Vol 1.4: Suspicions
The remnants of humanity, confined within the walls of Maria, Rose, and Sina, totalled approximately 1,250,000 individuals. Among them, 250,000 called Wall Maria home, 750,000 populated Wall Rose, and the remaining quarter-million sought refuge within the confines of Wall Sina.
Wall Maria gained renown for its expansive grazing lands, though not particularly facilitative to crop cultivation. Instead, the vast grounds served as idyllic pastures for livestock such as cows, pigs, and sheep. A majority of the Walls' meat came from here.
Wall Rose emerged as the center of human habitation, accommodating the majority of the population. It boasted limited industrial capabilities within the walls and harboured the most fertile lands for crop cultivation, although the soil quality left much to be desired. It was in Wall Rose that a significant portion of the economic output was generated.
Finally, there was Wall Sinaโa land of luxury where the wealthy class resided. Within its walls, all aspects of governance, financial transactions, and large military decisions unfolded. The wealthy elites, encompassing owners of large merchant guilds, landowners, nobles, and the royal family, held sway over Wall Sina.
All crucial functions vital for humanity's survival, such as governance, financial transactions, and military decisions, unfolded within the opulent walls of Sina. It stood as the epicentre of power that sustained the remnants of their civilization.
Thud!
"Ow!"
The voice of a young boy echoed through the air, a ten-year-old with a distinctive two-tone haircut, found himself on the ground after an unexpected collision. Rubbing his sore bottom, he looked up apologetically at the man he had bumped into, who had unintentionally become the subject of the collision.
"...?"
Jean promptly rose to his feet and offered an apology. "I-I'm sorry, sir! I didn't mean to!"
"It's fine. Just watch where you're going next time, okay?" The words, delivered with indifference, accompanied a gaze from the person with deadened eyes, their brown hair slightly swaying in the breeze.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Kiyotaka observed the subtle fear in the boy's voice as he scampered off towards an older woman, presumably his mother. What made him so intimidating? And why did everyone insist on addressing him as "sir"? It was confusing, considering he had regressed in age, not accelerated.
Was it his expression? He couldn't help it...
Regardless, the Masterpiece of the White Room continued his journey, determined to locate a library. Nearly three weeks had passed since his unexpected arrival in this world, and his quest for a library had been largely fruitless.
Wall Maria, as observed in Shiganshina, seemed too economically challenged to support something as luxurious as a library. He even questioned whether these medieval-esque villagers could read their language.
It was a simple observation!
It's not like he was looking down on them or anything!
Seeking directions from the locals, he discovered that Wall Rose was his next best option. The peasants directed him to a modest establishment near the local military HQ. If he were to draw a comparison to his experiences so far, it would be approximately half the size of the library at ANHS.
"Better than nothing..." he muttered before stepping inside.
Ding!
Ding!
The soft jingle of the door's opening caught the attention of a woman behind the counter.
"Welcome!"
Her warm smile greeted him.
'79/54/79...No waitโ'
"Ah, good morning. Do you have any history or non-fiction books?"
The lady tilted her head. "Um, I believe the history section is near the far end, and the non-fiction... at the middle, between fantasy and the children's books."
"Thanks."
Strolling through the library, Kiyotaka observed the diverse categories of books and the library's condition, which, by safety standards, clearly required renovation. He selected a few titles that piqued his interest at the moment, including "History of the World" and "Geography of the World." If he was stuck in this world indefinitely, understanding its landscapes and history seemed like a prudent choice.
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Titans suddenly appeared over 102 years ago, according to the book "History of the World." These are man-eating monsters, ranging from 2 to 15 meters in height on average. The reason for their sudden appearance remains unknown to this day.
As a consequence of their abrupt arrival, the Titans caused the loss of a majority of the world's history and cultures. Humanity as a whole was pushed to the brink of extinction, prompting the remaining humans to construct walls for protection.
However, this doesn't make sense in the slightest. How did they manage to build these walls while constantly under the threat of being eaten? Constructing 50-meter tall walls seems like complete overkill for Titans that are only 2 to 15 meters tall.
While it might be explained as humanity's desire for safety, it still raises questions. Where did they find the vast amount of material to construct these walls? Was it imported? Unlikely, considering the technological limitations of the time.
How were these walls constructed?
Who were the engineers of these walls?
Even a 30-meter wall would require an obscene amount of material.
The walled territory is massive, adding to my suspicion.
From Wall Maria to Wall Rose, it's 100 km. Rose to Sina, it's 130 km. Finally, from Sina to the capital Mitras, it's over 250 km. Simple math makes the walled territory around 724,000 square kilometres.
That's over twice the size of Germany.
How long did it take to create these walls?
Looking at the geography book, the walled territory has large mountains across the western side, and I assume there are walls there too. How?
The largest humanitarian projects, such as the Suez Canal and Panama Canal, took over 10 years to build for not even a small fraction of the land covered by the walls. How long did it take for humanity to build these walls?
It couldn't have been less than 10 years; there's barely any industryโI'm effectively stuck in the early 1800s.
Magic? That's a possibility, given the bizarre scenario I'm in. But the book said that humanity BUILT the walls, implying...
"Ehhh...?" I exhaled in confusion while the kind librarian hummed in the background.
And then there's the timeframe. 102 years since the creation of the walls. There's not a single shred of history beyond that timeframe. Not a written event or record in this history book. I would've assumed that humans would want to preserve their treasured history, even if it was not entirely accurate or verbal.
There should've been something...
100 years isn't a long time.
Over 100 years ago, in Japan, we entered the First World War, and there are still first-line descendants of the soldiers who served in that war alive and telling their fathers' stories. There should be at least verbal communication or storytelling of what life was like before humanity was pushed to the brink, but I guess not.
100 years isn't enough time for the memories of first-hand experiences to simply slip away like fine sand. Not even 200 is enough if we were to document it. We still have journal entries from the Roman Empire over 1750 years ago.
It doesn't make sense, any of it.
Am I meant to believe that there wasn't a single person who thought of preserving history before civilization presumably collapsed?
Truly, if everything regarding civilization beyond the walls was lost to the Titans, there should be at least some people who orally passed down the history of humanity before the walls. Someone...
Reflecting on it, I overheard some people shushing another for speaking about wanting to go to the outside world, something about it being illegal to talk about it.
Could it be that they're altering memories somehow through brainwashing or something? It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that some sort of magic is involved, considering the existence of giant man-eating monsters in this world.
The government doesn't seem to be handling it well. They're silencing discussions about the outside world for some reason, and I don't think it's for the safety of the populace.
The lack of recorded history, written or oral. The illogical construction of the walls. The timeframe. The fact that all books were government issues... It temporarily threw my head for a loop.
What's out there that's so important? More humans? That would open a massive can of worms if so.
What's the government covering up this time? A lot, probably.
I would know a few things about governments keeping secrets from the people. My entire existence was one, after all.
There had to be someone who knew the truth.
I'm so curious.
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"Come again soon!" the kind lady waved as I exited the library, my mind buzzing with more questions than answers.
Outside, I stood amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, contemplating my situation further. The possibility of the government using magic or some divine intervention lingered in my thoughts.
"PRAISE BE THE WALLS!"
"...?"
What?
I turned to my side and saw a man in a flamboyant black attire, adorned with a necklace adorned with several priceless jewels. His voice echoed so loudly, that it felt like my ears were about to start bleeding.
"The Walls are a gift from God! They are sacred! Not to be touched by human hands!"
What was this man spouting? Is he on some kind of LSD? Is he drunk? Am I drunk?
Human nature often sought to create logic for something seemingly illogical. It made sense that, after spending so much time within the walls, a cult or religious following would emerge, attempting to explain the inexplicable through the lens of faith.
In this world, it seemed logical; I had no clue how the walls were created myself, so I could understand why something of the sort would arise. Magic, God, Titansโoptions floated in my mind, perplexing me.
If I were any lesser of a person, I might have created a religion about myself to explain my strength.
The pastor, or whatever I presumed him to be, continued to scream and rave about the walls, reciting a script akin to a sermon. Was there any other religion than...Walls?
I wondered if they had something akin to the Bible, Quran, or Tanakh that I could read. Theology wasn't thoroughly explored during my time in the White Room, and my curiosity was piqued.
Approaching the pastor, he turned to me. "Is there something you need, my child?"
"I was just wondering about what you were saying."
Upon further inspection, the pastor's expression became more firm or cautious upon getting a better look at my features. My appearance wasn't doing me any favours, was it?
Just because my eyes are smaller doesn't mean anything!
I think I'm being racially profiled.
"Is that so? Are you interested in knowing the Divinity of the Walls?"
I nodded. "Do you have a book or..."
"Ah, yes, here, take it. We hold ceremonies within Wall Sina and are constructing a church here in Trost..." The pastor spoke more calmly when not shouting at the top of his lungs. He explained the times and dates for their masses and invited me to come and pray with them if I was interested.
He talked like a car salesman.
The organization was called the Church of the Walls.
I wondered how I'd fare if I were born during the Crusades, particularly the First and Third Crusades. Interacting with figures such as Frederick Barbarossa or Saladin would be interesting
"Thank you," I bowed my head out of habit. "I'll come by if I have time."
"God bless you, young man...PRAISE BE THE WALLS!"
And...he started yelling again.
I decided it was time to make my exit.
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Trost District was famous for its cafes.
Given the absence of coffee in this world and the prevalence of tea, I decided to visit one just for the experience.
Considering the European backdrop of this world in the early 1800s, I would have assumed coffee and cafe culture to be somewhat well-known. However, the impracticality of growing coffee beans in this climate ruled that out.
Such a shame.
Ordering food was a breeze, with the waitresses being nice and polite. However, a small group of them on the side seemed engrossed in gossip about me, giggling and covering their mouths.
They're definitely catching a case, I swear.
Considering this supposedly comprises all that remains of humanity, I would have expected a few Asian individuals. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Could the epicentre of the Titan invasion be far from here, as the government claims?
I would have thought that the remnants of humanity would welcome any survivors, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
This raises more questions. Is this world less genetically diverse than the one I came from? Why choose this location to build the walls? Its capacity to sustain a civilization seems minimal at best.
Can Titans swim?
"Here's your order, sir."
"Thank you."
A cup of tea... and a note... asking for...ย Okay...
Silent giggles reached my ears as they noticed my dampened expression. I sighed before taking a sip of tea.
Backtracking, let me state the obvious facts gathered in the three weeks I've been here.
Complacency. The walled people, particularly the Military Police, are complacent, often slacking off and neglecting their duties. They seem more interested in playing card games than working.
Titans. They are an unknown variable. Their real origin is shrouded in mystery, and the government prefers to keep it that way. Appearing over 100 years ago, they wiped out humanity, forcing the survivors behind the three walls. They are man-eaters and range from 2 to 15 meters in height.
ODM gear. It is used to combat Titans, enabling a person to move in three dimensions. It provides an excellent opportunity to kill a Titan, with the weakness, I believe, to be total decapitation or breaking of the spinal cord. The substance powering ODM gear remains unknown to me.
Illogical walls. The fact that the land within the walls surpasses the size of France suggests either that this project was decades in the making before the sudden appearance of Titans or some magical force is responsible for their construction.
However, this contradicts government-issued records, which state that the walls were built by humanity themselves. Additionally, the location of the walls is illogical and detrimental to the long-term health of humanity. The lack of fertile soil creates the prospect of mass famine in case of crop failures.
If humanity had enough time to construct these gigantic walls, they should have had enough time to choose a better location.
Next point.
Supposed memory loss. The walled people lack stories of what lay beyond the walls. Losing written records is one thing, but losing the ability to pass down oral history is another. The government openly discourages talk about the outside world, making me suspicious that they're hiding something important.
It doesn't seem far-fetched to think that some form of mass manipulation of the people's minds is at play. But how that happens is a question for another day.
This brings me to my last point.
The government is lying. Free thought and expression, including discussing the outside world, is highly discouraged and even illegal. There were no books about the outside world in that small library, even if they were fictional.
The government in Mitras isn't looking out for the people at all. All books are reviewed and approved by the government. Everything is centralized around the capital city.
And assuming the eyes on me since my encounter with the pastor aren't coincidences.
I curse my curiosity sometimes.ย
It makes me want to overthrow the government just for the sake of it.
What should be the course of action from now on then? Let them follow me or should I fight them right now?
"Sigh...There's not enough caffeine in this..."