Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 1010 - 58 White Eagle Mansion
Chapter 1010 -58 White Eagle Mansion
The sun set behind the mountains, but it wasn’t completely dark when Winters and Anna arrived at [Borso da Este]’s mansion.
Seeing the White Eagle emblem painted on the carriage, the guard opened the gate without question.
In the northern district of the steel fortress, the most valuable thing is land. And after entering the gates of the Este mansion, one has to pass through a garden to reach the main building.
“Is this the mansion?” Winters glanced at the meticulously maintained low conifer bushes on both sides of the path, his eyebrows lightly raised: “Not a palace?”
Mr. Ed explained nonchalantly, “The Flora people control the steel fortress’s business in Vineta, and the White Eagle family dominates Flora. But after all, they are not locals from the steel fortress, ineligible for the executive committee, so it is understandable that they showcase their status in this way… Considering the appreciation of land over twenty years, this transaction is actually profitable.”
“What about Sea Blue?” Winters asked.
“In the iron goods trade, Navarre Commerce and other Sea Blue People are minor players, not worth mentioning,” Mr. Ed’s crow’s feet deepened: “Moreover, only Flora people would obsess over the ostentation of the newly rich.”
At that, Anna also covered her mouth with a light laugh—It seems that, no matter when or where, jokes about regional discrimination always have a magical power that elicits knowing laughter from the listener.
No wonder Venetians comment so bitterly: whenever Sea Blue People gather for a chat, they always spend one third of the time insulting Flora people, another third insulting the City of Flowers people, and another third insulting other allied city-states one by one, with only a bit of remaining time left for serious matters.
However, having studied in The Federated Provinces for many years, Winters took some time to understand the joke.
The carriage stopped outside the porte-cochere, and Mr. Ed nodded as a gesture of greeting, and alighted from the carriage first.
Only the “Baron and his wife” were left inside the carriage. Sitting next to Winters, Anna suddenly hesitated, and exceptionally revealed a hint of panic.
Winters held Anna’s hand, squeezed it, and said nothing.
If a human lives too long in the vast wilderness, they will feel an inexplicable fear and discomfort when they return to the city.
It’s a sense of being disconnected from the world, or, as one might say, the shock of “stepping from one world into another.”
Winters deeply understood this, as every time he returned to “civilized society,” he had to silently adapt for a long while.
Anna looked at Winters, their eyes met, and without a word, the message Winters wanted to convey was already understood by Anna.
Anna nodded with a light smile, so Winters squeezed her hand again and stepped out of the carriage first.
The still hesitating Anna in the carriage took a deep breath and then emerged with an appropriate smile, taking Winters’ hand as she stepped down from the carriage.
The exterior of the main building of the Este mansion featured columns, arches, and reliefs, majestic and solemn, quite unlike the “narrow windows, thick walls” style of Monta, more resembling the grand manors in the suburbs of Sea Blue City as seen by Winters.
It was as if some deity exerted great power to transplant a building from Vineta to the steel fortress directly.
Looking toward the brightly lit Este mansion, Winters even felt an illusion as if he were in Sea Blue City.
However, the popular high doors and long corridors in Vineta houses are for ventilation and heat dissipation, while Montan residences use thick walls and small windows for cold protection and warmth.
The lonely Caman, who rode the second carriage, appeared behind Winters. Seeing Winters standing still, Caman frowned and asked: “[Old Language] What is it?”
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“[Old Language] It’s nothing,” Winters shook his head and reached out his hand to Anna.
Anna held Winters’ arm, and the two shared a smile as they walked into the main entrance.
Upon entering the building, Winters immediately realized that his worries were superfluous: not only was the indoors not cold, but it was also comfortably warm, starkly different from the outside.
Winters instinctively surveyed the terrain and noticed that although the Este residence outwardly adhered to the Vineta style, extensive modifications were made inside to adapt to the alpine country’s climate.
For instance, in visible areas such as doors, windows, and walls, there were no detectable air leaks. Places where gaps might exist were carefully sealed with felt strips, even the door frames and door edges were nailed with thick wool fabric.
The large windows facing the garden were pieced together from one-foot square transparent glass, making the ballroom visually more spacious and transparent, similar in structure to the windows of Navarre Manor.
But different from Navarre Manor—Winters only realized upon entering—that Este Manor ingeniously built a double layer of outer walls.
The two layers of outer walls are identical, both with glass windows, ensuring both lighting and thermal insulation. Between the walls was a corridor wide enough for three people to walk side-by-side, carpeted with dark red.
Winters couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.
Anna inquired with her eyes.
Winters turned his head slightly and whispered to Anna in [Old Language]: “Isn’t it funny to doubt the livelihood skills of a stonemason with some clever tricks?”
Anna, understanding intuitively, asked: “[Old Language] This house?”
Winters nodded.
Actually, Winters had not yet discovered the truly ingenious design of Este estate.
In places hidden from Winters’ view, within the thick stone walls, the master mason who built this building used the technology of constructing hidden channels to lay circulation pipelines.
As long as the fire in the water tower blazed, hot water would flow through the building like blood, driving the chill from the hall and bedrooms.
It was because of these heat-radiating walls that Este estate could maintain a summer evening-like comfortable temperature amidst howling cold winds.
