Title: Burning Welcome! - That’s Stuff from the Distant Past
Characters: Cater, Trey, Kalim, Jamil, Malleus, Grim
Event Story Navigation
| Episode 1 | 1-1 ・ 1-2 ・ 1-3 ・ 1-4 ・ 1-5 |
| Episode 2 | 2-1 ・ 2-2 ・ 2-3 ・ 2-4 ・ 2-5 ・ 2-6 ・ 2-7 ・ 2-8 ・ 2-9 ・ 2-10 ・ 2-11 ・ 2-12 |
| Episode 3 | 3-1 ・ 3-2 ・ 3-3 ・ 3-4 ・ 3-5 ・ 3-6 ・ 3-7 ・ 3-8 ・ 3-9 ・ 3-10 ・ 3-11 |
| Episode 4 | 4-1 ・ 4-2 ・ 4-3 ・ 4-4 ・ 4-5 ・ 4-6 ・ 4-7 ・ 4-8 |
| Episode 5 | 5-1 ・ 5-2 |
That’s Stuff from the Distant Past
Scalding Sands - Silk City
Cater
The roofed boat that just passed looks pretty dapper, doesn’t it? I better take a pic!
*Snap!*
Malleus
What a strange boat it is to have a triangular roof. It doesn’t appear to be intended for fishing either.
Jamil
What you’ve just seen is a traditional ferry of the Scalding Sands.
Locals board boats like that to travel along the canals.
Although it is a mode of transportation for residents, it can also serve as a sightseeing boat for tourists.
Furthermore, the water vapour produced by these channels prevents the area from being too arid.
Afternoons in a desert without canals are burning hot, while at night, it can plunge to temperatures as chilling as 0°C.
Cater
Man, deserts are truly merciless…
Trey
I’d thought it was really hot here, but I guess Silk City’s much more hospitable than a plain desert.
Cater
Thanks to the canals around here for sure~
Malleus
……
Cater
Is something wrong, Malleus?
Malleus
Nothing… I was just surprised since this is completely different from the information I know of the Scalding Sands.
What I’d learnt in Briar Valley was that the Scalding Sands’ residents struggle to even acquire water for their daily needs.1
And that is due to its sparse rainfall and deserts which occupy most of its territory…
Kalim
Hey now, that’s stuff from the distant past.
Jamil
While such an era certainly exists, the Scalding Sands developed in leaps and bounds over the years since.
Malleus
Was there a spark that led to such a change?
Jamil
The Scalding Sands’ spices and furniture were traded for good prices since they were very popular overseas.
Trey
Spices from the Scalding Sands like saffron, cumin, and pepper, are certainly well-regarded.
I use them often in cooking too. I’m quite fond of them for seasoning since they’d let me get the exact flavour I seek.
Cater
The colourful rural crafts are also famous, yeah? I’d seen them in an art museum before.
Kalim
My ancestors were the ones who focused on trading those stuff!
Jamil
The Asim family is said to be the first in the Scalding Sands to use ships to participate in maritime trade.
Among other things, accurate nautical maps hadn’t even been made then. Such a journey must’ve been rife with danger.
Kalim
But that was a great success in the end! It’s soooo amazing!
Jamil
The Asims also engineered the rivers flowing throughout the country to make canals which form sea routes.
Trey
Ah, like the one Grim fell into just now?
Grim
You didn’t have to mention that I fell into it!!
Jamil
The canals were then used as the basis for establishing land routes, expanding the inland trading network at the same time.
As a result, the Asims amassed a great fortune and became a noble family that is representative of the Scalding Sands.
Malleus
So what this means is that Asim’s ancestors had foresight.
Jamil
Merchants like the Asims put in lots of work for Silk City, which is a cornerstone for trade, to develop to its current state.
They actively introduced advanced technology to construct an environment with abundant potable water for the people.
By making water readily available in the inhospitable desert, the population increased…
Trade flourished, the people’s wealth grew, and so did the town’s affluence. The tourism industry also prospered soon after.
Cater
Which means this is now a fine resort area that attracts tourists from all over the world~
Jamil
Still, the fact remains that much of the country’s territory consists of a desert that’s inhospitable for humans.
After all, water is a necessity for life.
With both the wealthy and the masses gathering where the canals flow, the town transformed into quite the large city.
It was named “Silk City” after the local specialty silk commodities which were key trading products.
Kalim
It’s top-class among the large cities even within the Scalding Sands!
Jamil
Indeed. Although it isn’t the capital city, it is both the political and economic center for the country.
Malleus
I see, so that’s how it transformed.
According to my grandmother, rumours about the Scalding Sands ceased ever since peace had settled in the country.
The activity of humans advances much faster than I can imagine at times. It is truly curious.
Notes
- So the sentence here + the next one he states are actually in reverse order in the original (i.e. he says “scalding sands has sparse rainfall + lots of deserts, thats why they struggle to even find water for daily use… was what i learnt in briar valley”) so I just made them the opposite way for smooth reading (Return to text)