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

Hubble Town

"I wonder what happened…" a certain pink-haired girl buried her face in her arms, trying to comfort herself from the guilt and anxiety.

She was now in her room, unable to get out, and it had been a month since then.

To be honest, it felt like her life was falling apart right now.

It started a few months ago, after she went home from her last trip from Alterra.

That day started out fine, though it quickly spiraled downwards before the day ended.

That morning, she strutted around town—or in the noble's community, anyway—in the new dress she bought from Andrei.

She received admiring and curious looks from everyone, particularly from the buyers of the old batch. They had already tasted the greatness of the products so naturally they were looking forward to getting more.

Anyway, Veronica wore the new design as a 'marketing' technique she learned there, and it really worked like a charm.

It was incredibly lovely—with its gorgeous fabric and mesmerizing prints—and was a supreme hit amongst the ladies, with several noble ladies trying to buy it off of her.

Local dressmakers would later try to mimic it, but she was confident they wouldn't even get near its amazingness. (That said, she didn't mind the mimicry. It was a cheaper alternative and it would ultimately add to the territory's wallet.)

Anyway, she borrowed a nice commercial area to sell her items. Because she could only carry a few beast carts full of items, her stocks were naturally very limited—and she could therefore charge quite a bit for it.

She never lacked money, but it felt good to get rich with one's own ability. She felt her back was straighter, her chin lifted higher, and her outlook was brighter than before.

It made her want to share the feeling.

It so happened that among the people buying her items were low-noble ladies. They were dressed well for the standards of their town. However, even when covered with makeup, their eyes were dull as they looked at her.

She recognized them. They were daughters of a mid-level merchant, a man barely considered a noble after reaching the wealth requirement of being one.

She also knew them as trained to be proper ladies so they could hook good noblemen—like her brother for instance.

The number of times she was approached by women with insincere intentions was innumerable. She remembered these siblings because—despite being obviously ordered to befriend her—they obviously felt guilty and uncomfortable in doing so.

"You're so amazing, Miss Veronica…" the younger one said, looking at the vast array of products she had displayed.

The pink-haired girl smiled. "You know…, women can stand on their own," she told them. "You should try—"

"You are very lucky, Miss Veronica, I don't know parents who treat their daughters as well as they do to you."

At this, the older one scoffed. "It's because they're rich and powerful. Other people don't have that luxury," she said, turning to her. "Don't go walking around and assuming we could just change things!"

The younger one flinched at the outburst of her sister. "I'm sorry, she's engaged to someone who—"

The older sister, on the other hand, realized her outburst and her face turned red in embarrassment, especially when she saw Veronica and the spectators' startled looks.

Humiliated, she ran away, followed closely by her little sister.

The rest of the day passed by and Veronica sold out that day's merchandise. However, her mood remained heavy from that interaction.

She went home in a sour mood, but… it also made her appreciate her family even more.

So that night, she ran to her parents with gifts. She was quite excited. She had been holding back her father's liquor and her mother's special pharmacy-grade beauty product for an occasion, but she thought she should give them now and just buy new things for the occasion.

Anyway, Alterra never seemed to run out of new novel products to buy!

After asking the servants, she found that both her parents were in her father's study. However, when she approached the room, she realized that they were discussing something serious judging by their somber expressions and body language.

She was the gossipy type and was very curious. Even if they had voice blockers, she had the tool against it so she used it.

She did feel a little uncomfortable, but not too much. Privacy wasn't as much of a thing in Xeno as it was in Terran. This was something obvious considering how intrusive the lord panels were.

Anyway, she was expecting the discussion to be about her brother's future wife. The last serious discussion was about this, so she thought she'd get advanced news to tease her older brother with.

Who would've thought it was something so sinister?

She found out that the Lord of Bleulle had involved her family into his sinister plot against the Golds! It was a bit radical, just short of directly massacring them. It was as if the Lord really wanted to get rid of them.

It seemed that one day, the Lord just decided it was time for the Golds to go!

Rather, It had been so subtle and happening far away, so the Alterrans—and even Jonathan and anyone else—weren't aware of it.

The Bleulle Lord seemed to be forcing her father—as well as a few of his men—to become 'witnesses' in the Gold's supposed betrayals.

Hubble Town was one of the many places between Holt City and Bleulle City, though much closer to the latter than the former. Holt wasn't actually near, but Hubble was definitely in Holt a lot, and there were a lot of deals and a few shops there.

By coincidence, they also had some intimate connections with them. This was why their words had some weight.

Her cousin, Iva, became one of the Bleulle Lord's harem nearly a decade prior, while her mother was distant relatives with the ruling family in Holt City.

According to their discussions, her parents had already agreed and were just perfecting the plan!

Not only was it a horrible thing to do on its own, but the Golds actually helped their territory a lot while it was still growing!

Back before she was born—when her brother was still a young boy—Hubble Town faced an economic crisis. It was to the degree that they wouldn't be able to repair the walls on time if someone attacked them.

However, Sir Zaol and Lady Gaia decided to make a production deal with them. It allowed Hubble to pass that tribulation, and it became the stable territory that it was today.

And yet… they were directly helping in taking that good family down!

How could they do this?! She misjudged them!

Betraying them like this was the lowest of the low!!

So, Veronica, incredibly self-righteous, decided to escape and run to warn the Golds of the imminent dangers.

Sigh

At present, she looked at her pitiful self locked in a room, with all her windows and doors sealed tightly. Not even the feasts they sent to her every day was enough to comfort her soul.

Once again, she buried her head deeper into her own arms.

What could she do now?