Chapter 218: Future Markets 『 Part Seven 』
「 "Relying solely on the hands of the people of Belobog, how many generations must pass before you can return to the embrace of the stars? Who can guarantee that every future Guardian will be as prudent and open-minded as you? Who can assert that a disaster like the Stellaron will not befall you again?"
"I have already secured the best possible proposal for you. As long as you sign this contract, all of Belobog's outstanding debts can be wiped clean in a single stroke. Furthermore, the Corporation will establish a special task force to support the reconstruction of Jarilo-VI."
Topaz understood the difficulty of Bronya's choice, yet she still hoped the other would make the decision that best guaranteed the interests of her subjects. 」
「 .....」
〜Runeterra World〜
Inside a laboratory somewhere in Piltover.
Viktor's fingers tapped lightly against the desk, his eyes reflecting the layout of that contract.
"Jayce."
His voice was low and steady.
"The general content of this contract… holds significant reference value. Technical assistance, environmental terraforming, and reintegrating the people of Zaun into Piltover. If… we could persuade the Council to implement a similar plan for Zaun—"
Jayce tore his gaze away from the sky screen, his brow furrowing slightly as his fingertips unconsciously rubbed against the dense calculations on the scratch paper upon the desk.
"Zaun is not Belobog, Viktor."
Jayce sighed softly.
"The geography, the people, even… the leaders there are completely different."
A rare glint of light surfaced in Viktor's weary eyes. He straightened his body with difficulty and walked toward Jayce, the thud-thud of his cane against the floor tiles sounding exceptionally distinct within the lab.
"The environment can be transformed. What the people of Zaun need is opportunity. As for the leaders…"
"—You mean Silco?"
Jayce waved his hand. Though he didn't wish to dampen his best friend's enthusiasm, the facts were irrefutable.
"A drug lord who controls the undercity with Shimmer? Or those Chem-Barons who constantly scream about blowing a hole through Piltover?"
Viktor fell silent for a moment, the laboratory lights casting two cold, hard shadows upon his gaunt cheeks.
"I am also a child of Zaun, Jayce."
His voice was very soft, as light as a low sigh:
"I know better than anyone that the people there are not born mad; they are driven to madness."
Facing his old friend's persistence, Jayce felt utterly helpless:
"Listen, Viktor, I understand your thoughts. But Zaun's problems cannot be solved by a single sheet of paper—they resist order, they resist progress… I'm afraid that aside from the word 'Independence,' they will resist everything."
"Moreover, to sign a contract, at least both parties need to be rational. But when facing the Zaun problem, whether it's the Council or Silco… what they lack most is precisely rationality."
—
「 "The tone of Topaz's letter feels quite sincere… Stelle, what do you think?"
"She understands the art of communication." Stelle nodded.
Bronya was well aware of the difficulty of this choice. The fate of this planet, the civilization it bore, everything that had happened in the past and would happen in the future… now hovered at her fingertips.
This absolutely could not—and should not—be her decision alone.
So she wished to request the two of them to travel to the Overworld and Underworld to listen to the voices of the people, to collect public opinion. She wanted to know what choice the people would make in this moment.
After accepting this commission, Stelle and March first arrived in the Overworld and found Pela in the plaza. After informing her of the entire sequence of events, Pela quickly calmed down from her initial panic.
After a brief contemplation, she indicated that she would likely agree to the Corporation's proposal.
As for the reason, as the Intelligence Officer of the Silvermane Guards, she had observed the rate of the Eternal Freeze's recession. Even in a scenario completely devoid of accidents, this planet would need at least another three or four generations before the wind and snow would cease.
"Compared to a future I have no way of witnessing with my own eyes… I care more about the present, more about the people beside me." Pela said earnestly. "If the Corporation's plan can truly produce immediate results, then in my view, paying such a price is worth it."
"Forging a foundation for future generations with one's own hands—it sounds incredibly noble, right? But for the people personally participating in this project, how much joy is there really to speak of?"
After recording Pela's opinion, Stelle and the others found Serval. After informing her of the crisis Belobog now faced, her reaction and decision were exactly the same as Pela's.
…This actually came as a great surprise to March 7th.
"Heh, the reason is simple. Signing this contract means we no longer have to worry about 'surviving.' For the majority of residents here—especially those in the Underworld—this point alone is enough to persuade them."
"As for working for the Corporation—sigh, people have to work anyway, what difference does it make where you do it? If the Corporation's people dare to bully us, it won't be too late to rise up and resist them!" 」
「 .....」
〜Shingeki No Kyojin World〜
"Resist?"
Eren couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"Will you really be able to resist when the time comes? If you become employees of the Corporation, hand your fate over to others, and abandon your freedom, they might give you a bite of bread today, but tomorrow they could use starvation to blackmail you."
"Eren, not everyone can fight like us."
Armin shook his head.
"Most people in Belobog are ordinary civilians. Even if they wanted to resist, they are no match for the Corporation. Didn't you see? Topaz only needed to move a finger… and the automatons beside Gepard were hers to command."
"The so-called choice is just to give Bronya some dignity… she never had a choice from the start. Moreover, given Topaz's background, I believe the Corporation will honor the agreement—"
Eren looked at him with a sharp gaze:
"Agreement? Armin, even if what Topaz says is true, you cannot trust that bunch at the Corporation to actually honor it—in the face of an absolute disparity in power, there has never been any such thing as fairness. The Corporation will only honor the agreement when they need to honor it."
"Did you see those Corporation employees? Relying on their advanced equipment to run rampant through the Great Mine, that arrogant and domineering attitude… if it weren't for Stelle and March stepping in to stop them, who would dare reason with them or talk about fairness under the threat of mechs and missiles?"
The atmosphere suddenly became taut. Armin fell silent for a moment, finally sighing:
"…Perhaps you are right, Eren. But if it were me, I would still choose to sign the contract. Not everyone can be like you, willing to sacrifice everything for freedom."
"Like Hook, Clara… I still hope that one day, they can see the verdant spring after the Eternal Freeze fades away."
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