To investigate the Habsburg Monarchy more thoroughly, Rubirola once again took to the streets of Natitingou the next day.
Rubirola had gained a preliminary understanding of Natitingou yesterday, but they had rushed into the city before night fell completely, so they had overlooked many details.
But now, strolling through the streets in broad daylight, Rubirola found that he stood out somewhat. Natitingou's permanent population had already surpassed three thousand. Besides its original residents, members of the House of Habsburg and their retainers, as well as some East African technicians, had also moved here.
Yet overall, yellow-skinned people still made up the overwhelming majority in Natitingou, followed by mixed-race people. Pure white people were quite rare, let alone Rubirola, a thoroughly French man.
At the same time, Rubirola noticed something else: the German spoken by people on the streets was extremely awkward, mixed with strange accents and vocabulary. Some people spoke German even worse than Rubirola, a Frenchman.
Thus, Rubirola ambled into a small tavern in Natitingou. Sakuma had recommended the place to him, and it was also the easiest place to gather all kinds of information.
Seeing an unfamiliar face, the owner asked familiarly, "Sir, you've only recently arrived in Natitingou too, haven't you? Did you come from the mainland, or are you a Habsburg?"
Hearing the owner's question, Rubirola felt somewhat awkward, but he did not conceal anything. "I'm neither an East African nor a member of the Habsburg Royal Family. I'm a European tourist, traveling around places in West Africa such as Togoland. I only arrived here recently with a merchant caravan."
It was no wonder the tavern owner had asked. Foreign white people rarely came to Natitingou; the odds were exceedingly small. Take the French whites in Dahomey, Upper Volta, and Niger—there were only a few thousand