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

[117 days after The Migration]

The day of the mass wedding finally arrived and it was unsurprisingly festive for the whole territory. Only a few people could actually attend the event itself, but it somehow triggered the lovey-dovey atmosphere all over.

Everywhere was bustling and the people who hunted went out earlier so they could enjoy the atmosphere more relaxedly.

A lot of shops even held some events as if it was Valentine’s Day.

For example, the restaurants gave special discounts to pairs, the bookshop started selling heart-themed stationeries, and there were plenty of stalls selling ’love-themed’ food like strawberry juice with the fruit cut into heart-shaped pieces.

There was also a spike in sales of ’shared’ food like ice cream floats with two straws or elongated plates with long pasta.

Most stores sold Goujiberry though because the only place that planted strawberries during the heatwave was the greenhouses. Not a lot of people could afford strawberries, and red gouji fruit—which was lush and abundant—was the best alternative.

Chocolates were still inaccessible not long after the Heat Wave, so people just took various sweets as gifts. People who owned flower farms also began selling bouquets, profiting off on the capitalist practice.

As for the wedding venue, it was still in the large events place in Alterra Gardens, but the accordion walls were opened, expanding the venue well into the gardens outside.

It was magnificently designed and decorated, expanded further over the past two days. The couples who registered were also given comfortable and ample space to say their vows, giving enough solemnity and privacy, considering they’d be doing it with others.

There were about a dozen couples who chose to participate in this grand occasion. Each couple could invite up to 10 people, and the rest were positioned people in the territory.

The brides wore different simplified wedding dresses, all of which had some variances, while the grooms wore suits with some unique designs each. This was an amazing feat, and it could be said that Lenny’s team as well as Andrei’s were sewing monsters to be able to do all these in a short amount of time.

Andrei’s company in particular actually grew a lot during the Heat Wave. People were trapped in the day, and needed livelihoods that could be done indoors.

Not everyone would go out night by night to fight with mobs, after all. They would go out to meet the requirements, but they naturally preferred to do the safer jobs any other time.

Anyway, everywhere in the territory bustled with activity. This included the hospital.

Here, in any direction one looked, one could see someone holding a bouquet. They would have smiles on their faces, excited to give the gifts to a special someone.

Victor sighed and looked outside the private ward’s window. At this time, he had moved Juni’s bed near it so she could get as much fresh wind and sun as she could.

It was for extra comfort, some brightness, and a bit of vitamin D—sprinkled with an illusion that maybe the light would slowly nudge her awake.

It was also because of this that he could witness the lively atmosphere. He could even hear some of the events outside the hospital.

Victor sighed and sat down at the bedside, patting Juni’s hand. He raised her palm so he could rest his forehead against the back of her hand. He could also feel the weak heartbeat coming from her wrist.

”I wish we could participate in that,” he told her, voice a bit strained. ”What I wouldn’t do to achieve that…”

He did not expect the hand to flinch after he uttered the words, however.

Victor’s eyes widened as he lifted his head to stare at her. He gulped and looked at her hand, and before long it moved again.

His dead heart felt like exploding all of a sudden.

”Juni?!”

…

The wedding started about an hour or so before noon. One reason was so they could go straight to a lunch reception.

Another was because it felt a bit empowering to do this at a time when, just a week prior, the open air could melt their skins.

There were about ten other pairs getting married other than Winona and Ansel, as well as Sheila and Eagle.

The other pairs included Yiyi and Jake, Okuri and Ronny, Eugene and Melissa, Louie and the Mauin Eppa, among many others.

Speaking of Louie and Eppa, he actually proposed to her during the celebratory meal they had when the Heat Wave ended. Eppa did not know such practice and immediately cried when she realized what it was.

Troy and Brenda wanted to participate as well, but decided to pass this time. This was because Brenda wanted her father there. Hopefully, her friends had told him about Alterra and was on his way to her soon.

In Xeno, the presence of the parents in their weddings was extremely important—not just for the sentiment, but also because it wouldn’t be seen as a blessed wedding otherwise.

By now, everyone knew that the higher the level a person had, the more difficult it would be for them to conceive. Conceiving even at a lower level wasn’t easy either, primarily due to people’s dangerous lifestyles.

A parent blessing the next generation was therefore much more symbolical than even in Terran weddings.

Anyway, the program was starting soon, with the brides and grooms lined up at the back for the grand procession.

Althea was there to help out, and she particularly focused on Winona and Sheila, arranging their bouquets and ensuring their dresses were as perfect as they could be.

About a couple of minutes before the procession though, an urgent voice yelled beside them. ”Wait!”

They turned and were surprised to see who it was.

It was Victor—wearing a nice formal suit—carrying the beautiful Juni, who was wearing a simple white dress. She was a little pale, but otherwise still very beautiful.

Victor took a deep breath, staring right at Alterra with a bit of plea. ”We want to join… please.”

”Victor? Juni?”

Althea and the others blinked, but they were pleasantly surprised to see Juni fine.

”...can we?” Victor said, eyes hopeful.

Althea smiled, ”Of course,” she said, taking an extra bouquet from her space and handed it over to Juni.

And so, another loving couple would make their vows that day.