Chapter 18: The Arrival of Heavy Snow

...

Gousheng quickly returned with a small cup of ink, his face and ears red from the cold. His father had also come home, and his homework was put away by his mother. The family of three gathered around the iron stove, eating steaming hot meat soup.

The heavy snow continued to fall, quickly piling up. By the time they finished eating, the snow on the ground was deep enough to leave footprints.

Yin Jixue couldn't resist the temptation and sneaked out to a secluded spot in the palace to build a snowman. Despite having "snow" in her name, she had never seen such heavy snow in her previous life as a Southerner. During the apocalypse, it hadn't snowed at all.

Without a carrot for the nose, she used green agate for the eyes and a red gemstone for the nose.

"Wow, this snowman just became priceless," Yin Jixue muttered, clapping her hands, which were red and nearly numb from the cold. She stood back, hands on her hips, admiring her creation.

She was wrapped in a thick, windproof cloak with rabbit fur lining the collar and cuffs. Around her neck was a white rabbit fur scarf, and her inner clothing also had fluffy cuffs, made of fine, warm material. She wore brown fur boots and felt no cold, her face flushed with excitement from building her first snowman.

"The temperature dropped directly to minus twenty degrees Celsius?"

Yin Jixue couldn't believe her eyes, but the temperature displayed in the bottom right corner of the system interface read -20℃. How was this possible?!

Even though she had never been to the north, she knew that without a down jacket, anyone would suffer terribly in such cold weather. Yet here she was, a mere mortal, relying solely on fur to keep warm and feeling perfectly fine. Something didn't add up.

But after some thought, she couldn't figure it out. After all, she had been eating demon food without any issues, so perhaps she had adapted to the demon realm's climate.

For the average demon, minus twenty degrees Celsius was bearable. They could still work outside in thin clothing, though any colder would start to hinder their mobility.

She had heard that the other three Demon Kings hibernated. They would retreat to warm places to sleep from the first snowfall until spring arrived.

Her Demon King, however, was still away from home. Given the state of the demon realm, it seemed unlikely he would be able to sleep.

Yin Jixue worried that the Demon King might be suffering outside in the cold. After all, from the perspectives of Fengxiu and Ruoshui, who were long-time palace servants, the Demon King wasn't a villain.

Although the Demon King had let Heicheng fall into disarray, it wasn't due to laziness. Heicheng had already been in a dire situation.

The main issue was the lack of transportation. The area was filled with winding mountain roads, and the dense forests were filled with inedible, often poisonous plants. Even demons could be reduced to a puddle of black water if they ingested them.

The continuous mountain ranges blocked the city, and foreign merchants only passed through once a year. Due to the city's poverty, they couldn't exchange for much value. If it weren't for the respect owed to the Demon King's unparalleled combat prowess, no one would willingly visit this backwater town.

Fortunately, Heicheng's only advantage was its incredibly low cost of living, almost nonexistent. This allowed merchant caravans to rest and recuperate in the city without spending much.

This was the predicament the demon realm had faced.

Now, Yin Jixue had broken through this deadlock. With the help of her system, she had identified the locations of the mines, giving the impoverished Heicheng a glimmer of hope.

The demon crystal mine could be mined for at least a century, but during this time, Heicheng couldn't rely solely on mining for survival. Diversified industries needed to be developed.

Yin Jixue remembered from her high school geography class that relying on a single industry could lead to economic collapse. Eventually, the city would have to transition, and industrial transformation wasn't guaranteed to succeed. It was better to diversify from the start.

Although they hadn't made much money this year, they now had three mines, a printing factory, and a construction team.

She had a plan in mind. In the spring, the printing factory would hire more workers, and agriculture would be developed. Each household would be allocated a piece of farmland, aiming to end the communal dining system by next year.

Yin Jixue felt like she was playing a city-building game in real life, except the residents were living, breathing demons. She didn't feel much pressure or anxiety. Perhaps she was just easygoing, but to her, as long as Heicheng improved bit by bit each day and the residents had hope for a better life, things were moving in the right direction.

Fengxiu and Ruoshui hid in a spot where they couldn't be seen, while Tengshe and Gouchen leaned against a pillar. All four of them were subtly watching Yin Jixue.

Fengxiu held her face in her hands, her eyes sparkling. "Her Highness is so adorable, sneaking out to build a snowman."

Tengshe crossed his arms, coolly stating, "Her Highness has never lived in a place with such heavy snow."

Gouchen added, "For humans, this much snow would be unlivable."

Ruoshui frowned. "Her Highness is also human, and she's perfectly fine in the snow. Don't underestimate humans."

Fengxiu gasped. "Ruoshui, that doesn't sound like you! You've changed!"

Ruoshui blushed. "I've just changed my perspective, that's all."

The four of them were the Demon King's most trusted aides, but they also had absolute freedom. They had pledged their lives to the King, and as long as they remained loyal, they were the second most respected figures in Heicheng.

But now, they were genuinely impressed by the Queen. It wasn't just out of duty but respect and admiration.

In terms of combat ability, the Queen couldn't defeat anyone, but she had revitalized Heicheng, solving a century-long crisis.

Before the Queen, they had tried to find the demon crystal mines. However, demon crystal mines were rare, with only three discovered across the entire continent. Finding one was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Yet, with a casual gesture, the Queen had pointed out a mine right outside Heicheng.

Yin Jixue's interest in the snowman waned, and she removed the agate and gemstone, preparing to sneak back into the palace.

She glanced around, and seeing no one, she lifted her skirt and ran back.

Shortly after she left, Fengxiu and the others appeared.

Fengxiu said, "Let's preserve the snowman. If the King returns, he can see the snowman Her Highness built."

Ruoshui was the first to agree, and the other two had no objections.

Fengxiu summoned a cloud of black mist, and the others followed suit, each covering the snowman with their mist.

After they left, the snowman remained in place, but the passing maids and guards seemed to ignore it entirely.

...

Paji was a barefoot doctor. He didn't need to work in the mines; as long as he kept his clinic open, it counted toward his work hours. He was very satisfied with this arrangement.

Today, he treated a young demon child who had caught a fever after playing in the snow. The child was only three years old and had been born prematurely, making them frail. Now that the canteens ensured no one went hungry, the child wouldn't starve, but the cold was still dangerous for them.

Drawing from his memory, Paji went out and found a specific tree, peeling off a piece of bark.

The tree itself was inedible. In his village, a demon once desperate with hunger had eaten its leaves and suffered severe stomach pain, only surviving after being forced to vomit.

However, the bark could be crushed and applied to the forehead and navel to treat fever.

The child was placed in a "ward" for observation. The clinic consisted of a main hall for consultations and medicine dispensing, along with three wards, each with two beds.

Paji chatted with the child's parents, who both worked in the mines. The father was in the Demon Crystal mine, while the mother had been assigned to the coal mine as a supervisor.

Due to the heavy snow, mining outside the city had stopped, but the mine canteens remained open, and their two daily meals continued as usual. The city had sent word to the supervisors to halt work, so they stayed in their dormitories. This winter, no demon in Heicheng would freeze to death.