After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 1058

Ladron nodded. "I… I understand that Alterra Village is in a league of its own," he said. "But I assure you that our V—Yasof Village—will be more useful as an ally than as anything else."

"Shall I continue to read?" Mathilda asked with an eyebrow up, evidently not appreciating the interruption. Ansel smiled awkwardly, symbolically waving the platform back to her. "Yes, Elder Mathilda."

Mathilda looked at the room, as if waiting for anyone else to speak again. Everyone sat up properly under her silence. When she saw there was no one who’d be speaking over her, only then did she continue to read the letter.

/As for why I did not want to renew my contract, all I can say is that I have suppressed anger with that territory because they caused me to lose my precious daughter. I do not want to be attached to them anymore, but I cannot do this without endangering my whole territory because I did not join another force./

"Yeah, like allying with a village against a town is logical," Ansel sneered though it quickly disappeared when he met Mathilda’s eyes.

Mathilda’s pet peeve was being talked over when she was making a speech. Reading a long-ass letter apparently counted. Noted. _{fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm}

He cleared his throat, awkwardly pushing himself deeper into his chair in shame. "Sorry."

/Even if Alterra is a fellow village, it is very strong, wise, and good. I know I will not be at a disadvantage by allying with you./

"Sounds a little bootlicking," Ansel couldn’t help but whisper at the side. He was more careful but Ladron, who was nearby, gasped at him.

"The Lord does not lick boots!" he retorted with a bit of emotion, making everyone look at the two of them awkwardly.

Ansel covered his face, feeling like he’s in a classroom and stared at for a blunder.

Mathilda shook her head and sighed, just finishing the latter half of the letter with that exasperated-deadpan-but-classy-old-woman look of hers.

/With our alliance, I know those subsidiary villages would not be able to handle us./

/I know this proposal is sudden and you have little reason to trust me—especially after I had just declared war against you—but I am willing to go there in person to make strict oaths to prove my sincerity./

/As a show of good faith, I will tell you a few things that Basset Town has been planning against you. Further, while I cannot betray Basset Town directly, I can at least inform you who the subsidiaries are./

This made Ansel and a few others’ backs to straighten. They leaned forward in interest.

Usually, smarter territories would not only make subsidiaries take oaths of loyalty for the duration of the contract but also non-betrayal oaths after. This way, even if a territory was no longer a subsidiary, it wouldn’t turn back and bite its former master.

However, there were always loopholes, particularly if the information was easily obtained, not a secret, or information that would not directly damage the master territory.

/Basset Town has a number of subsidiaries all around it. The ones you should be worried about are those relatively nearby, and all of them have expressed wanting to take over Alterra./

/Their names are: Khlack Village, Ugoy Village, Resso VIllage, Picno Village, Tangga Village, and ours./