Rowena takes them to the Wet district, and as they arrive it becomes clear why it is called that. That part of the city is flooded, all the streets are covered in water. But as they look closer they can see that the district is still inhabited, and the persons living there all have small boats that they use for transportation.
"The Wet district used to be an ordinary neighbourhood, though a bit removed from the rest of the city. It always had some problems with small floods, but they were keeping it in control with several dikes. But after a big storm about ten years ago the whole neighbourhood was flooded, and people had to evacuate. After they returned they couldn't get rid of the water, as the dykes had broken through entirely. So they decided to raise all the houses, and just live above the water. It took some time for all the people to adjust to having to do everything by boat, but now they are used to it."
"But won't the buildings rot and collapse it they are covered in water all the time?"
"Well, some buildings did that, yes. But these days all the houses are made of stone, which helps a lot. There is also not much tidal flow going through that part of the city, so there is little stress on the foundations."
"Hmm, alright. I can see how that could work. But still not something I would like to live in."
"No, me neither. But there are still people who really like it, as you can see."
While they are looking around Nillian's stomach begins to rumble, causing Rowena to smile at him.
"You are completely right, Nillian. It is high time to get a bite to eat."
So they make their way back to the city centre, to a restaurant which according to Rowena is very good. Even from a distance away it is already obvious to Nillian which restaurant Rowena means. It is a large seafood restaurant, standing next to large bank. It has a blue and white striped awning, which is decorated with some netting. The whole front wall of the restaurant is decorated with different kinds of fish and shellfish. On the awning Nillian sees some seagulls sitting very still. When he comes closer both the seagulls and the fish are revealed to be painted wooden statues. Still they add a lot of atmosphere to the whole restaurant.
When they arrive Rowena thanks Thomas and sends him home. Together they enter the restaurant. The inside of the restaurant continues the trend from outside, with wooden fish hanging on the walls. One part of the wall has been covered in different seashells, looking almost as if they were pressed in the wet plaster when the wall was made. The tables are themselves undecorated, but the tablecloths do have a fish motif embroidered on them.
Because Nillian and Lyxia do not often eat seafood Rowena orders for everyone. She orders a complete meal for three, which means that soon their whole table is filled with different dishes, which they share together. Nillian and Lyxia look in wonder at all the dishes that are spread over the table.
There are several dishes with rolls of raw fish with rice, packed into a sheet of seaweed, each dish with a different kind of fish. There are different kind of shrimp; cooked, fried and made into a soup. The main dish is a large plate with a big crab on it, belly-up. The shell is split open, and they can see the cooked meat inside. Between the different dishes there are several small bowls with sauces, for extra flavouring. Rowena shows that the food has to be eaten with small sticks, and they tuck in.
During dinner Rowena entertains Nillian and Lyxia with funny stories and anecdotes from Capes. If her stories are to be believed the fishermen living in Capes seem to encounter strange situations all the time while they are out fishing. Everything from flying fish to humans with a fish's tail to a ghost ship attacking small fishermen's ships crops up during the conversation. After a while Rowena moves on to stories from the hospital, which are a lot more believable.
After dinner they walk towards the city centre, which is quite close to the restaurant. During the walk Nillian tries to explain a bit about his research.
"I am trying to find where Dr. Biene went, after his disappearance. I think he went here, together with his assistant Miss Nott. Though I am not sure why he would go here, but hopefully I will find that out when I find where they went."
"So why is this Dr. Biene so important?"
"You see, Dr. Biene was the greatest steam-power engineer that was ever seen. The things he designed were just brilliant, and most of his inventions are still in use today. And that is why his disappearance is such a big deal."
"But how could he just disappear without anyone noticing?"
"Well, you must understand that this was just after the Great Bang. The whole University was in an uproar, part of the campus was destroyed. There were a lot of people in different hospitals and the people that were killed could often not even be identified. So it was only after a few days, when everyone began to take stock what had happened that his absence was noted."
"Still it is quite strange. Didn't they search for him at the time, post his picture in the newspaper and such?"
"I expect they did. But he did not want to be found, according to sir Thomp. He had some disagreement with the University. And ... well, he had never left Kataras before. He was born in the city, got his education there and stayed inside the city walls all that time."
"So what are your ideas, your plans for tomorrow?"
"Well, I know that a large delivery of coal went here, in Miss Nott's name. So I hope I will be able to trace that, leading me to their workplace."
"Hmm, so we are going to the city hall, looking through their records, archives?"
"That is the plan, yes. It worked well in the other cities, as it brought me all the way here."
After walking through the city centre Rowena returns them to the inn, where she takes her leave of Nillian and Lyxia.
"Say, if you have the time you should visit me tomorrow afternoon, then I can show you around the hospital."
"Sure, sounds interesting. What time are you working?"
"The whole day, till ... four o'clock, barring emergencies. Then afterwards you can come and have dinner at my place, I will cook a seafood pasta that I am sure you will like!"
"Sounds lovely, we will be there!"
With these words Rowena leaves for home, and Nillian and Lyxia retire to their chambers in the inn, trying to get a full night’s sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment