After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 384

Heartbreak Tavern

"They should be done talking by now," Oslo said, estimating the time and the others nodded.

The lord had alerted them that there was a new hire today, which made them happy as it had been a while. To show this, they decided to celebrate the coming of a new person.

The aborgines got inspired by the Terrans to welcome new hires, so when the lord told them of a new arrival, they already started to prepare to greet him well.

By this time, wine and beer were already available in Heartbreak Tavern, ready for consumption. In fact, Oslo and Rowan had already taken quite a few drinks during one of their increasingly-often bonding sessions.

It was around this time that Mimi arrived, her little feet entering the pub. Children weren’t prohibited from pubs, they were just not served anything alcoholic.

Anyway, fights weren’t allowed in the territory so the classic dangers in pubs were more or less easily avoidable in Altera.

She scuttled and paused right next to their table. She stopped and looked up, her large eyes meeting theirs.

"He’s gone to Community 2!" She said, reporting. Very cute.

They asked the children to monitor the aborigines that come out of the Village center for a bit of money. It seemed that Mimi, Jun’s daughter, got this honor today.

"Oh thank you," Oslo smiled charmingly, "Can you describe him?"

"It’s an old man!" Mimi said, "He was tall and bulky with a bald head."

"Very good little newsbringer," Oslo said with a smile, handing her a silver as a reward.

The little girl glowed and thanked them, hopping out of the pub with a happy smile. She’s rich! Her parents would be so proud!

Anyway, now that they know the new hire, the latest hire Gauis-the-gardener was tasked to escort the newcomer.

"Why me?"

"Because you’re the latest hire," Clutch explained, "And also because you’re the oldest."

"..."

Should he be offended? And why was this guy so rude?

The others laughed at him and waved him off, "It’s fine. You’re the one who will probably make him feel most comfortable," Oslo said, "Be sure to bring him in here!"

Gauis sighed and followed, heading towards the door of the tavern.

Before closing though, he heard Oslo yell in reminder,

"You can kidnap him if you have to!"

"..."

…

Shaking his head, Gauis went out to greet the newcomer, greeted by the wide roads lined with trees and shrubs.

He sighed in adoration. He would never get used to this.

As he walked to the community, Gauis couldn’t help but admire the roads, as well as the plants strategically placed and the flowers wonderfully added.

This was something he had been seeing for days, but it never failed to improve his mood.

He saw plenty of people admiring them, or using them somehow like as a backing or a cover. Then they would use them to go to various destinations, and a lot of these pathwalks would lead towards various parks—the most admirable of which was Altera Gardens.

Together, all these created a wonderful ’organism’ that protected them, gave them food, sheltered them from heat and winds, and lifted them up spiritually.

He had a part in this.

Back then, even if he was given a lot of exotic plants to work on, there had never been a sense of accomplishment like this.

It wasn’t that the variety was inferior to what he had now—those were noble families with a lot of resources—but the soul of the garden, the people, weren’t there.

The gardens he painstakingly arranged could only be enjoyed by a handful, and still so perfunctorily… simply to ’show off’.

At the time, he didn’t know any better so he just worked hard as he was asked. He was extremely honored to be hired by nobles, to be trusted of such important tasks as maintaining ’face’.

Then one day, when he was arranging a flower bed—unintentionally hidden underneath the bushes—he saw something scandalous.

If he was hired through direct means and was not protected by the rules of the Chancery, he had no doubt that he had already been buried in the same flowerbed he had been working on.

Of course, this meant that he was blacklisted everywhere and those people used their connections to keep him from applying to ’good’ cities and cities.

At the time he was in despair. Villages and most towns generally don’t need people like him.

But, miraculously, he was hired not too long after—by a little village no less.

He thought it was the best thing that happened to him.

…

On another side, coming from the central village center area, Tronie was walking around in awe.

Was this really a village? Then again, didn’t he actively choose villages for their potential?

"My name is Oslo Gold, Class D Architect."

"Clutch Fos, Armoury."

"Rowan Houz, soldier."

"Houser Road, wood artisan."

"Clout Stone, Construction!"

Trion blinked. A village had so many professionals? Then it was the womens’ turn and he got even more shocked.

"Brenda Smith, weapons maker."

A beautiful woman smiled, "Betty Ging. I’m a Healer." She said and then nudged the woman who was sipping some ale beside her.

"Lenny Miss," she said, "Seamstress."

Then they all stared at him and gulped. "I’m Tronie Woods, Construction Materials Expert."

They paused for a bit, eyes bright, before nodding. "We understand why the Lord would choose you," Oslo said patting his shoulder. "You’re quite lucky."

"Anyway, time to welcome you!"

They then handed him a piece of thin wood, carved with writings and drawings. It was quite amusing and he found himself staring a bit.

"Choose your drink!" Gauis said, patting his back.

Tronie wasn’t entirely sure what was he supposed to do, so he just looked closely at what was handed to him and started reading the contents. Gaudi, excited to see his friend, even introduced it to him.

"Here we have Ale with golden hues and frothy top." The old man said, pointing at the top of the list, sliding down. "Then we have Mead for something sweeter. I learned that it’s enjoyed best in small goblets.

"This is Cider for a lighter alternative refreshing tang. Then Wine for a touch of refinement and Whiskey for a taste of strong spirit."

"So many options!" Tronie mumbled, brown eyes fixed on the list. It was hard to choose!

He never liked alcohol, but somehow he was drooling.

"You will love this place, as we have!" Gauis said with a grin and Tronie smiled, eyes ending up meeting the group’s amused sight.

He felt a little shy, but then their next words couldn’t help but make him a bit teary.

"Welcome to Altera!" They said, "Welcome to your new home!"