Speaking of Raine’s love life, Lord Shiro of New Shrao Village would occasionally come visit them to buy cheaper linen for their people. However, he always hung around days longer than necessary.

Quiro also expressed his jealousy towards the other lord, Shiro, and had been insecure. Had he not been an elementalist, Quiro wouldn’t have dared think he could carry Raine’s shoes. After all, the opponent was a Lord as well.

On the other hand, Raine had to admit there had been some attraction between her and Shiro in the past, but that fizzled out due to their distance. They didn’t even have post offices, how could they foster long-distance relationships? They did not even start or attempt it.

Not to mention, Shiro was unaware that Raine was a female, so even if they did enter a relationship, some things had to be cleared out.

By this time, Shiro was also focused on developing Old Shrao, their old home. Many people, especially the older citizens, had decided to move out, even if it was inconvenient and even a bit dangerous

It was difficult to forget one’s roots. People who had survived to old age in this world were particularly attached to their home territories, even if they were weaker and poorer than their current home.

Of course, most unsurprisingly remained in New Shrao. Its proximity to Alterra—especially after the roads had been completed—was an incredible advantage and had shot up their lifestyles.

Those whose levels were also on the higher side also saw the opportunity to grow stronger.

Because they were so close to Alterra—much closer than compared to Old Shrao and Voumi—a couple of monster mobs past level 10 (which were considered rare in village zones) would appear quite often.

Because their target destination was Alterra, unless they were in their direct path, the number of ’strong’ monsters they had to deal with was manageable.

The nearby villages were like this, but even those at a distance were developing well.

Although most roads were still not done, the traffic between them had indeed increased. Villages, which were usually isolated, had connected well, and it injected a lot of activity into their respective economies, especially when aborigines passed by en route to Alterra.

One of the villages that had gained a lot from the subsequent development of the region was Calming Village. Despite all the hardship it went through, its location became its saving grace. It was one of the villages en route between Voumi—no, Ceramica Town—and Alterra.

This distance was usually traversed by beast car, and only certain mercenaries would go on foot. With the roads and frequent traffic, foot traffic had also increased.

For people on foot, Ceramica Lord Rowan and the Lady Silvia had released a map of villages they could pass through to make their trip to Alterra leisurely.

It would also encourage foot traffic and spending.

Silvia then proposed that these villages develop their own ’attractiveness’, much like how tour packages would pass through different places and offer different things, each territory in the Route acting like checkpoints.

This idea was greatly welcomed, and it so happened that there were a few people across the territories who had experience in travel agencies.

Someone actually owned a travel agency back in Terran, and he had a lot of proposals. Some could choose to specialize in a few products, which was easier and cheaper. Another option would be to create landmarks.

For the former, each village held village-wide meetings wherein the masses were allowed to make suggestions. They did not know what everyone’s specialties were, and they were afraid of missing a gold mine somewhere.

They would then consolidate the suggestions and vote. Whichever had the most votes would unilaterally be chose for development. Of course, if the other options were also viable, they could use them as well. There was no limit. What would limit them were funds as well as the resources, like raw materials.

As Alterra’s subsidiaries or allies, fortunately, funds or resources could be requested.

The suggestions ranged from certain types of cuisine, handicrafts, and services. There was even a village that proposed to be the ’red light district’ of the region.

Now, it was a bit dirty, but Alterra and the other places let it be. It was better that kind of thing develop elsewhere than in their own backyard. People would always have their dark sides, and it was too overbearing to control even this. They could at least add their own regulations if it was kept under their noses.

One of the restrictions was that it could not be part of the ’main routes’. As a dark industry, it had to have the consciousness of one.

Another was that the territory must dedicate a sector that would be completely ’clean’. Minors could only stay within these zones.

If those establishments dared to allow minors inside, then they should be prepared to be destroyed and tortured.

For the ’landmarks’, it was surprisingly simpler. It was too difficult to create landmarks, as most of them would have to be manually created. Besides, landmarks in Terran were tourist attractions not because they were big or old—it was because they held historical meaning.

What was actually proposed were Special Buildings that others could not afford. They were very expensive, but if one had a holistic view, a village could actually gain some funding for them.

Among these special buildings were the Barracks, the Bathhouse, and the Training Hall, each with increasing cost.

If there was a village within the Route that leveled up, then they could apply for subsidies. Since everyone was a subsidiary or ally to Alterra, they could directly request help from Alterra, who’d lend them money without interest.

They (Alterra’s Department of Commerce) did, however, choose to be strategic when it came to investments.

They distributed the special buildings if the villages were too close together, making sure they did not choose the same things, which would only lessen the charm of the Route.

For example, if one village upgraded first and chose the Training Hall, then their direct neighbor could only choose another to be subsidized.

Of course, they could also choose the Training Hall—but they had to be able to afford it on their own.

In a sense, this also expedited the territories’ need to upgrade ahead of neighbors because it gave them the priority to choose which buildings to get subsidized in.