The sun slowly rose from the horizon of Paradis Island, as if exhaling to blow away the clouds gathered at the edge of the sky before unhurriedly casting down its light and warmth.
Paradis Island today was much like this rising sun—brimming with vibrant hope. With the full support of Hizuru and the Marleyan Volunteer Army, the island's technology had entered a period of rapid development. Beyond basic infrastructure like electricity and water systems, people living in the capital could already see four-wheeled carriages that no longer needed horses racing down the streets.
By now, after the Survey Corps had relentlessly carried out round after round of extermination campaigns, the Titans on the island had been nearly wiped out. Perhaps from now on, children born on Paradis Island would wonder whether Titans existed only in history books.
At present, more than half of the island's manpower was focused on one major undertaking.
What undertaking?
Building a railway!
There was no need to explain the importance of railways. As the saying goes, if you want prosperity, build roads first. Trains and railways, capable of transporting massive quantities of goods and passengers, had the island's upper echelons practically drooling. But someone was even more eager than they were—Hizuru, represented by Azumabito Kiyomi.
The Iceburst Stone resources had already caused a sensation throughout Hizuru. Without any suspense, Hizuru had thrown its full support behind Paradis Island. Naturally, Azumabito Kiyomi's family had secured absolute influence within the nation.
Although they were extremely covetous of the Iceburst Stone on Paradis Island, the island's outdated transportation methods had nearly driven Hizuru to despair. Those tiny steamships and laughable horse-drawn carriages delivered so little Iceburst Stone that it was barely enough to fill the gaps between teeth. Yet Hizuru and Paradis Island were separated by vast seas, leaving them helplessly anxious. So when they learned that Paradis Island intended to develop railways, Hizuru's representatives nearly nodded their heads off in agreement—only trains had the kind of transport capacity worth talking about.
With both sides hitting it off immediately, a grand railway construction project began in full swing. To demonstrate the importance they placed on the railway, the island's leadership—from the Queen to every soldier in the various regiments—was required to take turns participating in the project. This railway-building movement quickly became one of Paradis Island's most eye-catching features.
"Ah!! Damn it, you stupid rock! Why the hell are you so hard?!"
Jean Kirstein angrily threw down his pickaxe. Around him was a large group of Survey Corps soldiers who had "volunteered" just like him to come build the railway.
Unfortunately, when the various regiments rotated shifts, the most troublesome stretch of land had been assigned to the smallest regiment—the Survey Corps. Thus, the soldiers who had once fought Titans in bloody battles on the battlefield were now red-faced, struggling against stubborn rocks.
Just as Jean was on the verge of a breakdown, a snicker sounded by his ear.
"Pfft. Figures it's you, Jean. Can't handle this little bit of work already? You're really disgracing the Survey Corps. Maybe you should apply for a transfer to the Garrison's mess hall and cook instead."
The mocking tone instantly set Jean's nerves on fire. Red-eyed, he strode over and grabbed the other person by the collar.
"Eren! What the hell did you just say, you little shrimp? Looking for a fight?"
That's right—the one laughing at Jean was Eren, who was also holding a pickaxe. As for why Jean called Eren a little shrimp, one only had to compare their heights. Over the years, the former 104th Training Corps members had all grown up—not just in age, but in stature as well. Especially recently, Jean had shot up to a towering 190 centimeters, exuding a strong sense of pressure.
Standing opposite him, Eren was no slouch either. At a perfect 180 centimeters tall, combined with his increasingly handsome features as he matured, many of the girls from their cohort had only recently realized where this handsome guy had come from. They all began admiring Mikasa's keen eye—no wonder she had set her sights on Eren since childhood. Back in their training days, everyone had just thought of him as an overly hot-blooded kid.
Of course, even 180 centimeters still fell short compared to Jean's 190. Hearing Jean mock his height, Eren fired back without hesitation.
"You big idiot! Who are you trying to scare? Think you're that tall? Dare to compare after I transform?"
"Bastard! You think I'm stupid?!"
"You are stupid!"
The way the two bickered entertained the Survey Corps soldiers who had been stuck in tedious labor for far too long.
Perhaps it was truly because there was no influence from older Eren anymore. The current Eren was completely different from the older Eren in Yago's memories. This Eren was cheerful and lively. Aside from Jean, who found him extremely irritating, everyone else thought Eren was a bright and sunny young man through and through.
However, somewhere in the distance, a certain 160-centimeter Captain was not pleased at all. There was faint killing intent in his eyes as he watched the two clowns fooling around. His fists clenched.
Sasha glanced around, then with lightning speed stuffed a piece of beef jerky into her mouth. Beside her, Connie rested his chin on the handle of his shovel and looked off into the distance with a hint of admiration.
"Hey, Sasha, don't you think Historia looks really radiant right now? She's got this motherly glow. Feels like she's gotten even prettier."
With her cheeks puffed out chewing the jerky, Sasha didn't hear a word and just kept nodding vigorously.
That's right—Historia was currently playing with a group of children of all ages, accompanied by Ymir.
Though it was said that the Queen would also participate in the railway construction, it wouldn't look good to have her actually swinging a pickaxe or shoveling dirt. So, with time on her hands, Historia had voluntarily gone with Ymir to help take care of children at the capital's orphanage. Most of the children there came from what was once the crime-ridden Underground City—a place that had been a sunless hell. But now, with the support of the parliament and the Queen, sunlight had finally shone into that former hell.
Levi had originally intended to teach Eren and Jean a lesson. But when he saw the children smiling brightly around Historia, half the anger on his face faded away. Only those who had lived in that hell truly understood how precious those smiles were.
Perhaps it was for the best that the hellish Underground City of the past had disappeared.
Suddenly, Levi thought of the companions who had once lived there with him—especially those two figures.
"Furlan… Isabel… this outcome isn't so bad, right?"
Compared to the tall Mikasa beside her, Annie appeared somewhat petite. But the movements of Annie's hands were no weaker than Mikasa's. The two seemed to be competing, neither yielding, both striking the rocks in front of them with full force.
As expected of an Ackerman. Even Annie, as a Titan shifter, had sweat forming on her forehead, while Mikasa still looked relaxed.
In the end, Annie stopped first. She took a slight breath, then pointed toward Eren and Jean in the distance and asked Mikasa,
"Aren't you going to do something?"
But Mikasa replied calmly, as if she was used to it, and instead asked Annie,
"What about you? Haven't you been thinking about Yago lately?"
Mikasa's words immediately stirred Annie's thoughts. It had been nearly a year since she'd last seen Yago. After not seeing that idiot for so long… she actually kind of missed him.
Annie's lips pursed almost imperceptibly. But remembering the few letters Yago had sent through Hizuru, she knew what he was doing—it was for the greater cause of the entire Eldian people. That kind of Yago made Annie feel a little proud.
Suddenly, Annie put on the demeanor of a virtuous wife and mother.
"What Yago is doing now is much harder than what we're doing. I'll always support him!"
...
At the very moment Annie was describing Yago's hardships, what was he actually doing?
Inside the Third Regiment's camp, the aroma of meat filled the air. The soldiers were thoroughly enjoying freshly squeezed fruit juice and roasted meat delivered by the Marleyans—rewards for the victors.
Holding a drumstick and eating happily, Yago suddenly sneezed.
"Who's talking about me??"
Serena, standing beside him, said helplessly,
"Can you pay attention to your image? Your uniform is covered in grease stains. It's filthy."
Yago slammed the table upon hearing that.
"What kind of talk is that? What kind of talk?! I've been fighting for so long—can't I relax a little? Bring me another drumstick! I can keep eating!"
Serena rolled her eyes.
"Sure, sure. As long as you're happy."