The chill of deep winter had not faded one bit despite the daylight sun. Instead, as the sun slanted west, it grew even more bone-piercing.
Velin and Old Walker walked side-by-side on the streets of Newly Town.
It had long since become a neat and beautiful little town.
The flat, white stone-brick roads were wide and clean, flanked by row after row of small, courtyard-style buildings. Smoke drifted from the chimneys, weaving together under the sky to create a scene of hearth and home.
The streets bustled with people. The townspeople wore thick, new clothes of coarse cloth, and some from more well-off families even had on dyed felt cloaks.
The hunger and terror that marked their faces upon arrival were gone, replaced by affluence and… complacency.
A young artisan who had just received his merit point bonus was loudly showing off a new silver ring he'd bought for his wife, drawing envious gazes from those around him.
