Festival Plaza

Festival Plaza

"Brother, where did you go? Why didn't you come home?"

Just as Han Dong hurried out of the dark alley and was about to ask passersby about the situation... a sweet, soft girl's voice came from beside him.

Han Dong's mind reacted quickly.

He had already pictured an adorable girl in a lacy puffed dress, with blonde hair and blue eyes, standing beside him... Judging from her words, she was naturally Nicholas's younger sister.

But when Han Dong turned his head, reality was Completely Different from what he had imagined.

Compared to his own frail build, the girl looked much healthier... though her skin was similarly yellowish from lacking certain vitamins.

She was probably around fifteen.

She did not have the imagined wavy blonde hair.

Instead, she had the same short brown hair as Han Dong, along with a pair of sea-blue eyes.

The girl wore rather crude copper Goggles and denim overalls, with a tool pouch hanging at her side. She truly looked like a young craftswoman.

In addition, she was tightly clutching a bag of fragrant food in her arms... holding it like treasure, afraid someone else might snatch it away.

"I came out for some fresh air... because there isn't much time left."

Before his death, Han Dong had been an Associate Professor at an Italian university. Fluent English was simply a basic necessity for him.

Moreover, Han Dong had phrased it interestingly. He deliberately mentioned the issue of "time" while waving the bracelet before the girl.

Who knew that this action would immediately make the girl's eyes redden? She hugged Han Dong from the side.

"Brother definitely won't die... Nina believes that Brother will become a 'Returner' and come home alive."

Nina.

Now he knew his sister's name.

However, compared to his sister's name, Han Dong cared more about the Countdown and the term "Returner" she had mentioned.

The reason this cowardly young man had chosen suicide was most likely related to the Countdown.

What could possibly drive someone into such despair that they would give up their life? Han Dong was very curious.

"Mm, I'll come back alive... Of course, I'm still a little nervous, which is why I came out to clear my head. Don't worry, Nina. Nothing will happen."

Han Dong tried his best to appear cheerful and confident. After all, girls crying was a very troublesome matter.

Nina pushed up her Goggles, wiped at her wet eyes, and took out the food she had prepared long ago.

"Mm! Mom made you fish and chips and cabbage sandwiches. Brother, eat while you head to Festival Plaza... Try to arrive fifteen minutes early."

"Alright..."

Han Dong silently memorized the location, Festival Plaza.

It seemed he had to get there before the Clockwork Device's Countdown ended, or something terrifying would happen.

On the way to the plaza, Han Dong was too hungry to care much about appearances. Every bite was exceedingly extravagant, containing at least one whole piece of fried fish along with fries.

Whenever the food felt too greasy, he took a bite of the vegetable sandwich to balance it out.

Because of the country's circumstances and their family's poverty, food like this was something Valen's family might not get to eat even once a year... That was why Nina had held onto it so tightly, as if it were treasure.

However...

Nina, walking beside him, was practically brought to tears by Han Dong's reckless eating and the aroma wafting from the fish and chips.

Han Dong looked helpless.

He had not eaten even the tiniest bit of human food for seven years. Honestly, he did not want to share.

But considering that this sibling relationship might prove useful in the future, and that he also needed to learn more about the Holy City from Nina...

Han Dong finally gave her a relatively small piece of fried fish.

"I'm not hungry."

Seeing the piece of fried fish Han Dong offered, Nina licked the saliva from the Corner of the Mouth and spoke without the slightest conviction.

After all, this might be Han Dong's last meal... Nina knew very well how dangerous the event her brother was about to face would be.

"Take it. I'm full."

"...Alright, thank you, Brother."

The moment Nina accepted the fish, she seemed to want to imitate Han Dong and stuff the entire piece into her mouth... but then she felt that would be too extravagant, so she slowly took bite after bite.

Every time she took a bite, she would sneak a guilty glance at Han Dong.

After nearly Half an hour of brisk walking, they finally arrived at Festival Plaza.

It was enormous.

Han Dong had never seen such an enormous plaza before.

Moreover, more than ten thousand people had gathered inside.

At a glance, at least half of them wore Clockwork bracelets similar to Han Dong's... and most of them were teenagers.

This explained why Han Dong had not seen any teenagers among the civilian residences.

"Twenty minutes left... Why do I have such an Ominous Premonition? A massive Sacrifice Ritual?!"

The first thing Han Dong thought of was a Sacrifice Ritual.

But upon careful consideration, it seemed unlikely... Sacrificing thousands of teenagers, who represented the nation's future strength, all at once would only make sense if the country had no intention of continuing to exist.

Besides, according to Nina, he would not necessarily die. It was simply that the probability of death was high.

"Nina, this is far enough! Don't worry, I'll come back alive."

"Mm. Whether you are 'Brother' or not, I'll wait for you."

Those words surprised Han Dong somewhat.

Nina, who had already run away, stood outside the plaza, stuck out her tongue, and waved a Farewell gesture at him.

At the same time.

A series of familiar metallic hoofbeats rang out.

However, this time it was not a carriage, but a group of black-clad knights riding mechanical warhorses.

There were thirty of them in total.

Han Dong vaguely felt that the presence emitted by these thirty men could overwhelm the more than ten thousand civilians gathered in the plaza.

"Black Rose Knights!!"

The people in the plaza could not help shouting this lofty and awe-inspiring name.

They were the backbone of the nation, the true hope for humanity's survival.

The "Black Rose Badge" was the symbol of their identity.

The black iron armor they wore looked heavy, but was actually light and well-fitted.

The knights did not wear helmets. Instead, they wore black steel masks incorporating elements of Goggles.

This made Han Dong very curious. The group in the carriage earlier had also worn similar Goggles.

It seemed that Goggles held special significance in this world... They were not merely used in industry, but were also needed when dealing with "foreign objects."

As for their mounts, they were all top-grade purebred Black Horses.

Unlike the carriage horses Lu Ran had seen before, these Black Horses retained powerful leg muscles to a certain extent and had undergone advanced embedded modifications to strengthen their mobility.

"These knights probably aren't Ordinary Persons. Better keep a low profile."

Han Dong blended into the more densely packed areas, reducing his presence as much as possible.

The thirty black knights took up positions around the plaza at even intervals, completely sealing it off.

The leading black knight drew the ornate sword at his waist. A white, frosty aura could be seen coiling around its blade.

The sword pointed straight at the night sky.

A deep, powerful voice issued from beneath his mask, covering the entire plaza.

"The ritual is about to begin... All personnel not 'selected' are to leave immediately!"