Chapter 207

That afternoon…

After returning to the dormitory, Victoria received a letter.

It was from Beatrice.

With a wide smile, Victoria eagerly opened the letter.

The contents were filled with worry about whether Victoria was truly living well.

Unaware that Victoria was crying while reading it, I could see through Victoria’s eyes that there was a major issue with the letter. There wasn’t enough information about Beatrice and Maurice. It only briefly said not to worry about what happened in Bern City. Shouldn’t they at least mention where they are and what they’re doing?

But aside from that, nothing else was written.

Still, it seemed like it was enough for Victoria.

Her face was full of smiles.

Of course, this is seen through Victoria’s perspective, so it might not be entirely accurate. But just by seeing her facial muscles twitch and hearing the change in tone, I can tell.

She’s happy.

Yeah… That’s good news.

Even after fighting so hard and coming back without getting what she wanted—it was foolishly rushed, but still suffering nonetheless.

Still, knowing they’re safe makes it worth it.

By the way, it’s evening now. Victoria’s at the dormitory, and I’m at my place.

As usual, I observe the world through the Harvester’s viewpoint.

There have been some changes in the capital.

First, the ranking of best-selling newspapers has changed, altering what people read. You notice these things quickly since newspaper stands are everywhere.

Also, the clockwork machines that used to carry goods or people have almost completely disappeared.

Right after the national broadcast revealed the truth the three companies tried to hide, many machines were destroyed.

Especially the problematic power units mostly vanished, leading to more households using wood for heating.

The landscape of the capital has changed.

Now when mealtime comes around, smoke rises from all over the city.

So during this late afternoon…

Unlike before, smoke is rising from every home.

Especially in the Brightshin slums, thick smoke fills the air.

Even in the slums, people could afford clockwork devices to boil water, so there used to be no smoke.

But now, they’ve gone back to burning wood. Since the slums have older buildings, it’s actually possible for them.

Because just ten years ago, using wood for fire was commonplace.

Older houses still have places to burn wood.

In contrast, newer buildings don’t have spaces for burning wood at all.

Inside those buildings, there aren’t areas designated for using fire. Water was heated and boiled using clockwork machines.

But they don’t use clockwork machines anymore. They’ve lost so much trust that people are finding makeshift stoves to use instead.

Naturally, distrust runs deep.

Whenever something is labeled as dangerous, items of that kind tend to temporarily disappear from sight, right?

It’s the same here.

However, tools that use magic power don’t necessarily need to be discarded. If this was an unsolvable problem, magical civilization wouldn’t have developed in the first place.

From memory, having various types of magic converters helps alleviate issues. Converting magic into heat or water, etc., allows even partially depleted magic to cycle back to its original state.

But here, they overdid it. They relied solely on converting magic into rotational energy for everything—creating light, generating heat, moving things, even drawing water.

It’s like only using green light. So the residual magic ended up being devoid of green.

Eventually, the world became saturated with non-green light. Even with plenty of magic available, parts requiring green fail to react, causing spells to fail. Machines stop working due to lack of green despite having magic power.

Thinking the environment was normal because magic existed, machines overdrawed power, overheated, and exploded.

By the way, old magical tools—not modern clockwork devices—are still usable.

But fewer people in wealthier areas use them.

Therefore, larger cities may experience incidents similar to what happened in Bern City.

Anyway, getting sidetracked…

When information spread that there were problems with clockwork mechanisms, countless ones were discarded. While those built into homes can’t be removed, anything removable is thrown away, and what can’t be thrown is left unused.

The era is regressing.

This isn’t limited to the capital.

Nearby cities and even Bern City itself are experiencing the same.

Additionally, some people captured in Bern City who were released early have returned there, giving us updates on the situation.

Both Bern City and Nantes Port are seeing people striving to return to normal life.

If we say construction industries are booming, that’d be nice—but surprisingly, it’s not the case.

Due to ties with corporations, even companies expected to boom are struggling…

Of course, there are plenty of people who know how to construct buildings, even if they’re not part of big construction firms. The issue is that large cities suitable for such firms lack these skilled individuals, who are instead scattered across rural areas.

People affiliated with construction firms aren’t prohibited from building independently, but if their affiliation is discovered, they risk being killed by groups.

Especially in Bern City.

Citizens of Bern City scrutinize the capital’s reports most intensely. Therefore, anyone associated with those three companies is extremely dangerous.

Interestingly, since those three companies dominated Bern City, many residents had direct or indirect connections to them.

So what do they do?

They create lists of people who participated in protests versus those who didn’t. Without approval from protest participants, you can’t return to Bern City.

If you try anyway, you’ll be killed.

Through the Harvester’s perspective, I saw former employees of the three companies who thought the situation was resolved burned alive in the city square.

Hatred is spreading effectively.

The most advanced city has become the most hateful and discriminatory one.

Excellent!

Since the Harvester led this, it gained warmth!

Two weeks ago, I worried if this was really a decent world, but people acted humanely.

They think deeply and feel genuinely.

Emotions flow freely, shaping judgments.

Thus, small hate crimes and highly closed-off societies are forming, but I’m happy since warmth is flowing to me.

And no serious problems have occurred yet. Isn’t killing people a big deal?

Not really, thanks to the king being above the law. In typical kingdoms, executing criminals is public entertainment.

So even if people are burned alive, if the surrounding citizens agree, law enforcement usually just gives mild warnings about littering and moves on.

Rather than calling this anomie due to rapid social change outpacing norms, it feels more like PTSD.

There’s a moral code against killing, and society isn’t chaotic.

But they’ve lost too much to endure anymore.

It’s like soldiers who suddenly mistake everyday situations for war scenarios and revert to wartime behavior.

Except this is happening across Bern City.

It’s broken and twisted.

The Harvesters are widening their own wounds with their own strength, sending me little bits of warmth each time.

Hehe…

You seem capable of enduring more suffering.

While these wounds must eventually heal, let’s drag it out as long as possible.

On the other hand, the capital is clearly recovering.

Despite being devastated by the witch’s attack, unlike Bern City, it’s healing.

Few people experienced horrific events, and most survivors were simply pierced by thorns and slept through it, minimizing casualties.

Though items related to clockwork mechanisms were discarded following the royal announcement…

Something feels off with my memories.

Why does economic depression keep popping up in related searches?

Reviewing these memories, shouldn’t such things be unlikely here? There’s no mass production, no massive debt, no reason for homelessness.

Maybe it’s just a strange chain reaction in memory.

You know, like when brainstorming produces seemingly unrelated words?

Probably something like that.

For days, I’ve enjoyed the warmth sent from Bern City while lying in bed.

Ah…

Feels good.

Things didn’t go exactly as I planned, but the warmth keeps flowing, so I’ll call it a success.

I am humble, after all!

Oh, I should rest my body and focus on the Harvester’s perspective before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, another Harvester got captured by demons and dragged to Hell, dying there. While I received warmth, I saw light go to the demon race.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see further.

Losing a Harvester means losing the entire perspective of that world, which is sad.

Still, maybe I’ll be summoned like Eunjai.

Let’s stay calm.

For now, I’ll aim to develop technology to reach other worlds, living like a self-replenishing machine without sunlight.

Since we already have a foundation, I’m relaxed.

In city-building simulation games, when resources are scarce, you just wait until they accumulate.

I don’t know how long this body will last, but as the Harvester’s descendants grow, like in the first world, we can ascend using them as offerings.

I’ve placed numerous Harvesters in remote locations.

Soon, Harvesters will thrive.

They look good, are intelligent, and strong.

Even Harvesters with children exist. A baby was born to a female Harvester working at a pleasure shop.

Birth circumstances don’t matter.

Only dreams are important. And we already have the power for them. Despite harsh environments and cruel realities, Harvesters are better off than average humans.

Live a good life, find moderate happiness, and die peacefully. If possible, have lots of kids.

Harvesters’ children maintain contracts but appear white without me included, meaning they’re lighter.

Meaning this world won’t collapse like the first one.

Yes, this time I’ll carefully choose contracts.

Preferably with people in high positions.

In this third world, I’ll definitely create my automatic warmth-harvesting factory.

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