Ch 46: A Glimpse of Paradise

The walls of Gron rose from the barren landscape like a fortress of the old world—tall, reinforced, and bristling with automated defenses. Unlike the rusted ruins they had passed in the Blanks, these defenses looked active.

Mira eyed the turrets mounted along the perimeter. "If Thorn had chased us this far, he wouldn't have made it past the front gate."

Kael, standing beside her, was more focused on the entrance checkpoint, a heavily guarded outpost where travelers lined up for inspection. The Gron Watch, the city's security force, checked each group thoroughly, scanning for weapons, illegal tech, or signs of infection.

Kael and Mira had prepared for this. Before approaching the city, they had stripped their crawler of mounted weapons and broken them down into unassuming parts—things that wouldn't raise suspicion. Even Kael's more volatile supplies had been carefully repackaged to pass as harmless salvage.

As they reached the checkpoint, a Gron officer—tall, broad-shouldered, and wearing a reinforced vest marked with the city's insignia—gestured for them to step forward. His expression was unreadable behind his visor.

"State your names and reason for entry." His voice was flat, professional.

Mira took the lead. "Mira Voss. This is Kael. We're scavengers. Looking for trade and supplies."

The officer didn't react. He glanced at their crawler, then at the small pile of gear they had set down for inspection.

"Any weapons?"

"No heavy arms," Kael replied. "Only what we need to defend ourselves."

The officer gestured, and two Watchmen approached, scanning their bags with compact bioscanners. When nothing dangerous registered, the lead officer nodded.

"Step forward for verification."

Mira and Kael moved under a mounted scanner, a relic of pre-war biometric tech. The machine hummed, analyzing them for genetic markers, disease, or implants linked to criminal organizations.

A soft chime signaled the all-clear.

The officer finally relaxed. "Welcome to Gron," he said, motioning them through. "Trade fairly, don't cause trouble, and stay out of restricted zones."

Kael and Mira exchanged a glance before stepping inside.

The first thing Kael noticed was the air—it was clean. Not just breathable, like the barely livable atmosphere of the Blanks, but genuinely fresh. Filters lined the streets, pulling contaminants from the air, while small irrigation channels flowed with clear, running water.

Mira stopped in her tracks. "Is that a fountain?"

Kael followed her gaze to a central plaza, where a large stone fountain spilled crystal-clear water into a basin. People gathered around it, filling containers without hesitation—a sight that would've been unthinkable in the Blanks, where every drop of water had to be purified, bartered, or stolen.

A group of children ran past them, laughing as they kicked a worn leather ball. Their faces weren't gaunt with starvation, their clothes weren't patched rags.

Kael felt something strange—something like disbelief.

"This place…" Mira whispered. "It's a paradise."

It wasn't just the water.

Stalls lined the streets, selling fresh food—actual produce, not just the nutrient paste or canned rations they were used to. There were loaves of bread, grilled meat, even fruit—vibrant, ripe, and untouched by radiation.

People weren't just surviving. They were living.

Kael's analytical mind kicked in. How?

No city should be able to maintain this level of self-sufficiency without external imports. Where was their energy coming from? Their food? Their water?

Mira, still in quiet awe, reached for a skewer of roasted meat from a vendor's stall. The merchant, a smiling woman in her fifties, offered it freely.

"You look like you've had a rough journey," she said kindly. "First one's on the house."

Mira blinked. "Seriously?"

The woman chuckled. "Seriously."

Mira hesitated—then took a bite. Her eyes widened.

Kael watched as she closed her eyes, chewing slowly.

"This is…" She swallowed. "I don't even know what to say."

Kael took a skewer for himself, more out of curiosity than hunger. The flavor was rich, seasoned—not the bland, protein-heavy slop he was used to.

There was no desperation here. No one scrambling for rations, no hoarding, no constant fear.

Gron was different.

And Kael needed to know why.

As they walked deeper into the city, Kael started observing more carefully.

The architecture was a blend of pre-war structures and post-war ingenuity—old-world buildings reinforced with scavenged steel, solar panels covering rooftops, and hydroponic farms nestled between high-rises.

Mira still looked amazed, but Kael was focused.

"Something doesn't add up," he murmured.

Mira turned to him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Kael gestured toward a massive greenhouse dome at the city's center. Thriving plants could be seen through the glass.

"They shouldn't be able to support this kind of agriculture," he said. "Not without a steady water source, controlled climate, and nutrients. The soil outside is dead."

Mira frowned, glancing around. "You think they have a secret supply line?"

Kael considered it. "Maybe. Or maybe they found a way to reclaim resources from the wasteland."

A voice cut in from behind them.

"You've got a sharp eye, traveler."

They turned to see a man in his late forties, leaning casually against a stall. He was well-dressed for a scavenger, wearing a sturdy vest, leather gloves, and a confident smirk. A smuggler's smirk.

Mira tensed. "Who's asking?"

The man chuckled. "Relax. Name's Doran. I deal in information—and I couldn't help but notice you two looking a little too hard at things most people don't question."

Kael's gaze narrowed. "And?"

Doran shrugged. "And… if you're interested in knowing how Gron stays afloat, I might have a lead."

Mira crossed her arms. "Let me guess. It'll cost us."

Doran grinned. "Naturally."

Kael exhaled. "We'll think about it."

Doran tipped his head. "Take your time. Just don't wait too long. Some answers have a way of disappearing."

With that, he vanished into the crowd, leaving Kael and Mira standing in the heart of a city that was too good to be true.

Kael wasn't sure if they had just found sanctuary.

Or if they had just stepped into another kind of trap.