After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 821

Chapter 821: Underground Tunnel (Part 1)
A few days later, this would prove to be true.

Days had passed and it did become hotter and hotter throughout the continent. However, most people were unaware of what was happening and wouldn’t be able to notice much difference. It was too gradual.

If one asked how hot it was today compared to five days ago, they would just say it got a little hotter.

Of course, this was just an illusion that fortunately every Territory Alterra allied with was aware of.

In the mountains, in Alterra, there were several simple ongoing underground constructions. They chose to dig the Western faces of the mountain to do this. The streams and tributaries were on the other side so it was better to avoid that area because it’d be much more prone to erosion and flooding.

They also studied the wind movements and agreed that the Western part of the mountain range received enough wind and precipitation so it wouldn’t be dried out, at least not more than other places.

There were hundreds of people and goblins doing the digging work, with several humans (usually Prisoners) going to and fro to take away the excess soil.

The people from the construction team were also there, erecting the necessary permanent construction like columns and beams to keep the tunnel stable even if an earthquake or landslide occurred.

They also lined the surface with mesh (fibers for reinforcement and insulation) and lined it up with concrete so it’d be comfortable to stay in. They also added a waterproofing membrane (the one Honey Guevarra found) to make sure the moisture wouldn’t get inside.

Everyone was busy and the construction was at its peak. The newcomers—the goblins—were particularly hardworking.

The two groups of goblins—one of which referred to those who had been captured during the war—had already meshed and combined and were now working together.

Just the fact that they were together was enough cause for celebration for them!

How shocked they were to see each other! When the war happened and some were called in to join before others, they knew they might never meet again. The chances of never seeing each other again were too high in wars.

But now… they had dedicated dormitories and they all lived comfortably as neighbors.

The night of the reunion, the goblins caught up for an entire night and they barely slept, but somehow they were still full of energy the next day!

“Iko! Pency!” One goblin said as they dug the mountainside with the humans—not as slave drivers, but cowokers! “Let me help you in this area.”

“Sure, thanks!”

“Thanks thanks!”

And they continued as a team, synergy definitely more than 1 plus one equals 2.

As they finished an area, another couldn’t help but sigh in melancholy. “I still can’t believe we’re all working with a nice house and full stomachs.”

“Same…” a goblin agreed.

“Same…” another one added.

“Same.” A human nodded.

Speaking of, the food here was unbelievable! They had never eaten such food! And with their own salaries, they could buy buy buy!

“After this, I will reward myself with Cotton Candy,” Pupu, one of the younger ones, said.

He was a bit naive and adorable because of his innocence. He was born as a slave, but at the same time because he didn’t know a better life he was surprisingly optimistic. It helped that the adult goblins always protected him, and were one of the few sources of joy they had.

“Can we really become proper citizens soon?” he asked an older goblin, who smiled and nodded.

“As long as we keep working, we’d be able to save enough to buy our own freedom.”

It was Yut, one of the ‘drowned’ goblins, who answered. He just arrived from bringing the soil outside, and he had paper bags with him.

The cost of buying their own freedom was just the default 5 Gold, with Alterra not even adding anything for its profit. It might seem extremely large for slaves who had nothing, but they were getting the standard salaries of more than 3 gold a month here in Alterra.

Considering their expenses, if they worked hard (overtime work also paid more) and avoided spending too much, they should be able to save enough after a few months!

It was nothing they could’ve imagined before!

“I’ll work harder!” Pupu yelled, raising his little green arms and began digging even faster. This made the other goblins chuckle.

Their new human friends, like Pency, also smiled. He had melshed together with the goblin team quite well, and it helped that he was a Guia slave along with them.

“Here, have snacks,” Yut said as he handed the little paper bags around their team.

After delivering the stones, he went to the mouth of the cave to buy some snacks. Outside the mines, there were several business-minded folks who set up stalls there. The offerings ranged from heavy food to light snacks and drinks. It was great because the marketplaces were quite a distance away from the mines.

Anyway, the workers could just go to the mouth of the tunnels during their break and buy as they wanted.

Speaking of which, there was no strict time of breaks here. The workers were just assigned a certain amount of reasonable output a day and they would report it honestly (they took an oath upon hiring). If they were tired in between needed rest, then they were free to do so.

The stalls he went to today ranged from barbeques, cool drinks, cool snacks, and others things. Yut ate a bit of everything and bought some sour cream popcorn for the others (his treat). It felt fitting with their hard labor job.

The work paused for a few moments as they consumed the bite-sized snacks, pretty much moaning at the awesomeness of it. It was more amazing the more they ate.

It was even more special because they were working so hard! It’s like a reward!

Who wouldn’t feel happy working hard like this?