Night had already fallen, yet no starlight could be seen in the sky. Only a thin mist shrouded the entire city, making this vast imperial capital seem unreal and ethereal.
The weather had turned cold. Though Frost Moon was still some time away, in Alderan, where fog formed most easily, the mist had arrived on the plains ahead of schedule. Over the past week, five out of ten days had been foggy—and judging by the climate of previous years, fog would descend upon the plains more and more frequently over the next half month to month.
Daniel put on a coat and left his room. He passed through the dark corridors of the residence and wandered onto the balcony, gazing out over Alderan's streets submerged in thin mist.
The bright glow of Magic Crystal Street Lamps pierced through the fog, outlining all manner of shapes in the night. Silhouettes of buildings emerged from the darkness, many windows still shone with light, and patrolling soldiers walking dogs passed through a nearby street corner, their shadows stretching longer beside the lamps.
This was the wealthy district, unrivaled throughout the city in both infrastructure and public security. A few blocks away, in the commoner districts, there were half as many security soldiers, and the street lamps were not as bright. As for the slums... they were scarcely different from a few years ago. At most, a few new street lamps had been added, and some of them had already been smashed by the gangs and thugs entrenched there.
Even so, ordinary people living in this city could clearly feel that it was gradually becoming more prosperous, that this entire era was becoming more prosperous—especially those "citizens" who had the chance to watch plays at Magic Shadow Play theaters, buy imported food and shoes,