Chapter 749

Catherine Rodney finally arrived in Arda. The princess and her entourage had traveled by fleet and disembarked at Franklin Harbor.

Everything here was utterly novel to Catherine.

The Northwest Bay had gone through several changes in impression within Crystal Radiance's aristocratic circles.

At first, many people had never even heard of the place.

Later, it became, "It must be some impoverished backwater on the kingdom's frontier, right?"

Then, as goods from the Northwest Bay grew increasingly popular, with things like paper, porcelain, and thermos flasks filling the nobles' lives, the image of the Northwest Bay in their minds became that of a huge factory.

But the Franklin Harbor now before Catherine was an orderly city. Its broad streets, clean appearance, well-arranged buildings, and bustling crowds were in no way inferior to the Royal Capital's Crystal Radiance.

No, it was even better. Crystal Radiance's prosperous and clean areas were limited to the Upper City, where the nobles lived. Once one left the Upper City, cramped alleys, low houses, and muddy roads immediately revealed the starkly different faces of the city.

But under Irene Rodney's guidance, Catherine toured many parts of the city. Its overall style was consistent, without the enormous disparities between different areas found in the Royal Capital.

This time, Catherine had brought her mother, Philice, and her younger sister, Irene, to the Northwest Bay. For Princess Irene, it was a return visit to a familiar place. During the time she had run away from home and stayed in the Northwest Bay, she had visited Franklin Harbor countless times. The city even had a school whose construction she had personally supervised—back then, Paul had appointed her to oversee education.

Even so, the city's rate of development had still exceeded Irene's imagination. It was larger now, and many old places had