and close when they should close... That is, they can freely release heat and lock heat! So it's okay for them to hang out outdoors for a short time... but not for a long time! Otherwise, they will be frozen to death!"
“There are many unique delicacies here——”
"Like raw pickled seal meat!"
"The specific method is to cut off the seal meat and fat, sprinkle a handful of salt on it and stuff it into the seal skin. Then use a rope to tie up the seal skin like a water bag, and finally find a place to pile it up! Haha! Leave it like this for several months, and you can take it out and eat it!"
