The crumbling skyscrapers stood on the desolate wilderness like a giant covered in scars.

The walls, riddled with holes, exhaled thick black smoke, reminiscent of the fragmented spirit of the citizens of Bugra Free State.

Occasional explosions drew no attention anymore.

After all, over the past year, the residents of this settlement had already heard too much of such sounds.

This is Bugra.

Rather than calling it another Ideal City on the Wasteland, it would be more fitting to call it an enormous prison.

Though it's a bit like a hellish joke, it sounds cooler than a zoo.

Dragging their blue plasma trails, four "Viper" light transport planes roared across the sky over the southern district of Bugra City.

Sitting on the edge of the cabin, I Max Black looked at the shattered skyscrapers below, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Truly tragic."

Sitting opposite, "Kakarot" shrugged his shoulders, showing little sympathy for the people here.

"Trouble is self-inflicted."

The entire settlement was like a massive vacuum cleaner, siphoning in the Wasteland's waste, only to regurgitate it back after mixing it all together.

99% of looters indirectly or directly fenced stolen goods here, while also procuring weapons from here.

Ideal City, at least, managed to export some order onto the Wasteland, even if that order wasn't always good.

What was exported from here was sheer chaos, and was even one of the roots of chaos itself.

The lowest tier of company dogs lived in 20-square-meter single rooms, burdened with a century-long mortgage, using a super AI fridge that required a 30-second iris scan to open. It appeared they were not exploiting anyone, but both the 20-square-meter single rooms and the manipulative loans and fridges were their own designs, harming not only themselves.

After all, there were millions of unemployed people living in less-than-four-square-meter coffin-sized rooms, contributing lives and labor so cheap they were almost negligible, decomposing the surplus production of the vast system like the "decomposers" in an ecosystem, also serving as the lubricant between the Sin City and the Wasteland.

The gangs outside Giant Stone City actually originated from here.

Moreover, Firestone Group's most lucrative industry was weapons and various addictive goods, harming not just the residents of Bugra Free State.

In this conspiracy of crime, it was hard to find a truly innocent victim, and those who realized the truth had long left here. Surely, they wouldn't wait until the cage fell to scream.

Where were they when it started?

At least, that's how it seemed to him.

Rather than helping these thugs reform, he'd prefer to go to Triumph City to attend his good brother's wedding.

The second weekend of every January was the birthday of the Vellante people. They set the wedding three days after the birthday.

If he couldn't make it in time, he'd just have to hold another one in the City of Dawn.

"Let the past be the past; humiliating them is meaningless. At least they're awake now."

Patted "Kakarot" on the shoulder, Spring Water Commander pointed his index finger at the side of his helmet and switched the communication channel to the entire team, shouting to the newbies on the other three planes.

"Alright, rookies, we're almost there. Remember your mission, pave the way for the NPCs of the Home of the Refugees and relief supplies, establish a security zone at the coordinates, avoid civilian casualties, and do not fire unless necessary, unless it's gang members—"

Before Spring Water older brother could finish, a series of rapid gunfire erupted from a nearby skyscraper.

Bullets whizzed overhead, not even scratching the flame tails of the four "Vipers."

Those armed forces were neither employees of Firestone Group nor the Hound Special Forces controlled by City Hall, but looters who snuck into the city taking advantage of the chaos.

To say they snuck in wasn't accurate; many looters in this area were originally mercenaries or gang members from the Free State; some notorious mercenary groups even went public.

A few thugs with synthetic tattoos on their faces gestured their middle fingers at the passing planes, one Mohawk head even wedging a rifle between his legs, yelling and mimicking urination gestures.

That was probably the cyber psychos' way of declaring sovereignty, maybe indicating that the building was theirs.

Unexpectedly being so disrespected, Spring Water older brother furrowed his brow and switched the communication channel to the command headquarters after saying "don't waste bullets."

"...I've got a situation here, requesting a drone."

"Received."

In less than a minute, a black dot dropped from the sky, unfolded its four rotor blades mid-air as it approached the southern urban district of the Free State, and flew towards the building that fired at the "Storm Squad" with a "whoosh."

The gang members on the rooftop were unaware of the danger and curled their lips while heading back to their top-floor stronghold, seeing that the Alliance's planes didn't bother with them.

The drone didn't attack immediately but circled the top floor of the building, confirming no civilians were present while marking the attackers' identities before crashing into a window.

With the sound of shattering glass, the five-kilogram fragmentation warhead exploded instantly, spewing thousands of steel pellets in the midst of searing flames and black smoke!

The gang members smoking on the sofas didn't have time to react before they, along with the sofas and walls, were turned into a honeycomb-like mess under the barrage of pellets.

Floor by floor, they were eliminated.

Only a small amount of dust drifted out of the shattered windows.

"Done."

The Intelligence System player in the cabin opened his eyes and made an "all done" gesture towards Spring Water.

The latter nodded and continued explaining the server rules to the rookies eager to try in his squad.

Despite being called rookies, these guys were actually in their twenties, not lacking combat experience but just lacking in group battle experience.

But speaking of which, the "entry threshold" of this Game was getting higher and higher.

Nowadays, without eight thousand hours of online time, it's embarrassing to call oneself an old player...

...

Passing through a dense row of Iron Forest, the formation of four Vipers swiftly reached their destination.

The mission target was in the ecological Park of the southwestern urban district of the Free State.

This gigantic egg-shaped landmark was once the backyard of Firestone Group's top executives and wealthy individuals, with nearby single houses so expensive they could be measured in trillions.

But those days were over.

The entire area was now under the control of Mayor Otto's "Hound" Special Forces and the police agency as a security zone to accommodate nearby Citizens, and had been entrusted to the Alliance's Home of the Refugees to manage.

This was part of the cooperation between the authorities and the Alliance.

Though the local War was over, the restoration of order still had a way to go.

The dense Iron Forest not only hid remnants of the Firestone Group but was also active with looter organizations taking advantage of the chaos and gangs attempting to replace the Firestone Group.

The stationed forces had to secure the safety of the security zone before they could start cleaning up the aftermath.

Frankly speaking, the current Free State was like a giant whale stranded on a beach... and a much larger one than the Giant Stone City's past.

In the event of a whale explosion, the resulting destructive force would be far beyond what the collapse of Giant Stone City's Inner City could compare.

Fortunately, the current Alliance had grown in both experience and capability beyond the past.

If not, the Giant Stone City emerging from its shadows had become a more formidable existence than before.

The people living in the new era would not ignore these survivors struggling in the Northern Part of River Valley Province.

The person coming to make contact was Lieutenant Colonel Edem, the commander of the Hound Special Forces' Fourth Regiment.

Striding towards the helipad, he wore a bulky exoskeleton, looking just like the Iron Baboons of the Jungle Corps.

Spring Water Commander had read his track record and found out this guy was actually an old familiar with the Alliance, having fought alongside several Alliance Armies on the Ten Peaks Mountain before.

Including the deputy following behind Edem, called Tang Feng, seemingly a volunteer from Ideal City and also a Veteran descended from the Ten Peaks Mountain.

Furthermore, Spring Water was surprised to find some Vellante people also blended within the Volunteer soldiers.

"Thank you, you finally arrived." Edem slapped Spring Water on the arm with a grateful look.

Spring Water smiled faintly, tapping his fist against Edem's shoulder armor.

"It sounds too formal. Leave it to us here, go help your brothers."

Edem solemnly nodded, placed his fist against his chest, saluted, and without saying another word, strode towards the entrance of the security zone.

That was his duty, after all.

He must undertake it himself.

Springs watched him leave, then turned his gaze toward the nearby safe zone, reporting the local situation to the command post and preparing to assist the NPCs from Home of the Refugees and the local security personnel with their transition work.

Bugra City, after all, is not an Alliance settlement, and the local residents are not Alliance residents.

Although Mayor Otto and his supporters have expressed a desire to align closely with the Alliance, it's not a place where the Alliance can come and go as they please.

Too many factors are involved here, and decisions cannot be made hastily.

Especially since the perception of Bugra citizens by most Alliance residents is not very friendly.

However, although the Managers have not immediately approved Bugra City's "membership application," they have granted the latter a "Collaborator" status and vowed to hold referendums in both locations when the timing is appropriate.

This could be in a year, or maybe two, but it won't be much longer.

At the same time, a large crowd was gathering in front of the checkpoint not far from the helipad.

They were residents of Bugra, though not all were exclusively Bugra residents... such as Mr. Haus, who was squeezed into the front row.

Upon seeing the Alliance's plane land on the helipad, he charged forward as if he'd seen a lifeline, until he was stopped by soldiers from the Hound Special Forces.

Staring at the arms and checkpoint barring his way, Haus screamed hysterically in his raspy voice.

"Get out of the way——! You pack of wild dogs, do you know who I am?! I'm from Giant Stone City! I'm also an Alliance Citizen!"

He was eager to immediately board the plane to City of Dawn.

The two things he regretted most in life were not converting his Bugra currency into silver coins before it collapsed overnight, and not escaping from this rotten, foul ditch before the war erupted.

This statement truly puzzled several soldiers, leaving them at a loss on what to do.

Indeed, there were some Alliance citizens in the safe zone, and even relatively many among the volunteer teams.

As everyone was flummoxed, Spring Water Commander had already approached with his team.

Upon seeing a familiar face among the crowd, I Max Black, standing beside him, brightened his eyes and cheekily approached, saying.

"Yo, Mr. Haus, long time no see, how are you still alive?"

Upon hearing the voice from behind, the soldiers on duty immediately turned to give a military salute.

Spring Water Commander nodded to them, signaling with his eyes "leave this to me," then walked up to the ashen-faced Haus, staring into his eyes and said.

"Your ID number?"

"..."

Haus's lips trembled, unable to speak, looking as if he might wet himself from grievance.

He didn't have such a thing.

Although Giant Stone City joined the Alliance, he had long gone to Garbage City by then, and moving to Bugra to resume his old trade came much later.

Kakarot stealthily glanced at Tombstone Ghost beside him and muttered mockingly.

"Honestly, this guy isn't too bad, just not too bright. At least he's true to his words, definitely not one of us."

Tombstone Ghost chuckled, shrugging off.

"It doesn't bother me, I'm just here for the fun."

Seeing Haus unable to speak for a while, Spring Water Commander shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself, impersonating an Alliance citizen isn't illegal, but you'd better not disrupt the order here."

At this point, he looked toward the crowd behind Haus, activated the loudspeaker, and said.

"Friends, regardless of where you're from and where you plan to go afterward, at least while you're here, please adhere to the order here."

"Evacuation planes will arrive here, but not the ones in front of you. You need to register your names and tent numbers, then wait patiently and evacuate in order."

At the onset of the war, the Alliance had already evacuated most of the citizens active locally; even if there are occasional exceptions, it can't possibly be this many.

Spring Water Commander didn't need to ask to know that most of the people gathered here were just trying to get a free ride.

Messed up their own homes and then fled, leaving the mess for others—such convenience doesn't exist.

The Alliance can't accommodate so many people at once, and neither can Ideal City.

People here must and can only stay locally to shoulder the responsibilities they've once abandoned.

Until the outside world is affluent enough to provide them unconditional shelter or acceptance, they must save themselves.

This is also the only chance for redemption.

Upon hearing that the planes parked here weren't for evacuation, the refugees clustered at the checkpoint dispersed one after another.

Haus tried to sneak away as well, but I Max Black, with a cheeky grin, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't I show you a path? When this war is over, you could take a ship from Silver Moon Bay to Jinjaron Harbor, then follow the Everflow River westward, and find a place called Tiandu... Maybe there your talents can be utilized."

"While there's still a place in this world for you, seize the opportunity and quickly scoot."

With that, he smiled and patted Haus's shoulder, letting the guy scared out of his wits leave.

On the other side.

In front of a tent in the residential area, Wei Jia, the boss of Vijia Commerce, coldly watched as the disappointed countrymen dispersed.

Many of them once were residents of Giant Stone City. After the collapse of the Inner City, they moved to this place.

Though they seldom communicated in daily life, amid such major upheaval, they had no choice but to band together even if reluctant.

After all, if they hadn't done so, they might not have even waited for the establishment of this safe zone nor reached here.

Nonetheless, while banding together, Wei Jia didn't look down on these useless wastrels.

Unlike these fools who became worthless beyond the Inner City, he has been able to penetrate local upper society or at least the middle-upper tier, with his capabilities wherever he goes.

Before the war erupted, these useless folks didn't even have the opportunity to meet him.

If it weren't for Sigma and the senior management of Firestone Group losing power, this premium ecological park would have been where he walked his dog, and these people wouldn't even have the chance to beg here.

Nonetheless, unpredictable fortunes; who'd have thought Firestone Group would collapse?

Once standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows at Hotel Wind From Afar, quietly watching Giant Stone City's rise and fall, he's now one of those overlooked.

But he remained optimistic.

He didn't put all his eggs in one basket; he's set up funds in Alliance and Ideal City's banks, as seed capital for restarting.

Hardship is always temporary.

Once he passes today's hurdle, he still has a chance to rise again, even if he has to live an honest life afterward.

"My dear Elder Sid... Your servant failed to care for your wife and children, truly sorry for this. If you watch from heaven, please don't blame me..."

While still coldly smirking, Wei Jia suddenly displayed an aura of compassion.

Such a pity.

He had thoroughly made Bonnie from both mind and body into his belonging, but now had no choice but to dispose of this perfect artwork.

There's no choice.

She knew far too much she shouldn't have, and those dark secrets could likely hinder him from obtaining a legal identity.

Given that the Alliance opposes slavery and all inhumane acts,

Severe circumstances could even label him a Looter, even though what he did to that lady in the former Bugra isn't worth mentioning.

Regardless, he detested risk, and thus he ended her swiftly.

The outcome was swift, at least.

While Wei Jia was contemplating his future plans and how to leverage his resources to grasp the opportunity for Bugra City's reconstruction, Elder Sid's youngest son, Kumarit, walked up to him.

The little lord who once only flaunted behind his parents looked much more mature now.

Given the eternal debts to Ethan's Elder Sid, Wei Jia always prefixed Kumari with "dear Kumarit sir," but never indulged him, often turning hostile suddenly with a fierce slap.

In those days of dependence, not to mention the clothes he wore or the things he used; even the food he ate daily was what Wei Jia's son Piru consumed first.

So much so that sometimes even Piru couldn't bear to watch, occasionally sneaking money and comforting him behind his father's back.

As part of satisfying his twisted hobbies, Wei Jia did not dispose of him like he did with his mother.

First, he didn't believe that this weak child could pose any threat to him, and second, the bad things he had done were never known to this guy.

He was playing a long game; he planned to raise this child into something as twisted as Elder Sid, and then make up for the things missing from his own childhood.

Looking at Wei Jia's face, Kumarit instinctively felt a bit of fear, but unlike before, he didn't run away. Instead, he stared intently at the held forehead and spoke.

"Mr. Wei Jia."

Upon hearing the voice coming from above his head, Wei Jia forced a gentle smile on his impatient face and spoke with elegance.

"What's the matter, my dear young master Kumarit, do you have any orders?"

Normally, if Kumarit dared to make any requests following his words, no matter how humble, he would undoubtedly receive a brutal beating.

However, this time, Kumarit didn't show much fear, just staring at him with vacant eyes.

"Where is my mother? You said you would take me to see her when we reached the safe zone."

Wei Jia's face revealed a trace of annoyance.

He had dismissed this question long ago; how could this kid keep asking?

Given that patrolling guards were still nearby, he didn't hit or scold immediately, but instead said with a smile.

"Ah...are you talking about Lady Bonnie? I have already sent her to Ideal City. After all, you can see, this settlement has suddenly become very dangerous, extremely dangerous."

Ah...

Poor Elder Sid.

His son would never know what his gentle mother had sacrificed to protect him.

But who can he blame for this?

Could that kid be some saint or sage?

The fool of the Melvin family did such things, and Sid's youngest son was no different, always finding someone to take the fall.

As for the things he did, he might just be doing heaven's justice.

Looking at Uncle Wei Jia's smiling face, Kumarit spoke a word from his dry lips.

"Liar..."

Wei Jia's smile froze on his face for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"How could I lie to you? You're the son of my dearest friend. I treat you as if you were my own son—"

Kumarit said nothing, just stood there with empty eyes, throwing a holographic computer pen to the ground.

Wei Jia was taken aback, frowning, not understanding what happened until indecent images and sounds emerged from the pale blue holographic apex.

With a buzzing sound.

Seeing the pulse-pounding scenes and a face that shouldn't appear here, Wei Jia felt like his head was about to explode, momentarily dumbfounded.

The nearby refugees were also stunned, bewildered by the sudden display of the little movie.

Wei Jia was the first to come to his senses.

And as soon as he did, cold sweat poured from his forehead like a waterfall.

Especially when those astonished eyes turned his way, it was as if he were standing naked in the middle of the street.

"Are you crazy?! She, she's your mother!"

Wei Jia scrambled to cover it up, not caring about staining his knees with dirt, using his flabby stomach to cover the holographic computer pen and his twisted, depraved desires, just like when he pressed down on Elder Sid's wife.

Kumarit quietly watched the angry, twisted face, neither fearful nor despairing, not even saddened.

He simply reached into his pocket calmly and, under all those shocked gazes, pulled out a gun.

"Bang—!"

A bloodhole marked Wei Jia's forehead, and he collapsed in a pool of blood, bewildered.

The entire world fell silent.

He never expected.

To fall before dawn after calculating everything, and die so messy.

No—!

How could he accept such an end?!

He had worked so hard to get here!

Why?!

His spasming hands instinctively grasped the earth, leaving a few shallow claw marks in the mud.

He didn't want to die!

But.

He was out of time...

"Hey!!"

"What are you doing?! Drop the gun!"

Looking at the boy who had committed murder, the soldiers shouted as they rushed over, spurred on by the sound of gunfire.

If it weren't for the boy's age, they might have already shot.

However, Kumarit didn't listen to the adults' roaring, instead impatiently pressing the smoking muzzle to his own gaunt chin.

So noisy...

So tedious.

"Bang—!"

As the second gunshot rang out, he fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, as if freed.

Everyone froze on the spot, both the camp's refugees and the soldiers drawn by the gunfire.

The only thing that continued to echo was the indecent sound...

The commotion among the residents attracted the attention of the Alliance Soldiers, and the Springs group quickly arrived from the tarmac.

Upon inspection, the deceased was confirmed to be Wei Jia, the boss of the Wei Jia Commerce, and the perpetrator was his adopted son Kumarit.

The perpetrator committed suicide immediately after the crime, with no signs of life.

Further background checks revealed that the former had been Elder Sid's right hand in Jushi Inner City and had retreated with immense wealth to the Bugra Free State to continue running the Wei Jia Commerce while adopting Elder Sid's widowed wife and child.

The motive behind Kumarit's crime was fully preserved at the crime scene.

"What a twist..."

Back in the security office, I Max Black inserted the chip from the holographic computer pen into the terminal and glanced at it, eventually unable to help but mutter a remark.

No one else spoke; only Springs Brother silently pressed pause.

"Forget it."

There was nothing more to see in the content; it was simply the process of the deceased abusing the other deceased.

That guy named Wei Jia had a habit of recording things.

He recorded the whole process of Bonnie's mental breakdown, and somehow, her son Kumarit found out.

Perhaps it was part of that guy's twisted fetish, or perhaps he miscalculated, or maybe he was sabotaged by an enemy. After all, it was unclear how Kumarit got a gun in the safe zone...but these trivial details no longer mattered.

The deceased locals in the settlement were already burned beyond recognition, and even the outsiders were still queuing.

Just ensuring the basic order of the safe zone was enough to exhaust the new authorities' law enforcement personnel.

At this critical juncture where troubles piled up like mountains, no one really had the extra energy to seek justice for a mere beast.

Let's leave it at that.

...

Scene of the incident.

The crowd lingered for a long time, gossiping about the two deceased.

Especially those onlookers who came from other neighborhoods to join in the fun.

Confounded by the murder, they unanimously turned to the refugees who had previously lived in Giant Stone City to inquire about the identity of the two deceased, as well as the grievances behind it.

Some even inquired about "resources."

After all, in a place lacking entertainment, anything that can serve as a distraction becomes a source of amusement.

Not far away, a chubby young boy stood among the crowd, watching his father, who died in the street and was being loaded onto a stretcher, sighing and putting on a sad expression, mumbling to himself with his plump lips.

"Dad, don't you think you're too tired? We fled from Giant Stone City to the Free State, and we still don't know where we will have to flee to next…"

The feigned sadness was carved from the same mold as his father's.

"I'm almost bored of this Kumarit toy; there's really nothing new to play with it… in this regard, I'm still not as good as you; you managed to train Aunt Bonnie to be so obedient, doing whatever you ask her to."

"But, you didn't find it too regrettable to kill someone so obedient? After all, if you're tired of playing, why not leave her to me?"

Piru suddenly sighed with some loneliness, shaking his head with a lack of interest.

"Alas, you can't hear this anymore… Anyway, I will keep your inheritance well, I won't let your hard work go to waste in your lifetime."

"You can rest in peace."

Like a fat ghost, he clumsily turned and merged into the mismatched crowd, disappearing completely like he didn't know anyone here...

...

In the southern part of Bugra City, about fifty kilometers from the urban area, lies the largest settlement of the Home of the Refugees in the surrounding area.

Although the vast majority of refugees stayed within the urban area, a considerable number of survivors managed to escape.

The Alliance does not prevent those refugees from leaving, no matter where they plan to wander next.

However, for those willing to stay and rebuild their homes, the Home of the Refugees provides them with food, fresh water, and essential living supplies and medicines.

In fact, under the assurance of basic survival needs, most people still prefer to stay.

After all, for those whose understanding still lingers in the Wasteland Era 215, the outside world is still a man-eating place, unlike the civil war in Bugra which still leaves behind many skyscrapers.

Although the latter is not uncommon in the Wasteland, being born in this settlement, the survivors have never seen it before.

Many people have never left their home street in their entire life, let alone the outside world.

People who wander the wasteland like players are, after all, rare.

In the center of the camp, Chu Guang once again met Mayor Otto of Bugra.

Unlike the previous meeting at the Grand Canyon, this guy has undergone quite a change, having transformed from a stable bureaucrat to a leader in the true sense.

This guy is a talent.

After a brief greeting, they chatted about the view of the camp.

"...In this world, there are still many who must struggle desperately to survive."

"Yes."

Hearing this unsympathetic response, Otto couldn't help but think of those who died in the war, and he posed a somewhat sharp question.

"Even so, can it still be called a 'New Epoch'?"

He had no intention of blaming the Alliance, the Company, or the Academy.

After all, others helping them is a favor, not helping is the norm, and he had no grounds to complain in reason or in emotion.

Moreover, as they fought their civil war, other forces in the Wasteland were dealing with more severe threats.

They didn't cause trouble for others, but didn't serve any use either.

Yet despite this.

The declaration of the advent of the "New Epoch" and the decision regarding South Gate Two by the Sticky Community at this time somewhat hurt the feelings of Bugra's citizens.

It felt as if they had been left behind.

And back during the Torch War, they obviously contributed a bit...

Understanding the look in Otto's eyes, Chu Guang's mind didn't change much, just nodding as usual.

"Yes."

Otto couldn't keep his expression, and opened his mouth to ask.

"Why…"

Chu Guang cast his gaze towards the distant camp area, speaking gently.

"The initiative about the New Epoch that we launched at the Sticky Community isn't to claim we've built a Utopia on Earth, but rather that we're no longer waiting for a savior, no longer indulging in the unsustainable fantasy of the Prosperity Epoch, but rather saving ourselves and becoming our own light."

"If you truly understand the weight of this statement, then you are a part of this New Epoch, and we will never abandon you, just as we stand here today. If you cannot understand, then perhaps you just need more time."

This settlement is not without hope.

Aside from the pile of body bags, he also saw one person supporting another.

No one has ever abandoned them.

Even though many have long hated this sinful place, wishing to obliterate it with a nuke.

When people saw their determination to resist, they still offered a helping hand.

Otto remained silent for a long time.

The eyes, once tinged with confusion, finally lit up with a gleam of understanding.

"...I see, I understand now."

His face resumed a smile, as he looked at Chu Guang beside him, sincerely extending his right hand.

"Thank you, and please… grant us, the residents of Bugra, a chance to move forward together in the New Epoch with others."

"In fact, we've been doing this for a long time."

Chu Guang smiled and grasped his hand.

"Welcome."

Otto showed a relieved smile, casting his slightly weary and fatigued eyes towards the distant city and wilderness.

"One wonders how people in the future will judge us… and the New Epoch they are about to start living in."

They are neither as prosperous as the Prosperity Epoch nor as desolate as the Wasteland Era.

It's truly hard to judge.

He couldn't think of a word to summarize the difference between today and yesterday.

However—

Perhaps, people at the end of the Prosperity Epoch were puzzled by similar questions: How are they to explain to their children that the world they once lived in was not like this?

Watching Otto sink into thought, Chu Guang wasn't particularly troubled by this distant problem, just lightly shrugging.

"We should leave such matters for them to think about themselves."

-

(PS: The ending of the Free State is actually a continuation of Giant Stone City, with the former sharing in the events of Giant Stone City like the Alliance, but inheriting different things, and to avoid repetitive plot, I wrote this part from the side. Besides, this chapter connects to chapter 545 "The Path We Choose", so if you have no impression, you can revisit from chapter 517 "Homecoming"~)