chapter 34

The Astonished Messenger.

I came to the Archduke Scwarzer’s territory as a messenger and stayed there for a few days.

Why you ask? Because it’s comfortable in this place.

[Please stay as long as you like.]

Following the Archduke’s words, I’ve stayed here for quite a while.

This time I want to summarize everything that astonished me during my stay there.

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First of all, it’s about the city.

The capital of Romaria had well-maintained and paved roads, which made it easier for carriages to travel around. Also, most of the houses are made of bricks and are in good condition. I heard that these houses were apparently built using the latest architectural methods and thus very durable.

Also, they’ve secured a waterway from a nearby river. I heard that the water is circulated throughout Romaria to fulfill the city’s daily necessities. In addition to that, advanced waterways are installed in the houses’ bas.e.m.e.nt so that it won’t be polluted by garbage or other things. This is surely an advanced technology.

As if it’s natural, the well-maintained road even stretches to the villages and districts of Romaria throughout Schwarzer territory. This means that they’ll have no trouble transporting goods from the village to the capital.

Also, soldiers can also be sent through this road in emergency,

Meaning that they can react to danger very quickly.

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Next is art.

It appears that the Archduke really appreciate arts.

There are many artists currently staying in the city. Painting, molding, sculpting….and various other kinds.

Artists drawing a painting is already an everyday view. And the city is literally full of sculptures. Apparently, it’s because the senior artist would let any student they deemed worthy to freely decorate the city with the sculptures they made themselves as a form of practice.

A large fountain is built at the central squar, and it’s also filled with complicated looking sculptures. It seems to be a joint work of several artists. Such a splendid fountain……not even the Imperial capital has it. It’s a place for the citizen to relax in the middle of their daily work.

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Speaking of fountain……I also took note of the city sanitation.

The water is very clean. Not to mention the water running in the underground waterway, the water in the fountain and even the regular waterway is also very clean, to the point that children could drink and bathe in it without worry.

How do they control sewage? I decided to ask about this to the official who was nearby.

[All the sewage are circulated through different, dedicated pipes. After that, the spirit contracted to this land will purify the water, and return it to the river.]

What in the name of….. I was stunned beyond belief. What a thorough way to manage the water…..

[The sewage is the source of disease. Thus we need to be thorough in managing it.]

Certainly in the imperial capital, diseases are prevalent due to the sewage disposal, especially in the slum area at the western part of the capital. With the method this city uses, such a thing won’t happen.

However, how do they put the water spirits in a contract to do all that?

The official’s reply sounded mysterious to me.

[Ha? There are no contracted spirits in other places? Here, it’s natural for the spirits to help us like this…..]

[Is that….from a long time ago?]

[Well, there are elves, who are close to spirits, living all over Schwarzer territory…..but the start was maybe only several years ago.]

So it only started a few years back….then something may have happened recently.

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That’s not all that surprised me. I was also astonished by the cuisine here.

All the dishes were delicious. From the meals served in the lodging place where I stayed at to the restaurant and even to the stalls opening on the roadside.

If you ask, the people in this place has been eating white bread for the past few years. The black bread is mainly used for preserved food.

Meat dishes were also wonderful. The meat was tender and wasn’t hard to chew. Everyone had a special device that’ll help to soften the meat. None of the vegetables withered and they’re all fresh. And strangely enough, there was an abundance of seafood. I was surprised that they even have salt.w.a.ter fish available here.

The Arcadia Empire is an inland nation. Therefore there is no other way to obtain salt.w.a.ter fish but to import it. As a result, fish are sold at a high price even in the imperial capital.

Here, it was the opposite. They seemed to obtain their fish from northern Wolfgard

The ingredients were also surprising….the first thing I noticed was the recipe. None of these were available at the imperial capital. I particularly liked the [Fried] dishes sold in the stalls. It’s easy to eat for both adult and children and it’s doesn’t exist yet in the imperial capital. The exquisite saltiness was outstanding, especially when eaten alongside ale.

But that wasn’t all. I was even more surprised by the dishes served in the Archduke residence.

Certainly…..it’s Hadora, isn’t it? I heard that he had a good capability as a chef.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten something like this…..to the point that I asked for a second serving because I fear that I’ll forget the taste.

I’ll write down what the shopkeepers told me here.

When I was eating at the restaurant…

That time, I ate the『Snow Stew』which is the specialty of the restaurant. Liking the taste, I asked the shopkeeper about it.

Apparently, this dish uses plenty of 『cow milk』

There is『Goat Milk』in the capital, but『cow milk』is rarely seen. Apparently there is an active ranch on the northeastern part of the Schwarzer territory.

What surprised me is how the dish was cooked. The recipe can also be freely reproduced outside of the settlement.

[Both the Archduke-sama and Ares-sama seem to be fond of eating. So they want to create a wonderful place where everyone won’t be disappointed by the deliciousness of its cuisines. Without that, this kind of dish wouldn’t exist. After visiting Schwarzer territory and tasted its food once, people tend to feel that the food from other areas are mediocre at best.]

That’s……certainly very convincing.

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I also would like to write about the security.

I have been to many cities by now…..but I’ve never seen a city with such a good security before.

There were no beggars and not even a pickpocket could be seen anywhere. People don’t need to worry about their stuff getting robbed.

Of course, there were still bad guys here. However, the police forces constantly strove to maintain public security. Those criminals would be apprehended immediately after the crime had been done.

There were no favors due to something like a relationship or anything. Everyone is judged equally.

When I heard about this…..I stood there for a while as if I’ve been struck by lightning. The reason why people from all over the land aimed to go here……I think I know the reason now.

They’ll be able to live in this place safely free from dangers and hardships.

To the me who’ve seen various place in the Empire…..it seems like an ideal living place.

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There were other surprising items too. The splendid public bath is worth noting, as well as the tinderbox which made it very easy to start fire.

Not only the town but even the suburbs and the well-maintained fields….everything is amazing.

But the most surprising thing was that it’s a place where demihumans coexist naturally and blending in with regular humans.

I was told before I came here. This land does not treat the demihumans as slaves, but as regular people. Therefore, the church is quite alarmed about it.

I had this selfish imagination….that humans and demihumans can actually live together peacefully.

But here….it’s surprising that they so naturally live together in this place. Everyone could laugh together and hold each other hands. Humans do not look down on the demihumans and the demihumans do not look at the human with a gaze full of hatred. They live together and respect each other.

Even the priest of the church here.

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Everyone lives happily in this place. Thus, when a crisis threatens the place…..not only human, but also elves, dwarves, and the beastmen will risk their lives to maintain the peace.

This might be the hidden power of this land.

This force might swallow the continent one day….that’s what I think.