The moment they stepped through the city gates.
Everything grew lively.
At the construction sites, workers' chants, the clang of hammers striking stone, and the shrill rasp of saws cutting timber.
Wove together into a noisy symphony of vitality.
Yet it felt somewhat empty.
Cui Ciyou swept his gaze around.
Yes, Roa City's familiar concentric layout was still there.
On the outermost ring, there should have been towering walls and a tightly packed network of defensive towers;
Further in, there should have been rows upon rows of homes and commercial streets where every inch of land was worth a fortune;
At its heart stood the lord's castle.
That was the theory.
In reality, though, this skeleton had yet to fill out with flesh.
The Displacement Incident had all but scooped everything in the Fitoia Territory out of existence.
Buildings, fields... even every blade of grass and every tree.
Everything before them now.
Had been rebuilt atop the ruins, brick by brick.
And that was precisely why all the buildings.
Whether homes or shops, looked like miniature versions of their originals.
Small and cramped.
The streets were broad, but pedestrians were few and far between.
There was not a trace of the bustling city's grandeur from his memories.
It seemed many of Fittoa Territory's former residents were still in the three great territories.
Then again, that made sense. If everyone moved back, they would probably starve.
This really is... remarkable.
Cui Ciyou marveled sincerely to himself.
He felt genuine admiration.
For Alice's father, Philip.
And her grandfather, Sauros, and the others.
In just three short years, starting with nothing but barren land, they had managed to rebuild the rough outline of Roa City through sheer determination.
What tremendous drive, organizational skill, and unimaginable toil that must have taken.
After all, both