Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 404: A Familiar Place

TL: Etude

“Is this the Northwest Bay?”

At the docks of Port Fran, a group of people dressed as merchants disembarked from a commercial ship. The leader, a woman, exclaimed in awe upon seeing the port bustling with a myriad of merchant ships and busy workers loading and unloading goods.

“Big Sister Seviya, this place looks quite nice, doesn’t it?”

A child, who appeared to be in his teens, looked around excitedly. This group was none other than Seviya Acitini and her companions from the Horn Bay Alliance. There were ten of them in total, four men and six women.

After the Arcane Society promised to help, many people from the refugee camp were willing to join the Society for protection. Others, with the suspension of the witch hunt along the coast of Horn Bay, went back into hiding among the common folk. The rest, after much deliberation, accepted Seviya’s proposal to cross the ocean to the Northwest Bay.

“Roskin, don’t wander off!”

An older man with grey hair grabbed the boy who was about to run off and turned to Seviya, “Miss Acitini, we’ll wait for you here at the dock.”

“Alright, Old Aode, keep everyone from wandering off. I’ll be back soon.”

Old Aode and everyone else in the group shared a good rapport, so Seviya felt at ease leaving her companions in his care. She pulled her hat down and quickly walked east.

After asking several passersby for directions, Seviya arrived at the door of a warehouse and called out loudly, “Excuse me, is Mr. McKinley here?”

The workers, busy with their tasks, turned their attention to her upon hearing her odd accent in Ordo language.

“Miss, are you looking for Mr. McKinley?”

“Yes, could you please tell him that someone named Acitini is looking for him?”

A short while later, McKinley, a colleague of Liszt, hurried over to Seviya.

“Welcome, welcome, you must be Miss Seviya, the beautiful lady.”

Seviya smiled and nodded in greeting, “Hello, Mr. McKinley, that’s me.”

“Ha ha, I received a letter from Liszt two weeks ago. I never thought he would refer so many alchemists to settle in the Northwest Bay. People of your ‘high caliber’... My! The Count would surely reward him handsomely for this.”

“You flatter me.”

“I’ve already arranged a shop and lodging for you as per the instructions in the letter, at fair and reasonable prices. And it’s in a district where people from Horn Bay live, so you’ll definitely feel at home.”

“That’s wonderful, Liszt said I could count on you.”

Count Grayman concluded the ceremony, and on his command, the barriers that still stood on the road were moved aside by a group of people.

“Long live!”

Cheers erupted from both sides of the checkpoint.

Amidst the uproar, merchants on both sides hurriedly drove their carriages towards each other to sell their goods. Although they frequently traveled this route, today’s ceremony held significant importance.

The border soon turned into a temporary market, bustling with people selecting goods they fancied, and many minstrels performing, creating a festive atmosphere.

Representatives of the merchants, following an ancient tradition, climbed onto the platform to offer grains to the lords, who received them with smiles.

Seviya stood at a distance, observing the young Count Grayman, curious about the lord whom Liszt admired so much. According to Liszt, the various changes in the Northwest Bay in recent years were all due to this remarkable lord.

Gradually, however, her attention was drawn to a person beside the count.

More precisely, a woman.

The scholarly attire, the wide-brimmed, pointed hat, and the long emerald hair beneath it.

There was no mistake, although she couldn’t see the face clearly, every other feature pointed to someone she remembered.

“Excuse me, who is the woman dressed as a scholar beside Count Grayman?”

She quietly asked a bystander who was also watching the event.

“Are you referring to Miss Ladi Sertia? Oh, she’s no ordinary person; she’s an administrative officer in charge of education under our lord. Ah, to think a young woman, and from Horn Bay no less, would be entrusted with such responsibility by the lord. I hope my daughter grows up to be as successful.”

His words, however, struck Seviya like a bolt of lightning.

“From Horn Bay?”

She repeated the phrase to herself, in disbelief.

Is it you?

The Azure Witch.

...

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