Returning to Border Town after a gap of nearly four months, Lotus had a new feeling.
The town seemed to be constantly growing. Even the heavy snowfall did not stop its expansion. This feeling was particularly obvious every time she stepped on the Redwater Bridge.
Rows of factories were arranged neatly on the south bank of the river, while the dock area on the opposite side had expanded by several times. At any time, one could see many stone boats dragging black smoke back and forth on the river, covering the originally sparkling surface of the river.
"It's much more lively here than on Sleeping Island." Honey leaned on the railing of the bridge and looked down. "There are as many people as ants."
"I think so too." She remembered that when the bridge was first built, she didn't understand why His Majesty wanted to make the bridge so wide and felt that it was a waste of materials. Now it seemed that this decision was just right.
There was an endless stream of people shuttling back and forth on both sides of the river. From time to time, some people would look at them, seemingly very curious about their dress and appearance.
If they were in other cities, Lotus would probably have to think about how to escape.
In addition to these obvious changes, there were also many improvements in life.
For example, the heating system that made people feel warm just by listening to it, the electric lights that could bring bright light at night, and the new food that could replace ice cream bread and so on... She could listen to Evelyn and Candle talk about these all day, but they were not the most surprising things to Lotus.
In fact, what made her feel that the biggest change was the relationship between witches and ordinary people.
This could be seen from the tavern opened by Evelyn.
The tavern was funded by the Witch Union, and Evelyn served as the manager and bartender, mixing novel and delicious drinks for the guests who visited the Western Region. It was said that this was also His Majesty's idea — rather than letting the witches' salary stay in the drawer, it was better to take it out and do some business.
Lotus had once been invited by Wendy to drink two glasses of iced cider there. The taste was really good. It had a mellow aroma that ale didn't have, and it was mixed with a strong fruity flavor. It was served in a transparent crystal glass, and showed a clean light green color. It looked quite tempting. Moreover, the environment was not as noisy and chaotic as an ordinary tavern. The customers were basically sitting at their own tables, drinking and chatting. The floor, tables, and wine utensils were clean. If it were not for the row of wine barrels behind the bar counter, she would not have associated this place with a tavern.
Of course, this was also related to the high price of the drinks.
Evelyn stood in front of the bar and chatted with the customers like any other manager. No one scolded or scolded her because she was a witch. On the contrary, many foreign businessmen came to drink out of curiosity. Ren had rarely seen her smile so happily. It was obvious that she really liked this job.
Lotus remembered that before she left, most of the witches' activities were basically within the castle area. If they needed to go out, they would generally be followed by His Majesty's guards. But now, they had gradually integrated into every part of the town.
It was inconceivable that the Western Region could undergo such great changes in just one winter.
The conversation with Vendy at night had also given her a deeper understanding — perhaps this was the reason why the witches of the Alliance were willing to sacrifice everything for this.
Not only were they building Neverwinter for His Majesty, but they were also building their own homes.
"Let's go," Lotus pouted at Honey. "If everything goes well, we can finish the transformation of the estuary today."
"Oh!"
…
When the last piece of rock sank into the ground, Lotus wiped the fine sweat on her forehead and let out a long sigh.
"Awesome," Honey applauded. "You actually opened a path in the mountain."
A row of birds squatting in the treetops above her head also chirped.
"Of course," Lotus said with a proud smile. "There's nothing I can't do."
Different from the reefs surrounding Sleeping Island, the rock layer here was much deeper and harder, so it took a lot of magic power to sink. Fortunately, she did not need to turn the whole mountain into a flat land. According to His Majesty's plan, she only needed to open up a path that could allow five or six carriages to pass side by side. With the experience of the iron bridge, this time she would not think that such a spacious path was superfluous.
Since the hills were more than 40 meters higher than the sea, there was only one fastest way, which was to sink the ground little by little until it became a long gentle slope.
In order to make it convenient for carriages to pass, she also deliberately pressed the surface rocks into a straight road, so that even if it rained, there would be no puddles of varying depths.
Now, as long as she stood on the top of the slope, she could see the golden shoals and the blue sea on the opposite side. The cool sea breeze rushed up along the slope, mixed with a familiar salty smell.
"Did you bring a fire?" Honey skipped to her side.
"No, what are you going to do?"
"Of course I'm going down to roast fish." She smacked her lips. "I'm responsible for attracting the fish, and you push them out of the water. It's okay if you don't bring a fire. They'll be dry in the sun for two days. "
The birds above her head chirped even more happily.
Lotus rolled her eyes. "I won't let this place be filled with the fishy smell of salted fish! By the way, didn't you get tired of eating that thing on Sleeping Island? "
"Eh? I think it's pretty good. "Honey tilted her head and said.
"Anyway, it's forbidden to dry fish here, and His Majesty won't like the fishy smell of salted fish." Lotus suddenly thought of Ashes and wondered if she was still troubled by all kinds of fish soup on Sleeping Island. "I heard from His Majesty that he plans to build a harbor here, so that Lady Tilly can come whenever she wants, and she won't have to fly over the mountain by hot air balloon."
Hearing the name of Her Highness Tilly, Honey's attention was immediately attracted. "Then … will she come?"
The little girl's expression was even easier to understand than that of an animal. Lotus patted her fluffy hair and said, "I don't know, but His Majesty is about to go to war with the church. She should come to help her brother."
In fact, she was not so sure, especially after knowing the background of the Bloodfang Association and Heidi Morgan. She used to dislike the arrogant attitude of these combat witches, but now it seemed that they were also a group of pitiful people.
After taking off the shell of prejudice, they were actually no different from herself. At least now, she could occasionally talk to Iffy, but the other combat witches on the island would definitely not be so easily persuaded by Tilly.
"Oh, that's great!"
"Great? This girl knows nothing about war, "Lotus thought to herself." If Lady Tilly can't solve the problem of the Bloodfang Association, and the church attacks His Majesty with all its strength, it will be really troublesome. "
But she also hoped that Lady Tilly could come to Border Town again.
And it would be better if she could stay here forever.
In this way, the wish she made in winter could come true.
[In this way, whether it's me or the other witches, we can all live happily in Border Town. "
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