Story Reader / Main Story / 10 Eternal Engine / Story
I didn't expect that thing to blow up...
That machine is used for paving roads and exploration.
...Sorry I forgot to tell you earlier.
Every trapped person has been evacuated, Commandant.
That's great...
Thank you.
No...? You want actual money then.
But sorry, I don't have so much money right now.
Um, we didn't do this for money.
Leader once said free things were the scariest.
Was Sophia... helpful?
Yes. The mission couldn't have been so smooth without you convincing those people.
So Jamilah, that puppet leader, asked you for help...
Her Majesty is no puppet.
Looks like you are hiding something.
The arrogant "aristocrats," and the all-obeying civilians who are sacrificed. If we add in this trade that you keep talking about...
Let's cut straight to the point. You're trying to do something with this chaos, aren't you?
...The civilians here came from all over the world.
Some are workers, some were sold to the train like Changyu.
Aristocrats are born to be aristocrats. Asslam is a private train bought by our leader's grandfather.
The aristocrats have been living in the Eternal Engine ever since it first started. They are the only ones who have access to private cabins.
They have always hated the civilians, and call them cockroaches who keep reproducing.
That's why they sacrificed the commoner carriage without a blink...
Ashlar represents the aristocrats. They have long planned for a trade like this to make themselves part of the Ascendants.
So they can break away from this "unfree" life, where they have to share resources with the civilians.
Ridiculous. If becoming an Ascendant is so simple, Roland would have done it long ago!
...That's why Leader came up with a safer alternative—to trade the "merchandise" for the right to live in Babylonia.
When you say "leader," do you mean Jamilah? Not Aston?
Aston is only pretending to be an aristocrat to help Leader maintain the balance between classes.
I never knew the internal relationship of ACA could be so complicated...
...Can I ask you a question?
I want to know how it feels to stay in Babylonia.
The space is dark and cold, right?
...Do you fear it?
Of course we do.
Even when we are in Babylonia, the so-called safest place in the universe. That's why we want to come back here.
Is that so... Hmm, in other words, Babylonia isn't that nice a place...
I didn't expect that to come from you, Lucia.
I was only imitating Commandant. This is what Commandant would have said.
We've been with Commandant for so long, after all.
...
————
Sophia! Come back, now—
?!
What's going on?
It's those guys... Dammit—
