Volume 5 Lord's Path Chapter 12 Balmore_2

The aberrant prosperity of Bruce left both Zip and Lafayette, who followed Komer, astonished; such a fortress-like place, surrounded by nothing but forest and devoid of any production, could actually house as many as twenty thousand people—a rarity across the entire Blue Continent. However, Komer quickly explained the reasons behind this to them both. The fortress commander, Balmore, greeted them with a genuinely sincere smile, as if meeting an old friend after a long separation. Although Komer knew the man to be quite shrewd, he still took pleasure in his warm welcome.