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

A/N: It’s 2nd Sunday of January and we’re in Top 1 so... extra chaps~! Thank you for your support everyone!

I checked and somehow things extended so the last pre-timeskip chap is tomorrow, instead of today. xD Sorry sorry

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The following week, Yassop was back with the ’hostages’. That was to say: his daughter and grandchild, Yelena and Yanno.

He looked at his daughter sitting stiffly across him from the carriage. He then looked at his meek grandson sitting on the other corner farthest from his mother.

The entire time—from the announcement of the situation, to their departure, and after days of traveling—neither of them showed much change in their expression.

He could remember the time when he told them the news, he was really worried they’d regress and react violently. He was wrong.

When he actually told them the news, the reaction was… lackluster to say the least. He almost wanted them to react violently.

”Alterra asked for you two as… hostages,” he said at the time, quickly adding: ”However, you will be living freely and happy there—you won’t even feel like you’re hostages.”

The girl nodded, and the boy stared as if it had nothing to do with him.

No matter which part of that sentence, the mother and son didn’t seem to feel much.

It was as if it was the same regardless of where they were.

Yassop only felt sad. He hoped that someday, even if it was in anger, they’d express more emotions.

Anyway, the carriage ride was silent since the trip began a couple of hours prior. They only had 1 carriage, though the rest of the servants were in the exterior seating—leaving the three of them inside, surrounded by awkward air.

Whenever Yassop tried to open a topic they would respond with a nod, a hum, or a grunt.

When he said something good about Alterra—particularly the amazing unbelievable things in an attempt to excite them—they would just look at him cynically, as if they didn’t believe him.

Eventually, Yassop just gave up talking (for now). He looked out the blurred forests outside, attempting to pass the time, but his mind still ran—trying to find a topic that they might respond to.

Nothing came to mind, however, so he ended up just staring out in a daze even in his old age.

Soon, he started seeing a few teams here and there, some were even fighting mobs. ”Ah, there are people already, we must be near,” he said, though it was more like he was talking to thin air.

Sigh.

Soon, the tall walls emerged from the dense forest, and he felt like a weight lifted from his shoulder. They all paid for the visitor pass—because residency required contribution points—and led the beast carts past the gate and onto the Beast Inn.

”We’re here,” he said, though the other two didn’t seem to care.

That was until… they finally emerged from the carriage.

Yassop turned to see the two looking around, their eyes slightly wider than usual.

His lips twitched. This was a good sign.

”Let’s go,” he told them, guiding them to the transportation hub not far away from the Beast Inn. There, various bikes and broats were available for rental.

They were lined up in organized rows with their drivers, just waiting for the next customer. Whoever was in front of the line would receive the next customer, so there was no fight between drivers. Apparently, they were paid for by the territory, so they didn’t have to rush to get customers themselves to make ends meet.

There were prices in front of the row to indicate the variances for each ride, which was really quite affordable considering how far it was to travel from one end of the avenue to the next.

There was also a section where one could rent a bike and drive it themselves but, for now, he did not explore that option.

He saw his daughter and grandson’s eyes were fixed on the unique mode of transportation. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug.

”You didn’t believe me when I told you they had something better than beast carts,” he said, smiling. ”Why don’t you choose which one we’ll ride?”

The two flinched, looking at him, and he waved in the direction of the rides to confirm that he was, indeed, asking them to choose. ”Each of you can choose one each.”

He was planning on renting three. Other than the three of them, his daughter and grandson also had a servant each to assist them in their daily tasks. The carts could carry two to four passengers, though he was ready to prepare an extra one because he doubted Yelena and Yanno would like to be sitting so close together.

Unexpectedly, they both eyed a four-seater one driven by broats. They didn’t expect this, and the boy was ready to backtrack when Yassop ruffled his little head.

He smiled. ”The three of us will ride this then.”

The boy’s eyebrows furrowed, looking at him as if he was being unreasonable. No doubt, he was thinking of his mother and how ’disgusted’ she would be.

”I’m sure she won’t mind,” he reassured him. ”It’s open air anyway, so we’re technically outside.” That was to say: they were not in the same space, so he didn’t have to worry about anything.

Yelena frowned, but just climbed up the cart without a word, though she was staring outside as if she didn’t want to see either of them.

He led the boy up to sit next to him, and the rest of the servants went to ride another one. The carts lurched forward, marking the beginning of their first exploration of Alterra.

He didn’t speak anymore after telling the driver where to go, though he was smiling in his heart. He just subtly stared at his family and looked at them staring out, watching the new sights around them.

Whether it was the unique architecture, the refreshing avenues, and various other unusual things—they must all be fascinating to the two of them who hadn’t ever been outside Yasof Village.

His eyes didn’t leave them at all. He watched every change in their expression, every little reaction they had—because it had been a while.

He didn’t remember when he had last seen his grandson’s eyes sparkle with even a bit of inquiry, and it had been many years since he saw his daughter’s lips twitch at something banal like the broat snorting near her face.

Little by little, their stances relaxed. Before, they were tense as if they were always being watched by someone hostile, but now they had… let go, bit by bit, until they were simply tourists appreciating the sight.

Their expressions weren’t much to others, but they were big in Yassop’s eyes.

Anyway, the trip ended quickly—too quickly, in Yassop’s opinion—and they arrived at their stop before they knew it. Their destination was not abutting the main avenue, so they had to get off one of the stopovers, which was a layby next to the avenues, making sure the fast traffic was not hindered by unloading passengers.

He guided them across a few more blocks and streets, eventually reaching their destination a couple of minutes later.

”We’re here,” he said, staring at the large two-story building surrounded by greeneries, playgrounds, paths, and the like.

On top of the main door, there was a sign.

Happy Hearts Home

Alterra’s Orphanage.