After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

The reception was held in the same venue.

While the place was being rearranged, the guests were invited to look around the gardens and socialize.

While the bride and groom talked with most of the guests, they hang around more with their families and friends. Beany and Althea’s eyes met and they smiled, knowing their gap had narrowed again somehow. He then ventured off to help entertain their guests, knowing what they were like.

”This is amazing,” Althea told her friends, especially to Winona and Sheila who helped with the program a lot. ”Thank you.”

”It’s nothing. We were happy while we were doing it,” the blonde said, waving her hand casually. She didn’t forget to fawn on her dress for the nth time though. ”Sigh, it really suits you. Andrei is such a talent…”

”It’s very comfortable, too,” Althea added with a smile.

”Fortunately, you wore white, since it’s getting hotter,” Sheila added, carefully wiping her face and then fanning herself with the handkerchief. Now that she mentioned this, the others also felt the same.

”I thought it was just me.”

”Anyway, it’s cool enough under the shades of the trees…”

”You’re right, you’re right.”

The group moved under the canopy of the nearby tree. They also received a lot of greetings from the guests and they acted like proper hosts under the shadow of the canopy.

They continued to chat until everyone started sweating more and more.

Garan took out a clean handkerchief in his space and gently dabbed the sweat away from Althea’s forehead, but very gently, knowing it could mess the make-up. He ended up hugging her closer to him with a hand as he did so though.

Althea smiled and sighed, thanking him, though she did gently pat his hand, in an attempt to take some of his body heat off her (he was too warm, which wasn’t good in this weather). ”The temperature is increasing. Is it summer?”

”Is it?” Another mumbled. ”Probably, right?”

At this, both Althea and Garan couldn’t help but pause in thought.

Xeno actually only had temperate weather in most areas. That, or the annual harsh weather.

They blinked, certain thoughts on the verge of dawning—

Before they could explore it though, they were greeted by Garan’s team, who were smiling widely at them. ”Congratulations, captain!”

Garan nodded, unable to keep his hands off his wife’s waist in the end, and Althea could only succumb to the added heat.

”I hope you enjoyed the party,” he said. Garan knew it had been a while.

The soldiers knew this and sniffed a bit. ”It had indeed been too long,” Mao said, heaving a deep breath. Loki beside him looked melancholic as well.

”I remember back in Terran, I abhorred events like this,” he said, in classic introvert fashion. ”I found them boring and a waste of the little time I have in civilization.

”Now… I hope there’s more.”

They smiled, and someone patted his shoulder. ”There should,” Mao said. ”Maybe we’ll get you a wife.”

Loki rolled his eyes, making everyone chuckle.

Plaridel watched his friends and smiled, feeling a complicated mix of melancholy and nostalgia. ”In contrast, my family culture’s the opposite,” he said. ”Our weddings are extremely social, even guests perform in weddings, dancing solo or duet performances just because they could.”

Mao laughed out loud at a memory. ”I remember your sister’s wedding. They forced you to break dance—HAHA”

Plaridel gave him a look. ”I was good.”

”Yes, you were very confident.”

”...”

The conversation turned to one filled with sentimentality, and quite a few bouts of laughter. ”Your family has a lot of great singers though, even the accountant, the waitress, or the nurse. All of them—” Mao said, still chuckling at the memory of the various performances that night. Plaridel’s family really liked to party.

The dude’s family—no, clan—was so big, too, but sadly there was no clue as to where any one of them was. ”Even Boss Gill clapped his hands for you—that’s saying something.”

Speaking of Gill…

This made the soldiers look at each other. ”It’s been a few days since Gill set off for Iron Mountains, have we received a message from him yet?” Garan asked.

Before leaving, they got Gill to bring a messenger bird with him. Because there was technically no lord in satellites, the easy communication between two territories via the Center was ironically not as straightforward as, say, between their allies or their subsidiaries.

”Not yet, Captain.” It was Mao who answered. He had been assigned to lead the Guard Station this week, and included in the scope of work were messages from the birds.

”Hopefully, there are no accidents,” Althea said. ”The other people assigned there have also left, yes?”

”Yes, they left before the wedding announcement.”

Before they could discuss anything else work-related, the events planners (i.e. Ansel and the twins Leo and Luke) called everyone back in for the reception. They went around the gardens, handsome in their matching suits, and gently asking everyone to head inside like expert classy hosts.

The guests entered and the area was transformed into a reception area with circular tables and chairs, flower arrangements, with long buffet tables on both sides.

There was also a relatively wide space where the altar and a few front pews had been, which would now serve as the stage.

They smiled, taking their seats, very much ready to attack the food. However, they stopped themselves because they knew there was still a program.

There was a very nice set of appetizers though. The waiters would bring each table a platter of appetizers like chips, french fries, popcorn, and their dips, and everyone had fun eating a few bites while waiting for the Grand Entrance.

The reception began immediately. It started with the classic entry of the entourages and the bride and groom (this time the band also used the percussion instruments, adding lively beats to the music).

The thick-skinned entourages would also have amusing entrances. Winona would twirl beautifully and make a clean bow in the end. Ansel made a cartwheel while Beany looked like he was about to do the same, but ended up twirling in the end.

Sheila was too shy and just waved her hand, with Eagle practically giving her a strong standing ovation (except he only had a hand to clap with so he clapped on his thigh the whole time).

The classic programs with the toasts, welcome speeches, and cake-cutting was maintained. Today’s host was Fable, feeling pity Juni was not there with him, and he thought it’d be more fun with a cohost he had worked with a few times.

Anyway, he did very well in leading the program and there was no dull moment.

To end the first part of the formal program (before they went into party mode with various performances), the bride and groom were asked to dance to a song.

”Now, before we fill ourselves with the delicious-looking food at the side, let’s welcome the gorgeous newly-rewed couple to the stage~!” he said, moving away from the open area in front of the tables.

The couple looked at each other and held each other’s hands, heading to the stage, embracing each other under the eyes of their guests.

And so, the next section of a memorable night began, which was good because a war was heading their way within the next few weeks, and it had already begun to creep on to them like a virus.

And it wasn’t one that they had ever experienced before—

After all, it was a war with nature.