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

TL;DR: I realize that some chapters feel too fillery to some, but it seems to depend on who's appearing in the chapter xD. This chapter has the visitors from Belluga and Shiro, as well as some updates on other minor characters like Lulu (Troy's cousin) and Bull (that dude from Royal Village who ultimately helped Ansel find Althea).

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As before, the couples were allowed to bring a handful of guests each, while the venue, program, and the food were covered by the territory. Each Mass Wedding had a few dozen slots for couples, and each one seemed to have a different floral theme which kept things dynamic.

The food was also very special, with the menu changing up every so often. The cooks never stopped improving their crafts—more and more recipes had popped up the past few months—and wedding receptions became the high-end restaurants' way to test market waters.

The people could get to eat new delicious food for free, while Cooke and the others could have an advanced response to the new dishes. It was a win-win deal.

It also created a culture of people actively asking couples to invite them to weddings, but not all systems could be perfect.

Anyway, every wedding was an emotional event. From the wedding to the reception, many guests couldn't help but feel like they were being carried in a flurry of emotions and complications—more so to the people who had been into such a wedding for the first time.

For example, other than the couples' guests, there were also four visitors invited to join in today. Two were from Belluga and the other two were from Shrao Village.

This was the first Alterran Wedding they had attended, and to say they were surprised was a heavy understatement.

"There's such a huge difference," Shiro said, "And it's beyond the appearance of the territory. These people's minds are also different, don't you think so, Fos?"

For one, holding weddings sponsored by the territory—the cost of each of these must've been massive—was already incredibly generous.

But they were even holding weddings for goblins and half-orcs—at the same time, no less—and that was definitely unprecedented. It was so beyond people's imaginations, but here the impossible seemed to be something consistently broken.

Fos nodded as he gazed around with a dazed expression on his face. Shiro smiled and shook his head, also trying to remember everything as if he could learn something from it.

At the next table, there were the representatives from Belluga Village, Raine and Suide, who arrived a few days ago to visit Kimmy. Orland was left to guard their home, while Suide wanted to go chat with his favorite designer, Andrei.

"Such a nice place," Suide said, thinking of his own tasks for his home territory. "You know, the entertainment industry is also there to perpetuate culture and people's worldviews. I also want our own home to have such deep motivation and loyalty to the territory. I want to help with that."

Raine smiled at her friend. "You can do that," she said, standing up. "It's our table's turn for food."

To keep things organized, the buffet area was occupied by a few tables at a time. Theirs were somewhere in the back rows (the couples' guests naturally had better seats) so they were among the last to get some.

Queuing with them were the representatives of Shrao Village. They nodded politely at each other, though it was only when the friendly Suide introduced himself that they found out they weren't locals either.

Through the months, the two groups had been mostly in their territories so their visits rarely intersected. It was the first time the two teams actually had some interaction.

They looked at the vast array of food and felt a bit overwhelmed. One batch definitely wouldn't fit in one plate so it was best to choose well, otherwise they'd have to wait for a long queue again.

"I wonder what's the best combination…" Fos said out loud, though he was embarrassed when he realized.

Suide chuckled and friendly gave some suggestions, leaving their lords to choose for themselves.

The two Lords' eyes met just for a moment before their sights shifted to the food at the same time. Raine opted to choose more vegetables, while Shiro chose more meat. The scent was amazing, and even the Lords with 'cool' personas took in food faster than usual.

However, while everyone seemed like they were in the promised gastronomic haven, a certain woman felt nauseous instead.

Bluergh.

Lulu covered her mouth but managed to hold it back. She hurriedly drunk lime juice to push down the discomfort.

Her husband was even paler. "Lulu! My Lulu! Are you alright?" he gasped, taking a candy from his space to feed her.

She looked weak and pale and it broke Bull's heart. It so happened that Althea's table was next to theirs and the very pregnant Sheila stood up— guided by Eagle—to check on her.

Bull stood up to give the seat to the nurse, who promptly took his wife's pulse.

"How is it? Is my wife alright? Should I call a broatbulance?!"

"Shut up," Eagle said and Bull's lips zipped shut.

The poor man couldn't stay still though and he ended up walking back and fro, only stopping when Eagle turned to give him a look again.

Fortunately, the tension didn't last long because a few moments later, Sheila smiled instead. "Congratulations," she said. "Lulu is pregnant."

"Pregnant?!" he yelled dropping down to the seat next to his wife, embracing her.

Lulu finally pregnant!

They had been trying for more than half a year! They finally succeeded!

"I was really worried my sperms are underperforming! HAHA—oh ouch!"

"You dare laugh right now?!"

"Sorry, wife—"

The crowd chuckled and, after confirming all was well, resumed with the lovely feast.

They didn't notice how a certain cross-dressing Lord's steps paused on her wait to her seat though. Her eyes flickered a bit with unknown thoughts.

Children, eh?