plumnovel #452 - New Autumn
#452 - New Autumn
"From now on, remember our six faces. When we leave, you follow. Keep an eye on the work badges around your necks. Only the six of us have authority over you. Understood?"
Bauritz stood on a wooden piling at the dock, not caring about the risk of falling, and shouted loudly at the Rapid Falls City refugees in front of him.
Behind him were the other five city hall clerks guiding the refugees. Each of the six was responsible for 40 households, meaning each was in charge of guiding 200 people.
"Understood," Sharrett replied sparsely along with the thousand or so people mixed in the crowd.
As one of the first refugees to arrive on Autumn Dusk Island, Sharrett's heart was naturally filled with fear, especially at the village at the head of the New Life Bridge.
When he saw a group of beastmen running over, holding statues of three evil gods, he was almost scared into turning around and running away.
You know, those were beastmen, always known for their barbarity and chaos.
Looking back now, Sharrett still felt a lingering fear.
He didn't know why, but he always felt that one of the heads of the three evil gods looked unusually familiar.
After crossing the New Life Bridge, this fear subsided slightly when he came down at the dock.
During this period, for the transportation of food and raw materials, Mayor Witt had reinforced the original dock area, extended the trestle, and cleared the weeds from the paving stones.
In the nearby sawmill, you could see twos and threes of beastmen carrying saws, stepping on pedals, and cutting logs into the desired shapes.
While Sharrett was still looking towards the sawmill, Bauritz jumped off the wooden piling, inspected around, and another person began to speak: "You have all registered your names and undergone quarantine in Jeanneburg. On behalf of the nameless town of Autumn Dusk Island, I welcome you…"
"Sharrett," Aslai, an old neighbor, secretly nudged Sharrett's ribs. "Is this it? Is this the capital of the Savior Papal State? It doesn't even have a name?"
Sharrett was about to reply when Bauritz rushed up with a stern face, taking three steps in two: "You're quite talkative, aren't you? Didn't I say no chatting during the instructions?"
"Hey, there's no reason not to let people talk…"
Sharrett immediately went to pull on Aslai's arm. He knew that this person was usually a rebellious troublemaker. Otherwise, with his skills, he wouldn't have been squeezed out and forced to migrate after his old boss died.
"Rules are rules!"
"What? The Papal State itself preaches freedom. What's wrong with me wanting freedom?"
Bauritz sized him up and down. "What's your name?"
"This grandpa's name is Aslai!"
"Guards, drag him away. Quarantine failed. Observe him in the isolation room for seven days." With a feather pen in hand, Bauritz drew a large cross on the clipboard. Bauritz whistled, and two beastman guards walked towards them.
"Why? You dead fat pig, what do you think you are? You're just a dog under that Holy Grandson… Mmm…"
Restrained by several burly beastman guards, Aslai was forcibly dragged out of the team and towards a pile of black houses in the ruins.
"Don't be afraid," Bauritz said with a smile, patting Sharrett's stiff shoulder. "Respect is mutual. If you follow the rules, I'll welcome you."
Seeing Bauritz walk away, Sharrett breathed a long sigh of relief. Obviously, Bauritz was the highest-ranking of the six guiding clerks.
After several other troublemakers were picked out and punished, the remaining people became much more obedient. Soon, the thousand or so refugees were divided into teams.
Sharrett was lucky. He was among the first batch of refugees to leave the checkpoint and head towards the town on the island.
Walking out of the checkpoint made of horizontal logs and chevaux-de-frise, Sharrett was stunned. He thought the town on the island would be very desolate, but this dock didn't look shabby at all.
Before him was a dock square about a hundred meters long and twenty meters wide. There were several newly built wooden warehouses on the edge of the square, and ordinary people and beastmen came and went on the street.
Passing over the shoulders of the beastmen carrying dried fish, Sharrett saw a T-shaped road on the other side of the square.
There were more than a dozen residences for beastmen and four or five shops on both sides of the road, including hotels and taverns.
There were even shops with signs for tailors, general stores, barbers, herbalists, and blacksmiths, which Sharrett couldn't understand.
"Keep up, don't fall behind. Children and the elderly get on the carriages, first come, first served, no fighting." Bauritz walked back and forth in front of the team. Seeing that everyone was there, he shouted 'Let's go' with satisfaction.
To Sharrett's surprise, the road to the town was much easier to walk than he had imagined.
The New Life Bridge was fine, but the several-kilometer-long road in front of him was paved with good paving stones.
Remembering that this used to be an ancient El military city, Sharrett couldn't help but feel relieved. Ancient El technology was invincible.
On both sides of this road, the former puddles and small wetlands were gone, replaced by fields of flax.
Flax, as a crop that likes moisture and acidic soil, was a suitable crop on this generally acidic island.
Moreover, flax seeds can be used to extract oil, and flax stems can be used to make clothes. Now there are quite a few textile workshops on the island, which use these flax to weave cloth.
"See those flax fields?" Bauritz said with emotion, standing on the side of the marching team. "These are all the lands of the War Monks. Back then, when on Autumn Dusk Island, His Majesty could only pay half the salary, so he used land to offset it.
The first batch of War Monks to join the army were each given dozens of acres of land, not to mention the first batch of farmers to come to the island, each with hundreds of acres of land.
…Don't even think about it. Mayor Witt has now banned the opening of land around the city. If you want to buy it, you can only go to the south to buy land and develop it yourself."
Passing through the ruins of the Broken Gate Church surrounded by forests, it seemed to be covered with a mist of light and shadow under the sun.
Several butterflies and bees were dancing in the air, drawing honey from the flowers that stretched out from the cracks in the walls and vines.
Unlike the tension before arriving on the island, Sharrett felt much better when he saw this vibrant scene of all things growing.
This island in the lake was not as desolate as he had imagined. His gamble had not been wrong.
"Okay, now look at your right hand side." Hearing Bauritz's words, Sharrett looked to the right.
On the hillside, a palace garden surrounded by high walls appeared in front of him. A spire stretched out from behind the walls, and the brass spire seemed to be able to touch the sky.
"That is the Mechanical Palace, the Pope and Saintess's palace. There are guards nearby, don't cause trouble for yourself, understand?"
Sharrett nodded hastily. Of course, he couldn't go to this place where big figures hide beauties in golden houses and gather for orgies. This was common sense.
Stepping on the herringbone-patterned ground, to the west directly opposite the Mechanical Palace was a gurgling river.
This river was surrounded by shrubs and bald cypress trees. Under the scorching sun, it was like a flowing corridor in the swaying light.
Sharrett glanced at the sign by the river, which had a strange, simple, but understandable text: Para River.
The river water was frighteningly clear, as if it reflected the entire sky.
Fish and birds chased each other in the canopy, and colorful pebbles were like black stars in the daytime, embedded in the blue sky washed by the clear water.
"What are you looking at? Keep up with the team," Bauritz shouted at Sharrett, who was lagging behind.
"Coming, coming." Holding his soft felt hat, Sharrett jogged to the arched wooden bridge, and behind the bald cypress trees was their final destination—