"The Special District of Karanes… it makes some sense." Gale rubbed his temples, holding the report in his hand.
This was only eyewitness testimony; according to the claim, soldiers from the Karanes District had discovered the Titan that Dina Fritz had transformed into.
So far, only the walls of Trost District had been equipped with "Gatling machine guns." The soldiers of the Karanes District were not capable of capturing Titans alive, and they did not even dare to leave the walls.
The decoy city of Karanes was located at least 200 kilometers away from where the Survey Corps team currently was.
By the time this report was sent, at least four days had passed since the sighting.
Even if it really was Dina Fritz, by the time Gale arrived in Karanes, she would most likely have already moved somewhere else.
"But there's no other way, I have to go see it. The value of Dina Fritz is beyond doubt."
Dina was a Titan with royal blood, blood that flowed through her veins, capable of activating the power of the Coordinate. With that power, they could control the Titans outside the walls.
The Pure Titans, originally conceived as an obstacle by Marley and placed outside the walls, could quickly be turned into their allies.
If the opportunity to capture Dina was lost, it would be extremely difficult to activate the power of the Founder later.
Of course, Gale did not want to use Historia for many reasons.
After all, there were very few members of the royal family left. Aside from Dina Fritz, only three members remained alive: Lord Reiss, Historia, and Zeke.
Since Zeke was far away in Marley, by consideration, only Lord Reiss and Historia remained.
Lord Reiss was still hiding somewhere; neither he nor Kenny Ackerman had appeared to this day.
Even if they hardened their hearts and turned Historia into a Titan, there was no medication based on spinal fluid.
It seemed that only the Reiss family knew how to produce that substance within the walls, and it was not just ordinary Titan spinal fluid.
A thorough search for Lord Reiss had already begun, but Gale feared that he might resort to desperate measures, since the Titan he had transformed into was a monstrous being, reaching a height of 120 meters.
Therefore, Gale still wished to negotiate peacefully with Rod Reiss as much as possible, since his relationship with that man was not a matter of life and death.
Thus, considering all factors, Dina Fritz was the easiest royal-blood Titan to control for now without exposing his other cards.
If Annie's crystal could be destroyed later, he could directly transfer the power of the Female Titan into Dina.
And if Zeke arrived on the island in the future, he could take advantage of the emotional impact Dina would have on him to launch a surprise attack.
Even if the probability was low, Gale still had to go there to confirm it himself.
"Leave the task of reporting to the capital to me." Erwin carried a steel briefcase. "I will take Grisha's three notebooks to the capital. Levi, Hange, you will go to Karanes to capture Dina Fritz."
After discussing it with Erwin, this decision was made. Thus, the expedition returned to Wall Maria and split into two groups.
Erwin was entrusted with the task of revealing Grisha's notes to the members of the parliament of the current government, while Gale led the team to the Karanes District.
They rode at full speed, leaving behind the transport team carrying the Gatling machine gun, and arrived in Karanes in just one day.
At night, in the garrison camp, Gale listened to eyewitness accounts about the "Blonde Titan."
The firelight illuminated the stone house, where cobwebs hung from the corners.
Levi, Hange, and the others sat at the table, while a middle-aged soldier in a garrison uniform bowed repeatedly and fidgeted as he gave his report.
"I saw it more than ten days ago. Only once. I was on guard duty on the city wall at noon when I saw its strange smile. I felt disgusted, so I paid special attention to it. Later, I received the portrait from the government."
"Have you seen it again since then?"
"No, I only remember that the Titan seemed to be heading southwest."
"I see. Thank you for your hard work. Go get some rest."
"Gentlemen, I'll take my leave now, hehe." The soldier smiled obsequiously, opened the door, and left.
"It's already been more than ten days…" Hange sighed, somewhat tired. "Given the movement speed of Titans, it's not impossible that it has appeared near another area in ten days."
"Well, we'll first begin an extended search in this area." Gale said, picking up his glass of water and taking a sip. "Let's rest tonight. Tomorrow, Ymir will take us to survey an area within a ten-kilometer radius. If we find nothing, we'll return to the capital."
"We can't waste too much time here. Even if we don't find her, we'll fully understand the extermination expeditions within Wall Maria. Even if it takes time, we will find her."
"I'm exhausted too, and I haven't eaten anything delicious in days…" Ymir complained, trying to get a reward. "At least let me sleep well tonight."
"Then let's do as you say." Levi stood up.
Everyone went to their rooms to rest.
The next day, before dawn, a wooden-wheeled crane was used to lower Levi and Hange's horses from the outer wall of the special district, with Ymir mounted on Levi's horse.
Ymir would transform into a Titan a bit farther away.
Gale did not want Ymir to be exposed to too many people yet. This was a hidden card, and it might have a surprising effect someday, since not everyone within the walls was yet a united force.
Eren, Hannes, and Gale remained on the city wall, waiting for news.
Eren stood there in silence, with an unusually serious expression, clearly indicating that he had many things on his mind.
He had become like this since he read his father's notes that day and went to Marley's port to see the sea.
"Are you in a bad mood, Eren?" Gale patted him on the shoulder.
Eren looked at Gale, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Gale, do you remember your mother?"
From Eren's expression, Gale could see that the boy was trapped in pain, struggle, and confusion caused by the fact that his father's ex-wife had taken advantage of his current wife. As the son of the current wife, he now had to face his father's ex-wife and did not know how to release his hatred.
He was probably wondering whether, if that Titan turned back into a human, he should kindly call her Aunt Dina or slap her in anger.
From Grisha's notes, Eren had learned about Dina Fritz's tragic fate, but it was she who had eaten his mother—even while unconscious; it was that woman who did it.
Gale looked at Eren and replied, "Unfortunately, I barely remember my mother. I was born into a noble family, where love is very distant. I never received affection because I was young. My mother was poisoned, and my father was murdered in cold blood, all for power."
After saying that, Gale whispered, "Because of my tragic family history, I can't give you any advice about mothers."
"I know…" Eren lowered his head.
"But there is one thing I'm certain of." After thinking for a moment, Gale said, "Eren, the main cause of your mother's death was not Dina Fritz. She died because the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan destroyed the walls."
"Your mother was trapped under the ruins of your home. Even if Dina Fritz hadn't eaten her, other Titans would have attacked her. At that time, you had no power to save her."
"Her death was caused by Marley; Marley is our enemy."
"The enemy is Marley…" Eren suddenly realized, and his eyes gradually sharpened.