Unfortunately, Altera was still a level 2 Village at this time and could not do any communication via aether at all. They would very quickly realize this as they knew how difficult it was for a territory to grow. They then only assumed that the system gave some exceptions to the newcomers of this world.
Anyway, the little commotion hundreds of kilometers away had nothing to do with the rest of Altera, which was as lively as always.
However, at this time, some people's faces—specifically, the visitors from Bright and Vismont—looked a bit dark and sad. This was because today was the last day they could stay.
They were already happy that the exodus was moved a couple hours further because their lords had a meeting to attend to, but it just wasn't enough!
"I'm going to the bathhouse again today. Totally worth it." Pip said, standing up after eating an early breakfast. "I totally deserve such a good bath."
His companions nodded and followed him to the luxury area. They also bought some stall snacks to eat on a picnic on the way back.
There was another group that went straight to the marketplaces, and another group went to the premier restaurant which they spent a lot of extra money on to get some seats for.
The two lords, who had met by coincidence in the hallway, looked down at the happy residents from the mezzanine balcony.
They could only marvel at the territory's charm and hope they could mimic it to some success when they get back home.
Speaking of which, even this 'typical' inn was quite impressive.
This was especially true with the public spaces, which was arranged in a way that the lounge was still grand and spacious with relatively intricate decorations.
The rooms were also very comfortable, much better than the ones they were used to since coming here.
There were also special torches, oil lamps, and protected fire pits to light up rooms at night.
There were no candles yet, but this was a great alternative despite the limitations. In retrospect, it was also safer.
There was natural ventilation that allowed the building to cool off. And there were provisions for ceiling fans, powered by the winds outside or manually (if there were no winds).
Together they went down the stairs, observing more, trying to absorb as much as they could during their stay.
They nodded to the people who greeted them and went outside, hoping to explore a bit more before leaving.
Looking at how well the manual construction was done, they also marveled at the custom buildings nearby. From what they had studied so far, the custom houses were not only comfortable, but they were also self-sustainable—they had passive cooling, efficient heating, had their own water tank, and one could even use waste to make cooking gas.
To be honest, when their people were excitedly telling them these features, they really couldn't absorb how it was done.
"The houses are also so much better than buildings in my place."
"It is the same with me…"
Although they had yet to try how custom buildings worked, they knew there would be a huge amount of technical talent to design it.
"I feel a bit complicated." Matthew sighed. While glad that the Terrans retained such technical talents, he felt a little sad being left so far in the dust. "I wonder if there's a way to get the blueprints for the custom houses. I only have a few hundred golds left, but I can spend a lot on it."
"The actual application of the blueprint should also cost a lot." Micheal helpfully added.
"..." Matthew didn't know what to say.
Micheal smiled, "However, I do agree with the purchase. Let's open the topic later, maybe the Elders know about it."
The perennially-smiling Micheal then paused as he said so, a look of introspection appearing on his face. "If the deals today work out, life in our territories will definitely improve."
"Hmn, I agree."
"..."
"..."
Suddenly, a new unasked question emerged: Which one of them would be able to do it better?
The two looked at each other awkwardly, and Matthew cleared his throat in an attempt to diffuse it. "Did Silvia and the others mention the meeting time?"
"Yes. Brunch time at the restaurant… I believe the name is Terran Gastronomique Haven." Micheal said, lips twitching at the name.
"Then… Let's meet there. I'm going around for a while."
"I'll do the same."
And so, the two handsome lords separated ways, looking forward to what new things they would learn. Hopefully, ahead of the other.
One Altera ahead of them was enough, how could they let the other easily do the same!
…
Meanwhile, Althea left the territory very early for her much-needed walk outside in search of new resources. To the eyes of others, she was just trying to train like everyone else.
If they asked this in front of Althea, she would look at them bitterly. It would be great if she could actually get experience from the monsters outside, which were predominantly level 1s.
Why was she the only one who couldn't get experience points from the majority of the monsters outside?
Another assumption for her frequent trips was that she was exploring the terrain for contribution points, which in a sense wasn't false.
Speaking of, two confirmed resource points have been discovered since the announcement.
One was the Jathro, a potential source of improved burning oil, which reminded her of the tropical Jatropha plant back in Terran. In addition to the biogas oil that could rise from their processing, they could use it for cooking and lights. It was very sustainable as well.
There was also a field of Tutu berry, a group similar to grapes. Although their Terran grapes were more delicious, the grapes here were larger and gave a different sort of crunch. The health benefits were also higher.
It also had richer tannin content, making it potentially more delicious when it turned to wine!
The two people who discovered these resources each received 5000 points. With them as an example, it just roused the enthusiasm for resource hunting to a whole new level.
Althea herself continued to search, passing through already familiar plants. After perusing for a while, she eventually did end up finding new species.
It was olive green in color and had elongated serrated leaves.
She was very happy. Because of the lack of biodiversity in this place, it had been a long time since she encountered a new species.
Unable to help herself, she immediately studied it.
[Sagada Plant (Lv4). Effect of oral cleansing. Triggers cooling sensations.]
"Oh?" she uttered, curious, touching it for study when she was sure there was no poison.
It had a pleasing aroma to it, and it was soft and slightly fuzzy to the touch. Using Tori, she also determined a lot of its contents.
It apparently contained a lot of Menthol, which not only gave off a cooling sensation when consumed, but it also had certain cleaning and disinfecting properties.
The NPCs mentioned a plant that had a refreshing taste—Papra, they called it—that could make the tongue feel cooling sensations. It was used to clean people's mouths to a certain degree. She wasn't sure how this one would fare against that plant, but she was happy to find something to enhance their hygiene products!
She couldn't celebrate for long though, as the heating rays reminded her that the sky had already changed.
She looked at her watch—a glorified sundial that only worked if you knew your cardinal directions—and saw it was time to go back. After all, she still had a meeting with the two lords.
However, on her way back, she heard rustles not far away from where she stood.
Curious, she sprinted in the direction of the noise, and a new scene was revealed when she reached a clearing not far away.
It was a group of people, surrounded by dozens of level 1s, about a handful of level 2s, and one level 3 king. Although they were superior in number, monsters tended to be stronger than humans a level or two higher than them. One could imagine the struggle.
After watching a bit, she realized that half of them were still familiar.
The Alterans who went East.
Hey, she wondered how their trip went.