Fundamens (Month 1) 11, 1617 Central Calendar, 18:10 Second Civilization Time / 20:10 Mid-East Standard Time
Otaheit, Kingdom of Mu, Second Civilization Area
Just before they exited the flying boat, once again Meteos reminded Walman to put on his mask. Now that they are outside and are confronting the scenery directly after coming a long way from the Middle Lands, the city is... different.
It was a cold day shrouded in layers of grayish haze, with the sun rising only at seven and setting by half-past four making their arrival occur after dark. Without masks, they would have inhaled the thick air, heavy with smoke as an infamous byproduct of the Muish coal-dependent lifestyle. High buildings were far and between, and when compared to the Sleepless Magical City, Otaheit's lamps appeared sparse, casting a faint ghostly glow as they shone through the winter smog. A rather eerie ambiance, especially for a particular young Runepolian who is experiencing this country firsthand for the first time.
With his silver-haired friend walking beside him, Walman draped the fur-lined hood of his winter jacket over his head and trailed behind the MOASEC entourage leader as they made their way to leave the pier.
"This place is even lovelier than what I've seen in the photos," he muttered sarcastically to the chuckle of Meteos.
Oh, right. Even though he'd been outside the Holy Empire once, Meteos, too, would be visiting Otaheit for the first time.
"Mu's coastal regions are reportedly prone to be covered in fog in summers, but this scenery is just pollution," he casually informed, skillfully inserting the 'talking about the weather' without making it the ultimate in inconsequential neutral talk.
Walman snickered and adjusted his mask slightly.
Of all places, his first trip abroad took him to a city that would transform into the modern equivalent of a stereotypical grim barbarian setting at night. Come to think about it, the Un Coup de Foudre, that Muish romantic novel bought by Meteos a year or two prior, also spoke about Otaheit's squalid grandeur after-hours, that how before the advent of electricity, the city by night was a fetid darkness of backstreets and vagrant-haunted passageways. The author, a self-admitted compulsive nightwalker, really was no stranger to how a city changes at night, and it showed in how the tale he spun felt like a hosanna to the therapeutic benefits of noctambulation. Such a depiction didn't seem to change much at first glance, but Walman hasn't been to any of Otaheit's alleys, so who knows.
Despite everything, however, he didn't regret accepting the MOASEC superiors' directive-sounding offer to travel abroad on an official occasion. Walman had simply underestimated the state of this particular city, even as he stood just at its threshold.
When the two boys' assigned chaperone, Hirkane Valpe, overheard the topic of their conversation, the older young man slowed his pace to address them. His tone was light.
"We'll be staying at the Embassy for our stay in Otaheit. Since they've installed magical systems to purify the pollution within the compound, you won't need to worry about the smog once we get there."
"Haha, good to know," Walman nodded.
At that moment, a thought idly crossed his mind.
"...Speaking of pollution, you think Mu would be interested in a magical device to clean the air around here?"
"Yes and no."
"What does that even mean?"
"It's not quite that simple. It's one of those ideas that sounds great in theory, but the circumstances would make it difficult."
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Just A Reincarnation Story (Summoning Japan Edition)
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