Hannes gave his teammates a few instructions and then headed toward the east side of town.
Although Hannes had agreed to the woman's request, he still wasn't taking it seriously. As long as it wasn't a Titan, what huge disaster could possibly happen within these walls?
However, when Hannes arrived at the location the woman had described, he was stunned by the scene before him.
The open field, which originally had several large trees, was now completely transformed. The entire area's topsoil had been neatly shaved off by one or two meters, and in the center was a pit, about one square meter wide, extending down to an unknown depth.
This wasn't someone taking some dirt; this was clearly someone digging a foundation.
Before Hannes could process this, a figure slowly jumped out of the deep pit.
Kiyan had been digging under this field for a long time. The ore generation in this world was completely different from Minecraft. To get cobblestone, Kiyan had no choice but to dig very deep. By now, his backpack was full of materials, but he didn't even have one full stack of cobblestone, let alone any iron ore.
Checking his haul, Kiyan prepared to return to the Overworld dimension.
The portal door didn't spawn a corresponding door in the Attack on Titan world like a Nether portal would. Instead, it appeared directly in Kiyan's mind. With just a thought, he could summon the portal in front of him and return to the Overworld.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Where did all the dirt from this field go?"
Hannes stared at Kiyan with a serious expression, his eyes full of suspicion.
Kiyan just looked back at Hannes, completely baffled.
What was this blond uncle rambling about?
[Activating Localization Mod]
The system notification sound in his mind immediately captured Kiyan's full attention.
Kiyan had never expected that he could load Mods. A Minecraft with Mods and a Minecraft without Mods were two completely different games.
If he could activate Mods like Equivalent Exchange or Avaritia, he would be invincible. A mere Titan... could it withstand an attack from the Sword of the Cosmos?
Kiyan was lost in thought, but Hannes was not.
Although he was usually looked down upon by the townsfolk, he was still a soldier of the Garrison Regiment. When had he ever been ignored like this?
"Hey! Who the h*ll are you?"
Hannes shouted at Kiyan and began to step forward, looking ready to make a move at any moment.
Hannes's voice snapped Kiyan back to reality. And Hannes's words were no longer incomprehensible gibberish.
Kiyan looked at the wary Hannes and gave him a French military salute.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something and didn't notice you."
Hearing Kiyan's reply, Hannes paused, his wariness easing slightly.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Kiyan. What's yours?"
Hannes gave Kiyan a strange look.
"You're not from this town, are you? How did you get here?"
"How could you tell?"
"Are you taking me for a fool? Your clothes are completely different from anyone in this town."
Hannes paused, then looked at Kiyan intently, continuing, "The most important thing is, you don't even know me, Hannes. Everyone in town comes and goes through this outer gate every day. How could you not know me?"
Hearing Hannes's answer, Kiyan took a serious look at the blond uncle before him.
Seeing Hannes, who still smelled of alcohol, Kiyan instantly understood the current timeline and his location.
The current time was before the Colossal Titan breached the wall. But to know the exact date, he would have to meet the main characters.
He was currently in the protagonist's hometown, Shiganshina District, an outer district of Wall Maria.
Paradis Island had three great walls. From the outside in, they were Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina. The area between each wall was roughly equal.
Hannes looked at Kiyan's ingratiating smile and continued, "What did you do here? Why does this field look like this?"
"I don't know. I just saw a pit here and jumped down to take a look."
Hannes didn't believe a word Kiyan said, giving him a "keep-making-it-up" look.
"I'm telling the truth! Otherwise, you think I could do this to an entire field with my bare hands? I'm just an ordinary traveler."
Hannes looked Kiyan up and down, and finally said fiercely, "You'd better be."
Hannes didn't believe him, but he didn't press the issue. After all, he was just a Garrison soldier. Coming out to check on a citizen's complaint was already more diligent than most of his colleagues.
And it wasn't a big deal. Although Hannes didn't know how Kiyan had managed it, in the end, it really was just a matter of some dug-up dirt.
"What are you doing in our town?"
"I'm here to see Dr. Grisha Yeager."
Grisha was Eren's father. On the surface, he was a doctor, but in reality, he was an outsider who possessed the power of a Titan. His job as a doctor was a cover to get closer to the upper echelons of Paradis Island and obtain the power of the Founding Titan.
Contacting Grisha at this time would not only confirm the current point in the timeline but also, if he could persuade him, allow him to lay the groundwork to change the tragic course of the original plot.
"Looking for Dr. Yeager? Is someone sick?"
Hearing Kiyan mention Dr. Yeager, Hannes's tone softened. A few years ago, an epidemic in the town had been stopped by Dr. Yeager. In a way, Grisha was his benefactor.
Kiyan shook his head.
"I just have some questions I'd like to ask him."
"Questions for Dr. Yeager? Then come with me. I'll take you to him."
Hannes didn't just tell Kiyan where Grisha lived; he chose to lead him there himself. This was because Hannes didn't fully trust Kiyan. He wasn't stupid enough to just give a stranger his benefactor's address.
However, Dr. Yeager was well-known in town. Kiyan could easily find the address by asking around. So, Hannes chose to take him personally. If Kiyan had any ill intentions toward Dr. Yeager, he could be there to defend him.
Hannes led the way, and the two soon arrived at Grisha's house.
Hannes motioned for Kiyan to stay back, then familiar_ly stepped forward and knocked on the door.
"Is Dr. Yeager home? It's Hannes."
A moment later, a woman with a low, side-swept ponytail opened the door and came out.
This woman, sporting the "hairstyle of death," was none other than Eren's mother and Grisha's second wife, Carla Yeager.
Carla was a standard mother: caring for her children and loving her family. But her ending was not a happy one. She died a tragic death at the hands of Grisha's first wife.
Carla looked at Hannes, and then at Kiyan standing behind him. She spoke softly.
"May I ask what you need from Grisha?"