Chapter 226

Victoria has been eerily quiet ever since she randomly burst into tears that day.

All her usual zest is gone, and she hasn’t even touched any books related to mechanical devices.

Even now, after the final exams and results, she’s been cooped up in her room like someone suffering from depression.

Polaris finds the situation extremely awkward.

Sure, we all knew about the deaths of Victoria’s school friends and teacher, but Polaris had assumed Victoria wouldn’t let it get to her this much.

He’d confidently said that someone like Victoria would easily overcome it.

Well…

I thought so too, but Victoria… she’s just a regular person. Maybe a little stronger mentally than most, but still…

Her entire path to her dreams has been shattered, after all.

Of course, Polaris did try to cheer her up, but with the finals overlapping, Victoria ended up spending a lot of time alone.

She might be sick or something.

Meanwhile, the capital has undergone some changes.

In the plaza, dozens of alleged riot instigators are hanging there, drying out in the winter wind. Luckily, the cool winter prevents their bodies from rotting, but it’s still not a pleasant sight.

Yeah, you’re right.

The kingdom handled the situation properly.

When citizens start a riot, the most dangerous time is at the very beginning. It’s the hardest time to handle, and if the damage spreads beyond control, it’s game over.

After that, chaos can’t be stopped.

But thanks to the time bought by Victoria, the kingdom was able to respond effectively.

They gather people in the plaza and conduct meaningless trials for a few selected individuals. The accused were indeed involved in the riots, but the riots themselves weren’t planned—they happened spontaneously.

There’s no real mastermind behind it.

But the nation created fake trials, pinning the blame on scapegoats.

This means:

They committed treason against the state. They’re evil. We won’t hold those who were tricked into participating accountable. But remember, rebellion is bad, and this is what happens to those who do it.

People were hung on poles and stoned to death.

And anyone who claimed they were innocent or said they only looted because they were hungry was labeled as a spy and hung too.

With that, the truth-tellers disappeared.

Then, right where the corpses were clearly visible, they distributed rations and fuel.

From my leader’s memories, this is an effective way to control the populace. It shows what happens when you defy us and what you gain by following us.

Carrot and stick.

A training method everyone knows.

Meanwhile, the media keeps spreading articles about how the massacres attacked the Mechanical Knight School and slaughtered children.

Within just a week, these people went from being dissatisfied citizens to full-blown traitors who killed children at the school.

But I know two of the dozens of people who were hung. I know because the Harvesting System dealt with their neighbors.

Those two were just ordinary people struggling to survive.

Looking at that, it really seems like there are no actual traitors. Just people who had their sins pinned on them by others looking for scapegoats.

In fact, the more guilty someone feels, the more eager they are to sell out others. Otherwise, the anxiety would suffocate them.

“He’s the bad one, not me.”

Even kids know how to play this game.

And the nation was smart enough to exploit this psychology.

They quickly executed scapegoats and then announced that the investigation revealed three companies as the masterminds behind the treason.

These companies supposedly attacked the Mechanical Knight School out of fear that new mechanical technologies would disrupt the market.

If I hadn’t turned the Harvesting System into a scapegoat, I would have fallen for it too.

It was that convincing.

Once the state propaganda machine started spreading this narrative, smaller outlets began exaggerating it further.

Even the Harvesting System, which attacked the Mechanical Knight School and killed students, believes it was deceived. False facts are being created and accepted as truths.

Apparently, governing a country isn’t done haphazardly.

And alongside this news, there’s also information about how the nation understands the hardships of this winter and is distributing stored food supplies.

Creating enemies, calming public sentiment, and systematically overcoming disasters—that’s how the nation operates.

And through this process, they’ve managed to control the unpredictable Harvesting System well—well enough that if it were human, it’d be downright creepy.

I remember the Harvesting Systems that were dragged off for human experiments.

Even though no such incidents have occurred since their self-destruction, the memory remains.

This country isn’t a bed of roses.

According to some Harvesting Systems serving in the military, armies are better at killing humans than monsters.

What does that mean?

It means they’re ready for war.

During the current king’s reign, there have been inter-state wars.

Some Harvesting Systems living in Brightshin’s slums were discharged from the army due to old wounds and were eventually killed by poverty.

It’s the same everywhere.

Soldiers are heroes during wartime, but once they’re injured and survive, they’re just annoying trash. Parasites that the state must feed.

Isn’t that true?

Only a small portion fits that description, and the citizens only see that part. We use that small part to promote the honor of soldiers for potential future conflicts.

For consumption as manpower in emergencies.

How many veterans in my faded memories lived comfortably? Most of them died destitute, collecting scraps and freezing to death in cold rooms, only to be discovered when spring brought the smell of decay.

Thank-you plaques for saving the nation can be handed out to those who are doing well.

It’s cheaper to bring out a successful survivor and give them awards and medals than to take care of all the soldiers.

Capital is a zero-sum game.

It’s far too insufficient to distribute fairly based on right and wrong.

So we use the capital of prestige instead. Real capital would be wasteful, wouldn’t it?

Money is harsh.

And those who use it are ruthless. If they weren’t, the world wouldn’t allow them to make money. Money itself isn’t bad, but greed inevitably includes ruthlessness.

Something worse than greed is faith, though.

Why?

Because, like me, it provides a place for weak humans to escape.

While religion is called “the opium of the people,” that’s nonsense.

At least opium gives pleasure.

Religion only gives the hope of pleasure.

False hope.

To put it simply, hoping doesn’t change the fact that its essence is a pit of despair. Compared to drugs that provide pleasure, religion makes people writhe in false hope until they die. Which is crueller?

Of course, in the first world, there were religions that granted divine power. But even those were corrupted by human wisdom. Even if gods exist, it’s the same.

My thoughts have wandered, but the main point is that.

There’s an army designed to deal with people.

This isn’t unique to this country.

There’s no guarantee other countries won’t go to war to escape this massive disaster.

As for me, I just sit in the comfy chair prepared by the king and pass the time, but for regular people, things will only get worse. They’ll either die or explode.

Does it look like we’ve achieved a soft landing?

No.

There’s no such thing as a soft landing.

I know that.

The day after the tragedy at the Mechanical Knight School, the royal family held memorial services within the palace and declared they would invent our own technology to stand against evil corporations.

Human hearts aren’t that simple to move, though.

Once twisted, they leave a mark.

On top of that…

Despite daily food distribution efforts by the royal family, prices for not just food but everything are rising.

Transportation operators now need to travel with large caravans and mercenary groups to protect themselves; otherwise, moving goods is impossible.

See? Things are getting worse.

If this were the medieval era, I wouldn’t worry.

Countries don’t matter; villages operate independently, so local issues usually stay local.

But here, we have railways.

Traveling between countries isn’t difficult. Princess Luna, Aurora’s older sister, studies in another country.

Judging by the brilliance of my memories, it seems that sending royalty abroad for study indicates good diplomatic relations. If it were a vassal state, princes would be sent instead of princesses.

Was it the king who sent her?

Still, how far do these relations go?

In this age of interconnected nations, if one falls, others can support it.

Of course, there will be losses, but complete collapse can be avoided.

But what happens when that limit is exceeded?

A chain of recessions hits. Since it’s another country, closing borders isn’t an option. Once connections surpass a certain threshold, closing borders worsens the situation.

The signs are already here.

Refugees entering the country are increasing, and the already tense atmosphere becomes even more unpleasant because of immigrants.

Indeed, it’s intriguing to see how this world will shake and transform.

The second world was too short, but the first was quite entertaining. As the scope of what the Harvesting System sees expands, warmth floods in.

Whether the nation rises or falls, I don’t really care.

I can just enjoy watching how the world flows.

I might act if I find some warmth along the way, but for now, it’s time to wait for the seeds planted in the field to sprout.

In short, enjoy the present.

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