Landlord in the Arctic

After all, Feng Shan hailed from a distant eastern nation with a completely different climate. Compared to the bitter cold of Alaska, a land of ice and snow frequently struck by extreme cold snaps, they were two different worlds.

He naturally didn’t understand just how severe the danger of a cold snap could be.

As for the others present, Natasha’s gaze swept slowly across the room, and she understood at once.

A quick scan of the room made it clear: not a single person present was one of the Indigenous People, born and raised on this Tundra.

Their experience in dealing with this kind of extreme weather was a blank slate—next to nothing.

At this thought, the innate queenly aura in Natasha’s very bones ignited, erupting forth.

She subconsciously straightened her posture.

Her already tall frame seemed to grow even more statuesque and commanding.

Her stern, imperious gaze swept over every single person in the tavern.

Her expression seemed to be both an assertion of dominance and a shot of adrenaline for the crowd.

Then, in a tone that brooked no argument, Natasha announced loudly.

"From this moment on, I will take charge of the Crown Territory. I will lead everyone in preparing for the coming cold snap and blizzard."

Her words were like a ray of winter sun piercing through the gloom. The tense atmosphere in the tavern instantly eased, and a flicker of hope appeared in everyone’s eyes.

Now that they had a leader, the tense looks on their faces began to melt away like ice and snow.

All eyes instinctively turned to Feng Shan.

After all, he was the true master of the Crown Territory. His opinion carried immense weight.

In response to Natasha’s move to usurp his authority, Feng Shan simply shrugged. A faint, almost resigned smile touched his lips as he gave his silent consent.

Feng Shan knew full well that he hadn’t been in Alaska for long. His knowledge of the local climate, environment, and especially the potential dangers and how to handle them, was superficial at best.

Now that someone was willing to step up and shoulder the burden, it would take a great deal of pressure off him and save him a lot of trouble.

Why quibble over a temporary title? It was a welcome development.

Seeing that Feng Shan didn’t object, everyone was relieved and voiced their support for Natasha’s leadership.

Natasha was satisfied with their reaction. She immediately snapped into her role and began giving orders in a systematic fashion.

First, she noted that the tables in the tavern were arranged haphazardly, making it difficult to set up a central command post.

She ordered the tables pushed together to form a large, temporary command table.

Andrei, her number one sycophant, scrambled to fetch a chair and placed it reverently behind the makeshift table.

Natasha stood ramrod straight before the table. Her gaze swept slowly over everyone present before she spoke in a voice so calm it was almost cold.

"I need a report on the camp’s firewood supply. Who’s on it?"

"I will," Feng Jun responded instantly, raising his hand high. "David and I have always been in charge of the camp’s firewood. I know the exact quantities and where it’s all stacked."

"Good. The job is yours." Natasha gave a slight nod, accepting his offer. Then she glanced at the elegant watch on her wrist, her eyes filled with an unyielding resolve. "You have ten minutes. I need that information, fast."

"Understood." Feng Jun didn’t dare waste a second. He immediately turned, took a veteran with him, and strode out of the tavern.

Natasha’s gaze didn’t linger, moving on to the next person. "We don’t know how long this cold snap and blizzard will last, so we must take stock of our food reserves. Who will do it?"

"I will," Feng Shan said, raising his hand after a moment’s thought.

This was a crisis they had to face together; he couldn’t just stand on the sidelines.

"Alright. Xiaohua, you go with Feng and do the inventory. Is thirty minutes enough?" Natasha’s eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp and her tone severe. "I need precise numbers for all our food stores. Not a single cracker can be left out. This is critical. It will determine whether or not we can survive this disaster."

In that moment, Natasha had none of her usual haughty demeanor.

She was replaced by a decisive, powerful woman in complete control. Her gaze, fixed on Feng Shan, was so intense it felt as though it could pierce through anything.

"No problem. You’re the boss now," Feng Shan said with a shrug and an easygoing smile.

Then, he left the tavern with Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide, and headed for the supply warehouse.

"Check our vehicles—the snowmobiles and the aircraft. I need them to be perfectly operational in case we need to evacuate. Who’s on it?" Natasha’s command echoed through the tavern once more.

Yves and Ma Wei raised their hands at almost the same time, speaking in unison, "I will."

After speaking, they instinctively glanced at each other. Their eyes held a mix of rivalry and respect for each other’s abilities.

"I’ve always been in charge of aircraft maintenance. I’m more familiar with its condition," Yves said first, his tone professional and confident.

"And I’m familiar with the camp’s snowmobiles," Ma Wei added, not to be outdone.

"Good. You two are responsible for the vehicles." Natasha nodded, approving their proposed division of labor. With a wave of her hand, she sent them off to their task.

Next, Natasha turned to Nash. "Nash, go to the Bear Tribe. Tell your people the cold snap is coming. If the livestock are hit hard, they should just be slaughtered."

"Go to the living quarters and get all the cold-weather gear ready."

"The rest of you, go to the gardens and harvest as many vegetables and fruits as you can."

"..."

As Natasha methodically assigned tasks, each order was like a precise coordinate, guiding everyone and giving them direction in the unfolding crisis.

As one clear task after another was assigned, the people in the tavern flowed out in waves, and the once-crowded space gradually emptied.

Natasha was left standing alone.

She stared out the tavern window at the unnaturally pale, bright light, her brow furrowed in thought.

’As long as the three key elements—food, firewood, and transportation—held out, and everyone worked together to endure this cold snap, the situation wouldn’t spin out of control. Surviving it wouldn’t be a major problem.’

"It’s snowing! The snowflakes are huge!" Suddenly, someone outside the tavern yelled, their voice laced with surprise and panic, shattering the brief tranquility inside.

Natasha’s head snapped up, her gaze fixed on the tavern window.

In an instant, a shocking scene met her eyes.

A dense curtain of snow was falling madly, as if it had lost control.

The snowflakes were shockingly large, each the size of a grown man’s palm.

Flake after flake plummeted almost vertically, slamming into the ground, kicking up a fine mist of snow with a soft HISS.

The sight made Natasha’s heart plummet.

The curtain had risen on this unprecedented cold snap and blizzard, and the challenges facing the Crown Territory were only just beginning.

In the middle of taking inventory in the warehouse, Feng Shan’s ears perked up when he heard Xiaohua’s terrified gasp.

His heart clenched. He quickly set down his pen and paper, got to his feet, and hurried out of the warehouse.

The moment he stepped out of the warehouse, he instinctively looked up.

At the sight, even Feng Shan, who was used to wind and snow, couldn’t help but gasp.

His entire field of vision was filled with a dense wall of snowflakes, surging toward him like a raging tide and blotting out everything else.

The sky, which had been somewhat bright just moments before, now seemed as if an invisible hand had yanked a heavy, dark curtain across it, plunging the world into an incredible dimness.

’Snow this heavy?’

Feng Shan cried out inwardly, his brows furrowing deeply.

Then, a far more worrying thought flashed through his mind.

’Did the Fire Seed fail?’

Ever since the River Beach Camp had come under the protection of the tribal Fire Seed, the daily climate had been relatively stable. Extreme weather like this was virtually unheard of.

The occasional day of snow or rain...

...had been deliberately orchestrated by Feng Shan himself to disguise the Fire Seed’s existence.

It was to keep the people in the camp from growing suspicious.

....