Government Administration Building.
Inside the reception department office.
Irina sat in her chair.
An electronic file lay in front of her.
She had already read it for the fourth time.
Then she put it down.
Silence.
A few seconds passed.
She picked it up again.
And checked it once more.
Name.
Lucian.
Age.
Sixteen.
Purpose of visit.
Sightseeing.
And that was it.
Really.
There was nothing else.
No background information.
No identity details.
No affiliated organization.
Not even hobbies or interests.
It was so simple that Irina wondered whether half the file had somehow failed to transfer.
Irina raised her head.
She looked at the administrator sitting across from her.
"Is that all?"
The administrator nodded.
"That's all."
Irina asked, "Nothing else?"
"No."
Irina continued.
"Family background?"
"None."
"Affiliated institution?"
The administrator answered, "None."
"Why is he coming to the Northveil Directorate?"
"Sightseeing."
Irina put down her terminal.
She began questioning her life choices.
She had received foreign visitors before.
Not many times.
But she knew enough about the process.
Under normal circumstances, visitor files contained at least some basic information.
Not like this.
Other than a name and an age, there was absolutely nothing.
"So who exactly am I supposed to receive?"
The administrator fell silent for a moment.
Then said,
"An important person."
"How important?"
"Important according to the people above us."
"Who are the people above you?"
"People above me."
"…"
Irina decided to give up.
There was no point asking further.
The Northveil Directorate was often like this.
Those who were supposed to know would naturally know.
Asking about things they were not supposed to know was useless.
The administrator coughed.
Then continued.
"Anyway."
"The assignment remains unchanged."
"Accompany him sightseeing."
"Introduce him to the residential districts."
"Introduce the local culture."
"If he asks about restricted areas."
"Refuse directly."
Irina nodded.
"Understood."
She picked up her terminal.
Then looked at the ID photo again.
The boy in the picture had a calm expression.
There was nothing particularly distinctive about him.
The only unusual thing was his coloring.
Black hair.
Black eyes.
Even in a photograph, they stood out.
Because in the Northveil Directorate, such features were extremely rare.
She put away her terminal.
Then stood up and left.
She headed for the border airport.
Afternoon.
Border Airport.
Cold wind swept continuously across the tarmac.
Endless frozen plains stretched into the distance.
The sky was gray-white.
The transport aircraft had yet to land.
Only a few staff members stood in the reception area.
Irina stood beside the railing.
She stared into the distant sky.
Waiting.
She actually did not like reception duty very much.
Pollution treatment had standards.
Investigations had procedures.
Ability usage had objectives.
But communicating with people had no standard answer.
Especially when meeting a stranger for the first time.
It was even harder to know what to expect.
Just then.
A black dot appeared in the distance.
The transport aircraft entered her field of vision.
It slowly descended.
And finally landed on the tarmac.
The airflow kicked up a large amount of snow.
The staff began moving.
Inspection procedures commenced.
The aircraft door slowly opened.
One passenger after another stepped outside.
Irina glanced down at the photo in her file.
Then looked up again.
The next second.
She recognized him immediately.
She did not need to search.
Because he stood out too much.
Black hair.
Black eyes.
Standing among the crowd, he looked like an entirely different color.
The contrast against the pale surroundings was striking.
It was the first time Irina realized.
Black could be so noticeable.
The reality was completely different from the photograph.
The impact was far greater in person.
It was difficult to describe.
It was not handsomeness.
Nor was it simply good looks.
It was unfamiliarity.
A kind of unfamiliarity she had never encountered before.
Most residents of the Northveil Directorate had lighter-colored hair.
Blonde.
Brown.
Gray.
Black was already uncommon.
Pure black was even rarer.
Especially those eyes.
They were almost unnaturally calm.
Like deep water beneath a layer of ice, with no visible bottom.
There was no way to tell what was hidden inside them.
Irina suddenly remembered an old book she had read as a child.
When describing unknown regions, it had contained a line.
Night hides many things.
And those eyes.
They gave her a similar feeling.
Mysterious.
Quiet.
Impossible to see through.
At the same time.
Lucian noticed her as well.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then both looked away.
Irina stepped forward.
"Hello."
"I'm the guide assigned to you."
"My name is Irina."
Lucian nodded slightly.
"Lucian."
His voice was steady.
There was no fatigue from the long journey.
Nor any curiosity about arriving in an unfamiliar country.
As if he had simply gone out for an ordinary walk.
That calmness surprised Irina even more.
She had met many foreign tourists.
When they first arrived in the Northveil Directorate.
They would almost always look around in every direction.
They would ask all kinds of questions.
But Lucian did not.
He simply observed his surroundings in silence.
As if he were collecting information.
"Welcome to the Northveil Directorate."
"Thank you."
The brief exchange ended there.
The two boarded a transport vehicle bound for the residential district.
The vehicle slowly moved forward.
The scenery outside the window steadily passed by.
Snow.
Pipelines.
Energy facilities.
Underground entrances.
Everything belonged to the most ordinary scenery of the Northveil Directorate.
Lucian watched through the window.
He remained silent.
Only after the vehicle entered the residential district did he speak.
"There are a lot of people here."
Irina nodded.
"Because this is the core residential district."
"There are several other districts nearby."
"But this one has the largest population."
Lucian continued observing.
The roads were clean.
There were many pedestrians.
Yet there was no disorder.
Everyone knew where they were going.
And what they were supposed to do.
The sense of order was extremely clear.
"More lively than I expected."
He said it casually.
Irina was slightly surprised.
It was the first time she had heard an outsider describe the Northveil Directorate that way.
Most people's first impression of this place was cold.
Barren.
Closed off.
Very few people paid attention to the residents themselves.
Irina asked, "What did you think this place would be like?"
Lucian answered,
"A cold country with scarce resources."
"And now?"
"Still cold."
Lucian answered.
"But more stable than I expected."
Irina smiled.
"Does that count as a compliment?"
"Yes."
The two continued forward.
First stop.
The district cafeteria.
It was almost dinner time.
The cafeteria was bustling.
Long lines had formed at the serving windows.
The familiar cafeteria lady was busy working.
The moment she saw Irina, she waved.
"Skipping class again today?"
"Work."
"Is this person a visitor?"
"Yeah."
The cafeteria lady looked at Lucian.
She smiled.
"First time here?"
"Yes."
"Then eat a little more."
With that.
She immediately added another spoonful.
Her movement was so practiced that it seemed almost instinctive.
Irina could not help asking,
"Why does everyone get extra?"
"To help them grow."
"He needs to grow too?"
"Of course."
Laughter immediately spread through the cafeteria.
Even Lucian smiled faintly.
It was the first time Irina had seen him show an obvious expression.
It lasted only briefly.
But the mysterious feeling surrounding him faded considerably.
At least it proved he was not a robot.
After finishing the meal.
The two left the cafeteria.
They continued the tour.
Public bathing center.
Public laundry area.
Energy Information Center.
Supply distribution point.
Community activity room.
Throughout the tour.
Lucian did not pay attention to the scenery like an ordinary tourist.
Instead, he kept asking about their way of life.
"Why are the baths shared?"
"To save thermal energy," Irina answered.
"Is the effect significant?"
"Very."
"Why is the laundry shared?"
"For the same reason," Irina patiently answered.
"I see."
He listened carefully.
Occasionally asking questions.
Then remembering the answers.
Irina gradually realized.
This person's interests were strange.
Others looked at the scenery.
He looked at how things operated.
Others looked at the buildings.
He looked at the flow of resources.
It was as if the entire country were a problem in his eyes.
And he was searching for the answer.
Before they realized it.
The nighttime lighting began to activate.
The streets gradually lit up.
The two arrived at the visitor accommodation area.
It was specifically designed for outsiders.
The conditions were slightly better than those of ordinary apartments.
But the overall style remained simple.
There were no luxurious decorations.
No unnecessary space.
Everything was designed for practicality.
Irina handed him the key card.
"Your room."
Lucian took it.
"Thank you."
Irina said, "We leave at seven tomorrow morning."
Lucian asked, "What's the schedule?"
"The surface observation area."
Irina answered.
"You'll be able to see the Northveil Directorate's most famous scenery from there."
Lucian nodded.
"Okay."
The assignment should have ended there.
But just as Irina was about to turn and leave.
She unconsciously glanced at him again.
Those black eyes remained calm.
As if nothing had happened.
And as if they had already seen everything.
What a strange person.
That was the second time she had reached the same conclusion that day.
"Is there something else?"
Lucian asked.
Irina came back to herself.
She shook her head.
"No."
"Get some rest."
"You too."
She turned and left.
The hallway fell silent again.
After returning to her apartment.
Irina washed up as usual.
She prepared the things she would need tomorrow.
Then lay down on her bed.
The lights gradually dimmed.
The room fell silent.
Yet she could not fall asleep immediately.
Her mind involuntarily returned to their meeting that day.
Black hair.
Black eyes.
An expression that was almost unnaturally calm.
And those questions that were completely different from those of ordinary tourists.
They were clearly around the same age.
Yet he gave off an indescribable sense of maturity.
Eventually.
She turned over.
Forcing all those thoughts out of her mind.
She had to get up early tomorrow.
As for that strange visitor.
Once the sightseeing was over.
They probably would not meet again.
That was what she thought.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
Meanwhile.
Inside the visitor accommodation area.
Lucian stood by the window.
He looked out over the nighttime scenery of the Northveil Directorate.
His gaze swept across the residential districts.
Across the energy pipelines.
Across the facilities that continued operating in the distance.
Finally, it settled on the brightly lit center of the city.
More interesting than the information suggested.
That was his assessment after arriving here.
Whether it was this country.
Or the girl named Irina.
Both were more worth observing than he had expected.