Chapter 1588: More Cityfolk Entering Alterra
Soon, the road seemed to merge to a bigger one and a few carriages could now go through at a time.
They started encountering more and more traffic. There were a few beast carts, but there was more foot traffic and other modes of travel, separated into a different lane, so they didn’t have to be too close to the beast carts.
However, not many of them could really watch outside the windows yet because they were all so squeezed in, so they hadn’t really observed much yet.
Luckily, as soon as they saw the territory walls, Obi and a few others jumped down from the carriage. "I’m going to make a report to the elders. Stay here."
Otto stretched his arms and also went out. "I’ll report to the family."
"Is this alright?" Margery asked, wondering if they should stay inside. Olga shrugged.
"It’s fine to stay here, more space for us."
Anyway, the descent of a few people finally gave them a comfortable sitting space. More of them could look out now, including Kalfene.
When he looked out and saw a smaller carriage pulled by two familiar creatures, he blinked.
"Are those broats?"
"Yep."
"How’d you guys get them to work so well?"
Oslo shrugged. "I don’t get it either."
Then they also saw other contraptions.
"What are those?" Marcus asked, trying to appear like an adult, but his childish side showed, considering how bright his eyes were.
He was referring to two-wheeled contraptions that allowed a person to effortlessly glide through distance. They were on a separate lane from the carts and could get in much faster, too.
Olga smiled, patting the adolescent’s head. "Those are bikes. We’ll ride them when we get inside."
The group soon reached the end of the queue and slowly entered the gate after a couple of inspections.
They then paid for the criminally low entrance fees.
"That’s all?" Kahonn asked. He had been to many Towns with lower walls and fewer sentries, and they charged twice or thrice of this.
Olga smiled as she continued to guide them. "It’s so you have more money to spend on the shops," she said. "Trust me: You’d be spending a lot."
This just whetted people’s curiosities even more, and when the carriage was allowed inside, the newcomers put their heads out to take a look.
Like everyone else, Kalfene and the others gaped as they looked around the new Town.
They had been to bigger towns—they were from a City—but there was something about the place that made people feel in awe.
The City definitely had taller buildings and had a lot more people, but there was a special charm in Alterra—whether it was the aesthetics, the urban arrangement, the smiling faces, and so on—that made it feel really unique.
They entered a large plaza of sorts and then headed to a place where the beast carts were led towards.
There were some small posts on the way—people called them bollards—to block big cars from entering after a certain point. The gap was big enough for everything else though, whether it was foot traffic, bikes, and even medium-sized broat carts like the one they had seen before.
"The Beast Carts can only pass through this area," Olga explained as they parked at the Beast Inn. "We will pay for its stay here, which is cheaper than the ones in the City, and it also comes with a free accommodation for one driver."
Though in their case, the drivers were Alterrans, too, so they wouldn’t be using these dorms.
The dorms for drivers were denser than the normal dorms, which was understandable. They were also readily accessible in case their beasts made trouble, though this was rare because Alterrans had calming plants all over the inn, and they helped neutralize beasts, and even cause them to fall asleep.
Anyway, they all headed down with only the clothes on their backs and whatever was in their spaces. Since they were ’kidnapped’, they naturally didn’t have luggage outside of their spaces.
Of course, because some of them were warned or things were hinted at, Kalfene, Sleuth, and Kahonn did have a good amount of supplies in their spaces.
The only exception was Menzon, who was very bewildered and was unsure what he would do. Veronica wasn’t even in the carriage!!
He followed her. So where was she? Was he going to die for nothing? Not even seeing her?!
He frowned when an unknown guard around level 15 pulled him up and gestured to drag him.
"Let me go! I’m the toolmaker for the Celeste Mirror! How dare you treat me like this!"
Oslo rolled his eyes. "Stop making noise or I’ll shove another handkerchief into your mouth."
"O-Oslo!" Menzon yelled, aghast at how he was being treated right now. Sure, after years of no productivity, his status as a toolmaker plummeted. However, he was still a toolmaker in the end!!
Speaking of that, he still hadn’t quite recovered from this revelation! All the younger generation of the Golds were alive and well—they even kidnapped him.
"You’re still talking?" Oslo asked, slowly raising his hand as if to grab something in thin air, no doubt taking out something from his space.
Menzon immediately pursed his lips. No, it was like he was a snail that suddenly retracted.
Under the eyes of Oslo and Olga, he had to be helplessly dragged along though, but his bewilderment was temporarily eased when he looked around along with everyone.
The buildings weren’t nearly as tall as he was used to, and they seemed a bit smaller in proportion because of the wide roads.
There were trees lined up along the roads, and everything seemed to be in order while being so lively.
It felt... refreshing somehow.
He shook his head and schooled his expression. He was being manhandled—he, a rare toolmaker with a rare inheritance!
"I will never work for you!" He declared as they reached another queue.
Oslo looked at him. "Have you finally created a Celestial Mirror?"
"..."
"So shut up," the blonde said, nudging him forward. "You’re here as collateral damage we can choose to kill if we want."
"You dare!!"
"I dare."
That said, Oslo also looked at the others. "I know you two have made oaths to the Golds, but we need you to make one for Alterra, too. Is that alright?"
He gave Menzon an extra look. "If you wanna live, that is."
Because everyone was tired, they hired a broat car to get them to the Town Center relatively quickly. There was amusingly a bit of traffic, especially in high-activity areas, but the broats behaved well as they waited in line, and it also allowed the newcomers to see a bit more of the Town, which just got more and more impressive.
The aesthetics were really consistent, and the trees and plants along the road framed their sights and delineated activity so beautifully.
Then, they reached the Town Center, which was way smaller than the City Center, but no less impressive. The sheer number of people going in and out could probably rival that of a City, too.
They queued for a bit before it was finally their turn, and the newcomers also witnessed how the Golds were treated—with admiration, but also with levity, friendliness, and sincerity.
This was in contrast to how it was in Bleulle—they were admired and looked up to, yes, but there was still a gap and detachment of sorts in the interaction. That was absent here.
Within such a short period of time, did the Golds integrate so deeply with the town already?
Anyway, their turn arrived sooner than expected, and the newcomers were asked to make their oaths, with the Golds watching over them.
The Toolmakers, Margaery, Marcus, including Menzon, had to take the oath that those people hired from the chancery took. They were basic non-betrayal oaths, nothing too harsh, just the standard.
The longer the Alterrans stayed there, the more they understood the oaths and their limitations. Sometimes, there was no need for detailed oaths because they might not be worth it, nor would they even be registered properly.
Margaery and Marcus also made non-betrayal oaths—nothing too harsh, just the standard. They did request that someone would send a letter in some way or using whoever’s name, to inform their mother they were safe.
All of them were also forbidden from sending any letters to Bleulle within the span of a few months, just in case. The Golds oversaw the whole thing and nodded in satisfaction. With this, they could at least safeguard that there would be no problems in the kidnapping, at least for a while.
Surprisingly, they saw Kalfene and Sleuth staying longer on the platforms than anticipated. They had slightly confused expressions on their faces.
When the two left the platforms, still seeming befuddled, Oslo couldn’t help but ask them. "What took you so long?" he asked.
"We tried to get residencies—sadly, there’s something called a contribution point required."
He looked genuinely disappointed.
Oslo’s eyebrows rose. They wanted residencies already? "Already? This is a town you know," he said. This was, according to common sense, a downgrade for most.
As beautiful as Alterra was, it was not taken for granted that someone from a City would transfer as soon as they landed there.
Not to mention, if there were wars between towns, they would no longer be protected by the power of a city once they changed residences. They could really become slaves if the town lost.
As citizens, the Golds naturally knew which choice was wise. But other city-dwellers wouldn’t, right? They had barely seen anything yet!
Kalfene and Sleith looked at each other, giving the other a knowing look.
"The Golds chose this place," Kalfene said. "So it must be worth it."