Story Reader / Main Story / 22 Renaissance du Fantastique / Story
22-28 First Steps
To Michele Vasari, my friend and "foe" for a lifetime,
I have already left this world when you receive this letter.
Based on my understanding of you, you will probably rip apart the envelope and toss it into the bin—that is, if you still have the strength to do so.
I still wrote down these words, but not for reconciliation. At our age, being right or wrong doesn't matter anymore; neither does success or failure.
We chose different paths, and I believe we both gained more than what our friendship could possibly bring to us.
You often compare me to "Carrasco" and yourself to "Don Quixote". You are a knight charging toward his dream, while I am just a stubborn old man.
I knew you were right, because I never had any sublime yet impractical ideals like you did. I only want to protect the World Government Association of Art.
Not all artists can be as strong and resilient as you. Not everybody can go against the storm alone.
But perhaps everyone is hoping that you can succeed. Only those who are sensitive to this world can become an artist.
We know too well that the world is never as simply as our painting, but we lack the power to change it.
That's why when there is finally a knight to challenge the giants, all the poets in the world have written an epic for him deep in their hearts.
Even the knight himself knows he will fail eventually—because "Don Quixote" also lost to the reality in the end.
You never compared yourself to Hercules, who performed twelve Labors, to David, who defeated Goliath, or to Arash or Siegfried.
Instead, you saw yourself as a lunatic, skinny old man in battered armor with a weary workhorse, traversing the world only to return home empty-handed.
You saw your ending before setting off, but still decided to give up everything you could possible have to chase after a drifting illusion.
I could not understand you, until a young "knight" stood in front of me.
He "seized" this place that I spent so much time running, in a way that I could never have imagined.
When I furiously questioned his intentions, he gave me an even more absurd answer.
In his eyes was the same light that I saw in yours. I tried to impersonate the Knight of the White Moon, only to lose to a novice.
That's why I asked him to bring this letter to you.
In the end, allow me to imagine the moment when you finally step out of your time, for I need to give an ending to my poem—
The knight failed to complete his grand quest. He was devastated by remorse. There was no glory to be found.
But until his dying breath, he would never admit that he was "Alonso Quijano".
"Don Quixote de la Mancha" he will forever be.
—Your "Carrasco"
...
What are you looking at, Cervantes?
The first ray of sunshine has lit up the sky. The mechanoid girl stands under the windmill's shade, asking her silent creator.
Nothing. Just writing the ending for an unfinished story.
He smiles and tears the yellowed letter that was finally opened after many years into a few pieces, holding them up in his palm and watching them drift away with the wind.
Dulcinea, how are the mechanoids in the city?
83% of the mechanoids have evacuated Constellia. The rest all made it clear that they wished to stay.
Are you going to stay?
...My duty is to help manage the mechanoids in this city.
If they decided to stay, I have nothing to say.
What about you? Aren't you going to do something?
Cervantes looks at the figure standing at the corner of a dark valley. She is quietly gazing at the sunrise.
I have already witnessed their story.
This memory will become my motivation, guiding me to the direction I should listen to in the future.
You are the same, aren't you?
She told me the "answer" that I had been looking for might not exist at all.
Yet, she was trying to prove that fighting for a goal without an answer was not meaningless.
Honestly, I don't know what I should do right now.
But I still have a lot of time to think about this question.
Master didn't give me a deadline, so I just extended the due date of my graduation project to forever.
Besides, I quite miss the days spent with those weirdos.
Is that why you built this place that had nothing to do with your research...?
Hah... Maybe.
This will be an opportunity for me to start all over again.
You and her... I don't know what kind of connection exists between you.
But don't you want to return to her?
...
She said she would come to me "when everything is over."
But it's not "over" yet, whether to her or to myself.
There are many things I have yet to recover. I cannot respond to the expectation in her words yet.
More poems in this world are waiting for me to discover and trace back.
So I can't stop yet.
Still, she reminded me of one thing that I had forgotten—
It turns out that I—Selena...
Always have a place... That I can go back to.
One week Later in Babylonia.
That concludes the final check. You are "discharged," Trojan.
Thank you, Mr... Yarha?
Trojan sits up in the repair pod and thanks the skinny researcher. Age has taken its toll on him.
Nobody addresses me like that in this place. Just call me Yarha.
Director Vesalius left us the spare parts for your frame. I just followed her instructions to replace the damaged ones.
As for the M.I.N.D... The problem was there long ago. Sorry, I can't help about that.
That's okay. I'm almost getting used to it.
Why is Vesalius not here?
She's onto something else... A Mind Beacon-related project, if I recall correctly.
Hello? Is Trojan here?
Someone knocked on the door, but before Yarha could confirm their identity, the safety lock was automatically opened.
Oh? What a rare visitor. I never thought we would meet again...
Mr. Norman.
Aha, you haven't changed a little bit after so many years, Trojan.
I may look the same, but inside I'm all worn out.
Well, I never thought that arrogant little brat would turn into such a carefree playboy one day.
C'mon, give me some credits. I think I'm doing pretty well now.
Do you know each other?
I had been working in Norman Mining Corp as their security captain until the end of the Post-Pandemic Age.
Back then, Mr. Norman was still a little rug rat who couldn't even wipe his own nose. His favorite activity was to bully his one-year-old little sister.
Hey... There's no need for oversharing.
Oh hi, Researcher Yarha. It's been so long. How have you been after coming back from the lunar base?
Pretending to be friendly, Norman grabs Yarha's shoulder and pulls him aside.
Trojan and I would like to talk. You know, we don't get to see each other very often.
Of course, I get it. Allow me to excuse myself...
Yarha quickly flees the lab, leaving Norman and Trojan alone.
...
I'll cut to the chase. Were you the one who got me in here in the name of "protective surveillance"?
It's "us," to be more precise.
We are in the same boat, of course we need a good place to talk.
...In the end, neither Kurono or the Parliament had got the subject. Did your efforts just become wasted?
No... In a way, this is actually the best ending.
Collins and I have different views. To me, a "trump card" should never be played too early. One must hold onto it until the last moment.
Her escape also gave us a chance to seize the "trump card" ourselves.
Are you going to capture that subject yourself?
What do you think?
Norman's playful smile disappears. His sharp gaze feels like it can see through Trojan's heart.
You had already helped us once. Collins said you picked a great timing.
You mean the mail sent to General Wells? I just set a timer. I've got to live up to my name "Trojan".
...But if I pick your side, I won't be able to go back to Iris Warbler.
We have been through a lot together and formed a great friendship.
Are you really attached to that squad now?
...You'll have to pay me more.
You will get to know what you want to know, as long as you can deliver the results we need.
—The message came from Collins. I can never use the carrot-and-stick trick like he does.
I also want twice the salary, paid annual leaves, weekly afternoon tea and two days off in every seven days.
Um... Do they really matter that much to you now?
If I am to join the villains, I need to find some material comfort to compensate for the emotional damage.
I said it in the beginning.
...I may look the same, but inside I'm all worn out since long ago.
Alright... There goes the final mission report.
After confirming the electronic document has been uploaded to the command center's cloud server, Sica closes the screen of her terminal.
Thanks, Sica.
I should be the one thanking you. You still have a lot to do in WGAA, yet you are helping me out here.
I'm the captain after all. It's part of my job.
But from today, this squad will be...
Judging by the outcome alone, Iris Warbler's first mission was quite a success.
They completed the investigation of Constellia and recovered the city, which would have a tremendous positive impact on mankind's project to rebuild the ground surface.
But on the other hand, Lena had gone missing, and Trojan was also transferred away for the sake of "protective surveillance."
Thanks to this mission, several hidden currents that had been lurking for years converged in Constellia. When various forces within Babylonia had conflicting opinions, Iris Warbler naturally became the focus amidst the controversies.
In the end, Iris Warbler was "suspended indefinitely" to avoid greater unrest. The squad itself was not decommissioned thanks to Allen's efforts, but its name will not be listed in any surface missions at least for a long time to come.
It's no different from being disbanded... Ayla, do you think I always jinx my squad?
Sica bitterly smiles and mocks herself. She is probably the most disappointed person after hearing the news.
Don't worry about it. I'm always pretty lucky. You won't jinx me that easily.
Besides, even if we can't move as a squad, there are still many things we can do.
You've been busy with Constellia lately, right? Is WGAA going to take over the re-designing and reconstruction of this city?
I mean, I promised him.
He left us Constellia to see if we could create something that could surpass Michele's work.
Of course I'm up to the challenge!
The mechanoid stopped Ayla before he left.
Can you do me a favor before Babylonia officially takes over?
...Are you really going to give Constellia to us?
Not just to you, but also the mechanoids who chose to stay.
I want WGAA to ensure their safety. Haicma and Spooner also have the same wish.
Of course! It doesn't matter whether they are mechanoids or humans. As long as they have a passion for art, they will all be our friends!
Allen and I will take care of them until the end.
This city is far from complete. Too bad it will never be finished in the way that Master envisioned.
The Golden Age has already passed. The future of Constellia is still unknown.
I am quite curious about what Constellia will become under WGAA. After all, it is his legacy.
Not only WGAA, didn't you also leave a legacy in this city?
What do you mean...
I don't know how you rated the Art Museum you built, but I think it is an excellent piece of work.
You put your thinking, confusion and questions all in the museum. Each visitor may engage in a different conversation with you.
There is a part of Constellia that belongs to you. I'm sure Michele would love to see that happen!
Is that so...
Alright. I will consider this a continuation of the incomplete challenge.
I have given my answer.
And I'd like to see your response to the topic of "Constellia".
Hehe... I won't know until it is actually completed.
We may face the same challenge that haunted Michele... Maybe we will never get what we want.
Still, we will move on to the next generation no matter what.
I can't guarantee that Constellia will live up to all the expectations placed on it, but there's one thing I know for certain.
When humans and mechanoids finally get to witness this city upon its completion—
They will be able to witness what the "new age" is like.
Cervantes didn't tell me anything about Lena in the end. Can you believe it? He said he was in no position to reveal her information.
He said he was a "villain," after all.
Now that Iris Warbler is suspended, it could be very difficult to find her just by ourselves.
But I won't give up—not only on Lena, but also Trojan.
And your friend too. We didn't get to make her stay, but there's always a next time.
It was her decision to leave. I guess she had her reasons.
But it doesn't mean that I will give up looking for her. She must also want me to see what she had witnessed, I believe.
I agree. That's why she decided to show up in front of us.
We both need to work hard, Miss... No, Ayla.
She smiles and reaches out her hand. Ayla gives her a high five.
Alright then. I also need to do what I need to do.
Goodbye, Iris Warbler Commandant.
The Construct and her commandant part ways.
The brief time they spent together feels like a dream. Everything seems to have returned to what they once were.
But this encounter has also changed their life paths slightly.
Instead of reducing the problems, more problems have arisen.
But it also means that their own stories have just begun.
Just like how characters of a long manga series always go on separate paths at the end of a chapter, and regroup again when a new one starts.
For now, they only have to walk on the paths they have chosen.
One day, everyone will return to this place.
And they will become better versions of themselves.
It seems to be a bad move so far, Allen.
You wanted to make Iris Warbler the key to the surface reconstruction project, but you underestimated the potential resistance.
This alliance was formed to contain our greatest common enemy. Once the enemy starts to show signs of decline, the alliance can no longer be trusted.
"The post-war new world" is probably the largest cake that humans can slice up since the world war two hundred years ago.
Those who have remained silent during the war will also begin to take action. Given the context, the power of WGAA is far from enough.
...We have to take the stage, even just to make the tiniest changes.
Iris Warbler was destined to fail. Even if the squad is not disbanded, it is unlikely that it will perform as you expected in the future.
You are right, General Wells.
Iris Warbler is too early for humans now.
The Parliament can only offer limited support. The entire reconstruction project will be nothing but another large-scale zero-sum game.
Only the best player can be the last to laugh and win the "greatest prize" in their regard.
But Wells, do you like this set of rules?
...The duty of the General Staff is to create the most detailed plans so mankind can get the most correct results possible.
If I have to say it, I hate anything that gets in the way of my plan.
So do I. But unlike you, I'm simply not good at this kind of mind-boggling politics. I only want to do what I think is right, and forming Iris Warbler is one of them.
I didn't expect you to be such a true-blue idealist.
Haha. I'm the chairman of WGAA after all, of course I want to believe in the virtues of humanity.
I'm not going to be naive and expect Iris Warbler to succeed right now. I just hope it can become a signal, a seed planted in the more distant future.
One day, it will sprout under the efforts of those who hold the same vision as us.
That's a naive thought.
The young commandant, who had been waiting outside for quite some time, couldn't help but make a comment after hearing Allen's words.
Please come in, Gray Raven Commandant.
Should I excuse myself then?
No... The upcoming work is somehow related to WGAA. You can stay.
You see the same resigned look that you always see on Wells as he takes your report.
I can't remember how many times you have turned down a promotion order. The merits you have accumulated are more than enough to get you a senior position in the HQ.
If you really want to challenge the status quo, you've got to better use your influence.
There's only so much a commandant can do.
Hah. No wonder you have caught Ayla's attention.
Gray Raven... To a certain extent, you marked the beginning of everything we have today.
I look forward to what you are up to next, Gray Raven Commandant.
Video: 3rd Year Anniversary S Ayla Version_Story Cutscene
