1340 Travel Diaries (1/2)
”This small city called Utopia is intrinsically no different from the ones I had been to in the past. Be it the folk culture, the people, or architectural style, it follows very closely to the standard Loen styles.
”I've heard that the Southern Continent has many peculiar and unusual traditions. I hope that I can experience it myself one day. Of course, that's after East and West Balam's peace is restored.
”Speaking of which, the most special thing about this place is that the weather is always changing and there's always a storm. As a result, most people have umbrellas and raincoats that are smeared with Donningsman Tree Sap. The hotel attendant told me that for a person of a certain income level, which also has a need to work outdoors, they would have to save quite a sum of money to purchase a raincoat. Otherwise, the sickness would only take more away.
”There are no meteorologists here. I have no idea why there are so many changes in the weather here. I can only guess that it has something to do with it lining the sea and being close to places with hurricanes. Yes, there's a deep water harbor a few kilometers away from Utopia. However, they're lacking in manpower, and it isn't very well-managed. It can only maintain its operations on a small scale.
”They don't have local newspapers either. After all, it's just a small city with a few thousand people. The paperboys mainly sell the Tussock Times, Desi Mirror, and Seawind News…
”The second reason I like this place is because many people in Utopia are optimistic and are very enthusiastic about life.
”When I wrote this down, a band happened to pass by outside the hotel.
”It's not a professional band, but a group formed purely from amateur enthusiasts. Among them, there are civil servants, law enforcement officers, solicitors, professional policemen, school teachers, candy factory workers, shop owners… Among them, those with the money are responsible for the larger musical instruments, such as cello, violins, and other difficult musical instruments. The lower- and middle-class citizens use relatively simple instruments like seven-string guitars and harmonicas.
”On some rest days, they will walk the streets and set off from the municipal square. They will circle the city before returning to the Saint Arianna Cathedral near the square. They call this a 'musical tour.'”
”In the tour, not only do they not reject other citizens from joining, but they even encourage them to sing or dance along with the procession. According to my observations, the participants are very happy and very satisfied as they freely express their love for life. This gives me a feeling of being full of vigor.
”I have to admit that it's very infectious. I've tried to join the tour, and I've forgotten my troubles in the revelry of music, dancing, and singing. I only remember happiness…
”They aren't on a tour today. Instead, they're showering their blessings to a newly-wed couple at the cathedral.
”Speaking of weddings, what I don't understand the most is that it only has the Evernight Goddess's cathedral. One ought to know that in most of the kingdom, even in a small town, there would be at least two cathedrals, one belonging to the Evernight Goddess and the other, the Lord of Storms.
”Before today, I couldn't imagine that an ordinary town in the kingdom would only believe in one deity.
”However, this doesn't cause too much trouble for me. Before I turned eighteen, I could only believe in the Lord of Storms under the influence of my family. However, after I graduated from grammar school, I came to truly understand that the Goddess is the most compassionate and benevolent deity.
”Back to the wedding, I participated in a wedding a couple of days ago. I discovered that Utopia has some special customs in this area.
”Out of all of them, what I admire the most is that when the priest pronounces them man and wife, the groom and bride will bow to each other. No one is superior in this relationship as they only sincerely express their gratitude to be able to spend the rest of their lives together.
”This might be an expression of equality between man and woman in the Goddess's teachings…
”In addition, there will be some special game segments after the wedding. For example, let the groom and the bride publicly describe their love story.
”This may be a rather embarrassing matter for them, but to the guests, it's rather interesting. Yes, I think so too, but I definitely won't add similar segments to my wedding.
”At the wedding, I heard the best love story I've heard so far. If there's a chance, and if you my dear readers of this particular column enjoy it, I'll consider retelling it. Of course, I'll change the names and some details to prevent the couple from feeling troubled…
”The most important reason why I like Utopia is its food. The food here is very delicious. The limited number of restaurants are all very good, and the best is undoubtedly the attached restaurant to the Irises Hotel I'm staying at.
”Be it the most basic beef steak, fried pig chop, charcoal barbecued meat, spiced fried fish, or even more complicated, more difficult stewed mutton with peas, thick cream soup, butter potatoes, and roasted potato skin, all of them have reached the level of a master chef in the city. In addition, the chefs here are quite skilled in creating unique dishes and food. There are sweet-and-sour meat cubes, and grilled fish smeared with various condiments…
”In the staples that don't seem to allow for experimentation, the chefs of Utopia haven't given up. I've eaten all kinds of toasts in this city: yam, potatoes, butter, creamed, and ones with fruits… As long as I was willing to, I could make it so that I don't eat the same thing twice during the week.
”The best food of praise here is their desserts.
”Cream pudding, fruit pudding, black forest cakes, carrot cakes, milk cakes, muffins, egg tarts…
”I feel hungry writing this. This is the reason why I still don't wish to leave after staying here for a week. What I'm most worried about now is not my wallet but my weight. I'm glad that the hotel doesn't have a weight scale, and at the same time, I blame them for not including one.
”The red wine in Utopia is also rather outstanding. The only problem is that they lack the age to settle down. It seems like the vineyards around the city haven't realized this.
”Here, I need to seriously recommend a drink. Utopia's Fizzling Ice Tea. It's very special, and it has an even more amazing experience besides the sweetness and bubbles…
”Every night, I would go for a stroll in the municipal square. That's also the place where most Utopians like to go for entertainment. They have an extraordinary love for the pigeons.
”I met an artist at the municipal square. His name is Anderson. He's handsome, and his artistic skills are superb. Unfortunately, he's a mute…
”I also know another writer. His name is Alzu. It's a rather strange name. He said that he's writing a long novel and asked me to appraise the beginning.
”I won't comment on his novel, but I was just curious about a few familiar names at the beginning of the novel.
”It included Anderson, Wendy, oh yes, this is the boss of my favorite bakery…
”I raised this question, and Alzu told me very seriously that when a writer can't think of names for characters, it's very reasonable for them to use someone they know as reference.