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

It was around this time that a certain off-duty soldier and an off-duty nurse passed by, glaring at each other, followed closely by a large panda behind them.

This was none other than Mao and Lea.

And they seem to be in an altercation.

Shiro blinked, confused as to why two competent adults were like this, while Loki just shook his head.

Not again...

”Ignore them, they won’t stop unless someone walks out,” Loki said, sighing as he sipped his tea.

He did seem a bit annoyed. He liked his tea when it was peaceful, and he thought that those two were ruining the ambiance.

None of these were actually spoken though. Externally, Loki was cool and still as still water.

That said, Shiro couldn’t help but peek.

”You bump me so many times, what if I become stupid?” Lea looked at the chubby soldier with an annoyed face.

They were on their day off, and Lea saw the panda and played with it. They were enjoying their bonding when the panda’s master, fatty Mao, appeared with a smug look on his face.

”I always knew you were after what I have.”

Lea rolled her eyes.

Since their encounter in the fair games where the soldier unexpectedly lost to her, the bastard would find a way to challenge her here and there. Sometimes, they would encounter each other in the arcade after working hours, and they’d monopolize a few games that the teenagers would curse at them.

It got to the point that the arcades added a ’no hoarding’ rule where people could not stay in a single game for more than 15 minutes at a time, refreshed every hour.

Of course, if there were no one around (which never happened unless there was a war ongoing) or no one queuing for that game, then it was free for all.

Among the tweens and teens of Alterra, the two of them were infamous. There were even names for them.

The Old Foggies.

The Irksome Two.

The Annoying Oldies.

The reaction from the two was naturally not very good. Being paired with each other in whatever form just made them dislike each other even more.

Now, smack in the middle of the day, they were arguing.

”What? Are you going to challenge me to a fight next, Mr. Soldier?!” Lea asked.

”Ptooey! I will never!” Mao retorted. ”Pang! Come here!”

”No, Pang, stay with sister~”

”Tsk, you’re so shameless—”

”JUST GET MARRIED ALREADY!” some joggers yelled at them as they passed by.

”WHAT THE &23!@! ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” They yelled (in sync), and many parents around quickly covered their children’s ears.

The two looked at each other, and Lea practically vomited while Mao immaturely stomped his feet.

These were two adults in their mid to late 20s...

Pang, the Panda, just gave them a lazy look before turning away with his bum facing them.

”Pang! Choose me!”

”He’s already contracted with me!”

”Pff! Who says that’s final?”

Loki sighed. His rare time of peace...gone...

...

After talking a bit more with Loki (the cafe run was naturally Shiro’s treat), the Village Lord also found out some of the things that Alterra did not bother with, but might prove to be profitable ventures.

For example, there was not enough broat milk going around. Rather, the output so far was just enough for the territory’s usage. There were barely any exports. This was not just a storage issue, but also a quantity issue.

The broats needed a lot of grazing land to be healthy, and they were not like plants that could be enhanced via the system farms and could grow vertically.

It was not impossible for the former Vismont Village to get this. If more people moved to Old Shrao Village, then a lot of space would be freed up. Not to mention, even before, the village was not maximized because there were plenty of ’better’ options to live in among the neighbors, so the population of his village had been stagnant.

Large-scale refrigeration might not be a thing here, but the market around was massive, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Unlike Bright and Belluga, who hoped to reach farther out from the region, Shrao would be quite satisfied with serving a few surrounding villages and maybe even Alterra.

Regardless of future development, however, this would require a lot of investment and expertise, and Loki told him he’d connect him with the necessary experts and that he should prepare what he could promise them, ideally a good portion of the future income as well.

The two separated, and Shiro walked around as he thought and planned, and hoped that the purchase limits would be decent, or he could at least cut himself a good deal.

At some point, though, his feet stopped when heading in his direction. He saw a familiar lady pushing a stroller. She did not see him at first as she was focused on either her child or the flowers at the side.

When she got close enough, however, her feet stopped too. Shiro felt awkward, but he also faced her head-on.

”Miss Melissa...”

...

They found themselves walking side by side in one of the gardens. It was only silence between them at first, and it was Shiro—who was glad he wasn’t slapped or pushed away from the get-go—who broke it.

”The child is very beautiful,” he said, smiling. He was being sincere. Melissa nodded.

”Hmn, I wish he could meet his uncle.”

Shiro looked down. He had apologized to her before, but she was not required to forgive him. He should be honored she didn’t smack him or got a beast car to run over him.

There would definitely be people who would be willing to go to prison after attacking him.

”I...I owe you and your family, if there’s anything I could do—”

Logically, it was just the ways of the world, and they both knew this. However, since he had a long-term connection with Alterra, some bitterness could not just be hidden under a rug.

”Just make sure to serve this territory well,” she said, before finally leaving him behind.

In fact, a lot of fault also lies in the two siblings. They had been too weak and undeserving of the power they were given. She knew this, and she acknowledged this.

Like him, she understood that it was technically not his fault; he wasn’t even the one who directly killed Matthew, but the brain and the heart were different organs, so it was never straightforward.

Still, it would forever be difficult for Melissa to look at this man.

Shiro stared at her departing figure, eyes fixed on the stroller she was pushing.

He determined that a portion of his new industry would be inherited by that child.