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

They were already a little delirious from all the pain they were going through with their wounds. So when they saw a long pathway lit up with glowing plants, the first thought they had was that they were imagining things.

It was Wolfe who, after gaping for a good two minutes, broke the silence and gave the instruction. ”Follow it.”

”What?”

He tilted down the torch in his hand, so people could have a better view of the ground. ”Don’t you see? Feel the ground. It’s asphalt.”

It was dark (the surroundings and the road itself, which was black), so they didn’t see it immediately.

They immediately walked forward and stepped on it, realizing that this road was smooth—too smooth for a forest. Now they were saying this was made of asphalt? In the middle of a Xenoan forest!?

It wasn’t like they had any better ideas, though. They were weak and in pain, and they wouldn’t last the night until they found a decent place to rest.

So...they followed the path, and saw that the density of the glowing plants was increasing. This told them that they were heading in the right direction, probably.

Soon, the endpoint entered their sight, and suddenly, the plants they thought were so bright were now extremely dim in comparison.

Alterra was not yet a fantastic fairyland seen in the movies, but all things considered, it was surely close to one.

”This...”

They were still a hundred meters outside the walls, but the town brightened up the entire area. For a moment, they thought they returned to Terran, visiting one of those preserved historical places.

It was night, but the energy was still palpable. There was still a queue of people entering, even at this time.

”We’re here,” Utang said, walking ahead of them.

”So this is where they’re getting all those things...” Wolfe said. ”It looks huge.”

”It’s even more amazing inside,” Utang said. For some reason, he looked a bit proud.

”Well, that bastard was at least useful for getting connected with a place like this.”

Utang blinked. ”Actually..., it is the Lord who has been approached by this place. Well, it’s ally, but that’s pretty much the same thing.”

He may have made a loyalty oath to the Lord, but gossiping about truth was apparently not part of the prohibitions.

”What?” they asked. ”Why?”

Their little village definitely had nothing to offer.

Utang raised his hands, leaning back to avoid the closeness. ”That is all I know.”

It was people from Guardian Village who went to their place and coordinated. Their Lord greeted the Guardian Village folk when they arrived, and talked with them inside a meeting room. The Guardian Village person sold him a map to Alterra, saying the Lord had to go there to make oaths.

It so happened that the Lord’s relative was among the Guardian Village party, and they made honesty oaths. The Lord had a bit of foresight as a businessman, so he went out to check, joining a caravan owned by Guardian Village and guarded by mercenaries they hired through that Alterra, as well.

Of course, this wasn’t something Wolfe and the others were privy to. They just thought the Lord was too lucky. What a waste of good fortune to use on a greedy bastard.

They shook their heads and went to the queue. It was night, so the line wasn’t long, but the fact that there was a line in the first place was quite impressive.

When it was their turn to enter the gates, however—

”Halt!”

They flinched, unconsciously hiding the young Sofia behind them. Sofia was ill. What if they were like some places that’d burn the ill?

The guards—wearing a nice-looking uniform— looked at them, and their eyes eventually ended up on the robed girl.

”We check for identities here; it’s for the safety of everyone inside.”

”This...”

Cardinal and the others were reluctant to show their sick companions. They were concerned that the little girl might be targeted or mocked.

Although she wasn’t infectious anymore as a survivor, the bias was there, and back in their old village, some even threw stuff at her.

They were few, and those were Terrans already, who were supposedly forward-thinking. What if this place’s aborigines reacted much more hostilely?

From what they encountered, maybe some of them would attack outright, just because they were eyesores.

”You see...”

Seeing they were being troublesome, the guards looked at each other. One sighed. ”My shift is almost up. I can’t believe I’d get a challenging customer.”

”Just hold on, man.”

They said this in Terran, not really caring who heard them.

Cardinal and the others flinched, staring at them.

”Wait, you’re Terrans?”

The guards’ eyebrows rose. Is it that surprising?

At this, Cardinal quickly took the chance. But it was the girl who stepped forward first. ”I’ve already been cured, sirs. It’s just that...my appearance is a bit ugly.”

Without further ado, she took out her coat, making her teammates flinch.

”Sofia—”

The Alterran guard stared at her. Not one of disgust, but rather of pity.

”Please come with us.”

”This...”

The guards were definitely used to this kind of reluctance.

”The testing is something every visitor does, not just you,” the guard said, pointing at the building next to the gate. Even the people queuing earlier were heading there.

”It’s to control any traces of fire plague. Although we managed it here, there could still be traces, especially in the incubation period.”

It made sense.

”How much is it?”

They might not have the money for testing. If it were a potion for the fire plague, wasn’t a single one so expensive? Wolfe had to work a few days to afford a single tester when they were still in the village!

The guard shrugged. ”None. We have indeed just devised a way to do it for free,” he said. ”You’re pretty lucky.”

Such a specialized test could be done to any newcomer who entered their territory...in reality, how could it be so easy? This was clearly something the territory itself willingly shouldered!

The newcomers looked at him, many emotions passing through their heads.

Lucky indeed, and they were not talking about the free test.