Chapter 138

With a moved expression, I left the five people behind and climbed the stairs.

You’ll soon feel something’s changed—and it really has.

But you’ll soon realize that *you* haven’t changed. Even if you get stronger or smarter, you’re still the same person who’s lived up to this point, right?

It’s like starting an exercise routine to lose weight, only to quit after three days and eat even more than before.

I debated limiting things here to groups of three as well.

We didn’t make enough harvesting systems in the second world, after all.

In the first world, we wanted to limit them because too many people were trying to increase their numbers, but in the second world, we stuck with three due to the collapse of the first.

The third world was the first time I started without being part of a group.

Since there was no ability to escape—or rather, since such an ability was necessary—certain rules had to be followed to parasitize that group.

Even if those rules weren’t real, they could pretend to exist.

But here? It’s freedom. So I decided to go with that.

Of course, things might suddenly get weird, and I could end up kidnapped somewhere, producing nothing but harvesting systems—but that wouldn’t be so bad.

Given how ruthless this group is, it won’t spread as fast as it did in the first world.

A ruler full of desires would likely only use themselves.

So… no problem.

First, I’ll head upstairs and look for Victoria.

Victoria is rushing back to her room right now, having realized I’m gone. She checks the room, finds me missing, and turns around to leave again.

That’s when we meet, heading in opposite directions.

“Hey! I found you!”

As soon as she sees me, Victoria rushes over.

It makes sense.

An ordinary kid would probably be getting roughed up in some corner of the third-class cabin by now. But knowing my monstrous nature, there’s no need for her to worry so much.

“Yes, Bell is right here.”

“If you’re going somewhere, tell me!”

“I didn’t have time! You were too distracted by the mechanical device, Victoria.”

I subtly shift the topic, framing it as if Victoria made a mistake.

“Well… never mind. As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters. Let’s go back to the room.”

“Sure.”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed about how distracted she was by the machine, she doesn’t press the issue further.

Afterward, I kept an eye out for anything unusual, but the night passed quietly. And then morning came.

I already knew we’d stopped at a port sometime during the night because the ship sounded its horn and docked. From there, we entered a river, and through the window, I saw scattered houses on the wide plains gradually turning into a large city.

Not long after, around noon, the ship docked at a port running through the center of a massive city.

Victoria and I disembarked together. Luckily, they didn’t check tickets when we left, so we had no issues.

Exiting the port, I see steel girders blending with brick houses, and towering buildings that could almost be called skyscrapers.

And on the surfaces and inside those buildings, massive machines are embedded and operating everywhere—it looks like a city themed around the inner workings of a clock.

In the sky, there are floating contraptions similar to airships, and wyvern-like creatures carrying saddles and passengers are flying around.

“You don’t seem very surprised?”

“I am, though.”

“Hehe, right? This is Bern City—the most advanced city in the country, built using cutting-edge technology.”

Victoria said this proudly.

Thanks to mana—a bizarrely energy-efficient power source—we’re lucky there’s no steam involved.

It’s not quite Arcane Punk because there are too many gears, but it’s also not Steampunk since there’s no steam.

More like Gaslamp Fantasy? Something along those lines.

“Taxi!”

As soon as we hit the road, Victoria waved down a taxi. A strangely structured tricycle soon pulled up in front of us.

“Our service awaits! Simply specify the number of passengers and your destination, complete the payment, and you can board!”

It’s triangular-shaped, with an engine-looking mechanism at the back and a brass automaton shaped like a person mounted above it.

It’s AI, of course.

Without batting an eye at the sight of such a machine, Victoria explained the number of people and what looked like an address, then handed over the money.

The brass automaton completed the calculation, took the luggage Victoria handed over, placed it on the roof, and opened the door.

Once Victoria and I boarded, the automaton closed the door with its mechanical arms and we took off.

This definitely feels like entering another world.

Everything seems much clearer than what I remember from Victoria’s memories.

If I liked traveling, would I enjoy stuff like this?

Hmm, hard to say.

Anyway, the taxi drove for a while and stopped near a place where skyscrapers were visible in the distance.

It’s not exactly a mansion, but it’s a decent house suitable for living.

“CogNai Transport Company—always here for you! We hope you’ll use our services again!”

The automaton attached to the taxi played a short recorded message, then left without looking back.

“We’re home!”

Victoria grabbed her bag, burst open the door, and walked in.

But no one responds.

She walks in without hesitation, completely unfazed. I follow her inside.

There’s a spot for taking off shoes, but Victoria just walks in with hers on.

Of course, that’s not normal etiquette. While technically allowed, it’s generally better to change into indoor slippers at the entrance.

Since this is our first meeting, I’ll stick to the manners stored in Victoria’s memory.

The guest slippers are a bit big, but they’ll do.

With my wobbly shoes on, I step inside.

“Who’s this brat?”

As we walk down the corridor, a sharp voice rings out.

“Mom. Did you pull another all-nighter? You’re not fully awake yet, are you? Put the gun away.”

Through Victoria’s eyes, I see a woman with dark circles glaring at us with a gun pointed at her daughter.

Victoria wears an expression of “Here we go again,” so it’s clearly not a big deal.

“I’ve never had a daughter like you. What kind of nonsense is this—coming home with dyed hair? If I catch you doing that, don’t ever think about stepping foot in this house!”

“I didn’t dye it!”

“It’s totally purple! Looks like you soaked your hair in dye! Judging by how far it goes, you probably did it on the way here. Is this some kind of rebellion?”

Nope.

If I were Mom, I’d think this sudden rebellious streak was suspicious.

Before things escalate further, I step forward.

“Hello.”

“Oh, a guest?”

Her expression softened momentarily, then sharpened again upon seeing my hair color. But as she scans me up and down, her suspicion slowly fades.

Guess I look young.

“Torri, who’s this?”

“Torri” is Victoria’s nickname. With a sigh of relief, Victoria approaches me.

“Mom, this is Bell. Bell, this is my mom.”

Victoria’s mom moves quickly toward us, smacks Victoria on the head, then stands in front of me.

“My name is Beatrice Bett.”

“I’m Bell.”

She extends her hand, and I shake it. Upon touching my hand, she looks genuinely surprised.

“You’re just a little girl. Torri, where did you find someone like you?”

Ah. She judged me based on touch.

Technically, I am newly created, but under normal circumstances, it’s understandable for her to misinterpret things this way.

Victoria freezes, as if facing an unexpectedly difficult question.

“Well… it’s a long story. One that might make you faint. So… can I unpack first?”

She points upward with her finger. Her room is upstairs. Beatrice stares at Victoria, then nods.

“Wait a moment!”

And with that, she dashes upstairs, hastily grabbing her luggage. Isn’t it rude to leave a guest alone with your parents like that?

Beatrice seems to agree, giving her daughter an exasperated look as she gazes upward toward Victoria’s room.

“Ugh. Does she ever improve, even after going to school? Come sit over here.”

She gestures toward a large multi-purpose table covered in papers and pens. Some of the pens are heavily worn, indicating they’ve been used for a long time.

“Oh, look at my state of mind.”

Beatrice quickly clears the clutter of documents off the table. Glancing at the content, I notice numerous sheets filled with large amounts of money.

According to Victoria’s memories, both parents are merchants, so this isn’t surprising.

“So, where are you from? How old are you? What’s your last name?”

Beatrice settles across from me after tidying up a corner of the floor with documents.

“I don’t have a last name. My age is unclear. And I’d prefer to hear Victoria’s version of events first before explaining further.”

Beatrice’s eyes narrow.

She realizes I’m not an ordinary child. And I’m not hiding it either. After all, I can’t possibly act like one.

It also depends on how much Victoria decides to reveal.

“You’re not an ordinary kid, huh. Well, would you like some tea?”

“Water will suffice.”

“That stingy? Not on my watch.”

With that, Beatrice heads to the kitchen to prepare tea.

As the fragrant aroma fills the air and Beatrice returns with everything prepared, Victoria descends wearing extremely casual clothes—so casual, in fact, that Beatrice scolds her.

But that lasts only briefly.

As soon as Victoria sits next to me and begins recounting her story, the tense atmosphere vanishes instantly.

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