More and more people dealt with real estate, and Baron was rushing to get hands on it.
"Got it!" He yelled as he bought another property. "Why is there a purchase limit for the commercial areas though?"
Angelo looked over his panel and pointed at a text. "Didn’t you see the number? There’s only ten at most per building type."
"Eyyy…" Baron mumbled, disappointed. However, this wasn’t bad, as he shouldn’t be putting all his eggs in one basket, anyway.
"Anyway, 3 months is waived, I will start my business now!"
More and more people arrived at the Village Center and more and more pings and cha-chings sounded in her ears.
She frowned, as much as she liked the sound, it was much too distracting. She changed the notifications and now allowed for money-related things 50 gold or above.
As she perused the panel, she saw that Sheila and Harold had bought one commercial building each using Baron’s payment.
This was because she had insisted for them to keep the reward, as they deserved it, and she would just receive the profit sharing she deserved.
In less than 10 minutes, all ten commercial spaces have either been bought or rented out.
She pondered whether to build a few more but stopped herself, recalling the pitiful state of her stocked resource.
As a hoarder, she could not stomach emptying her stocks. Her rule of thumb was that at least a third of the maximum capacity was maintained.
So she decided to replenish her resources first before anything else. Anyway, the accommodation was just enough to serve hundreds of people.
Speaking of which…, when were the other people coming?
…
A few kilometers away from Altera.
The ones who ran after the fireworks the previous night were actually the minority.
Most people who had seen the fireworks the previous night simply couldn’t go out because of the darkness.
After all, how many people managed to bring flashlights or similar tools to their space?
However, they made sure to take note of the direction and headed there at daybreak.
Mathilda’s party was among these people.
Mathilda habitually placed her palms over each other, hovering just above her stomach.
Her sharp black eyes looked at her companions, studying if there was more to prepare.
There were two dozen of them remaining from the original hundred, and they came from three different cities in Terran.
When everyone had packed up and prepared, they looked at Mathilda, waiting for her instructions.
"Go."
As such, the group began moving towards a direction.
Even if she was one of the oldest and weakest in the group, as a retired-but-acclaimed politician, everyone still respected her.
Not to mention she had saved a lot of lives with her planning and strategies. This gave her a lot of leverage and respect.
The group trekked for several minutes, makeshift weapons out and ready to fight.
It was just that the improved physiques after the apocalypse helped him ignore his shortcomings.
They rested for a while, treating their wounds, and consuming little food that they had left.
Fortunately, they had already determined a couple of edible plants in the vicinity so no one starved to death. There was also a botany student who had some idea of how to determine which was poisonous. He wasn’t always accurate, but he definitely saved a few lives.
They had also managed to find water in a creek a day prior, thanks to Drake’s mountaineering experience, though they had to disinfect it several times to be safe.
After resting, the group continued on their way across the difficult terrain, crossing the hills and dense undergrowth.
It was very tedious, taking them hours to reach a place that could be walked for less than an hour on foot, on flat land.
The next leg of the journey to the fireworks was relatively uneventful, except for the monster hoards that attack them every so often. But with Drake’s leadership, no one was sacrificed.
When they finally saw the walls their legs almost gave out in relief.
They almost ran to find the closest gate and, seeing it was open, immediately ran in.
[You have arrived at Altera Village, welcome!]
They almost cried at the notifications, and they looked eagerly at the announcements that followed.
"The entry is only 5 copper." One said, paying without thinking, and everyone else did the same.
Excited, they entered the gate filled with hope, to finally see civilization, finally eat well, maybe even bathe…
Maybe they could even see brethren, maybe see their families and friends.
It was just that, inside the majestic walls were… endless forests?
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