Chapter 1063: Royal Capital at Dawn
Chapter 1063: Royal Capital at Dawn
Skylark, Royal Capital, dawn.
Thick white morning fog crept along the outer river, the humid air rising to the bridge, making the freshly painted handrails glisten. The oily fingers of the dock workers had barely touched their pocket watches when six solemn bell tolls rolled down from the clock tower in the Old District.
“Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong… Dong”
The deep, resonant chimes of the cast-iron bell spread, awakening the entire city from its slumber. As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the morning mist, the sound of steam whistles from the public carriages, the cries of newsboys selling papers, and the hustle and bustle of the streets all emerged clearly, filling the ears of the passersby.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the morning in Royal Capital…
Listening to the familiar yet distant sounds around him, Leon, who had barely slept all night, couldn’t help but squint at the sun on the horizon, then instinctively took a deep breath. The unique, complex scent of Royal Capital’s morning mist quietly spread through his nostrils.
Due to decades of uncontrolled industrial pollution, the air along the outer river often carried a pungent, slightly acrid smell of industrial wastewater and a thick, almost suffocating stench of decay. The river’s surface was frequently littered with suspicious trash and oily, dirty rainbows. But after nearly a year of governance, with the relocation of over twenty factories and the separation of municipal sewage from public water, the wind from the outer river was no longer overwhelmingly foul and had regained some of the freshness it should have.
Although the smell hadn’t completely dissipated, and during midday, when the river began to evaporate, one could still catch a whiff of the "residual scents" of the old days, it would likely take several years for the river to fully cleanse itself. But at least it was breathable now.
Maybe I should go back and chat with Amien about some water purification agents to clean the river all at once?
Hmm… but that might not be a good idea. While the river might get clean quickly, the fish that were just relocated to the outer river might start to suffer. Better to take it slow and steady.
After dismissing the unwise idea of using sewage to treat pollution, Leon didn’t teleport directly through the Mirror Realm. Instead, he draped his wrinkled coat over his arm and crossed the bridge that separated the Old District from the Upper District, heading leisurely toward Bridge Street.
Although Veronica had allocated a large budget to renovate the Old District’s infrastructure after taking office, such a massive project wouldn’t be completed in just a year or two. The changes in the Old District weren’t as significant as one might hope.
As soon as Leon entered the Old District, the buildings around him immediately became shorter. The old brick walls, stained with years of coal soot, mixed with the slightly pungent smell of newly painted walls and the sweet steam from the bread ovens, creating a chaotic blend of scents in the narrow alleys.
“Move! Please move!”
Accompanied by urgent requests, a clerk in a round top hat scurried past Leon, carefully avoiding the horse droppings on the sidewalk, but failed to dodge the blanket shaken out by a woman from the second floor, getting covered in fine ash.
“Hey! Are you blind?”
“You’re the one who’s blind! How can you not dodge when you’re this big?”
“Where do you expect me to dodge? Didn’t you see the horse droppings on the ground?”
“That’s not my problem. I called out before I shook it, so if you didn’t hear it, whose fault is it?”
“You…!”
“…”
Well, even though there have been some changes, public hygiene still hasn’t caught up. At the very least, the horse droppings on the side of the road need to be cleaned up…
Passing by the two people who had started arguing, Leon queued up at a nearby bakery and bought two loaves of bread. He then quickly walked to the public carriage stop, where an old horse immediately snorted at his “suspicious” actions.
The coachman, who was licking a paper roll, heard the noise and spat out the tobacco in his mouth. He lightly tapped the horse’s rump with the rolled-up whip, ignoring the curses from the morning traffic, and pulled the carriage over.
“Sir, do you need a ride?”
“No… did you just recklessly cross the road? I remember the new traffic regulations were issued by the Department of Transportation last month. You’re breaking the rules, aren’t you?”
“Hey, who cares about that.”
The coachman, with two cigarettes tucked behind his ears, stroked his shiny bald head and chuckled.
“The traffic police haven’t started their shift yet. As long as I’m not caught on the spot, it doesn’t count. Besides, I’ve covered my license plate. If someone wants to report me, they won’t know my carriage number… Where are you headed, sir?”
“…”
I want to report you to the Department of Transportation… recklessly crossing the road, dangerous driving, and covering your license plate, you’re a real road killer.
Sigh… forget it. The new public carriages with double the speed haven’t been fully implemented yet, so the danger isn’t too great. But I should remind Veronica to emphasize traffic regulations before the carriages speed up…
“Bridge Street, Happiness Apartment.”
After noting down all the issues he had observed that morning, Leon boarded the carriage, sat on the cushioned leather seat, and curiously glanced at the hanging basket on the wall.
“Hmm? Why do you have newspapers in your basket? Did the last passenger leave them?”
“No, they’re for sale.”
The coachman pulled the steam whistle and laughed.
“Her Majesty Veronica issued an order to reduce the cost of public transportation, so I had to lower my fares too. As compensation, we can now sell small items or newspapers. And there’s some kind of tax exemption for this small amount, as long as it doesn’t exceed a certain limit…
By the way, sir, would you like to buy two today’s newspapers? If you just want to read them, that’s fine too, but you’ll need to pay me an extra copper coin when you get off.”
“Um… I’ll buy two…”
Leon was interested in the news but felt it was a bit of a loss to pay a copper coin just to read the newspaper for ten minutes. He reached into the side basket, picked out a few familiar newspapers.
New Industry Gazette: "Lyon County Development, Long-term Prospects for Mining and Infrastructure"
Commentator's Report: "Minimum Wage Increase Again! Business Federation Protests!"
Royal Post: "Interpretation of Veronica’s New Policy 'Fifteen Points': Consolidating Fiefs as the Key to National Strength"
Corner Alley Gazette: "Queen’s Arbitrary Orders? Road Department Resists Large-scale Layoffs, Prime Minister Supports"
Sun Daily: "Shocking! Prince Leon Long Absent from Palace, Queen Suspected of Marital Troubles!"
“…”
Marital troubles, my ass! I’m just busy with work! And seriously… this blind jackass writing the news, why hasn’t he been fired yet?
Frowning, Leon threw three copper coins into the basket and took the newspapers he was interested in. Just as he was about to read them, his upper body suddenly jolted forward.
“Sir, we’ve arrived at Happiness Apartment!”
(End of Chapter)
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