Sagarejo is located about forty kiloters east of Tbilisi. In Malin’s mory, it was nothing more than a small city, and in the mory bank of Sostak No.3, it was rely a destination for the wealthy to travel to—a sparsely populated place without any towering buildings except for a five-star hotel, surrounded mostly by small residential houses.
After all, Tbilisi, the largest city in the Caucasus region, had absorbed over half of the Caucasus population during that era.
So when they followed the road to the outskirts of Sagarejo, Malin could only glimpse through the trees at a dilapidated hotel, its exterior walls reminiscent of the nursing ho previously managed by Mrs. Katerina. This piqued Malin’s curiosity—was this a triumph of minimalism or a lazy reuse of architectural designs?
"We’re here." Quetos said as she led Malin to the outskirts of Sagarejo. The zombie guards outside the town clearly recognized Quetos and noticed the three people with her: "Wanda’s daughter, who are these people you’ve brought?"
"Friends of my father, envoys of the Thanan returning eastward. My father said Chief Miryan would undoubtedly be delighted to et Mr. Malin."
"...Wanda’s reputation allows them passage. But Wanda’s daughter, watch those tender skins closely—if sothing goes wrong, soone’s head is bound to roll." Sostak No.3 and Jason’s appearances were perfectly crafted to deceive. The guard sensed no threats from Malin’s group and stepped aside to open the gate.
Following Quetos through the gate, Malin saw a Sagarejo resembling a dieval camp. Zombies wrapped themselves in animal skins, appearing like primitive people. They had markets, patrol teams, and citizens along with adventurers who seed to have so abilities, though children were the most prominent presence.
Chaotic as it seed, the streets remained clean, with no unspeakable acts happening openly. When the zombies saw Quetos leading Malin’s group, most displayed no strong reactions, though the zombie children ran over, curiously examining the unfamiliar tender-skinned individuals. Their eyes were full of wonder until distant commands from their parents forced them to leave.
Most of them had slight hunches but did their best to stand tall—a result, perhaps, of Chief Miryan’s efforts. Like Chief Wanda, he wanted his kind to look more human.
No, they shouldn’t be called zombies anymore. They should be called bio-engineered beings. They were earnestly striving to live in this world, pursuing an evolution completely divergent from their feral counterparts who only sought to destroy the world.
At this mont, they were no longer the delusional destroyers from Malin’s mory. Instead, they were beings with dreams of their own.
"That building—is that where the Skinless live?" ng Quyi’s curiosity about the decrepit structure had been sparked since outside the town, and now that they’d entered, she could no longer hold it back.
Her question didn’t prompt any thought from Quetos, who shook his head: "The building is too rundown. Most of the staircases are broken. Last ti I ca here, I heard about children falling from it. No one likes living in such a place."
"Do you know who built the building?" Malin asked Quetos out of curiosity.
Quetos turned to glance at Malin: "I’ve heard my mother say that these buildings were constructed by the ancients. They co from the era before the Great Destruction."
Malin nodded and smiled—perhaps the lady was an apprentice of Sage Raphael. Indeed, Wanda had also learned knowledge from this Sage, and the Sage, in turn, taught without distinction, showing that both she and he were knowledgeable individuals.
In this age, possessing both knowledge and power was truly rare. From Malin’s encounters, most were nobles with only a superficial grasp of knowledge or so-called Transcendents who were utterly illiterate.
Knowledge and wisdom are exceedingly precious gifts.
"Mr. Malin, do you humans also have many buildings like this in your world?" When Quetos posed this question, her words—"your human world"—montarily left Malin breathless. Soon, he nodded: "No, it’s not just the human world—it’s our world. On our planet, there are many cities built with such structures. So cities are larger than your imagination’s limits."
Child, you shouldn’t call it just the human world—it’s the world of all of us.
You are part of this world, too, child.
For the first ti, a look of astonishnt appeared on the little girl’s face. Was it Malin’s reference to "our world," the "planet beneath our feet," or his description of cities "larger than the limits of imagination" that captivated her? She furrowed her brows in thought for the first ti: "Larger than Tbilisi?"
After speaking, she looked at Malin, eagerly awaiting his response.
"Yes, in the North, there’s a city called Oslo, a massive city far surpassing Tbilisi. Inside it are endless chaos, rogue Machine Souls, Spirits, and different kinds. Moreover, there are many cities larger than your Tbilisi." Malin answered truthfully.
On the other side, ng Quyi offered an even greater fact: "In Thainan, our capital is seven tis bigger than Tbilisi—not to ntion the colossal ruins in the North. Your Tbilisi is still too small."
Reviews
All reviews (0)