CHAPTER 472: CHAPTER 450: A BRAND-NEW TOWN

The warm wind, heated by the sun, brushed against his face, and Sharet couldn’t help but squint his eyes. But the moment he opened them, an entire small town unfolded before him.

Standing on the arched wooden bridge, the first thing he saw was a circular plaza paved with herringbone tiles.

In the center of the circular plaza was a construction site, which had now been built over three meters high.

This construction site was for one of the future landmark buildings of the small town, named the Labor Clock according to Horn’s wishes.

This Labor Clock uses star-cast gears to drive it, chiming the hour every day. This was necessary for the workshop’s production to have accurate time throughout the day and could not be as lax as rural agricultural production.

To solve this problem, this clock tower was built.

Between the anti-fall nets and ropes, on rows of scaffolding over three meters high, laborers climbed up and down, lifting mortar with ropes and painstakingly hoisting building materials to the top through pulleys.

Carrying planks and buckets, the beastman laborers, shirtless under the scorching sun, had their burly arms glistening with oily shine.

If it weren’t for their wearing corsets, Sharet would not have been able to discern the secondary sexual characteristics beneath the thick brown-red-yellow-white chest hair.

The plaza is about one hundred and fifty meters long and wide, and around it is an approximately ten-meter-wide circular road, surrounded by newly planted ginkgo saplings.

The extension line of the small bridge on the Parra River happens to face the center of the circular plaza; if this line is extended further, a ten-meter-wide street, sandwiched between rows of buildings, comes into view.

"Here." Boritz pointed to the street in front of him, "This is Central Avenue. At the end of the avenue, you’ll find Mansion Square."

In line with the straight line formed by the previous two, this road extends forward.

Until another square appears not far away, where Sharet can vaguely see a marble statue being built two stories high.

What surprised him most were the two-story shops on either side of the road and the four-story apartments behind them.

Every shop and apartment seemed to be copied and pasted—same height, same design, light orange walls, and dark gray roofs.

The eaves, wooden frame balconies, and road edges of each building can all form a straight line, with countless intersections of these lines pointing to the statue on the distant square.

When Sharet looked back, he happened to see the terrace of the Mechanical Palace in the distance, lining up perfectly with the small bridge, the circular plaza, and the statue.

The visual impact brought by this order and straight lines was something Sharet had never imagined before.

Because people of this era rarely had the concept of urban planning, cities mostly developed freely and chaotically, and the shape of their buildings looked quite grotesque.

Even if some scholars and stone masons had the concept of urban planning, it was only in the realms of the Land of Gold that some rudiments existed.

Even Rapids City, which was relatively well-planned, had irregular shapes, streets varying in width, and districts that were intricately intertwined.

It was extremely rare to see a town as orderly and clear as this one.

This was thanks to the interim mayor of Autumn Dusk Island, Vite.

The "Ten Books on Architecture" given by Horn to Vite were essentially many concepts he gathered from the internet, and some parts were merely outlines and concepts without examples.

Miraculously, Vite reverse-engineered from these fragmented outlines, referencing his study abroad experience from the Land of Gold, combined with the propositions of Revivalist stonemasons, and summarized a set of early modern European urban planning and architectural style.

It required both the retro order of Ancient Aier and the classical splendor and decoration of the Empire.

The newly transformed town before him was the masterpiece designed by Vite.

The terrace of the Mechanical Palace, the clock tower of the circular plaza, and the statue of the Mansion Square formed a straight line, with symmetry on both sides.

If Horn lived in the Mechanical Palace, every morning when he woke and went to the terrace, he could take in the entire city, as if the city was raising its right hand, greeting:

"Pope, good morning!"

No one knew the specific ideas Vite had when designing this plan, but this flattering scheme was unanimously approved by all the elders and Saintess Hilov.

However, currently, Vite’s planning was only implemented in the two blocks before him and the Mansion Square.

The other parts of the periphery remained wastelands and garbage dumps.

Watching all the way, Sharet headed west, walking into the circular plaza.

Since it was afternoon, people were either working or doing housework.

There were quite a few young people playing and store clerks pouring water on the side of Central Avenue, but there were not many pedestrians in the circular plaza.

In the shade of the blazing sun, only a few sluggish male beastmen sat on the ground.

They laid a few ragged cloths on the ground, setting up stalls to sell some exquisite handicrafts and vegetables and fruits.

"This place is called Assembly Plaza, where announcements are made, and criminals are hanged," Boritz pointed to a row of simple sheds on the square, "there is a morning market every day, usually ending at nine. If you want to buy fresh vegetables and fish meat, you’ll have to go early."

"Then if we come this late, won’t we miss out on food?" a refugee from Rapids City worriedly said.

"Don’t worry, there are ready-made taverns in the town, you won’t go hungry." Boritz rolled his eyes, "Plus, Saintess in the Mechanical Palace graciously filled your cupboards at home with bread and bottles with enough salt."

"Houses?" The refugees widened their eyes, Free houses? They thought they’d have to live in tents or camps.

"In our Autumn Dusk Island, after becoming a citizen, as long as you work at a workshop under the Pope’s Palace or in projects cooperating with the City Hall, you’ll be allocated housing," another junior official from City Hall chimed in.

Boritz pointed to the four-story Insula Apartment behind the shops: "Depending on your income level, a different percentage of rent or house payment will be deducted from your salary.

Of course, you can also rent or buy a house yourself, trust me, unless you are a wealthy tycoon, you definitely can’t afford or rent a better room."

This is to ensure that people of different income levels can afford similar housing.

Currently, the small town of Autumn Dusk Island is still in a developing state, and Vite’s main focus is on meeting the most basic housing needs, with no energy to build better houses.

There were very few restored Ancient Aier noble courtyards available to live in, and most had been bought up by War Monks. Prices on the island were inherently high, and these refugees certainly couldn’t afford them.

Is that where they’re going to live in the future?

Looking at the neat Insula Apartment, Sharet felt a surge of excitement for the first time since arriving on the island.

Given the clean and tidy appearance of the small town, he had to admit, although its scale couldn’t compare to Rapids City, its future development prospects were no less than that of Rapids City.

Standing in the center of the circular plaza, Boritz, like a pointer, extended his right index finger forward, spun in a circle to point around: "Memorize the roads, standing at the Clock Tower Plaza, head west to Central Avenue, at the end is Mansion Square, north leads to the warehouse district, south leads to the ruins."

"What about heading east?"

Boritz looked speechlessly at the person asking, "Isn’t that where we just came from? Are you stupid?"

Silently noting the roads ahead, Sharet followed quietly behind Boritz.

In front, as if Boritz remembered something, he slapped his head, suddenly pulled a small triangular flag from his sash, and raised it: "Keep an eye on my flag, follow it, I’ll lead you to the new apartment."