Three days later, at Wall Maria, the Colossus Power Plant Number 86 was constructed.
Zeke, Pieck, and the people of Marley who had been captured three days ago walked alongside this incredible colossus under the watchful eyes of armed soldiers.
A young man stood at the front, guiding them through the tour.
"My name is Gale, and I will be your guide during this tour of Paradis Island. I will introduce you to the various industries of our island before I decide what to do with all of you. If you behave well, perhaps mercy will bloom within my black heart." Gale's words planted growing fear in the hearts of all the enemy soldiers.
They knew what happened to soldiers captured by the enemy, and being at the mercy of the devils of Paradis, all of them had long since considered themselves dead.
"Our first stop on this journey is the Super Titan Power Plant, a multifunctional facility we built using the heat generated by the Super Titan."
"If there is anything you do not understand or something you would like to learn about, do not hesitate to raise your hand and ask. I will explain it to you in detail."
"Um… I have a question…" Pieck raised her right hand. "Mr. Gale, why did you bring us to visit this power plant?"
"That is a good question, a very good one in fact." Gale said with a smile before explaining, "As prisoners of war, you must understand that no matter how well we treat prisoners of war, I want you to understand the way we live within the Island."
"We love peace, but only on the condition that other countries keep their filthy noses out of my land. I will make it very clear to you that if you continue spitting on my people, you will pay a very heavy price."
Gale turned around and looked at Pieck with a brutal expression, causing her to step back under the intimidation of the young man's gaze. "Do you know? Five years ago, the country you serve sent the Armored Titan, the Jaw Titan, the Colossal Titan, and the Female Titan to this island."
"The four Titans decided to use their power to attack Wall Shiganshina, and they did not stop there. They did not rest until they made sure that Wall Maria had been brought down."
"The warriors Marley sent managed to breach the walls of the Shiganshina District, and a large number of Titans invaded the cities, causing countless deaths."
"Although we used the power of the Founding Titan to execute the criminals your country sent one by one, the dead cannot return to life. Marley has already committed a grave violation of Paradis Island's sovereignty."
"Of course, we do not wish to retaliate against you in the same way by slaughtering your ordinary civilians."
"For me, it would be easy to send the five Titans and repay you in the same coin."
"I am sure that unlike us, you are not mentally prepared to face a Titan."
Gale paused for a long moment as he looked at the scenery before pointing ahead. "But you are fortunate. Our ruler wants you to understand that attempting to seize the power of the Founding Titan and creating enemies on Paradis Island is completely foolish."
"You may consider this visit a diplomatic maneuver. After this journey, some of you will return to your home countries, while others will become symbols of your own mistakes."
"We expect you to clearly inform your friends and superiors about what you have seen and heard on the island. Afterward, we hope to establish diplomatic relations with your country and hold detailed discussions regarding the many issues that have accumulated until now."
"If you do not, I will make it very clear to Marley that we are prepared for total frontal war. The people of Paradis are willing to fight tooth and nail to defend our sovereignty."
"Any other questions?" Gale swept his gaze across the faces of the prisoners of war.
The prisoners looked at one another and remained silent.
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
They were unarmed, and their lives depended entirely on the inhabitants of Paradis Island.
Everyone feared death, and no one dared to say anything out of place.
"Then let us continue with our tour." Gale moved forward with his hands behind his back, followed by soldiers escorting the prisoners of war.
Zeke looked at the palm of his hand. His Titan powers, just like Pieck's, had been sealed, and neither of them could transform again.
The siege three days ago had only been one of the ways Paradis Island demonstrated its military might.
It was clear that by allowing him and Pieck to use the power of the Titans, the other side was trying to prove one thing: they were not afraid of Titans at all.
He and Pieck had been defeated by advanced tanks and machine guns, while the Titans surrounding them merely acted as a barrier without intervening.
The weaponry of Paradis Island was far superior to that of Marley, and even the rest of the world.
In just three days, Zeke realized something.
He knew nothing about Paradis Island; no one in the outside world knew anything about Paradis Island.
What had happened within the walls during the last century remained a mystery to everyone except the island's inhabitants.
Reality felt surreal to him; the people of Paradis Island had built a power plant upon the body of a Colossal Titan.
Not only were these Titans used for power plants, but they were also used to smelt iron and steel, and the electricity generated by the power plants fueled various factories.
A Colossal Titan was a multifunctional factory with practically unlimited energy.
Electricity was generated through the Titans' limbs, then transported to the steel mill located within the thighs to power the machinery.
Once the steel mill produced high-quality steel, the Special Titans transported it to the Arsenal located in the abdomen, where tanks, aircraft, firearms, and other weapons were manufactured, assembled, and welded.
The molds used to manufacture their parts were even more terrifying; they were the hardened outer armor of a giant.
According to the man named Gale, a total of 147 multifunctional factories had been built within the walls: some for shipbuilding, others for weapons manufacturing, others for steel production, and others dedicated exclusively to generating electricity for the mining zones.
The perfectly aligned gaps on the exterior of the wall were not Bertolt's doing, but rather marks left behind by the Founding Titan controlling the Colossal Titans within the Walls.
The island's natural resources were unimaginably abundant: metallic minerals, fuel, gigantic labor force... everything one could desire was there.
They had domesticated the Titans brought from Marley and turned them into mechanical machines, using these biorobots to carry out heavy industrial and transportation tasks humans could not perform.
Zeke had never imagined that the power of the Titans could be used in such a way.
It was terrifying; he felt deep fear.
Based on what they had shown them, these multifunctional factories were incredibly efficient.
How many tanks and armored warships could they produce in a year?
After spending an entire day touring the factory, Zeke and the others were escorted to guest rooms located beside the facility.
Even at night, the area was brightly illuminated.
Electric lights illuminated the factory with the same intensity as daylight, steam trains transported factory parts to other locations along the tracks, and the giant waiting outside the blue factory buildings was ready to resume supplying electricity once the sun rose.
It was far too advanced. It felt as though he had arrived on an alien planet. The civilization here was completely different from the human civilization of the outside world.
He lay in his private room, staring fixedly at the ceiling light, completely unable to sleep.
If this continued, sooner or later the Eldians of Paradis Island would conquer the world once again.
Even if it took a different form, it would become the same as the era before King Fritz 145.
If his people brought these photographs back to the outside world, would the world allow them to continue developing unchecked?
Given the current international turmoil, the accumulated contradictions would inevitably erupt sooner or later.
Everyone sensed the coming of war, which was why Marley's government had sent them to the island to reclaim the power of the Titans.
However, the situation turned out to be completely different from what they had expected. As things stood, Marley was destined to lose the power of the Titans, with the exception of the War Hammer Titan.
Marley would likely suffer defeat in the next war; it would not be destroyed, but it would probably be defeated.
What would the other victorious nations do then?
What would they do once they discovered the terrifying civilization of Paradis Island?
Had Paradis Island truly not foreseen that such a situation would arise?
What would the future of this world look like?
Would it become hell?
Zeke tossed and turned in bed, feeling anxious and restless deep within his soul.