The lingering heat of late summer was far too intense to simply be called the remnants of the season. Day after day, sunlight pierced deep into the body while the construction of the city advanced steadily.
Simply standing upon the black, burning asphalt of the ring road was enough to feel it all—the roar of heavy machinery, the smell of exhaust carried by the wind, the sand dust stinging the eyes. Everything suggested that a new city, a city of hope, was being born there.
Several kilometers away from the district where skyscrapers were under construction, residential development was proceeding in haste. A city was not merely a massive organism composed of office buildings occupied by aerospace corporations. At the core of any urban structure ultimately lay living spaces.
Most of the buildings under construction were detached houses. Once completed, the area was intended to become a residential zone for the upper class.
Compared to the downtown district filled with concrete and steel frames, this place was destined to become a quiet residential neighborhood. Thanks to the rows of trees, even the lingering summer heat seemed softened. The distant noise of heavy machinery from the city center echoed faintly, while the shrill cries of cicadas, squeezing out the last of their strength, were more irritating to the ears than the construction itself. The very sensation upon one's skin felt completely different from the central district.
The road construction lagged slightly behind completion of the ring road, and the residential district was no exception. The two-lane street, half-covered in black asphalt, still exposed raw gravel farther ahead. Each time heavy machinery passed through, clouds of dust clouded the air.
Two eyes gazed upon the church being built as their future base of operations, though anyone standing nearby would have thought those eyes were fixed somewhere far removed from hope itself.
Blue sheets covered the steel scaffolding before him as construction workers hurried to complete the church. At this point, two months had already passed since construction began.
Wearing a black Italian-made vest over a dress shirt, Max Dinger appeared visibly exhausted by the heat, sweat dripping from his sharp chin onto the scorching gravel below. At the time, the young man had only just passed the age of thirty.
The radio forecast continued to predict endless heatwaves, accompanied by cheerful music as though mocking reality itself. Max Dinger found it unbearably irritating. That irritation distorted even the outline of his face as he stood beneath the blazing sun.
"I wonder how long this heat will continue."
A voice suddenly called out to him.
By the time he turned away from the construction site toward the presence behind him, the priest already knew exactly who the speaker was, directing an irritated expression toward him.
"I believe I understand what troubles you, Dinger-kun. You are dissatisfied with why you were sent to this era, are you not?"
Wiping the sweat from his chin with his fingertips, Max Dinger forced a smile upon his face. It was, of course, nothing but sarcasm.
"It's work, so I don't have much choice. Even if this civilization is still underdeveloped, and even if someone like me who hates heat has to come here during summer."
Though outwardly posing as a priest, Max spoke with a rough and aggressive manner entirely unfitting for the role.
The small man with round glasses found Max's appearance amusing and chuckled quietly. Shorter than Max, he lowered his head even further, like a sunflower long past blooming season.
"Please accompany me for a moment."
Extending his arm like a hotel attendant, he gestured politely toward the gravel road ahead.
Max Dinger narrowed his brow. He had always found his superior, Joseph Christ, difficult to deal with.
Joseph was the sort of man adored by subordinates—kind, approachable, and forgiving. Even when someone made a mistake, he would scold them only briefly, never holding grudges, and would often provide support afterward. To most people, he was the ideal superior.
Forty-eight years old, Joseph wore round glasses over a head streaked with gray hair, dressed in a white shirt and slacks. He radiated the aura of a genuine gentleman.
Yet Max could never fully trust him.
Max Dinger's true profession was that of an operative. Before being assigned to this era, he had worked within the organization's Third Intelligence Division in his original timeline. But immediately before deployment here, he had been reassigned under Joseph Christ's command.
Joseph was exactly as his reputation described—kind to everyone regardless of status. Yet that very perfection made him seem suspicious to Max. Having spent his life witnessing the darkest sides of humanity, Max saw Joseph as someone impossibly difficult to read, like trying to see the bottom of a muddy lake through opaque water. That impression had never changed.
Under Joseph's guidance, Max walked down the gravel road beneath sunlight that heated the planet like a giant gas burner.
At the edge of the residential district stood a small hill still under development as a public park. A bench placed atop the hill overlooked the entire city. The two men stopped before it.
Being at higher elevation, the sea breeze softened the heat slightly.
The priest and his superior looked down upon the city still under construction.
"This city will become the 'City of Beginning.' Everything starts here."
"For me, it'll be the city where everything ends."
Joseph Christ spoke calmly, almost gently, while Max's irritation only deepened.
"I assume you already understand Solomon's Plan. But I'll confirm it once more."
The small superior adjusted the rim of his round glasses with his index finger and continued after clearing his throat.
"Our organization's foundational principle is that science and technology create stability, order, and the future itself. Because of that, the actions you are about to take will affect not only Solomon, but the fate of everything. The 'Core' you are tasked to raise is that important."
Originally, Max had been sent to this era to establish an orphanage and train orphans into elite soldiers for the organization. However, less than a month after his arrival through time warp deployment, a new order—one that left a bitter taste in his mouth—had been issued.
Joseph understood Max's dissatisfaction completely. That was precisely why he had personally come to this era—to force Max to recognize the significance of his mission.