Chapter 900 (1/2)
Chapter 900: The Witches From Afar (Part II)
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“Is this really alright?” Wendy said quietly as she pointed to the ordinary people on the dock. “I mean, we hired random people to greet the witches from Sleeping Island… If the witches knew the truth, they surely wouldn’t be pleased about it.”
“Are you able to find any residents who truly welcome their arrival?” Scroll asked in an equally low voice.
“… No.” Wendy hesitated for a moment and shook her head. Indeed, it was hard to find even one or two residents who would welcome the witches from the bottom of their heart, let alone a group of them. Although citizens in Neverwinter had gradually started to accept the witches under Roland’s influences, and some witches were even adored by the public, the immigrants from Sleeping Islands were strangers to them. It was basically impossible to ask people to stop their work and greet a group of witches they had never met.
Without Kind Roland’s presence, only the families of the First Army could be persuaded to do so.
“Therefore, there’s nothing wrong with His Majesty’s arrangement.” Scroll shrugged. “All the expenses incurred in this welcoming has already been included in Neverwinter’s budget, including the expenses for those big red bouquets, banners, and family greeting teams. If you don’t use that part of the money, the other departments will. His Majesty originally planned to have the welcome reception on a much bigger scale than this.”
“Well, you might be right…” Wendy swiped at the non-existent sweat on her forehead. His Majesty had been extremely excited ever since Princess Tilly had told him that the witches on Sleeping Island were coming here. Apart from what Scroll had just mentioned, Roland had also listed many other welcome events on his memo, such as ceremonial parades, a musical, and fireworks. Had the news from Hill Fawkes not prompted Roland to carry out his war plan immediately, Roland would have hosted the ceremony himself, which undoubtedly would have made things even more jubilant and spectacular.
Scroll said smilingly, “That’s why directly hiring people is the best option. We don’t just recruit random guys. Those selected ones are all families with good city hall records. You don’t need to worry.” She took a short pause and continued, “The witches are coming. Go meet them, Ms. chief of the Union.”
“Scroll!” Wendy raised her voice, looking at the former reproachfully. Then she gave Princess Tilly a curt nod before walking up to the guests who came here all the way from the island.
“Nice to meet you!” As the two groups of witches met each other, Wendy opened her arms and greeted them with her most gentle voice while smiling. “I’m the superintendent of the Witch Union. Welcome to Neverwinter!”
…
According to the agreement, the witches from Sleeping Island were only considered as ordinary subjects of the Western Region and would not be under the management of the Witch Union. As such, Wendy decided to take them to the residential area first and have a rough head count so that the City Hall would know how much food to provide to the new group of witches. As for the subsequent tour and work schedules, she planned to discuss that with Lady Tilly only after everybody settled down.
The construction of the residential area exclusively for the use of the witches from Sleeping Island had been completed two months before their arrival. It was located close to the Miracle Building and was named Sleeping Spell, the same name used by the Bounty Guild.
Some of the witches gasped at the sight of the “magnificent building” which was now six stories’ high.
They were especially impressed with the polished and glossy surface of the concrete.
“Are these real stones? Why do they look so smooth?”
“We’re not going to be staying here, are we?”
“Stop dreaming. This must be the Lord’s castle.”
“The view from the top floor must be breathtaking.”
Seeing everyone was burning with curiosity, Wendy took this opportunity to make a brief introduction. “The building is only half-complete at the moment. Once the construction is done, it will reach 55 meters, which is 180 feet and 5 inches. But His Majesty doesn’t live here. His castle is only three stories’ tall and is located in the center of Neverwinter.”
“That’s so tall… Aren’t you afraid that it’ll collapse one day?” someone questioned in surprise.
Wendy smiled. “His Majesty invented a special construction material that can convert fluid slimes to solid stones. This is simply a pilot project. He told us that we will be able to build architecture as tall as the mountains with this type of material. Of course, the whole project cannot be successfully completed without the help of the witches. In fact, this building is the result of the joint efforts of the witches and numerous construction workers. Am I right, Lotus?”