It was late at night, and Armin, Mikasa, and Eren were lying on their beds in a single room to keep warm.
The roof was latticed, and they had no extra energy to fill in the missing bricks and tiles; they were already exhausted just from preparing the beds.
Through the hole in the roof, a sky full of stars could be seen, the Milky Way shining brightly, and the moonlight illuminating their faces.
"Gale is an incredible person." Armin rested his head on his hand, looking toward the Milky Way. "When I listen to him talk, I don't know why, but I feel extremely calm."
"Armin, do you think that kind of wheel is useful?" Eren asked, looking at Mikasa's profile through his fingers.
Mikasa was already asleep, lying on a bed made of dry leaves.
These three beds had been made by Gale. Mikasa was curled up facing Eren, wrapped in her red scarf, breathing steadily.
"I… I don't know…" Armin said softly, then asked, "Didn't Gale say it's still in the design phase? We'll only know if it's useful when he thinks the design is finished."
"Do you believe what that guy says?"
"Hmm…" Armin nodded slightly and said, "I think Gale will definitely succeed. He has that look that only people with great confidence, like you, and intelligent people have."
"Is that so…?" Eren looked away, staring at his palm.
"Eren… are you still not convinced?" Armin whispered, trying to get his friend to open up more to others. "Forget it. Gale is a good person. He even shared food with us today and helped us choose a room near his house."
Eren was silent for a moment, then said, "Starting tomorrow, let's help that guy build the water wheel."
"Eren… you…" Armin opened his mouth slightly, looking at Eren's rather serious face.
"Go to sleep," Eren said, turning his back to Armin. "Tomorrow we'll have to find our own food. We can't let that guy look down on us."
Armin smiled. "I understand. Let's move forward. We'll definitely be able to survive in this place."
…
The next day, when Gale opened his eyes, he saw Eren and the other two, along with two bags of artichokes, a large bag of red berries on the ground, and some wild radishes that had been dug up.
The radishes were very small, each one smaller than a fist, but there were many of them—more than ten.
It was still dark, and the trio's faces and hands were covered in mud.
"This is a gift for yesterday," Eren said, pointing at the food, then asked, "How do you make that water wheel? What materials are needed?"
"You got up early." Gale sat up and stretched.
"Gale, the three of us are orphans who escaped from the Shiganshina region," Armin stepped forward and said. "We talked about it last night. Please let us help you with the water wheel. Let's go together to convince Mr. Hannes to be the voice for the people."
"Is that so…?" Gale took a grain of gunpowder from his pocket, grabbed a handful of dry straw, and placed some dry bamboo on top of it.
He took out a flint and struck it to create sparks. The gunpowder ignited, and with a hiss, the straw burst into flames, giving off black smoke.
"Alright, let's sit down and eat something first." Gale took out a small knife he carried with him and began processing the bamboo shoots and radishes. "You won't have the energy to work if you don't eat until you're full."
The three looked at each other and sat down around the fire.
Gale placed three artichokes and the radishes near the fire to roast, then took out the bag of gunpowder and poured some grains into his palm.
"Do you recognize this?" Gale spread his hands.
"It's gunpowder," Armin said confidently.
"Look at this." Knowing these people wouldn't cause him trouble, Gale said, "This is grain-based gunpowder that I made myself. I'd like to ask you to help me sell it."
"Why sell gunpowder?" Eren asked, confused. "Aren't you going to build a water wheel?"
Gale put the gunpowder away. "Although we say we're going to build a water wheel, the design actually still has some flaws. I'll probably need another twenty days to refine the design before I can start making and testing the water wheel model."
"Besides, a water wheel isn't something a child can make. We need skilled carpenters, and hiring them costs money. So I hope we can earn enough money in twenty days to hire carpenters."
"You want to make money with gunpowder?" Eren understood Gale's idea, at least a little.
"Yes." Gale nodded and said while eating, "Including gathering materials, I learned how to make grain-based gunpowder from someone. This substance is more stable than ordinary gunpowder, so it should circulate well."
"You can treat this as a test if you want. I don't need partners who will drag me down. I don't want you to say you're helping me, only to make me clean up your messes later."
"But wouldn't it be too difficult for the three of us—kids—to sell gunpowder on the black market?" Armin licked his lips.
"If a girl who can't find her mother cries in front of me, I'll gladly take her hand and help her find her. Are you children?"
"We'll sell the gunpowder," Eren said decisively, standing up. "Leave it to us!"
"But… Eren…" Armin interrupted, deeply worried. "We're residents of this settlement now and can't even leave. Besides… we have no idea where the nearest black market is. It's a refuge for criminals! We don't even have weapons. If we go there, we'll be killed!"
"You don't have to worry about those things. I'll take you with me on our first trip to the black market," Gale said calmly. "I hope you think it through carefully before deciding whether you really want to do this. Once we become partners, you won't be able to back out."
"Tch! Do you think I'm a coward? I'm in—my mind's made up!" Eren said arrogantly, as always.
"I knew you'd say that," Gale said with a smile. "Let's tidy up the rooms again during the day, and I'll take you to the black market tonight."
"Gale… will we really be okay?" Armin asked with a worried expression.
"It'll be fine." Gale added a piece of firewood to the flames. "I know the black market very well. The people who control it usually have connections with the local military. It's a tacitly permitted market, and very few people dare to cause trouble there."
"Just follow my instructions. I'll show you what to do, but the second time, you'll have to do it on your own." Gale poked the fire with a stick; if you didn't understand the rules of the black market, it was truly a very dangerous place.
But Gale was no novice. The so-called black market was, in essence, a place to make money. As long as you learned to act according to human nature, you could thrive there.
The key was to find a balance between profits and risks. You shouldn't provoke too much envy in others with your earnings; you had to make them see the risks of trying to seize the business.