After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The cold winds of the northern territory gradually subsided amidst the enthusiastic work chants. New city walls were rising from the ground, and the area of ​​the Ice City would expand several times over.

Harbin is getting better now, and the urban heat island effect is starting to appear.

In this era, a population of hundreds of thousands, plus steaming hot water rooms, was not enough to affect the temperature changes in the city. However, the neurotic mechanical church could not resist completely transforming the church into a large heating device with several huge chimneys.

Sitting on the street in Oswald, holding a bowl of mutton soup, and looking up at a cluster of steaming churches, one always feels an absurd urge to rename the Ice City as the Fog City.

The good news is that the Mechanical Church has created boilers that can withstand high temperatures and pressures; the bad news is that they have unleashed their ingenuity, attempting to directly convert heat energy into electrical energy.

The direction Oswald provided them was the conversion of chemical energy into thermal energy, thermal energy into mechanical energy, and mechanical energy into electrical energy.

But they disagreed, and they disagreed with a righteous indignation. They believed that heat energy should be converted into electrical energy, and then the electrical energy should drive machinery; otherwise, what was the point of their mechanical church?

No longer concerned with the current progress of their research, Oswald decided to focus all his energy on urban development.

As the capital city, Harbin has seen an increasing number of mentally ill people gather there in the past two years. To prevent them from demolishing his historic city, Oswald plans to build an outer city to kick them all out.

Putting everything else aside, Oswald is now very worried that this historic church will be blown up.

"There's actually enough space in the house, so what are you complaining about?"

Old George, puffing on a cigarette and munching on a piece of mutton, with a charcoal pencil tucked behind his ear, happily squatted with the Duke on the street.

Holding the bowl, Oswald gave important instructions with a serious expression.

"Cities must be used for living."

"The greatest truths are the simplest, the greatest truths are the simplest..."

Jacob, who was standing to the side, carefully noted down the Duke's words and actions, then clapped his hands and continued to send the scholars and talents on their way.

"Alright, now that you've eaten and drunk your fill, I'll show you around the workplace."

The apprehensive scholars put down their bowls. They had been tricked by Jacob into coming to the Northern Territory, but had no idea what awaited them next.

They had no idea that the person who made room for them to squat by the roadside was the Duke of Oswald of the Northern Territory.

Jacob, a pioneer of telecom fraud in the Northern Territory, demonstrated exceptional deception skills in recruiting talent for the region.

Among his various forged letters, the Northern Leader successively unearthed: the ruins of an ancient palace; the handbook of the first king; a foot towel used by a goddess; ancient civilization texts; and the bedroom arts of a demon...

Once you've fooled the first one, you can fool the second. There's no other reason than that scholars all have their own cliques. Knowing they can't escape, they become increasingly adept at pulling in their brothers.

But... why has the performance been getting worse lately?

Jacob, beginning to worry that his deception would be exposed, shook his head and led the scholars out of the restaurant. Next time, he'd just kidnap their wives and children; constantly lying was affecting their mental health.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Oswald was about to return to the construction site when he encountered Eleanor, who was carrying several letters.

"Have you found out?" Oswald asked softly as he put down his pickaxe and took the letter.

Some time ago, Oswald suddenly realized that the flow of time was not right and received a frantic warning from the system.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be the awakening of some cursed manifestation of time reversal.

"It's Diana, but..."

Elena hesitated, as this outbreak of the curse was strange in every way, and she couldn't make a judgment for the time being.

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Oswald glanced at the intelligence report briefly before frowning immediately.

During the battle, Diana demonstrated the ability to control weapons and also unleashed a massive but unpredictable spell.

It's truly baffling that Diana, a one-woman army with the power to control time, would die at the hands of an unknown student.

After saying goodbye to old George, Oswald unbuttoned his sleeves and asked, "Has the Archbishop still not replied? Have you found anything about Thorne's whereabouts?"

"No, the intelligence report says that Medivh lost contact with his men after they went to the dungeon."

Oswald abruptly stopped, his brow furrowing even more. When he looked at Elene, who also seemed somewhat uneasy, he could only let out a soft sigh.

"He shouldn't have gone in person."

With all the crucial intelligence lost, Oswald is now unable to analyze the full picture of the incident, nor can he determine which faction was behind it.

The great sage of the Royal Library had never received any news about this cunning old fox since Oswald had his men infiltrated the library.

But no news is the worst news; the fate of the spies who infiltrated the area is also unknown...

"Elena, could you please make a trip and bring Jenny and Paul to the Duke's mansion?"

Back at the Duke's mansion, Oswald washed his face, trying to wash away the gloom that had settled upon him. This life felt like walking on thin ice; he had no idea how far into the future he could reach.

"Your Grace, you wanted to see me?"

When Oswald bumped into Paul, who was also covered in dust, in the corridor, he smiled and invited him into his office.

"How's the paladin's training going lately?"

Paul quickly stepped forward to report, "They train very hard and don't need anyone to keep an eye on them. It's just that there are only a few hundred of them.

After speaking, Paul looked earnestly at Oswald. As the Paladin Commander, he could only say that men were all in the same world and shared the same dream.

It was fine before, but now that the Northern Territory has a Holy Knights Order, the issue of full strength arises...

"I'm the only extra soldier, so you can take me in." Oswald finished mixing the tobacco, lit his pipe, and took a deep drag.

After Paul came to the Northern Territory, he really went astray and even started asking me for soldiers.

The northern territories are full of rough, burly men. Where is he going to find a paladin who can cast the goddess's magic?

"Let's not talk about that. I called you here because I want you to go to the Eastern Territory and bring back the Knights and the Second Regiment. The main thing is to bring Luna back safely."

"Something's wrong?" Paul keenly sensed something was amiss. The Duke's approach to Luna's upbringing had always been to teach her personally while leaving her to her own devices outside the family.

The fact that the Duke called Luna, as his heir, back at this point can only mean that the external environment had changed.

Oswald nodded heavily, confirming Paul's guess.

"A curse has broken out in the royal city, and there are many suspicious points. Old Master Medivh went to investigate Thorne's whereabouts, but he has also disappeared without a trace. I suspect that someone has taken action."

Paul's expression hardened, and he bowed again. "Yes, I understand. I'll depart today."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. Please be careful on the road."

After seeing Paul off, Oswald had just put out his pipe when he was greeted by Jenny and Eleanor.

"Has Paul left?"

After entering the room, Jenny, wearing a white lab coat, looked around for a while and then quietly sighed.

Elena, who had taken the initiative to make tea, struck up a conversation: "What's up? Did you need to see him?"

After finding a chair to sit down, Jenny pinched her chin and said with difficulty, "He's been acting strangely lately. On holidays, he would bring me gifts and greet me with great respect. He would also come to the medical department to help out and clean."

"They seem to respect me, but it's also like they've distanced themselves from me as friends."

Having received neither a gift nor a greeting, Oswald silently noted it down and earnestly asked, "What souvenir did you bring?"

Jennifer thought carefully for a moment, then beckoned with her finger. "A bouquet of carnations, a bottle of cooking oil, a bag of flour, and a set of skincare products made by Earl Peter?"

Elena, who handed over the teacup, remained silent. "What kind of combination is this? It has absolutely no taste except for skincare products."

Oswald, who initially found it funny, gradually stopped laughing.

Carnations...

Carnation?

Oh no, Paul might actually keep his word and treat Jenny as his mother to repay her for saving his life!