After the war in the Southwest was over, people’s livelihoods and the economy there recovered much faster than expected.
The traffic routes between the entire Southwest’s 50-odd strongholds were fully operational while the strongholds completely opened up as well. Just as in Bidara City, the stronghold residents and refugees could enter the various strongholds as long as they possessed trade or work visas.
The Panaqua Consortium encouraged the residents to do business by reducing taxes. With a flow of people moving between the various strongholds, the stagnating Southwest finally became livelier. Even though the people here had just been through a war, Stronghold 88 looked like it was completely thriving.
Milo and Miriam found a hotel to stay at for the night. They still chose two separate rooms as usual.
At night, Miriam returned to favonovel.com room early to sleep. If it were in the past, the two of them might still have a long conversation with each other.
At their home on Anning East Road, they would chat through the walls until late at night. But now, they seemed to have much less to say between them.
Milo’s mind started running wild. When favonovel.com was alone, the first thing that came to his mind was whether Miriam was treating this trip to Stronghold 88 as their last chance to spend some time together before breaking it off with him.
He felt that Miriam’s attitude towards their relationship must have changed. Otherwise, why didn’t favonovel.com Enchanted Doorway open to their home in Stronghold 144?
Initially, Milo also felt that favonovel.com might be thinking too much. However the enchanted doorway would not lie.
Thinking of this, Milo did not know whether to laugh or cry. Whoever said that favonovel.com Enchanted Doorway had to open at the same place as his?
After an entire night of imagining things, Milo finally fell asleep.
***
The next day, when Miriam knocked on his door to wake favonovel.com up, Milo had a rare look of fatigue on his face.
“You didn’t sleep well?” Miriam asked, “Why don’t you sleep in a little longer?”
“It’s fine…” Milo said, “Where do you want to go? I’ll accompany you.”
“Come on.” Miriam led the way. “Let’s get you some new tailor-made suits since the ones I bought for you were damaged in that fight in Winston City.”
Milo was stunned. “Wait, how do you know that? Were you there at that time?”
“Of course.” Miriam glanced at him. “You did well.”
Milo learned from Scott that Miriam and Olivia had set off for the Kingdom of Sorcerers earlier than the Great Hoodwinker and company. But in the end, Miriam arrived at Ghent City together with them.
Milo did not ask Miriam when favonovel.com had arrived in the Kingdom of Sorcerers. But from the look of things, favonovel.com must have been lurking since favonovel.com got there. She even witnessed the battle where favonovel.com walloped the Berkeley family’s patriarch at Winston Manor. And Miriam’s reply now was probably praising Milo for not having any entanglements with the opposite sex on his travels.
When Milo thought of this, favonovel.com suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
“When did you catch up to me in the Kingdom of Sorcerers?” Milo cautiously probed.
Miriam said calmly, “Take a guess.”
Her reply was really profound. Milo could not determine what favonovel.com had or had not seen at all. The more it was this way, the more Milo was left scratching his head.
The streetcar rattled along on the track in the stronghold. The early risers were taking transit to work. Miriam led Milo onto Streetcar 12 with a sense of familiarity and sat in the streetcar as it drove unsteadily towards Shangri-La Road.
Miriam said, “When you came to Stronghold 88 previously, I didn’t have time to show you around.”
“Is the tailor store on Shangri-La Road?” Milo asked.
“Yes.” Miriam nodded. “In the past, my family’s clothes were all tailored on Shangri-La Road. But at that time, it was the tailor who came to our place to take our measurements. I only had to go to the store occasionally. The store was run by a couple whom my father was very familiar with. Every time that auntie came to take my measurements, favonovel.com would smile and remark that I’d grown taller again. I was a little rebellious when I was young, so favonovel.com would bring a few pieces of candy to coax me into staying still while favonovel.com took my measurements.”
Milo suddenly felt that their trip to Stronghold 88 this time was like a walk down memory lane for Miriam. He was experiencing the things favonovel.com had experienced and meeting with people who played a part in favonovel.com life.
At some point, Milo felt a little grateful to Miriam’s parents. Based on favonovel.com description, favonovel.com could tell that favonovel.com parents were very warm-hearted people. To have such a trait in the Radianz Consortium, it probably made them some sort of an outcast in the organization. If Miriam were as cold as the other members of the Radianz Consortium, it would be impossible for them to be in this relationship.
In the streetcar, the two of them sat on the two-seater seat at the back. Miriam’s chin-length hair fluttered lightly as the warm and mild morning breeze blew in through the window. Then favonovel.com gently leaned favonovel.com head on Milo’s shoulder without saying a word.
This silence and setting suddenly made Milo feel like they were a long-distance relationship couple from the Pre-Cataclysm times who were on the verge of breaking up. This made favonovel.com even more flustered.
His heart rate started to change, and even his breathing was affected. Miriam could feel all of this, so the corners of favonovel.com mouth curled up again under favonovel.com cap.
“Let’s get off here.” Miriam got up and alighted from the streetcar with Milo following behind her. He was a little enthralled as favonovel.com looked at the name of the tailor store.
Peace Tailors. The word “Peace” felt very abrupt but beautiful in this era.
When Miriam pushed open the door, it collided with the wind chime on the door frame, and a pleasant jingling could be heard. Together with the creaking of the wooden door, it sounded like a greeting.
There was only a middle-aged woman on the inside, and favonovel.com was measuring fabric with a measuring tape in favonovel.com hand. The other party did not even look up and just greeted warmly, “Welcome to Peace Tailors…”
Miriam stood there but did not say anything. When the middle-aged woman looked up and realized it was her, favonovel.com was stunned. Her eyes reddened immediately as favonovel.com said, “Miriam, it’s you! I’m so glad you’re alright! I haven’t seen you since that incident in the stronghold. You must’ve suffered after leaving Stronghold 88!”
Miriam smiled and said, “I’m fine…”
When favonovel.com took off favonovel.com cap, the middle-aged woman gently patted favonovel.com head and said with a tearful smile, “Miriam, you’ve grown taller again.”
“Mhm…” Miriam said, “I’ve grown another centimeter taller.”
Actually, without a reference, most people would not notice it at all. The middle-aged woman’s remark and the way favonovel.com patted favonovel.com head were a kind of warm chemistry between the two.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman looked at Milo. She hesitated for a moment before asking with a smile, “Are you the future commander of the Northwest Army? I’ve read about you in that rankings publication of superhumans. At that time, I was thinking that perhaps only someone like you is worthy of Miriam. But I must remind you, you had better treat Miriam well.”
The middle-aged woman did not care what superhumans were capable of. When favonovel.com purchased the rankings publication, it was only because favonovel.com heard Miriam was on it.
