Shrek City had come into being through Shrek Academy's decisions over the course of ten thousand years of change.
It had been built as the first line of defense against beast tides from the Star Dou Great Forest.
It bordered the territories of the three great empires, helping ease tensions between them.
The word "city" here didn't mean a walled fortress, but a metropolis.
It was easy to imagine just how vast Shrek City was.
Like Shrek Academy, it was divided into an outer and an inner city, though the distinction had nothing to do with status or rank.
Since the outer city had to guard against beast tides, most of it was home to the Soul Masters stationed there, along with shops selling weapons.
The inner city, meanwhile, was the main commercial district. All sorts of shops and businesses were there, as were the homes of ordinary people.
Shrek Academy stood right at the center of the inner city, with its four gates facing Shrek City's four main gates.
(Note: The layout of Shrek City here is the author's own creation.)
At that moment, one of the inner city's main roads was full of carriages and pedestrians, bustling without end.
The shops lining the road were all open. There were clothing stores, food shops, dessert shops, and more—a dazzling variety.
On the street, a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman, both with unusual hair colors, strolled hand in hand.
"Boss, I'll have one 'Sweet Nothings'!"
The boy pointed to the pink cake on the menu outside a dessert shop.
"Sure~ Just a moment, please~"
The owner was a woman in her thirties. She must have taken good care of herself, because she looked no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
She seemed full of energy, and when she