As November arrived, the entire Thousand River Valley became increasingly cold.
As for Red Maple Village, where Joan of Arc Castle is located, a few days ago, when people stood atop the main tower of the castle looking north, they could already see the red maple leaves turning into a sea of color.
Now, beneath the gray sky, only black crows glided between the barren branches, and frost covered the fields.
Winter was drawing nearer, the weather growing colder.
Such a cold autumn would have surely frozen many to death twenty years ago.
But now, with the emergence of Grace Department Store and Grace Market, along with the Holy Alliance's monopoly on coal,
coal prices in markets everywhere have only risen slightly. Even the poorest can afford a little for warmth.
Sometimes, monks would even come to deliver warmth — truly offering warmth by giving coal to relatively poor farmers or disabled persons.
