(When I refreshed the comments last night, there were suddenly a whole bunch more. At first I was secretly delighted, but then I found out some reader's internet had lagged and they'd posted ten identical comments at once...)
"So you're investigating Catastrophes around Syracuse?"
Bai Ye added some fuel to the campfire, making the flames burn brighter. The dancing firelight cast a red glow across the girl's face.
"That's right. Although Catastrophes visit this land frequently, there are always certain signs about fifteen days before one arrives."
"The task of us Catastrophe workers is to catch those signs and pass the news on to nearby cities."
Provence held her hands close to the fire for warmth. Nights in the wilderness were still extremely cold.
"A Catastrophe Messenger... that really is a dangerous and lonely job."
Bai Ye greatly admired Provence. Though the girl did not possess overwhelming strength, her willpower far surpassed that of most people.
Catastrophe Messengers were the most dangerous and specialized branch of the messenger profession. They frequently ventured into the wilderness, observed all manner of natural phenomena, made advance judgments about potential Catastrophes, and recorded and issued warnings for Catastrophes that had already occurred.
It was an immensely stressful job. Many people chose to quit after doing it for a while, but Provence had persisted.
"I don't know when it started, but Catastrophes have been becoming more and more frequent, and the conflicts between city-states have been intensifying as well. Sometimes, we Catastrophe Messengers can't even obtain supplies from hostile city-states."
Provence gazed worriedly into the pitch-black wilderness, then hugged Grape beside her.
"What a terrible era..."
Bai Ye shrugged, but he knew that all of this had only just begun.
Three years from now, when the Infected crisis erupted and the Reunion Movement ran