After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World - Chapter 1627

Chapter 1627: Drugs in Alterra (Part 2)

It was indeed the perfect market… if there was no one who could recognize the thing!

The thing was, there were plenty of Terrans in the dorms and they recognized it for what it was.

Even aborigines, thanks to the Elders’ relentless agendas of educating the public about the thing and its dangers, actually had an idea that there was something wrong with it, even if they hadn’t encountered it before.

And so, almost as soon as it was introduced, the guard station was alerted!

Suffice it to say, the seller—who was none other than Eppot—was quickly brought back in for questioning.

…

Eppa watched from the side as her brother was dragged to the prison, her husband patting her shoulder reassuringly.

“He’s brought this upon himself,” Louie told his wife. “He should learn his lesson in the mines and re-emerge as a humbled person.”

“I’m very conflicted,” she admitted. She shouldn’t care, but she did—very much.

“Well, he is your brother,” he said, completely understanding. Not to mention, the way she was raised had always been to put her brother above her own needs and wants. It was a long process to completely remove from her psyche, and it was obviously not yet complete.

“However, let us not get involved this time,” he said. “That drug… the thing he was planning on spreading… it’s evil,” he said.

“It was designed to destroy lives, and he deserved to be punished harshly for that.”

Eppa nodded. “I just hope he sees what he did wrong.”

…

Back in the guard station, a group of people looked darkly at the substance splayed on a table.

“It’s really a drug,” one of the guards said, using a popsicle stick to study the powder.

This was Atlas, one of the people assigned to the anti-drug task force.

He had actually been part of the narcotics unit back in Terran. Other than the actual chemists, he was one of the best people to be on point here.

“Send a sample to the labs,” he said, referring to the Research Center. They would be able to determine if it was the same as the ones they had encountered or if it was a different variant altogether.

They also did not want to be tied by the bias that this product was absolutely the same as the ones in Voumi, because that would significantly lose their way.

At the same time, they wouldn’t be surprised if there were other variations from other sources popping up. Terrans were really creative after all, and sadly, not everyone would use those brains for good.

Speaking of this, the Elders had sent instructions to the teams that went out about a week ago: Offer Alliances to all Terran Villages. At least those that had ethical people as their leaders.

To his knowledge, the teams had left a few days back, and they were expected to send reports intermittently, though so far, there was none who had given word yet.

They hadn’t done this (offering alliances and subsidiary status) to others before because they were also a Village in name.

It’d seem too arrogant to offer such a thing, especially since most of them hadn’t heard of Alterra yet. Those who had willingly gone under them—i.e., Belluga and Bright—were already their subsidiaries, and they were close enough to see what they were capable of by themselves.

Now…, they were a Town, and they could use this to influence and power to consolidate and protect.

It was not that they were busy bodies or had a hero-complex. It was definitely not them having imperialist thoughts, because they couldn’t care less about other people’s properties.

The Elders simply believed that a strong region was the best case for their people’s lives.

There were plenty of wise words about this.

For example: a candle would not lose anything by lighting up another candle. Another: Watering neighbors’ gardens would also let your own grow better.

Ultimately, it was safeguarding the long-term health, safety, and development of their own people, which was a win-win situation.

Of course, they’d have to make sure the people they assist were also decent people. If not, well, they’d figure that out as they go.

Anyway, if they had allies all over the region, it’d be faster for them to gather information and handle looming threats more efficiently. Allies and subsidiaries with Lords could send direct messages through the Center, after all, and it was far more efficient than messenger birds and post offices (which villages didn’t have, anyway).

There would be more and more people targeting them and some of them might be using indirect ways, it was best to be consolidated. It would also allow them to minimize the pitfalls of ‘divide and conquer’ strategies.

Making these villages their allies was basically guaranteeing they wouldn’t be a problem during the contract period. Similarly, aborigines would think twice about attacking them when they see each territory surrounded by allies, indirectly protecting more Terrans from becoming slaves at all.

Who’d want to attack a village that was sure to call in reinforcements—especially ones just some hours away!?

It would be idiotic, and no one would do this unless they had the backing of a powerful territory. Even then, Alterra could just step in as well (provided it’d be relatively safe for their citizens), causing enemies to fumble.

This was also why all teams heading out for reconnaissance would have at least one elite soldier, at least level 20 and above. They were not just to make sure the strong monsters were handled (in case there was a rare town-level monster roaming between villages).

They might also be the main proponent of the agreements. Show fists, er, power and stuff like that.

As for whether the other Terran villages would actually be cooperative, of course, and to what degree—only time would tell.

It was just that at least Alterra knew that they—who were blessed with good life and power—had done what they could for their fellowmen.

When the time came, it would be up to others whether they’d take their hands at all.

Terran Region Reunification mini-arc: Start! Tehee