36 Life in Leningrad (Part 2)

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For Lana, the day starts early. She gets up with first light, and helps her mother prepare for the start of the day. At eighteen years old, she was a cheerful young woman with dreams for a bright future.

She was a daughter of a baker; her family had operated their business for over two decades now. They also had been one of the very first to move into Leningrad, her father having taken decision to move when he heard a new city was being built. Many considered it a risk, but her father was adamant that it would be better for the family and the business. Fortunately he had been right. Bread was the main food item of the populace, and as such bakeries were one of the most widespread businesses in the region. The family opened a new bakery in one of the micro districts and business was booming.

"Good Morning Jake, you're up early today!"

She greeted her older brother, a man in his mid twenties. He had just woken up and still appeared sleepy.

"Hey Lana… I have to be on duty by nine…"

Jake worked for the State police, although he had only recently completed his cadet training and was a promising rookie. He left his sister who was busy preparing the table, and went to the washroom. Picking up two buckets, he made his way out of the house and to the nearby water tap. Every street had taps placed at certain intervals from which the people could fetch water. These were part of the city's water system, something which was completely new to the residents of the SRR.

Before this, the only reliable sources of water for most people were the wells and ponds. The intake of contaminated water, or water containing elements like lead and arsenic often caused diseases and people died as a result. Big cities did have their own water distribution systems, but as expected those were also run through use of magic, and were available only in the wealthy parts of the cities. The Civil engineers of Leningrad who were trained in modern sciences and methods made a similar system, but operated through science rather than magic.

Steam pump houses were being constructed, with two already in operation which pumped water from the river and sent them through large steel pipes to giant artificial reservoirs, where water was allowed to stand so that the dirt and other larger particles could settle. The reservoirs were lined with a layer of stone bricks sitting atop a layer of sand, to reduce further mixing of mud into the water. From there smaller steam pumps pumped the water into the network of steel pipes which transported water to the city.

At present, there was no water cleaning plants due to lack of funds, so the people were advised to boil the water they used for drinking. Emphasis was also given on rainwater harvesting with most buildings having pits, where the rainwater could collect and seep back into the soil instead of running off. Another area in which the system lacked was that only the government buildings had internal piping, the shops and houses did not get such luxury. They could only store water from the street side tanks.

There were indeed plans to set up water cleaning plants and provide household connections, but those were still far away. The water supply was maintained by the municipality, and it levied a small water tax on those who owned houses and other buildings, to pay for the operation and maintenance of the system. Still, for the people this much was already more they could ask for. It was now a common sight to see people lining before the street side taps with buckets to store water for the day's use. Fortunately Jake didn't have to wait for long, and he was joined by his father who also came to fetch water. The pair quickly filled half a dozen buckets, and stored them in the washroom.

Speaking of washrooms, the sanitation system in Leningrad was implemented strictly, for improper disposal of human excrement was a leading cause for disease. A network of sewers was constructed under the streets which carried human waste from the buildings to a makeshift treatment plant, where sludge was allowed to settle in a series of settling ponds and the water was discharged into a system of swamps and marshes. The swamp trapped the waste water naturally occurring microorganisms would break down the waste and slowly discharge cleaner water downstream into the river. The settling ponds would regularly be cleaned by prisoners. Someone had to do the smelly jobs and it was a suitable punishment for criminals.

A garbage collection system was also implemented with, wooden garbage bins supplied to every building, and larger bins at fixed locations beside the streets. A dedicated municipal body for waste collection and management had also been implemented. Every morning garbage collectors would come to take the trash and after loading it onto carts, send it outside the city. Since there were no plastics in this world, almost all of the garbage was biodegradable, and most of it was used to make compost manure for the farms in Rigel.

"Good morning big bro! Good Morning Dad!"

A childish voice greeted the father son-pair as they completed their haul. Turning around, the father, a man in his forties with a bushy beard and kind face hugged his eight year old son who had just woken up. This was Jaden, the youngest of the three children of the family.

"Lana! Help Jaden get ready! He has to go to school!" the mother shouted from the kitchen.

"Yes mom!"

Lana who had finished preparing the table for breakfast pulled Jaden and helped him get ready. Thanks to their successful business, the family could afford to pay the small fee for little Jaden to attend school. While Lana too would have liked to attend, she was an adult now and had to help with the bakery. Soon, the whole family; which consisted of the three siblings, their parents and their paternal grandparents; gathered at the breakfast table discussing the plans for the day and made all sorts of random talk.

As the women cleaned up, Jake left for his job while taking Jaden with him to drop him off to school. The young policeman was wearing a simple uniform consisting of a grey shirt and grey trousers. He also had a grey coloured cap on his head; the design was that of the "Pilotka" more commonly known as the "Summer Caps". A pair of white shoulder boards which had his name and number weaved onto them, and a police badge that hung on his chest established his identity. Jaden was quite proud of his brother for the police were seen as the protectors of the common people and as such they were respected by them. Once the pair reached the school, the young boy excitedly ran off to join his friends as the older brother watched on. A while later Jake reported for duty at the police station.

The State Police operated under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The police force itself was divided into three parts; The General Police which was responsible for maintaining law and order and patrolling the city, The Investigation Branch which whose duty it was to investigate crimes and felonies and the Riot Police that acted only when situations got too difficult for the general police. The police had a rank system similar to the army with some minor changes. Their organizational structure was very different however.

Jake was part of the general police and currently held the rank of Constable, equivalent to a private in the army. Determined to rise up the ranks, he was a promising young recruit. He filled in his daily attendance and with his baton in tow, joined a few of his fellow constables to patrol the locality.

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Lana accompanied her father and grandfather to help with the bakery, while her mother and grandmother stayed at home tending to the household tasks. Their bakery was a short walk from their house, and as usual Lana helped her father in preparing the dough while her grandfather carefully prepared the oven, filling it with charcoal. The front portion of the bakery was used as a small café where people could eat their bread along with some other items like milk, jams, butter etc. tea and coffee were still not available to the masses, as they were not cultivated in the SSR and only traders from the south brought them here.

"Is the dough ready yet?" her grandfather asked, rubbing the sweat off his brow.

"Yes" her father placed the loaves onto a tray and gave it to Lana.

Her grandfather was the most experienced of them, and controlled the baking process himself. The oven looked a lot like the pizza ovens used on Earth. He slowly adjusted the heat, adding more fuel when necessary and blowing air into the fire. When he was satisfied, he signalled Lana who slowly pushed the first tray into the oven. Her father meanwhile kept making more loaves. The fragrant smell of baked bread soon filled the bakery. While the two men dealt with the baking, Lana went ahead and prepared the café, adjusting the chairs and tables, making sure that everything was ready before finally unlocking the doors. Soon the first customer arrived, followed by others. Most of them were women who came to buy bread for their families. There were also men who didn't have time to eat at home and came here to grab a quick bite before hurrying off to work.

Due to the increase in wheat production, flour was widely available and cheaper than before, allowing bakers to sell their bread and other items at lower prices, making them affordable to the masses. Leningrad itself didn't have any farmlands around it. All of its food including wheat, fruits and vegetables were supplied from the sprawling farms which now dotted the landscape south of Rigel. Vast stretches of farms covered both sides of the road, appearing like a green carpet stretching as far as the eye could see. There were windmills in the fields which ground the wheat into flour, but steam powered mills were also used though they were few in number.

Sugar production had also increased significantly, due to the farming of a tuber similar to beetroot. With the help of modern processing techniques, the yield of sugar extracted from each kilo of material had increased, but the price was still high enough that people used it sparingly. Lana's family also made a special type of sweet bread using this sugar, which sold for a higher price.

"....We have almost completed the first part of the southern section of the wall... I reckon it will be another dozen days before we are done with it…"

As Lana manned the sales counter, she overheard some of the men chatting loudly. She was familiar with these people; they were construction labourers who frequently came to their café to have a cheap breakfast.

"…That's hearty mate, we chaps at the eastern side still have a long way to go ya know! The chief's afraid we're gonna be behind schedule… I don't want me salary to be cut ye know?"

The masons were discussing about the constructing of the inner city wall which would separate the central administration area from the rest of the city. The wall which had recently begun construction was planned to be five metres tall and three metres wide. It was not a single solid structure, but rather a complex structure made of three layers. On both the outer and inner side, were layers of half a metre thick stone bricks, which were joined using plaster (cement). The empty space between the two stone walls was then filled with soil and compacted thoroughly until it could not be compacted any further. Finally, on top of this soil was a compacted layer of gravel and above that a layer of stone slabs held in place with plaster.

The function of the inner wall was two-fold, firstly it allowed the guards to control who entered and exited the administration district preventing anyone from easily getting in. Secondly it would serve as a defensive line in case of an attack, either by monsters or humans. While such attacks hadn't happened in the recent past, they were not uncommon in the region, and the planners entrusted with the construction of the city took no chances. An outer wall was also planned, which would surround the entire city, and serve a similar purpose.

"Still, to think that just five years ago, all of this was mostly barren scrubland… we have come a long way haven't we?"

Before the Leningrad was built here, the place was covered in shrubs and sparse trees. On Add's orders, an expedition into the area had found the region flat and suitable for founding a new city and subsequently a large area had been cleared, while the red army slaughtered any monsters that lingered around. The construction of the city not only provided new jobs, it also provided a healthier and cleaner environment to live in. With public services all but nonexistent before this, most couldn't even imagine the facilities that the city offered. It was a completely new experience for the people. Comparing the difficult times they had left behind, when most people didn't have enough food to fill their bellies, the present days seemed like a blessing.

"Indeed we have come a long way, but this is still just the beginning. There is so much more to do…sigh…so much work."

Another labourer added. While the work was tough and physically demanding, the pay was decent which attracted a lot of people into the construction industry.

However, Leningrad was no haven in dark times. It wasn't even close. Despite its best efforts, the government couldn't provide jobs to everyone who wanted to work. Its resources were limited, and small miscalculation in spending could severely disrupt the fledgling economy. While the city developed, for the villages in the territory, not much had changed. The villagers still lived a very hard life. Crime was still present, as were the frequent attacks from monsters.

Poverty was still widespread and there were still a lot of poor people who were forced to live on the streets, the government did try to help them through community kitchens which served free bread to the poor, to ensure that they wouldn't starve. While this added a hefty cost on the government, Add had summarized his reasons in a single sentence.

"A hungry populace is an unhappy populace. An unhappy populace is a dangerous populace."

He was no philanthropist. While he would try his best to help his people, with the limited resources he had access to, he had to be calculating in every decision he took. The potential of the SRR's growth was great, but it required time to develop. Only as the territory continued to develop, would the government have enough funds to tackle all problems. Till then the unfortunate ones could only endure.

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Back at the headquarters of the KGB, David stared down the young agent, causing the later to have cold sweat.

"So what important information do you have for me?"

At his question, Faust didn't reply but instead carefully took out an envelope and handed it over to David. The Director took it and stared at it silently for a while, it was LAC-sealed. This was the standard procedure for delivering any documents within the KGB. Looking at Faust he said,

"Very well, you are dismissed"

The Agent saluted and left quickly not wanting to face the scary man anymore. David watched the man disappear into the dimly lit corridors and returned to his desk, shutting the door behind him. Clara quietly watched on while David opened the enveloped and read the document inside. She knew David didn't like to be disturbed during his work. As the man read the papers one by one, his brows furrowed and a frown appeared on his face. He turned the pages repeatedly cross checking all the information within. After reading it once, he read it again to ensure he hadn't missed anything. Once he had finished, he placed the documents back into the envelope and kept it in a drawer before locking it shut. His face was very serious.

"Judging from your expression, it must be something really important right?"

Clara could be said to know David better than anyone else. While the man had a deadpan expression all the time, only something significant could cause him to appear like that. At her questioning David shook his head, his expression relaxed as he gave a small smile before whispering,

"We have guns."

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