Darkstone Code

Chapter 1070 - 1068: Hot Spring

The New Year is approaching.

It seems there’s some mysterious power hidden in the air, and you never know when it might suddenly start snowing; people are eagerly anticipating the snowfall.

If it snows, it means everyone might soon have a break, relaxing after a year of hard work.

From past experiences, snow usually starts falling in mid-December, but this time the snow came half a month early...

"A strong cold wave is moving south, with temperatures in the North breaking historical lows; meteorologists suggest that the world might be entering a mini ice age..."

"The host here advises everyone to take precautions against the cold, and if there’s no need, it’s best not to... go out."

Lynch had initially thought he heard "don’t f***ing go out", and glanced with some surprise at the TV in the cabinet; the host was smiling very modestly, maybe he misheard.

He was attending a charitable event.

The First Lady can never stay idle; as the weather turned cold and it started snowing, she began to worry about the homeless and children, which means everyone not only needed to shell out money but also put on a show in the biting cold.

There was no choice; with the President and the First Lady personally standing at the intersection, even if their supporters were unwilling, they had to come over and stand for a while to express their concern for the whole society.

It’s quite amazing; according to Lynch, in any year before the President’s election, the First Lady never participated in or organized any large-scale or wide-reaching charitable events.

On the contrary, someone once complained that the First Lady was quite rude to servants, sometimes scolding them, and unfriendly to small animals; a suspected animal abuse case was indirectly related to her.

But once the President got elected, everything changed.

She developed a fondness for getting close to the public, donating money to the people, showing concern for those in need of help, and even took a liking to small animals.

Sometimes, women might just be better at acting than men!

In the cold wind, with snowflakes floating around, the First Lady handed a bag of food and two cheap winter coats to an old man in need, and Lynch noticed that the old man was wearing shiny leather shoes.

"If there’s anything you need, please be sure to tell me!" The First Lady said, tightly holding the old man’s hands, and he was so overwhelmed he was at a loss for words.

He seemed to really cry, shedding tears in front of the camera, "Thank you so much, madam, you’ve helped me make it through this winter, and my family and I will be grateful to you!"

The First Lady was very kind and approachable, showing no dissatisfaction for having her hands held by a "poor person", "We should have ensured no one would suffer from hunger or cold; it’s our inadequacy..."

How harmonious!

Looking at those reporters with expressions of feeling, Lynch couldn’t help but inwardly commend the First Lady’s acting skills; knowing and actually acting are two different things.

It’s like having a plate of shit and being able to taste it like steak, convincing people it’s a steak in the guise of shit; you would be the best actor or actress!

"Just a while more...," the President and other gentlemen were standing together, shivering at the street corner in the cold wind, with a somewhat wry smile on his face. "I didn’t expect it to be this cold today. Later, don’t leave; I’ve had things prepared. You’ll like it."

Seeing some people seem uncertain about what this meant, his new aide explained lightly, "There’s a hot spring at the President’s Manor, and at a time like this, it becomes enticing beyond anything else!"

Bupen isn’t devoid of hot springs, though their quality isn’t that great. The one at the President’s Manor is said to have been channelled from underground at great cost.

As for how they managed that, it’s another question; this is an era full of miracles, and people always manage to create history.

All in all, there’s a nice hot spring bath beneath that manor.

Being able to have close contact with the President, everyone was quite willing, and Lynch hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement.

Everyone showed great enthusiasm, which brought more smiles to the President’s face. He needed to display a very close relationship with the group of capitalists; did you think it was just a simple invitation to visit his manor as guests?

In the cold wind, some ladies were also helping the First Lady; this would become the main news on TV tonight and tomorrow’s newspaper headlines.

There’s nothing more touching than the First Lady standing by the roadside helping the poor, making him surely the most approachable President ever!

It wasn’t until after four in the afternoon that all activities concluded, with the First Lady thanking everyone participating and the media personnel and giving out small gifts before it finally ended completely.

Everyone got in their cars and headed out of the city.

"I’m freezing!" Anna rubbed her hands, both were so red from the cold they looked like the chilled fresh meat on the supermarket shelves.

"You’ll feel comfortable soon; the President’s Manor supposedly has hot springs."

Lynch slightly reminded her of the upcoming arrangement, and Anna was quite surprised, "That’s fantastic; I was wondering how she managed to stick it out, maybe there’s a secret we don’t know."

She was talking about the First Lady, who stood out in the cold longer than the others, yet look at her face, rosy and seemingly unaffected by the cold.

Lynch shook his head, saying nothing, possibly due to new insulation materials or self-heating materials; heaven knows.

Presidents always have privileges, and they just need to spend a bit of taxpayers’ money to find suitable solutions, including "discreetly wetting pants" during long meetings.

After all, sometimes a meeting can last several hours, and they can’t frequently go to the bathroom, considering the Presidents are old and need to go often.

The motorcade drove out of the city unobstructed, coincidentally hitting green lights all the way without police escort or anything.

The Federation is an egalitarian free country; though there’s a Federation President and ordinary workers, in terms of personal dignity, there’s no distinction of noble or lowly - all are human!

The motorcade left the city heading towards slightly hilly areas in the North; further out one would find mountains. The President’s manor is a bit far from the city, with the surrounding environment becoming increasingly serene.

The withered forest gradually turned white, exuding a sense of grim silence.

All along there was only the sound of wheels, and after about forty minutes, they finally arrived at the President’s Manor.

Though called a manor, it is more like a castle.

"The only thing my grandfather left me that still endures!" the President said, with a baffling joke, leading everyone inside.

The butler assigned rooms to everyone and then brought new bathrobes before leading them through an elevator to the underground bathing pool.

A bathing pool with a very primitive style, the underground part divided into three sections, the largest of which is the pool, made of stone, potentially with some invisible fillers to prevent water loss.

Three giant outflow outlets were on the walls, designed to resemble dragon heads, spewing hot springs.

The pool is divided into two parts, one for communal bathing and the other with private rooms; it’s hard to imagine how much money and manpower the President’s grandfather spent building all of this.

Antique, grand, permeating an indescribable sense of nobility.

Lynch looked at Anna, "Where do you want to go?"

In the communal area, there would inevitably be some men around, and... not fully dressed.

The private rooms would be the best choice.

Anna glanced at the gentlemen already starting to rinse and prepare for water immersion, "I’ll find a room; you don’t have to come with me..."

She caught Lynch’s intention to join her from his words, which was definitely not any suggestive thing; he just feared she’d be lonely, or so she thought.

In an unfamiliar environment lacking a sense of security, having a familiar gentleman by one’s side would undoubtedly be much better!

She politely refused Lynch’s company, and Lynch shrugged, heading towards the communal area.

There were already some slightly older women getting into the water, but fortunately, they were all wearing one-piece swimsuits, the boldest only exposing a part of their waist, just a part!

In terms of societal trends and concepts, they were actually very conservative.

This precisely is the amusing aspect of this society; the people at the bottom are clamoring for freedom, to open everything up, for women to have the same right as men to undress in public places.

But among the social elite, ladies remained conservative, at least in front of others.

Not considering their private lives, this is what they outwardly portrayed.

Ladies in one corner, gentlemen in another.

Soon, servants brought a large number of drinks, wines, and foods.

Even outside the bathing pool, there were a few cooks onsite preparing some dishes.

These dishes would be placed on small wooden boats designed specifically for holding food, prepared for the hot spring.

"Dragon Blood Wood!" The crimson wood appeared even more vivid in the water, like a solidified piece of blood.

The President smiled slightly, "Many claim Dragon Blood Wood has various benefits, which I’m not sure of; these are among the pieces of wealth my grandfather left me..."

Someone appreciatively exclaimed, "Astonishing heritage!"

Everyone enjoyed various freshly cooked gourmet dishes by the chefs, drank wine, chatted, leaving the faint sulfur taste and slightly hot water to soothe their bodies; nothing could be more comfortable!

As people were enjoying life to the fullest, someone suddenly suggested, "Why don’t we play some cards?"