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

After the main performances, the carnivals were also in full force. Various groups went to different commercial establishments, while others went on to the carnival games spread across the parks.

At this time, Althea's group was relaxing and playing around in caravans set up in the Alterran Park.

Althea and Garan, like everyone else, relaxed today, separating from the mercenaries from earlier to have their own fun.

They simply scheduled meetings with the foreign mercenaries in the afternoon of the next day. After all, this was a day of celebration, not a day of work. They also didn't want their guests to miss such good events.

Anyway, their family met up with Ansel and the others to spend a few more hours playing before they all headed to bed. They jumped from game to game, taking turns, igniting their competitive selves.

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This was especially true for the couple Ansel and Winona, who just lived to compete with each other. They always ended up in a draw somehow, which annoyed the heck out of the two of them.

Things got worse when a random stall owner recognized them and congratulated them on the birth of their child. He then inadvertently asked who the baby took after more.

It started a war.

It was like it was the most natural thing for the two of them.

They decided to settle it by asking the two babies who weren't theirs (because theirs were sleeping soundly at home with the nanny, Yana, who didn't like noisy places).

Whoever lost would follow a request from the winner.

The contest was simple: Whoever attracted a baby to them would get a point each! And whoever receives three points wins. If both babies went to the same person, then that person would receive the extra point.

Anyway, the family found a small clearing at the side with smaller crowds (not that it helped, simply because they were all well-known figures in the territory) to do this... odd competition.

Althea and Garan obviously found it so stupid, but what could they do? Ansel and Winona were practically their little siblings, so they could only oblige...

The competing couple promptly kneeled down, exactly along the same line, ready to win this game.

Ansel tried very hard. He not only didn't want to lose, he could very much use that request!!

On the other hand, Winona had an idea about what kind of perverted request he had so she also tried very hard as well. Of course, she was competitive by nature—no matter how small the contest was—so there was that.

"Pepper! Here! Come to auntie!"

"Baby Pepper likes handsome! Handsome uncle is here!"

"Meatball! Does Meatball want candy?"

"Meatball! Uncle has cotton candy!"

"If Pepper goes to uncle, she will have the prettiest dress in the world!! Little Pepper deserves the best!"

"Auntie has pineapple candies, pineapple slushies, and pineapple pies! Yum! Little Meatball will go with auntie, yea?"

They were really noisy. Althea heaved a deep breath, feeling embarrassed because many people were looking at them. "No! No one speak," she said, holding her baby by the armpit. "Person who speaks loses."

It was only when the two shut up that the babies were 'released'. The two lurched forward and headed to where Ansel and Winona were squatting down, looking intently at the babies as if calling them with their leering eyes.

It was a race that was only a few meters in length, but each step was filled with tension. Each step traversed by the twins' small feet was watched intently by everyone, even by the passerbys.

There were 'close calls', but the two babies both went to Winona in the end—ensuring her win with a single round.

Ansel sighed. He tried, but who could blame them all for choosing his soft wife?

…

A few minutes later, Ansel found himself on the Xeno version of the Dunk Tank Seat game. This was Winona's request for winning the game. Sad for Ansel, it had nothing to do with their sex life, but whatever.

The seat was elevated to about two meters above the ground, with a shallow pool of water right under it. He had a tiny target below his feet, and if people hit it with enough force, then he'd fall down.

So, here he was, waiting to be thrown down to the water. Quite a few people watched the fun, no doubt looking forward to seeing him—who was always well dressed—look like a drenched Gugu bird.

Fortunately, the person who would sit on the dunk seat would get the same price as the person who hit it, which was the only consolation in all of this.

Speaking of prizes, each stall had different ones. This one had… vouchers. It was an all-you-can-eat voucher for Gaia Restaurant though, which wasn't bad.

It was also a free-for-all. Regardless of who the 'sitter' was, anyone who paid some copper could get a shot at him. It wasn't easy either. There was a maximum level allowed there and even then, it was designed to be very difficult even for a level 15.

Anyway, whether it was for the prize, for the spirit of competition, or just to see Ansel fall down the water, the people who were trying to hit the target were all quite passionate.

They weren't the only ones. Althea, with Baby Pepper snug in her arms (with eyelids looking heavier), looked at the other games she could see from where she stood.

There were basketball shooting games where the ball and the baskets were markedly smaller. When they missed the last shot they had, it looked like they were electrified in their sadness.

There was a small area with minigolf games, except the putt was much more difficult with varying elevations, wilder slopes, and crazy curves. The players and the audience were so passionate and, when it missed just a bit, everyone would scream—some even pull their hair—in depression.

Even aborigines were the same—No, they were more used to the thrill and reacted even more strongly. There was someone who acted like he was a fish out of water when he missed…

The prizes for these were just vouchers. Granted, they were good vouchers, but it surprised her to see how invested they were.

Althea watched with a smile and wondered what would happen if—someday—the prizes of these games were magic tools…

How crazy would people get? She felt quite curious.

Should she make it into an event someday?

A vague idea of an event similar to the Olympics—one joined by various territories—came to mind. However, she shook her head in the end.

The premise of that was that they had a surplus of treasures—this was something they were still far away from.

As for the future… who knows? Only time will tell.