Act Sixteen: Valhalla Four Months Later

Silver moonlight pierced through the layers of dense branches and leaves, spilling across the plaza. The chilly plaza did not seem much dimmer than it had during the day. Brando stood on the terrace of the town hall, overlooking the tranquil mountains and forests of the southern border beneath the night sky. Four months later, Valhalla had completely taken on the shape of a small town. This towering giant tree had taken root among the mountains north of Shafrund, and its spreading canopy, more than a kilometer in diameter, shrouded the city below. For now, however, its residents consisted only of the Treants, the villagers from Green Village, and some humans. Most of the humans were members of Valhalla's Wind Archer Guard, while the other new residents were Cruzian. The young people of the Broken Sword Knight Order also lived in the lower city.

Valhalla's enormous roots divided the districts around it into four regions: east, south, west, and north. The barracks district newly built by the light spirits lay in the west. Looking down from the plaza at the top, the western district was already beginning to take shape. Its streets and buildings were arranged in an orderly fashion. One had to admit that Audum, as a descendant of the Rune Dwarves, had some real ability. At the very least, his talent for city planning seemed innate. The western district was mainly divided into northern and southern sections, with a major street running across the entire district and separating the two. In fact, the street ran through the city and circled the lower city of Valhalla. Brando jokingly called it the beltway, though no one besides him knew what the term meant. Still, the name was passed down from above, and before long everyone had begun calling it that.