Four days later, outside Star Engraving Prefecture.
Star Engraving Train Station had been built near Sea Pearl Port. Both Sea Pearl Port and the train station were located outside Star Engraving Prefecture's outer city—in other words, an unfortified settlement beneath the city walls. These settlements existed by relying on Star Engraving Prefecture, much like an important person's leg ornament.
The original inner city of Star Engraving Prefecture had actually been only that small, fertile heartland around Mirror Lake. After centuries of land reclamation and development, there were more people in the outer city than the inner city, so the outer walls were built. That was also why civilians like Qian Yuliu were recognized as "noble city folk"—although in the eyes of the local Mirror Lake natives, they were still country bumpkins.
The settlement beneath the city was not actually all that terrible. It was basically a large Eighteen Streets, except with more gangsters, worse public security, worse sanitation, and less education. Once you had lived there long enough, you got used to it.
Le Yu carried his suitcase into the muddy settlement outside the city. Even his Steel-soled Boots sank half an inch into the mud. Qian Yuya followed close behind with her suitcase, curiously watching the factories nearby belching black smoke, the villagers casually hawking their wares despite sewage flowing across the ground, and even flower girls preening and soliciting customers in broad daylight.
The settlement beneath the city basically did not engage in grain production, because all the land outside had been bought by nobles and wealthy merchants to build factories. The villagers either hauled goods at the docks or worked in factories, while everyone else provided services for those two types of laborers. As for why the wealthy did not build factories inside the city, it was