After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 1015

Chapter 1015: Helios’ Arrival

A/N: Semi-finals for this year’s Character Voting Contest is up~

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Orion nodded and they looked at him. “I have also gathered similar intelligence.”

“Is that why you’re heading to Holt City? And without using the Teleportation array,” Otto said as if he was finally enlightened.

They thought he was just being stingy. Apparently, he didn’t want to alert the lord where he was going.

“We don’t know enough to get to any conclusions.”

“Well, we’ll just keep each other updated,” Zaol said. “Don’t send sensitive messages via Post.”

The Post Office had risks and the Lord had the ability to check on the contents of what was being exchanged, so they had to be careful.

“Be subtle. Perhaps we are overthinking.”

Before everyone could leave and do their own thing, however, the servant once again appeared. He looked a bit embarrassed for bothering the masters so often today.

“You have another guest,” he said, making the Golds look at each other with confusion.

“We’re getting a lot of guests today.”

Normally, those who wished to speak with them would have the courtesy of sending a letter days in advance. Octavia’s case was understandable, but who was this one?

It was probably their neighbors—that was to say, someone from the other ‘top’ nobles. They believed that since they were of the same level, then there was no need to be polite.

Just the thought of those people visiting annoyed them quite a bit.

Seeing that the masters were silent, the servant felt awkward. “…should I ask him to go?”

“Well, I’m really not in the mood for those guys,” Obi said, waving his hand, and not planning on interacting with those bastards.

Olga though shook her head. “Didn’t they introduce themselves?” What if it was someone important?

At this, the servant nodded. “I do not recognize him,” he said. “But he claims he’s from a territory called Alterra.”

“…”

…

They naturally let this guest inside the house. To the servant’s surprise, Master Obi, Master Otto, and Miss Olga even stood up to greet him. They didn’t bother doing so with Miss Octavia.

They were quite excited to see who it was. Granted, they were disappointed to see it was just Helios.

“Oh…” Obi muttered, turning around to go back to his seat.

Helios: “…” Did I do anything bad?

The twins were much less rude. “You’re… an Alterran guard, aren’t you?” Otto asked. They were not close but they found him familiar because he was a looker and was quite strong. He was also a rare metal elementalist, so Otto remembered him.

“Yes, sir.”

Olga, on the other hand, was looking past him. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. Miss Olga,” Helios said. He finally realized that they were disappointed to see him and not any other big shot from home.

“This is my personal mission and has nothing to do with Alterra.”

“What about your uncle?”

“My Uncle?”

This made everyone turn to look at her. Olga flinched, unconsciously rubbing the back of her neck.

“It’s dangerous for you to be in a City alone,” she said. “I quite like Alterra and, by extension, its inhabitants.”

“Ah… Miss Olga is so kind,” Helios said with a smile. “I borrowed money from Lord Jonathan and hired a Mercenary Team to escort me here.”

“Anyway, I’m the only Alterran here right now.”

“I see…”

Olga inexplicably felt a bit disappointed but let it pass.

Gaia’s eyebrows rose as she looked at her daughter, but didn’t ask.

Zaol stood up. “I’ll leave you young people here to talk,” he said, and Gaia left to go to her husband who would, no doubt, enter a daze on his own.

He settled on his study, and he looked out the window pane with a blank expression on his face. Anything that reminded him of his unfortunate sister would silence him for hours after the fact.

Gaia actually knew Zinnia—quite well, too. They could be considered friends in a way, even if their interactions were limited. Zinnia’s stories about Zaol’s kindness were one of the major factors why she ended up falling in love with him.

Zaol… was really one of a kind. How many men would be so loving, so considerate, and so loyal?

Too rare. She’d argue they were rarer than dwarves.

He would tell her over and over how lucky he felt she chose him, but it was actually the other way around.

Gaia sighed and walked to him, her arms extending to massage his shoulders. “If you want me to stop seeing her, I can,” she said. “I can make up excuses…”

At this point, Octavia could still visit their house in the guise of visiting her. While it was unfair to assume this of the girl she treated like her own daughter, she wouldn’t put it past her either.

Obviously, each one of her family was uncomfortable with the fact that she could visit at will, and perhaps it was time to put her foot down.

Zaol held her hand and shook his head. “No, your relationship with Octavia is the only emotional anchor we have with the Lord’s family.”

The Lord had too much control over their business—this was something set up even from the previous generation. The first lords were very intelligent, making sure no one would grow more powerful, or richer than they were.

It was not just them, it was the same with the other nobles. It was just that the Golds had been with the Lords’ family since the territory’s conception, and the interests had become too tied together.

In any case, after what happened between their families—particularly with regard to Hilda and Olga—losing the last bit of favor could put them in a dangerous position.

And those issues with the aether stones. Unlike his children, he was a lot less worried about Bleuelle… but more about Hassen City.

He knew that Bleuelle needed stones because it used the arrays a lot, and the Lords’ family always had a good amount stockpiled in case of wars. He knew that Bleumrick’s greatest ambition was to have many sons and continue the bloodline.

In contrast, Hassen did not have a barrier, nor did they use their arrays as much. However, they seemed to be more active in collecting these things.

Hassen… also had an ambitious lord.

He knew it too well.

Aether stones were really powerful instruments—the most powerful in this world. If someone had too many of them, and they could make use of them, then they could become undefeatable.

The reason there was no homogenous force in the continent was that it was difficult to gain too much power with the threats of beasts, other races, and the extreme weather.

Further, the cities served as a check-and-balance amongst each other.

Not to mention, because of the system, most people could escape to other territories as long as they were strong enough. This meant that a territory could not force people to stay in their control.

If one territory could gain a vast amount of crystals…, this could change the current status quo.

Of course, he still hoped he was overthinking.

“Hassen City…” he just heaved a deep breath. “It cannot be underestimated.

“We need to be prepared for the worst.”