"Find me a hot spring pool. I’ve never been in one before!"

"Pool 5 is empty," David said, pointing. "I’ll take you."

Hey!

’They’ve already numbered the pools this quickly.’

Feng Mountain and Nash followed David to a hot spring. The pool was about five square meters and a hundred meters from the Ice Lake. From the edge of the pool, they could see the clear, azure Ice Lake and the rolling, snow-capped mountains.

They stripped off their clothes.

The men jumped into the pool. The near-scalding water enveloped their bodies. Soaking in water around 40 degrees Celsius while the air was ten-some degrees below zero was an indescribably comfortable feeling.

David soaked in the water, savoring its comfortable warmth.

"Khilla, as far as I know, besides the Chena Hot Springs Resort in Fairbanks North Star Town, Crown Territory is the only other place in the Far North Region with hot springs. And ours are even more natural than the Jena Hot Spring."

"Oh, really? Have you been to Chena Hot Springs Resort? What’s it like?" Feng Mountain asked curiously.

"I went once with my family on vacation." At the mention of his family and the past, David seemed to get lost in his memories.

His gaze softened, as if those wonderful times were replaying before his eyes. But all that beauty had changed after he fell ill.

"Well? What are you staring into space for?" Seeing David go quiet again, Feng Mountain splashed some water at him.

Splashed in the face with hot spring water, David snapped out of his reverie. He submerged himself completely in the hot water, washing the frost from his hair and eyebrows, then resurfaced and shook his head, sending droplets flying everywhere.

"When it comes to facilities and environment, the Jena Hot Spring facilities are more comprehensive and well-developed than Crown Territory’s, and it’s easier to get to. But Crown Territory has more beautiful natural scenery. The pools are a bit crude, but it doesn’t ruin the experience."

"Here, you can truly feel the allure of nature and become one with the pristine hot springs."

’Empty praise.’

’The truth is, Crown Territory is no match for Chena Hot Springs Resort.’

’After all, one is near a major city, while the other is in the middle of nowhere in the Far North Tundra.’

Feng Mountain knew his own limitations; he knew David was just trying to suck up to him.

"I wouldn’t say that. We can learn from Chena Hot Springs Resort in the areas we’re lacking, make gradual changes, and eventually, we’ll catch up."

"We can decorate the hot spring area. Lay some flagstones around the edge, put out a few chairs... we can’t just stay in the water the whole time. You guys can figure out the rest. Use any good ideas you come up with."

"Understood," David agreed with a nod.

Just then, a phone started ringing from inside a fur coat.

Feng Mountain took it out and saw it was an unknown number. He answered and was met with a thick accent.

"Hey buddy, you Feng? That piece of shit Tom told me to bring a shipment of supplies over. I’m in Crown Territory Airspace now. You’d better light a bonfire; it’s pretty dangerous landing during the polar night."

"No problem. My runway is equipped with landing lights."

"Landing lights? Are you kidding me? Have you been drinking?"

The pilot’s voice boomed over the phone, his accent thick.

In all the settled areas of the Far North Tundra, he’d never heard of a town installing landing lights. Even Barrow Town, the most populous of them all, wouldn’t make such a boast.

"Don’t worry, you’ll see them when you get here. I’ll be waiting for you at the airstrip."

After hanging up, Feng Mountain reluctantly climbed out of the hot spring. As he stood up, he heard a series of "oohs" and "aahs" from within the white steam.

’No need to guess.’

’A bunch of shameless women were checking me out.’

Feng Mountain shook his head in resignation, got dressed again, and radioed Yves to have him bring some people with snowmobiles to pick him up from the hot springs.

「A short while later.」

The roar of a propeller echoed through the dim sky as several red lights moved from the distance, growing closer.

The pilot, meanwhile, was cursing Tom for being a good-for-nothing.

During the polar night, temperatures were extremely low, capable of dropping to tens of degrees below zero Celsius, or even colder.

This was extremely damaging to the plane’s structure and mechanical components, as metal can become brittle in the cold, making it prone to cracks and other damage.

The low temperatures also affected the plane’s fuel system.

Fuel could become viscous, reducing its flow and leading to poor fuel delivery to the engine—or worse, a flameout.

For the pilot, the long hours of darkness during the polar night could mess with his biological clock, leading to fatigue and drowsiness.

Furthermore, long missions combined with the lack of natural light degraded a pilot’s physical and mental state, impairing their reaction time and judgment.

In short, practically no one in Alaska’s air transport industry was willing to fly missions during the polar night.

If he hadn’t been short on cash and just so happened to get this job from Tom...

’...he wouldn’t have taken this job for anything.’

The pilot stared at the pitch-black ground below, irritation welling up inside him. He cursed out loud.

"Fuck! Where are the landing lights? That bastard Tom... The people here are as full of shit as he is."

Feng Mountain looked up, gauging the distance by the plane’s wing lights, and picked up his radio.

"Lights on!"

In the restaurant, the waiter who had been waiting for the signal quickly flipped the power switch.

The next moment, a row of bright lights flared to life on both sides of the airstrip. A single red light pulsed among them, moving back and forth, exceptionally clear in the darkness.

Up in the sky, the transport pilot was still cursing. He’d waited and waited, but seeing no lights, he was just about to turn back.

Landing in this kind of zero-visibility environment was no different from suicide.

Suddenly, two straight lines of light appeared through the windscreen.

"Dear God! They really do have landing lights." The transport pilot immediately began his descent, heading for the ground.

SCREECH!

The sound of tires screeching against the ground followed.

A long-nosed transport plane touched down smoothly on the runway. Once it had come to a stop, Feng Mountain led his men to approach it.

"What model is this? It feels bigger than a P-750," Feng Mountain said, looking at the twin-turboprop plane before him.

"A Twin Otter. Payload is about two tons, seats twenty-two. Carries a bit more than the P-750," Yves whispered.

The plane’s cabin door opened, and a pilot with a big beard, dressed in a winter flight suit, stood in the doorway waving.

"Alright fellas, here’s the manifest! Let’s get this unloaded, quick as you can. Thanks!"

Feng Mountain took the list and scanned it in the glow of the landing lights.

The list included not just the fifty sets of outdoor tents, but also daily necessities like flour, milk, spices, sauces, pasta, cheese, towels, bath sheets, blankets, and pillows.

"Let’s unload!" Feng Mountain said with a wave of his hand.

A group of men stepped forward and began hauling the supplies out of the cargo hold.

"So you’re Feng. I hear you’re doing pretty well for yourself out here." Seeing that the unloading would take a while, the pilot sidled up next to Feng Mountain.

"It’s going alright. Have you had breakfast? You’re welcome to try some at the camp restaurant," Feng Mountain replied with a grin.

’Breakfast? A restaurant?’

’This godforsaken place has a restaurant?’

The pilot was skeptical.

"Wawa!" Feng Mountain shouted to the men who were unloading. Wawa walked over, shouldering a sack of flour. "Khilla."

"Take this gentleman to the restaurant for some breakfast. Tell them it’s on me."

A sled happened to be fully loaded with supplies, ready to head back to camp.

Wawa waved the pilot over, had him hop on a snowmobile, and drove off, towing the supplies behind them.

Yves, who had just finished inspecting the packaged tents, walked up carrying one of the bags.

"Khilla, the outdoor tents are a complete set. They include sleeping bags."

"Perfect. That saves us the trouble of getting thermal blankets for the guests. Tell the girls to keep things sanitary and to wash the tents and sleeping bags promptly after they’re used."

「Meanwhile.」

The pilot, Big Beard, rode on the snowmobile toward the camp.

At first, the surroundings looked no different from the rest of the tundra—just snow and cold. But after a short while, he felt a distinct rise in temperature.

As the temperature changed, the biting chill seemed to gradually fade away.

His gaze drifted to the snowmobile’s headlights.

In the beams of the headlights, patches of vibrant tundra appeared before his eyes.

’What the hell!’

’How is there still moss growing in this cold?’

Big Beard’s eyes widened, his face a mask of disbelief.

When the snowmobile drove into the camp proper, the pilot was utterly stunned by his surroundings.

A wave of warmth washed over him, a stark contrast to the biting cold outside.

Wooden cabins with glowing neon signs exuded a captivating charm. Streetlights cast a soft glow, illuminating tidy paths. The vibrant mossy ground looked like a green velvet carpet, and lush green saplings stood straight and tall.

Beautiful women with radiant smiles walked past him.

A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying a fresh, clean scent.

Big Beard was stunned by the beautiful scene before him.

’Is this really Crown Territory?’

’Did I stumble into some kind of fae realm?’

...