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

Dusk fell on Alterra, and all of the lights were turned on. As usual, Alterra was bright and energetic when the rest of the world was dull.

However, tonight, it was much livelier than usual—after all, a double celebration will commence!

Not only would they commemorate the anniversary of their arrival to this world, they also upgraded to a Town (and won a big war) at the same time!

Therefore, while they already had a party planned out prior to the war declaration, they had to add a few things to the program so it had been delayed a bit.

And so…, on the second night after the War, the territory once again burst into another celebration.

The plaza, the main avenues, as well as most of the adjoining streets, exploded with activity at this time. There were a plethora of stalls set up in most open spaces, and all stores were opened—offering promos and discounts.

The two main avenues were closed from the usual bike and broat traffic— restricting all activity to foot traffic— and creating massive festival areas that centered in the plaza.

The square itself was decorated with ribbons, flowers, and lanterns all over, setting up the atmosphere as soon as people saw the decoration.

The trees along the main avenues were also dressed up. The timbers had beautiful adornments—further emphasized by the ambient lighting provided by lanterns—hanging on each one.

The ornaments on the trees and shrubs grew denser as they approached the plaza, as if leading people there.

There was a massive stage set up at the central plaza. It was a well-built semi-circular stage with arches and themed decorations that fit with Alterra's aesthetic, while at the same time evoking a sense of extra grandeur the special occasion called for.

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There were no chairs in consideration to the massiveness of the activity and the number of people expected to join in. However, there were a lot of standing rooms provided. They also made sure to create some pockets for people to go to during emergencies, and there were nurses stationed there just in case.

The owners of the buildings within sight of the stage—including the territory-owned establishments—worked together to build temporary platforms that'd combine their balconies.

They positioned a few steps lower than the existing balconies, so the people who'd use it would be just below eye level of those on the second floor.

This added a mezzanine area and another layer of platform for spectators to use without blocking other people's views. These stores would even get extra customers because of it.

As if these extra measures weren't enough, they built some stairs up to the roofs, too.

The walls were not scalable, but they could build stairs to the top of buildings as long as the stairs supported their own weight.

It could be said that the Woodworker's Team had endless work until just before the program started.

Anyway, as the time of the program approached, more and more people squeezed in, and the entire place was riddled with people settling down in various elevations.

There were guards stationed all over the place, ensuring order in the crowd. There were also a few above roofs, in platforms, and so on, making sure they didn't miss anything.

They would yell for people not to push, to keep some breathing distance, not to fall off the roof, and so on.

Mao was even sitting on an elevated chair positioned somewhere around the outer edge of the plaza. His seat was like that tower chair that umpires used while watching over volleyball games.

He had a voice amplifier in his hand, and he was watching everything (that he could see) like a hawk and he wasn't even quiet about it.

"Hey! Don't push!"

"Are you willing to push the rules?"

"Gasp! Don't sit on the gutter! Do you want to fall down three stories!" "I don't care about you, but what about the people you'll land on? Your fat ass could kill!"

"What do you mean I'm fatter—you bast—"

"Yo! Men keep your distance from women! Do you want us to take you in for suspicion of being Creeps?"

"No, don't occupy that space! That's the emergency bay! What if you faint, do you want us to crowd surf you to the hospital?"

Anyway, it was very embarrassing to be pointed out like this so the crowd, despite the density, did behave somehow.

As for those who were back of the crowd and weren't able to get into a platform, they would just have to depend on the preliminary sound amplifier system the Research Center released. Its effectivity was not yet Town-wide, but it was enough to reach the entire event place and a few streets beyond it.

There were also large mirrors set up here and there, reflecting the image of the stage, allowing for more people to see what the heck was going on in the plaza.

Anyway, the chatter of the dense crowd was very palpable, and so was people's combined body heat, but fortunately the weather was cool so it didn't get too hot.

Gong!

The bell rang once to tell the time, and it also signified the moment the event was starting. Immediately, the noisy crowd entered a hushed silence.

The event's hosts—the new mother Juni and the fabulous Fable—soon entered and waved at the crowd, receiving excited applause.

They looked at the crowd with wide smiles, before turning to look at each other. "What a big crowd!" Fable said. "Beautiful Juni, are you excited for this program?"

"Of course I am!" Juni said, looking at the audience. "I'm sure everyone else is, too! Let's not delay it with our chatter."

"Eh, I thought people would want to hear my monologue…" Fable mumbled, faking a heartbreak. The crowd laughed and jokingly booed at him, making him touch his heart and wipe empty tears.

Juni shook her head. "Before we start, let us first welcome the people most responsible for this event—the Elders of Alterra!" she announced, and the two hosts faced a direction behind the stage, clapping their hands as the new figures emerged.

Althea and the other elders climbed up the stage in a file. As they smiled at the crowd, the applause became a few folds louder and more passionate. They did not stop even after the Elders took their respective seats at the side.

Everyone who stayed in Alterra long enough knew just how much of their current lifestyle was directly because of these people. How could they not show appreciation every time they could?