While Duncan and Alice journeyed to the cemetery, their comrades, Morris and Vanna, were far from being unoccupied. They had embarked on an important mission assigned by Duncan to the “Citizens’ Assistance Center,” a significant establishment in the southern region of the city’s more upscale district. The task was not a simple one. They had to secure a dependable, lawful residence within the frigid confines of the city-state known as Frost. Furthermore, they were to establish one or two public personas if feasible.
The assignment was crucial as their operations in this city-state might span over a prolonged period, and living covertly like the cult members was not an option they could afford. They needed to blend in, to live like the city’s normal inhabitants.
With the unreliability of the informants Tyrian had left behind in the city becoming apparent, Morris took it upon himself to find an alternative solution.
The Citizens’ Assistance Center of Frost was a grand, domed edifice, its two extended wings encompassing the main construction. It was much more than just a support center for the local inhabitants. The center also functioned as a welcome facility for those entering the city-state, providing a myriad of third-party services. These included a platform for house rental and property sales registration, issuing of temporary passes, and even hiring short-term domestic helpers such as maids, gardeners, and laundry workers. The extensive wings housed numerous registration counters and offices, and the central dome enclosed a lively, bustling lobby. This constant hum of activity distinguished it from their former location of Pland.
As they stepped into the cavernous domed space, they were greeted by a comforting warmth. Frost’s efficient high-pressure heating system did an admirable job of warding off the winter chill. Bright electrical lights hung suspended from the high dome, bathing the entire interior in an inviting glow.
Though the center had opened its doors only recently, a sea of individuals had already thronged the counters. They were there to seek short-term employment or to register for property rentals and sales. Amid the clamor of the crowd and the mechanical sounds of air transport pipes constantly in operation, Vanna seemed to struggle with adapting to this new environment. She moved gingerly among the masses, muttering to Morris, “Back in Pland, they didn’t mix human resources and housing services in the same building.”
Morris replied with a hint of resignation, “Consider the cost of heating such a vast building and the time and effort needed to retrofit a heat exchange station. Frost has inherited much of its basic municipal infrastructure from the era of the Frost Queen. But those halcyon days are long gone. Following the rebellion, the city regained barely 70-80% of its former vitality, primarily due to the mining industry. Rebuilding the complex network of underground pipelines and steam power systems left by the Queen is a formidable task.”
Vanna’s eyes widened in surprise, “So they’ll continue to make do with these antiquated, half-century-old facilities?”
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