After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Leaving Royal Village
The group were leaving camp through the gate, ignoring the menacing-looking guards standing in front of the gate.

It happened that it was the guards on shift when they entered, and they looked at their group very smugly. “Hmph! Undesirables, ptooey!”

The girls rolled their eyes and ignored the hoots, heading straight past the gate.

“Hey, ladies! If you marry me, I can maybe convince the Lord to let you in again! What do you say?”

“Hey, don’t ignore us! We promise you won’t regret it!”

“Yes, yes, we are very good in be—

BANG!

Sheila and Harold froze, as they were also getting ready to beat the monsters.

“AHHHH! Get it off!!! Ahhh” One man yelled, trying to get Fufi’s bite off of him. He pulled out his Class E wood sword and tried to stab but Fufi quickly let go and avoided, biting his other leg.

“ARGHHH!”

The dog then let him go and clawed the other one.

In fact, there wasn’t even that much blood, and the injuries weren’t serious with their improved physiques.

He didn’t debilitate them, as Althea didn’t want to leave the gates unguarded.

But they still cried like babies in the end.

The group shrugged and ignored the people who came to watch the show.

The group leisurely continued on their way out, and people knew they were not planning on coming back at all—not after the scene they just made.

The moment they exited though, they found a surprising sight.

It was that guy missing a leg and lost a girlfriend.

He seemed to have set up a small camp near the gate. He built a simple shed roof anchored between two trees. He also used hay and dried leaves as flooring.

Impressive for a day’s work for someone missing a leg.

Some people would probably sneer at a less-abled man doing so much even after being humiliated.

For instance, those guards who mockingly watched the man every time he made a move.

They would look down on him. Calling himself a licking dog, a coward. Because no matter how humiliating, life triumphed over everything else.

Where else could he go, at least there were guards near the gate, right?

But to be honest, Althea felt that it was more likely he just wanted to be closer to his ex.

Regardless of his circumstance, she felt an undeniable pride in him.

After watching the man, she sighed and started walking in a direction.

To the surprise of her companions, Althea actually approached the guy.

The man flinched and looked at them guardedly. But when he confirmed they meant no harm, his hostility disappeared and he gave them a puzzled, but polite, nod.

“Your girlfriend asked me to help you.” She said, raising her hand and revealing several pieces of silver.

It was all the silver that the girl handed her earlier.

The man was silent, but he obviously understood. Althea stared at him for a moment. “If she wants you to go, it may really be for the best.”

He smiled bitterly. “How can I? I can’t live without her.”

He pursed his lips and looked at the pregnant woman in front of her. For some reason, he wanted to tell his story to a stranger.

Then again, there were things easier to tell a stranger than a friend.

“We grew up together and have been relying on each other for as long as I can remember.” He paused, closing his eyes as if surrounded by bittersweet memories.

“Although we grew up purely as friends, our transition was very natural. After the layer of paper was pierced, we fell head over heels.”

“Even when I had lost my leg after being discharged from the army, she never showed any dissatisfaction.

“She would take care of me and my needs, not asking for anything.

“She was so patient and loving, I cannot imagine why—”

He closed his eyes, frowning deeply in pain. He opened his eyes and stared at Althea, eyes desperate, as if trying to convince her of something.

As if convincing a stranger of his beliefs would somehow make it true.

“I don’t know why she would leave me, but it must be for a good reason—”

But Althea did not agree, and she raised her hand to stop him. “Does it matter?”

Did it matter if there was a reason? The output was the same.

Eugene was silent, his eyes glazed in pain.

Indeed.

No matter what, she still left him.

And that was the fact.

…

Eugene didn’t come with them in the end.

Of course, that didn’t hinder anything for their group. She already did her part, and it didn’t matter whether he followed them.

The girl saved her some trouble, and she served as a courier for her one time.

On the other hand, Sheila couldn’t help but look back. “Won’t we say goodbye to Priya and little Theo? Maybe they’d want to come with us?”

Althea shook her head. “They’re in a safe territory now, we’re venturing out into the wild, not conducive to a pregnant woman and a three-year-old child.”

Harold sighed and couldn’t help but add, “Besides, it was such a public event, she definitely saw what happened.”

Althea nodded, similarly feeling a little complicated at the premature parting. But as a woman with children, she understood Priya’s decision.

“They already made a choice,” was all she said in the end. Sheila was silent for a while before reluctantly nodding.

She really liked Priya and Theo…

It wasn’t that Althea wasn’t reluctant, but she really couldn’t guarantee the mother-and-son’s safety and comfort.

Maybe, perhaps, they’d meet again after she built her territory. She would offer them a safe haven then.

Althea led the team to the mountains and no one questioned her.

However, just as they started their ascent a couple of hours later, she saw a bright light from the direction they came from.

It was some aura change that was similar to that of a level upgrade. It seemed to have exploded from the same spot as an epicenter.

No one else noticed this and she merely took note, not giving it too much thought.

They traveled for a while, killed a couple of aggressive mobs, and eventually reached a decent clearing to have their lunch.

They ate happily as always. Furthermore, this time they had begun using local ingredients and they were very satisfied with the result.

Althea had also learned some basic soup-making, she had already used several types of berries with varying success.

Harold told them a couple of cooking techniques and the outcome was acceptable.

She was very proud.

Mentally, she already added this to the menu of ‘what to feed your husband’.

They also ate monster meat marinated with sauce from crushed Jordana vine.

One of the components that turned it into an effective fever reducer, parthenolide, could be synthesized for other functions.

Using this material, they could now make the rest of its flesh into a sort of powder to create an effective solution used to soften up any meat (that they had encountered so far).

Added with some sour fruit and other seasonings, the end product was quite delicious.

The barbecue sauce was easy and just depended on a mixture of tastes from various fruits and plants they encountered.

Of course, she tested it with Tori first to ensure there were no poisonous substances that formed with the mixture of different edible substances.

It could be said that this was a fully local meal and didn’t use a single ingredient, including condiments, from Terran.

This was a very good sign, showing their potential for self-sufficiency.

It was just that, as they ate, Fufi suddenly stood up and all the furs on his body were raised, growling in no direction in particular.

Althea frowned and looked down, noticing that the soup was forming ripples. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper as she saw the ripples getting larger and larger.

“Earthquake?” She voiced out and everyone instinctively put their items in the space.

They looked around and realized their clearing was the safest in earthquakes already, but they dare not feel complacent.

“No,” Althea mumbled, eyes on Fufi’s reaction. “This is not a normal earthquake.”

Without saying any more, she suddenly stood up.

Her companions watched in surprise as she sprinted in a direction, climbing up a tree again for a better vision.

They would never get used to the sight of a pregnant woman climbing trees so skilfully, jumping from branch to branch.

Fufi followed not too far behind her, and they managed to keep track of her because of this.

Fufi suddenly stopped and they almost continued forward due to momentum.

Thankfully Harold was strong enough and they didn’t fall in the steep slope below.

They watched blankly as a piece of pebble that was just in front of their feet fall down hundreds of meters below.

“…”

Was this always here?

Anyway, they quickly gathered themselves and looked around. They saw both Fufi and Althea staring at a distance below the slope.

Puzzled, they followed their line of sights and noticed a dark-colored wave approaching below them…

Why would there be a wave on land?

However some minutes later the wave got close enough for them to hear loud roars…

It was now that they finally realized: This was no water wave, it was a wave completely composed of monsters.

They looked at the dense mob, the cacophony of growling and roars sent shivers down their spines.

Dense rows of teeth and red eyes, everything screaming hunger, fell into their sights.

Their scalp numbed from sight, and instinctively stepped back further as if the monsters below would notice them all the way up here.

Althea sacrificed a bit of mana to get an idea of the strength of this mob.

There was no level 3, but there were plenty of level 2. Even if she was level 4, she would have a very hard time without good weapons.

Fortunately, the monsters didn’t seem to notice them at all. The monsters seemed to have a target location and all of them focused on heading there.

Althea’s eyes narrowed as some memories resurfaced.

Every time she or anyone else leveled up, nearby monsters seemed to be injected by some sort of stimulant.

Then she remembered the light she saw during their ascent…

Her heart dropped as she realized the direction the monsters were heading.

Her head whipped to a direction where the extremely aggressive mob was heading, turning extremely pale.

Because the mob was barreling towards the Royal Territory.