Chapter 199

“Hey, wanna head back now?”

To Polaris’ pleading question, Victoria remained silent.

Whether they returned or not, the times had already begun to roll on.

You see, the Twilight Association of Bern City started moving eastward with a device that rapidly altered the atmospheric magic power using some kind of mechanical contraption.

Meanwhile, people just assumed that the earlier incident of the ocean falling to the ground was simply the result of an unexplained battle between the army and Victoria.

People interpret things however they want, and make judgments based on their own convenience.

On top of that, those who went to investigate what was really happening returned with news that the army stationed in the east had vanished.

Without much thought for cause and effect, everyone just blindly assumed everything was going well and moved eastward without hesitation.

There were factions wanting to create a new nation, others aiming to start a religion, and even those who wanted to restore Bern City to its original state.

All of them acted without proper judgment.

Of course, there were Harvesting Systems that chose to stay put as well.

But none of them truly understood the truth. They were just scared of fighting and ran away.

They find reasons to escape.

Ironically, it was said that someone inciting the masses had been found.

Yeah, that’s right—it’s the opposite order. Because they didn’t want to go, they found excuses to hole up.

Once that happened, these Harvesting Systems worked hard to spread the word. But it was impossible to stop those who were too absorbed in the idea of turning the tables on their opponents after being passive for so long.

Instead, the agitator attacked one of the Harvesting Systems.

The presumed special agent turned out to be strong. The Harvesting System, who had never fought properly and originally had no intention of fighting, had no chance against such an opponent.

In the end, the Harvesting System was beaten to death by the agitator.

They dragged him to a dark place, punched him repeatedly until he died, and then, after confirming his death, threw the body into the garbage dump like it was nothing more than a defeated person who had fainted.

But here’s the thing…

How do I know all this? There were other Harvesting Systems watching the agitator. Quite a few of them, actually.

For some reason, they were observing from different directions. And when the agitator left, one of them approached the corpse, retrieved it, and confirmed its death.

These Harvesting Systems weren’t supposed to have any specific roles—they weren’t meant to spy on anyone. They were just one of the many people trying to survive in Bern City.

None of them moved for anyone else; they only acted to preserve themselves. Just ordinary citizens.

From my perspective, I only saw the Harvesting Systems, but when some of them met up with the people they usually hung around with, I learned something interesting: it wasn’t just the Harvesting Systems who realized the truth.

An ordinary citizen deduced that the agitator had silenced someone. And the possibility that this deduction was correct became clear.

While resisting the massive flow of events happening in Bern City might be impossible, not everyone has succumbed to it.

I hate those who still retain their sanity amidst all this chaos.

I prefer the ones who act without thinking, follow blindly, and later blame others for their bad actions. Those kinds of people always radiate warmth.

They exploit, push, and ultimately kill people while reaping profits from their suffering.

They’re excellent harvesters.

The problem is that once you become a harvester, your intelligence increases. Typically, low-IQ individuals don’t think beyond their own perspectives.

Sigh… why does becoming a harvester mean gaining both muscle and psychic abilities, leading to selfish behavior, but also unnecessary increases in intelligence?

It’d be better if increased intelligence came with a lack of empathy, but unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in my favor.

Oh, and here’s another shocking thing.

I previously sent bits of knowledge from the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign and Daegon, and that technology showed up.

Even though it’s pretty early-stage tech, given how Daegon and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign fully grasp their techniques, it’s effective.

What surprised me most wasn’t Daegon’s tech, but the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign’s.

A technique that converts magic power into light and heat energy instead of kinetic energy. It consumes far more magic power compared to converting it into kinetic energy.

Unfortunately, it can’t produce enough light to kill someone. The conversion efficiency is too low, so it’s basically just an incredibly bright lamp.

But that’s enough.

When converting to kinetic energy, the stress on the machine itself is much higher. This means it can draw enormous amounts of magic power more easily and quickly, creating spaces where magic cannot be used.

Bern City is an advanced city filled with research labs. Maurice’s lab was right at the center of Bern City.

With the intense pressure of war and sufficient tools for development, they invented a deadly weapon fueled by magic power.

Of course, the Twilight Association doesn’t share this knowledge widely. Some groups use special inventions, while others just slap wheels onto basic devices.

Each group thinks differently and wields different weapons as they step out of the city center and move toward the eastern district.

As Polaris said, if they want to flee, they can either cross the parched river to the north or circumvent the mountains to reach the next city in the east.

This country is shaped like a backwards C. If you keep heading east, you can take a train to the capital.

Sure, it takes longer compared to airships or ships, but at least it’s safer.

Victoria made her move.

“Let’s go get Bell.”

“Huh? Wait, but Bell…?”

Victoria pointed at Polaris’ hair.

Faintly lavender-colored strands.

“You’ve changed just like me, so you must’ve survived. The last time I saw you, you were dying. If anyone could’ve done something about that, it would’ve been Bell.”

Ah, that’s right. The last time Victoria saw us, all that was left of me were my hands, and Polaris was half-cooked.

Polaris’ wounds, surprisingly, weren’t life-threatening, but regardless, hair doesn’t regenerate like this unless something extraordinary happens.

“Let’s bring Bell and head back to the capital first. I don’t even know what to do anymore.”

Polaris looked exhausted, and Victoria’s eyes had lost their shine.

They must be utterly worn out, but they’re still moving—or at least trying to.

Gurgle.

“I’m hungry.”

“Hungry?! What? You haven’t eaten anything this whole time?”

“Y-yeah… oh, my bad.”

Suddenly, the sea above began to descend toward the ground.

BOOM!

A landslide-like sound echoed everywhere.

“What are you doing?!”

Polaris shouted frantically, his face pale.

“The more I use this, the hungrier I get. Maybe it’s a lack of calories?”

Victoria clutched her stomach as she spoke. Though it looks like a simple mass of water, the moment it touches the surface, it compresses with such density that metal bends under its weight.

What will happen if this falls to the ground?

“Search the house for food!”

“But… isn’t stealing a bit—”

“Do you seriously have time to worry about that?! If you let this happen, the city will vanish from the map!”

Polaris sprang up as if he’d forgotten his despair and rushed toward a nearby house whose structure was still intact.

Of course, the door was locked, but Polaris ripped it off its hinges and tore through the kitchen.

Victoria scanned the surroundings, particularly the long line slicing through the eastern district. There must have been an army stationed here until just moments ago.

So they probably struck anyone trying to leave with weapons.

To the north lies the river. To the west, the sea. To the south, a cliff. While someone with special abilities could theoretically go any direction except west, it’s tough for large groups to navigate either the north or south routes.

Victoria extended her arm toward the sky.

What’s she planning?

The pitch-black sky, devoid of light even in broad daylight, reveals faint outlines reflecting distant light.

A massive pillar of water descends slowly.

Like a sweeping beam, the water column washes over the flat terrain devoid of buildings.

Correction.

The water pressure is so intense that deep pits are forming.

Why?

Victoria approaches the fissure. Her eyes examine the freshly exposed cross-section of the ground. Several thick pipes presumed to be part of the sewage system are visible.

Next to them, a mechanical device protrudes.

Anyone familiar with wind-up mechanisms knows what this is.

Underground wind-up machines responsible for maintaining the sewage system or delivering letters and packages quickly.

Originally designed to repair minor damage along railway tracks laid for sewage maintenance, these machines replaced human labor in Bern City.

And not only did they maintain the sewage system, but they also added the functionality of delivering mail and goods, creating a spider-web-like network following the pipelines.

In short, items can be transported this way.

Water slithers like a snake, dragging the buried machine to Victoria. When she dismantles it, a small mechanical device is revealed inside what appears to be a compartment for carrying objects. It’s a relatively new addition.

Tick-tock.

After disassembling it, Victoria sighs deeply.

“So Marquis Gaston’s army isn’t our only enemy.”

Her memories reveal that this is a device for inputting programs into certain contraptions. Victoria understands this too.

She approaches Polaris, who had come outside trembling from the loud noise.

“Did you find anything to eat?”

“Yeah? Yeah, but all we’ve got are hard biscuits. What’s that thing you’re holding?”

“Remember how the wind-up machines on the airship suddenly attacked?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the device that makes them do that.”

In an instant, Polaris’ eyes sharpened, but he said nothing, leading Victoria back into the house.

And so, the two of them ate a late lunch.

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