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

...so what just happened?

Before anyone could absorb what happened, they were quickly tethered back to the present by the roars and growls that surrounded them.

Fortunately, the guards’ instincts were good so they prevented any major accidents despite everyone’s distraction and confusion.

The mercenaries and the others cleaned up the beasts, while Ryan immediately appeared next to Gwen, pulling her into his embrace.

”Are you alright?!” he asked, and Gwen gently pushed him away so she could get a better look at him, and he at her.

Gwen touched his face and massaged the wrinkles on his brow. ”I am, thanks to the little one,” she said as she petted the cat on her shoulder.

The cat might not be able to do anything to enemy powerhouses, but their instincts were unmatched. The moment someone targeted her, the cat immediately alerted her to move out.

”Were they targeting you?”

”I think so, for some reason,” she said, turning to another direction with another couple. ”They targeted Bianca too.”

Ryan looked at Bianca who was now being comforted by her husband.

To be honest, they knew that those bastards would attack. However, they didn’t know they had specific targets in mind.

Gus sniffled. ”Me, too,” he mumbled, looking down at his wet pants.

Ah, shit.

He sighed and took out a blanket (he used it during camping), went to a corner of the nearby forest, and asked a friend to hold it for him while he got changed.

Anyway, many people were befuddled. It was really odd. And those men from before were totally attacking them, right?”

”What was that?”

”I have no idea...”

”Weren’t those men from Valov? Why would they attack us?” another voice from the crowd asked. Wazan and the others weren’t exactly quiet, and they had paid a few people to push the trip forward, though to be fair, they just thought they didn’t want to delay things.

”Valov, you say?”

Anyway, things just got more and more weird the more people thought about them. ”If so...who would take them?”

”Well, I guess that rumor that they had some connection with us is true?” someone from Ferrol asked, making some people flinch. People didn’t know that Guia Village was under Valov and Ferrol in name, but many did know that there were some conflicts between the two towns decades prior.

After all, the Lord’s lover was literally killed, and his head was placed on the Lord’s front porch. That wasn’t something that could be swept under the rug, and the servants’ non-disclosure oaths could only cover so much and could only last so long.

Still, there was no news of major hostilities after that, so people just forgot about it.

”Judging by how they were now, they seemed... hostile to us?”

”Not sure. It’s better to avoid assumptions.”

After all, this could involve the entire territory. Of course, the Ferrol townsfolk really didn’t put much weight to Valov, which was just a level 2 Town. Rather, they were offended that they dared attack.

At this, some Alterrans met eyes and made subtle nods that only they understood.

A moment later, several people shivered in fear. ”Oh shi... wasn’t that?” one said, eyes teary.

Another nodded, rubbing his shoulders as if experiencing the worst fears. ”No, right?”

They were very dramatic, seeming to truly be terrified of their lives. It took many people aback and some were even terrified and looked around guardedly as if there were monsters out to get them, too.

”What’s going on?” one of the Ferrol guests said.

”I’m so confused,” another guest agreed.

”Is this what Dr. Juliet meant by traumatic symptoms?” A helpful Alterran aborigine (who was not part of the plan) helpfully muttered at the side.

Another nodded. ”Ah yes, I attended her seminar and it seems this is it.”

Juliet held the occasional public seminars on mental health, held in the plaza. It was very new to the aborigines who took a while to understand it, but when they did, they realized how accurate several things and observations were.

Eventually, more and more people became fascinated with the subject, with a lot of people wondering when they could learn to be just like Doctor Juliet.

It so happened that two of the aborigine terrans in the caravan were particularly invested in those lectures.

One was Wana, who had once been a prostitute hired through Fargo’s Village center back then, and another was Fifa, who was one of the unnamed slaves they got from Guia.

She recently freed herself, thanks to Alterra’s humane practices and standards. Anyway, Wana and Fifa became fast friends at some point and they found Juliet’s lectures particularly inspiring.

It was a free lecture and in a public place, so they got curious and listened in, not knowing how hooked they would be. Before listening, they had just felt weak and useless, feeling all sorts of emotions even when they had already landed in the safe and comfortable Alterra.

They had been afraid of being called ungrateful and dramatic, so they simply never spoke out.

Doctor Juliet’s lecture made them feel...seen, and they also wanted to ’see’ others as well.

They even took notes of those lectures, and one of them was how to handle PTSD, whether it was for them or for others.

At this, Fifa kneeled beside the shivering Terran and patted the person’s back.

”...”

The Alterran ’actor’ was confused. Was this part of the script?

”We’re here for you,” she said. ”We will wait until all the annoying emotions calm down. No need to pressure yourself.”

”...”

But hey, this really was comforting. Sure, they were exaggerating, but what they really experienced back then really was traumatizing.

The ones Ryan approached to help out were chosen for a reason, all of whom suffered from a certain town. While they felt bad digging old wounds, it was also what they could do to get revenge for their old perpetrators.

The actors let tears flow naturally, but didn’t forget the role, as well as the seeds the act had to plant in all these people’s heads.

This wasn’t bad. They got the non-actors into the play, too, making it even more believable.

The ’traumatized patient’ cleared his throat. ”I... I... well, it is indeed a scary experience for me,” he said, sobbing, wiping away his tears. This was a big muscular man, by the way.

Humans naturally love the dramatic. His friends looked at him in concern, but most just wanted to hear the story.

”What is it?”

”What did you see?”

”You know something, right?”

The muscular actor nodded. ”I’m not entirely sure but... well, you know I was a slave in Voumi Town right?” he asked his friend, who nodded sympathetically at him. ”Before we were sent to Inko to assist in th second Limestone Valley war, I was enslaved there.

”They were horrible, horrible people, my friend,” he said, gasping for air as he recalled the memories. (Though he had already gone over them, but it didn’t hurt to act out today). ”I will never forget their faces, let alone they barely even covered it!”

A pause, added tension, and people leaned in in anticipation for what he’d say next. They could already surmise what he was about to say, but they needed confirmation from his mouth.

”Well..., I saw some of the hooded people. Those were one of the guards who tortured us.”

They gasped.

”Seriously?”

Voumi Town? Wasn’t that just a level 1 Town? Level 1 Towns are so brave now?

The Ferrol gossipers were especially intrigued. How interesting!