Chapter 171: The Great Clock

"It's still early, where should we go to have fun?" Brenna walked along the streets of Winter City with Yun Mu, speaking as if she were muttering to herself, yet also as if she were asking Yun Mu.

"Are there any fun places?" Yun Mu asked.

She did not quite understand what kinds of entertainment the people of this era had, and in the memories of her predecessor, just staying alive every day required all her strength; there was truly no room for entertainment.

"What do you like?" Brenna looked at her and asked in return.

Without waiting for Yun Mu to reply, she explained volubly: "If you like sightseeing, I can take you to some of Winter City's famous attractions."

"For example, the Great Clock, Winter Tower Bridge, Saierliya Family Castle, Warm Snow Park, and Torshi Museum."

"Or perhaps, you want to appreciate some works of art, or some kind of... novel experience."

"Then we can go to the opera house, the concert hall, or the newly emerging cinemas to watch plays, concerts, and the latest movies."

"And if you don't want to go anywhere and just want to find a quiet place to rest for a while, we can go to a café or a tea house, watching the snow scene while enjoying a rare moment of peace, and drink a steaming cup of coffee or hot tea."

"Of course, if none of the above can satisfy you, we can go watch horse racing or dog fighting, and enjoy the passion and heat of competitive betting."

"It's just that you'll have to pay back the money you lose yourself," she added silently.

"How do you know so much?" Yun Mu looked at her with some surprise.

What happened to never having been to those places because of your status? "Except for the last sentence, these are all things from the newspaper, though I modified them a little," Brenna explained to her.

"I have something to do this afternoon, so we can't play for too long."

She put on a thoughtful expression and said: "How about we go to the Great Clock first, then cross Winter Tower Bridge, enter Warm Snow Park for a stroll, and then go see a movie?"

"I have no objections," Yun Mu nodded and said.

Before transmigrating, she was actually the type who didn't like going out much.

But after transmigrating, perhaps because there was no internet, or perhaps due to the influence of her predecessor.

In any case, she was now very interested in Brenna's arrangements.

"The Great Clock, Winter Tower Bridge, these names... hahaha," she laughed secretly in her heart.

If she didn't know she was in another world, she would have thought Brenna was talking about Big Ben and Tower Bridge in London.

Perhaps they are actually about the same?

Yun Mu thought to herself, poking at the idea.

The two walked past the bustling area where the Winter Cathedral was located, and the height of the surrounding buildings decreased.

"Is that building the Great Clock?" Yun Mu looked up into the distance at the tall tower standing by the Fursado River and asked.

"That's right."

Brenna looked in the direction she was watching, and saw a huge clock face embedded in the wall of the high tower.

"The Great Clock is an auxiliary clock tower of Saierliya Palace, with a total height of 135 meters. The clock face on it has a diameter of 9.45 meters, and each side is inlaid with 92 cat's-eye stones."

"When Parliament is in session, the Great Clock automatically chimes every hour."

"Saierliya Palace..." Yun Mu noticed the key information and looked at Brenna with some worry.

"It's fine, we're just passing by, we'll leave soon." Noticing Yun Mu's gaze, Brenna guessed what she was thinking and spoke to reassure her.

The two quickened their pace and walked toward the Great Clock in the distance. The streets of the Royal Capital were mainly paved with hard limestone slabs, making walking very steady and stable.

And besides the pedestrians on the side of the road and the Steam Taxis, Yun Mu was surprised to see many horse-drawn carriages here.

She had barely seen any carriages in Frostfall City; she didn't expect there to be so many in Winter City!

"The more prosperous the area, the slower old things die out. The beneficiaries of traditional carriages are clearly unwilling to let them exit the stage of history."

After Yun Mu voiced the doubt in her heart, Brenna explained to her.

"As of now, it's hard for Steam Cars to completely replace the status of carriages. In terms of speed, they are actually about the same in the city; in terms of comfort, carriages have more space—you can even drink tea and enjoy desserts inside."

"Besides that, there are also issues with safety and other aspects."

Pausing, Brenna added: "Actually, the rivalry between Steam Cars and traditional carriages can also be seen as a struggle between the emerging nobility and the traditional nobility."

"If it weren't for the efforts of those emerging nobles, Steam Cars probably wouldn't have the status they have today to threaten the survival of traditional carriages."

The so-called emerging nobles, to put it simply, are actually merchants.

After the Frost Kingdom promulgated the Merchant-Citizen Act, which allowed anyone to obtain a title as long as they paid, many wealthy merchants immediately spent a large amount of Gold Frost to purchase this status for themselves.

And the Frost Kingdom's goal was nothing more than to weaken the influence of the traditional nobility.

After all, for the King, Saierliya VIII, those nobles who often pointed fingers at him were truly quite annoying.

"Recently, it seems there is going to be an act passed regarding Steam Car traffic. I suppose it's to balance the power of some emerging nobles. It's really troublesome... that's why I don't want to inherit the throne."

Brenna said with a look of disgust.

"We're here. That building in front is Saierliya Palace, and next to it is the Great Clock and the Fursado River."

From far away, Brenna pointed her hand toward the large complex of buildings in the distance and explained.

Yun Mu looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that Saierliya Palace was composed entirely of gray stone structures, with multiple spires and arched doorways, appearing solemn and dignified.

Its top was crowned with a large number of small towers, while the walls were decorated with pointed arched windows, beautiful reliefs, eaves, and stone carvings on the lace-trimmed windows.

And next to Saierliya Palace was the azure river shimmering with beautiful halos, and the huge clock tower standing by the river.

"That is Saierliya Palace?" Yun Mu said with a look of amazement.

Forgive her for having little experience in both lives; the photos she saw on the internet were completely different from the feeling of seeing those Wonders in reality.

Thinking that this was a miracle built entirely by human hands, an indescribable emotion could not help but rise in her heart.

【You felt shocked while looking at Saierliya Palace, your Path of Civilization points +8】 In her mind, the Game Panel suddenly popped up this notification.

"Let's not get too close, I'm afraid of being seen by people I know," Brenna hid behind Yun Mu and whispered.

PS: Saierliya Family Castle is the original territory castle where the Saierliya Family of the Frost Kingdom lived.

Later, as the times progressed, the castle gradually became a target for cannons and was abandoned by the Saierliya Family.

Later, after renovations and repairs, it became a cultural heritage site in Winter City.

And Saierliya Palace is the new residence for the royal nobility of Winter City, as well as the place where all ministers work and hold meetings.

Brenna has lived here since she was a child, and because of her busy studies, she has rarely had the opportunity to go out and play.

(End of chapter)