After that paperback preview Auldhabn itself is a bit of a letdown. The city itself is quite dense, to be sure, but also just not that large—The cobbled streets don’t seem sublime or ancient under the wispy November sunlight, just old. From the Grand Harbour to Peersborg where we’ll be meeting Chang-dol I watch the buildings change: They start as a wet and unfriendly industrial maze of stained concrete and steel, the streets reeking of fish near where we went through passport control; then as we enter the older parts of town the buildings seem to fold inwards into gothic alleyways and shabby greying facades. Near the central square an imposing set of ruins has been fenced off, seemingly turned into a permanent installation, and the citizens simply walk around it like it’s some kind of ceremonial monument. A plaque in front is inscribed in English, Danish, and Havlandic, talking about the destruction of a palace by revolutionaries in 1922. I start to notice the copious use of the word “People’s” (People’s Republic, People’s Council) in the English-language signage.
When we turn into Peersborg I start to see signs of more modern developments. There’s a large, contemporary arcade/mall installation with white arches, convenience stores, fast fashion outlets, and trendy-looking restaurants. Down the street from Uniqlo I can see a Thai food place and a 7/11, all bright and plastic colours (red, white, green, orange). The signs, too, feature a lot more foreign languages, including English, Spanish, and smatterings of Chinese—all set in Arial of course. We end up meeting Chang-dol at a board game cafe opposite a large commercial book and gift store called WE LOVE BOOKS. Even for someone who doesn’t read unless threatened with a lack of an internet connection, the “BOOK” part of that equation has clearly seen better days (Will pops his head in and then immediately retreats, disgusted).
The board game cafe itself seems friendly enough, with shelves filled with mysterious games and homely yellow lamps. We order some snacks and try and find an unobtrusive corner to sit in, but we don’t have to wait long. As Chang-dol walks in, though, I notice one of the older patrons hunched over a chessboard shoot him a strange look, one that I later recognise as hostility. “You don’t belong here,” those knitted brows seemed to say, and then he takes a rook with a little more hostility than is strictly necessary. Chang-dol doesn’t seem to care.
“Hello, Alice. Hello, Will.” He greets us as if we were back in Radix and part of Conversion, as if three years haven’t passed since we last saw each other. “How are both of you?”
Will starts first. “Fine, but we’ve—”
With a flicking motion Chang-dol cuts him off, confident as ever. “We can discuss more about the tablet once we’re in Polis. I’ve arranged to borrow someone’s van so we don’t have to rely on the Fjordmuth bus service, which is spotty at the best of times. We can leave once you’ve rested yourselves.”
“Polis. Doesn’t sound very, uh, Nordic.” I say. Despite the months of planning, I know surprisingly little about we’re headed. Even on Signal Chang-dol is remarkably cagey.
Chang-dol sighs. “It’s Greek for city. Polis is the official name for the entire project, but also the land we’ve bought and also the name we use as a group. The locals call us Poliserfolker, people of the Polis-es.”
“The locals? I thought this was some kind of remote commune.”
A frown, then he pauses to collect his thoughts as if unsure how best to proceed. “There were people here before us, you know. Polis is basically a few new towns on the west side of Havland, complete with legal and civil planning approval. We’re just a bit more independent than your average town.”
“The only thing I know about Havlandic law is that it’s supposed to be a mess.”
“Oh, it is. Jens knows some people in the government so it’s been made a little easier. A lot easier. He’s one of the original founders, and probably the reason we’re here instead of, I dunno, in Mongolia.”
“Mmm, Mongolia. Tempting.”
He rolls his eyes at that. “Snarky as ever, Alice. What about you, Will? Got any questions before we go?”
“Uh, how long a trip is it?”
Chang-dol nods. “Give or take… three or four hours? The van’s pretty awful, but the roads we’re travelling on are decently maintained. I can give you a pin on Google Maps now that you’re here, our location isn’t exactly secret. It’s more that we don’t like too much publicity.”
Will nods, serious as ever. “Right.”
Meanwhile, I’m on my phone, shitty as the reception is. “You do realise ‘Polis, Havland’ comes up with Google search results right? Most of it’s local news, but still.”
Chang-dol shrugs again. “We can’t help it, but we try. Sometimes the occasional Youtuber shoots us an email and we turn them down politely. Sometimes they turn up anyways and we have to turn them away less politely.” I wonder what he means by that.
“Anyways, we should get going,” he mutters quietly, almost to himself. “Jens will be waiting for us, and sundown is terribly early in November at this latitude.”
The old man is still staring at us as we leave, even as his partner resets the board for another game.