Chapter 594
Simon, holding the open door, widened his eyes. "Oh, Lu Solar, thank you."
Behind him, Thesaya, who watched his awed sigh, hopped up onto the roof. Beyond the thinning trees and wide fields, she took in the sight of the ashen-gray castle and the city that surrounded it in layers.
At last, the corners of her lips curved upward. "Yeah, that definitely is Orendel."
Her gaze shifted to Ian. "Though it seems to have gotten much bigger than I remember."
Ian nodded. The area that had once been a shantytown for immigrants had been transformed into a city with its own wall. And around it, a new shantytown, enclosed only by a wooden palisade, had formed. The land cleared of the trees needed for all that construction had likely been turned into farmland.
"It seems even bigger than the Agel Lan I remember," said Lucia, leaning against the other side of the carriage roof.
Simon, staring at the city, nodded his head up and down. "In terms of scale, it could rival a major city in the Empire. Though it looks dirty and crude."
"Seems everyone’s crammed into one place. Well, looking at the surroundings, I guess they wouldn’t have had much choice," Thesaya added with a chuckle.
Simon shrugged. "There must be a few satellite towns supplying resources. Either way, I feel as though I’m witnessing a page of history. They say the old kingdoms, and even the Empire, started this way."
"Perhaps all the surviving frontier kingdoms are like this. A kind of city-state," Lucia added in agreement.
Shahin, who was holding the open door, was listening to their conversation with shining eyes, as if studying.
Thesaya shrugged. "Well, in any case, there’s got to be some safe road leading to other kingdoms. They can’t be completely isolated."