Chapter 411: Chapter 27: Fortress
Two days later, Amestris, Northwest region.
The cold wind howled, and everywhere you looked, it was pure white. This was the world of snow, the Northwest.
Su Xiao had been heading northwest for two days. There were no roads here; the paths were covered by snow and could only be navigated by map and compass.
Su Xiao sat on a snow sled, and naturally, the one pulling the sled was the unfortunate Bubu Wang.
Initially, Bubu Wang refused, saying: ’Riding me is bad enough, and now you want me to pull the sled? Impossible!"
When Su Xiao pulled out a size 45 slipper, Bubu Wang voluntarily ran to the front of the snow sled.
The sled left two tracks in the snow as it silently sped away, with only the crunching sounds of Bubu Wang stepping on the snow ahead.
To reach his destination, Su Xiao needed at least three more days of travel, with nothing but white snow in sight along the way.
The weather was very clear, and it wasn’t snowing in the Northwest today, but Su Xiao would have preferred snow.
Without snow, it was unbearably cold. The current temperature was minus 45 degrees; even spit would freeze into ice mid-air.
People living in warm climates often have a misconception that snowy days are colder, but this is incorrect.
It’s not cold during snowfall; it’s the gale after the snow stops that is bone-chillingly cold.
The north wind howled, blowing the snow on the ground into the air, and the cold wind instantly pierced through Su Xiao’s leather clothing, gradually sapping away his warmth.
Even though Su Xiao’s physical attributes were at 35 points, he couldn’t resist the cold climate. In the mighty force of nature, he was still very small.
He tightened his winter clothes, feeling somewhat drowsy.
"Bubu, stop."
Su Xiao jumped off the snow sled and took out an iron plate, on which he lit a fire.
As some warmth returned, Su Xiao was roasting at the fire when the surrounding wind suddenly stopped.
The sky became unusually clear, with not a single cloud.
The sunlight shone down, but Su Xiao did not feel any warmth; instead, he felt a chill over his body.
"This weather..."
Su Xiao leaped onto the snow sled, and Bubu Wang looked bewildered.
"Run at the fastest speed, that way!"
Su Xiao’s expression wasn’t too good as he recalled an experience in an extreme cold region.
The sudden stop in wind and the abrupt clear weather was never a good sign.
Although the snowy landscape was beautiful now, Su Xiao had no mind to admire it, knowing a blizzard was coming.
Never underestimate a blizzard; a blizzard on the snow plains is as dangerous as a storm at sea.
Bubu Wang ran forward at full speed, while Su Xiao continuously observed the changing weather.
Snowflakes drifted sparsely from the sky at first, but after brewing for a few minutes, heavy snow began to fall.
Woo～.
The cold wind abruptly appeared, blowing the falling snow to one direction.
The blizzard had indeed arrived, and upon realizing this, Su Xiao untied the rope from Bubute Ni, abandoning the snow sled, which had no use in a blizzard.
The raging wind slapped snowflakes onto his face, gradually melting into snow water, like greedy little insects stealing Su Xiao’s body heat.
The world turned completely white, with a visibility of less than five meters.
Walking in the snow became arduous. Although the temperature wasn’t low now, it would plummet to an intolerable level after the blizzard.
Su Xiao’s expression wasn’t good, but Bubu Wang seemed unusually cheerful, as its fur could resist the cold, and it loved the snow.
...
Five hours later, in a white plain.
Bam.
A fist broke through the snow, and Su Xiao arduously climbed out of the snow pile, shaking off the snow from his head.
The blizzard couldn’t bury him, but the avalanche that followed could. After the blizzard, the snow mountains around became very fragile, triggering an avalanche with the slightest sound when Bubu Wang barked.
Patting off the snow from his head, Su Xiao exhaled a breath of white air.
"Bubu."
After Su Xiao called out, the snowfield fell silent.
Soon, the snow not far from Su Xiao moved, and he immediately approached.
After digging in the snow for a while, he saw Bubu Wang’s tail, which was buried headfirst and digging further down.
Being buried by heavy snow, the biggest threat isn’t the cold, but losing your sense of direction.
Many travelers buried in snow perish because they can’t determine up or down and end up digging downward if they’re unlucky.
It’s no laughing matter, as such cases are all too common in the real world.
There’s a simple way to resolve this: spit.
By observing the direction the spit falls, one can determine which way is up, and escape.
Su Xiao grabbed Bubu Wang by the hind legs, pulling it out of the snow like pulling up a radish.
The man and dog began trudging through the snow, wading through waist-deep snow. If unlucky, they could suddenly disappear by falling into a snow pit while walking.
...
Four days later, Su Xiao, holding a map, gazed at a distant iron fortress.
He had finally reached his destination, the majestic fortress before him was Amestris’s northernmost point.
The fortress stood over a hundred meters high, made of steel, nestled between two snow mountains; it was the only passage in and out of northern Amestris.
Because of this, ’Brickies Fortress’ often suffered attacks from other countries.
The cold climate bred a hardy disposition in the people, and long-term turmoil meant men and women alike were warriors here.
Standing before the fortress, Su didn’t walk directly towards it; although the ’Briggs Border’ was semi-autonomous, his status as a wanted criminal was still valid here.
Heading towards the snow mountain beside the fortress, Bubu Wang quickly followed.
Bubu Wang had endured a lot in these past days; it couldn’t even gnaw on a bone due to the temperatures being so low that the bone was frozen harder than steel, much to its frustration.
For an average person, entering the hundred-meter-high fortress from a snow mountain was impossible, but Su Xiao was no ordinary person.
He climbed the snow mountain, releasing the Boundary Line that coiled around the fortress’s central area, allowing Su Xiao and Bubu Wang to infiltrate the fortress.
Just as he landed outside the fortress, he heard footsteps approaching,
Su hid to the side, watching as several soldiers in white winter uniforms walked past with stern expressions, diligently patrolling.
Evading the soldiers, Su slipped into the fortress.
He had already memorized the fortress’s detailed map, provided by Colonel Mustang. With his rank, obtaining such a map wasn’t difficult for him.
The fortress housed many soldiers, but Su could perceive their patrol routes, avoiding them in advance.
The fortress’s interior was deliberately constructed to be a maze; without a map, any foreign agent infiltrating it would be hopelessly lost.
An hour later, Su Xiao entered an office.
The office was empty, yet equipped with living quarters, epitomizing the direct and simple style of ’Brickies Fortress’.
Sitting behind the desk, Su Xiao took off his coat, finally feeling warm.
After waiting a few hours, footsteps sounded at the door, and a woman entered.
Seeing Su Xiao behind the desk, the woman froze momentarily, then swiftly drew the fine sword from her waist.
"Who are you, hmm? You seem familiar."