Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The next day, Lady Ladia and her family arrived in Alden Town aboard carriages dispatched by the Municipal Hall.
Accompanying them were several senior officers from the Southern Star, including Quik, who rode on horseback.
Despite setting out early, the group arrived in the town well past 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
"What a quaint town!"
Ladia alighted from the carriage and observed Alden Town in the waning sunlight. "So, this is where the lord resides? It may not be as bustling as Angle Bay, or even as grand as the former Frand Port, but it certainly has its own charm."
Alden Town was no longer the same as when Paul first took office as lord.
He had constructed several factories on the southern bank of the Wes River, including paper mills, porcelain factories, and mechanical workshops—all located away from Alden Island. This decision was made because it was inconvenient to transport raw materials and finished goods through the floating bridge.
Later, with the increasing number of workers recruited from outside the town and immigrants, the Municipal Hall had built a large number of accommodations on the southern shore of Lake Wes, enriching the local atmosphere.
The Municipal Hall was planning to formally establish a residential area here. However, there was still hesitation whether to wait for an urban planner to arrive or start construction immediately.
To facilitate transportation between the two locations, the Municipal Hall had completed a land reclamation project, narrowing the waterway between Alden Island and the southern shore to the width of a typical urban moat.
Though termed an engineering project, it was essentially conscripting laborers to move a few loads of earth. The water here was not very deep, and Alden Island was located in the extreme south of Lake Wes, not in its center.
The Municipal Hall had built a wide stone bridge to replace the original floating bridge, greatly facilitating traffic in and out of the town.
As for security considerations? As the capital of Alda, Alden Town was home to the permanently armed First Battalion of the Army. If even they could not withstand an enemy, a shallow lake like this one would clearly be of little use.
"The town has changed a lot since I last visited. There are more buildings now."
Ladia sighed, marveling at how much the town had evolved.
The group crossed the stone bridge and headed into the town.
"The sign of this shop says... 'Boiled Water Shop'? Am I reading this correctly, Ladia?"
"You're not mistaken, Mother."
"Haha, are you joking? There's actually a shop dedicated to selling boiled water?"
Ladia found it somewhat unbelievable, but her daughter immediately adopted a serious expression.
"Mother, this is no joke. It's a matter of life and death! Lisa, pay attention."
Then the young advisor earnestly explained microbiological knowledge to them.
"Thankfully, our family is accustomed to drinking hot water."
Ladia and Lisa looked pale; they hadn't realized there were so many unseen life forms in water.
But Ladia suddenly remembered drinking untreated water frequently when she was young and felt a chill run down her spine.
It wasn't until they had walked half a block that she began to recover slightly.
"Nevertheless, this town is quite tidy. Even the villages in Angle Bay couldn't achieve this level of cleanliness."
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"Trash can only be thrown into those large bins by the roadside. Have you seen those people wearing red armbands? If they catch you littering, you'll be fined. If you refuse to pay the fine, they'll call the police—similar to our City Guards, who maintain public order—to arrest the litterer and send them to prison."
"A fine? Prison? That's too much for simply littering. Shouldn't this situation gradually cultivate civic awareness?"
Setia lightly covered her mouth, somewhat discontent with the local lord.
"Correcting excesses must be done with caution, but caution cannot be an excess... uh, that's what the lord said."
Quik and the others who followed behind were curious. These two women had been muttering in a foreign language since they entered the town, and they wondered what they were saying.
It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the front gate of the lord's mansion, where guards from the Internal Guard Battalion stopped them.
Ladia approached and exchanged a few words with the guards, and one of them immediately went inside to report.
If it had only been the lady advisor, she could have entered directly, as she usually worked at the lord's mansion, and the guards were already familiar with her. However, this time, she was accompanied by her family and the officers from the Southern Star, and their number was not small, so the guards had to treat them with caution.
Soon, the soldier returned.
"Earl Grayman invites you in."
So Ladia led the group into the castle hall. The local lord, Paul Grayman, was already waiting for them there, accompanied by his blood-sworn brother, Malon Ganard, and another lady advisor, Miss Betty D'Arshi, who stood on his left and right respectively.
The officers from the Southern Star stood neatly in formation and solemnly saluted their lord with a standard military salute, which intrigued Ladia with its peculiar formality.
"Welcome, my heroes, and... the two ladies from Angle Bay."
Paul and Cecil approached and hugged the officers from the Southern Star one by one, while Eileen went to hug Ladia.
"Come, let's not stand, find a place to sit."
After everyone was seated, Ladia introduced her mother and Lisa to Paul.
"Lady Setia, Miss Lisa, I hope you will have a happy and pleasant life here."
"Thank you, Earl, I am very grateful for taking in my daughter. Ladia has caused you trouble."
Ladia knew that the young lord in front of her already knew about her daughter's identity. Her mention of causing trouble and being taken in wasn't just about hiring her daughter as an advisor.
It's unclear if Paul understood, but he just smiled and said, "Where's the trouble? She has helped me a lot."
Lisa, sitting beside Ladia, blushed and nervously couldn't say a word, after all, she was a guest in the lord's house.
However, today's focus was on Quik and the others. After some pleasantries between Paul and Ladia, they quickly began discussing their journey at sea this time.
Quik and several officers detailed their process of entering and leaving ports, meeting the Foster family, and various experiences in Angle Bay.
But what Paul was most concerned about was their experience at sea, asking detailed questions about the winds, currents along the way, and the distribution of towns on the coast.
"Do you think we can start ocean trade? Specifically, in terms of maritime transportation."
"Lord Grayman, I believe we definitely can, and we should do it as soon as possible. Angle Bay is truly a place teeming with wealth."
Quik assured him confidently.
Listening to his words, Paul's confidence grew stronger.
"Uh... my lord, we received a special gift in Angle Bay. Please make the decision."
"A gift? Is it from the Foster family to you?"
"No, please take a look first."
Under Paul's puzzled gaze, Quik gestured to another officer who brought a wooden box in front of Paul.
It took two people to lift the wooden box, which looked very heavy at first glance.
Quik opened the box, and the golden light that shot out from inside immediately stunned Paul.
(End of the Chapter)