NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 199
199. Different Places, Different Ways Of Thinking, Isn’t It?
A large crowd of residents had gathered in front of Dawn Bridge.
When the first city wall of Golden Dawn was completed, the Dawn River was located a short distance away from the city. However, as the city expanded day by day, it eventually grew to the banks of the Dawn River.
The area, which now included a harbor for steamships, had become quite extensive, with the new walled territory centered around Dawn Bridge.
To provide jobs for the influx of immigrants and refugees, a large workforce was assigned to the construction of the city walls and the bridge. As a result, a project of national scale was completed in this short period.
While alchemically hardened rock certainly made a significant contribution, the true driving force behind this frontier expansion was the collective effort of all the residents of Golden Dawn.
And it wasn’t just the locals who had gathered. Among them were people from the Mizuho Divine Kingdom who had fled here.
They had been accepted as refugees in Golden Dawn, but the craftsmen from Mizuho were exceptionally skilled. Not only that, but the Mizuho residents were also diligent and hardworking, contributing greatly to the rapid completion of the bridge construction.
The fact that most of the Mizuho people worked on the bridge construction meant they quickly bonded with the residents of Golden Dawn, which was a happy miscalculation.
When Kyle appeared in front of the bridge, the residents erupted into deafening cheers.
Eva, who was nearby, used a “wide-range amplification” spell to carry Kyle’s voice across all of Golden Dawn.
I thought it was my original spell, but apparently, after obtaining the sage Wiseman’s crest, Eva could now use it just by whispering.
Kyle began with a formal greeting, mentioning the names of the nobles who had funded the project and expressing his gratitude.
Next, King Van praised Earl Elixir of the Frontier and awarded him a medal.
When Van mentioned the Flame Dragon Wing Medal, the attending nobles let out a cry that could almost be mistaken for a scream, visibly shaken. When I asked about it later, I learned that it was an incredibly prestigious medal, one that even dukes rarely received.
Yeah, of course Kyle would get it!
After the award ceremony, Kyle returned to the podium and concluded his speech as a noble and lord. Then, he began his address to the residents.
[Not only to the residents of the Elixir Frontier Territory, but to all who live within these lands, I express my heartfelt gratitude. I am proud of all of you who gave your full support to the daunting task of strengthening our defenses against the Imperial Army’s invasion, which was suddenly announced just a few months ago.]
Up until then, his words of thanks had been directed at the nobles, so the residents had only been listening with mild interest. But when he directly thanked them, the crowd immediately erupted.
The cheers of joy echoed so loudly that they seemed to reach the clouds.
[This Elixir Territory is a city built in a dangerous frontier. But thanks to all of you, it has become a place where we can live in peace. However, the frontier expansion is far from over.]
That’s right. Golden Dawn has become a magnificent city protected by multiple layers of walls, but just a short distance away, dangerous monster territories still stretch far and wide. We can’t just settle for developing the surrounding areas and call it a day.
[Today, the Elixir Territory has reached a major turning point. We have accomplished what was once thought impossible—we have built a bridge across the Dawn River!]
The residents erupted in cheers.
[This day would not have been possible without not only the efforts of our residents but also the people of the Mizuho Divine Kingdom. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all!]
A thunderous cheer, as if Golden Dawn itself was shaking, echoed across the blue sky.
As the excitement showed no signs of dying down, Zaid, the master of ceremonies, stepped forward and quieted the crowd. The residents, though visibly dissatisfied, gradually lowered their voices.
He really suits the role of the bad guy.
Once it was somewhat quiet, Zaid proceeded with the ceremony.
[Now, we will proceed with the ribbon-cutting ceremony.]
Led by Van, the nobles lined up in front of the long ribbon. Near the very end, me and Leafan followed.
Kyle had wanted me to stand next to him, but Zaid overruled that. I appreciate the sentiment, but standing next to Van and Kyle, ahead of all the other nobles, would’ve been impossible! Good call, Zaid!
As scissors were handed out on trays to everyone, a fanfare played.
At the practiced timing, we cut the ribbon, and as the music reached its climax, so did the cheers.
Looking at the sea of smiling residents, I resolved to keep working hard.
◆
Originally, this was supposed to be an opening ceremony rather than a completion ceremony, but with the Imperial Army advancing, holding an event on the bridge was deemed too risky and was canceled.
Leafan sighed and grumbled.
“I had all sorts of plans, like a marathon and food stalls.”
Just then, Nobuna, who had approached us, joined the conversation.
“Oh, was that the plan?”
“Yeah. The bridge is about a day’s journey by a normal carriage, so I thought those who pride themselves on their stamina could make the round trip in about half a day.”
A day’s journey by a normal carriage. With the horses bred and sold in Golden Dawn, it would probably take about half a day.
On foot, it would take about two days at a leisurely pace.
“Hearing it again, it’s an astonishingly long bridge…”
“We all worked hard for it. And the public opening ceremony is just postponed. We’ll hold it once we’ve driven off the Imperial Army.”
“You don’t plan on losing, right?”
“That’s what we’re preparing for.”
“We won’t hold back in supporting the Mizuho Divine Kingdom.”
“We’re counting on it. More importantly, how are the citizens doing? Any complaints?”
The Mizuho residents who fled here were treated as refugees and housed in high-rise apartments built along the city walls.
There were originally tens of thousands of vacant rooms, but even though Mizuho is a small country, the entire population had fled here. At first, there weren’t enough rooms, so some had to sleep in the castle’s great hall. But the reaction of the Mizuho residents at that time was something else.
Most of the residents were just grateful to have a roof over their heads and were willing to sleep in the great hall, but the Mizuho samurai like Nobuna insisted, “We’ll take the great hall. You all should take the rooms. We’re the ones who failed to protect you, so we deserve to sleep rough.”
To this, the residents responded, “What are you saying! You samurai saved our lives! We’re just happy to be alive! Please, you should rest and recover in the rooms!” And so, a back-and-forth argument began.
Honestly, the Mizuho people are incredible. Even the tightly-knit residents of Golden Dawn would’ve complained a bit in the same situation.
In the end, the samurai didn’t back down, and everyone ended up sleeping in the great hall, while the residents were forcibly moved into the high-rise apartments.
Rooms meant for four people were crammed with ten or more.
Now, with the construction of additional high-rise apartments completed, everyone has been assigned rooms under normal conditions.
“There are no complaints. Most of the citizens used to live in tenements—tiny, shack-like apartments—so they’re actually happy that the rooms are bigger now.”
“But the rooms for immigrants are pretty small, right?”
Since the rooms are provided for free, single rooms are quite cramped.
“Even so, they’re a bit bigger than the tenement rooms. Plus, they have running water and toilets on every floor, so everyone’s amazed.”
“That’s good to hear. As long as there are no complaints.”
“There are no complaints, but I often hear people saying they want to return to their homeland.”
Leafan’s expression turned sad. She must have remembered the Hydra destroying the Gnome settlement.
“Ah, it’s okay. Everyone’s determined to cut the Empire down to the root so they can return home, right? That’s why they’ve been working so hard on the construction.”
“Cut the Empire down to the root?”
“It means wiping them out.”
“Scary! Let’s not go that far, okay?”
“They came here to kill us, so they must be prepared to be killed themselves.”
“No! I don’t think they’ve even considered the possibility of losing!”
This is bad! The Mizuho people are polite, skilled, and hardworking, but when it comes to fighting, they’re downright savage! Even more hot-headed than the Lizardmen!
“Of course, we’ll defeat the Imperial Army, but Kyle isn’t planning on wiping them out!”
“Kyle-dono is truly kind. I’ll make sure to let everyone know.”
“Please do!”
Later, it seemed the message got through, but I was seriously scared for a moment.
The Mizuho Divine Kingdom… yeah, definitely not a country to make an enemy of.
I had learned the fear of a small country that has survived for a long time.