Civilization and Toys

"At this point, it's just speculation."

Holmes said helplessly—

"There's just too little information, there's nothing we can do."

While the Chaldea were speculating about Gwen's identity, elsewhere, beneath Magellan, the Fifth Imaginary Tree, in the Core Hub of the Interstellar City Mountain Olympus, within the Orbital Great Temple Olympia Dodona, a meeting of the Gods commenced amidst melodious female hymns—

"In the Primal Time, the victor of four great wars became the Ruler of the Sky— "

The adults who rule over the Beyond the Blue Sky;

Adults Beyond the Night Sky beyond;

A being capable of unleashing Great Thunder enough to shatter galaxies, nebulae, and the universe.

The powers of Uranus and Cronos reside within you!

Ah, the eternal and immortal Great Lord God who holds the crown of Cronos—

The Almighty God Zeus has issued Divine Oracle!

Amidst the praises of the Goddess Europa, thunder flashed, and Zeus, the master of this place, descended to begin the council.

However, from the very beginning, the meeting was not very harmonious—

The Greek Gods who worship Zeus are in obvious conflict with the Alien God Apostle and minions who were exiled here after their defeat in the previous Lostbelt.

The former, led by Zeus, hoped to transcend the limitations of the Fantasy Tree.

The latter... at least on the surface, hopes for the arrival of Alien God.

Meanwhile, the conversations among the Hidden Ones are also fraught with hidden meanings, revealing a facade of harmony masking underlying discord.

However, all of this is temporarily irrelevant to Gwen.

While the Hidden Ones, Alien God, and Greek gods were scheming against each other, Gwen had already brought Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash to the Interstellar City Mountain Olympus.

"What a tall building..."

It's just like the modern metropolises I've seen in photos before..."

Wearing the Disguise Noble Phantasm given to her by Da Vinci, Mash, disguised as Olympian, gazed at the towering buildings along the way and couldn't help but sigh, a strange light flashing in her eyes—

Mash, who had been living in the Chaldea Base in Antarctica, was Pseudo-Servant Experimental Subject who had emerged from the incubation chamber. These scenes had previously only existed in photographs and in the words of Dr. Roman and others. This seemed to be the first time Mash had ever seen such a bustling and modern metropolis in person.

"It feels like I've stepped into a story?"

Seeing the dazed look on Mash's pretty face, Gwen asked with a smile.

"There are some..."

Mash answered Gwen's question subconsciously, only realizing after speaking that Gwen was asking her. She quickly covered her mouth and looked at Gwen nervously, only to see a smiling face, leaving Mash at a loss for what to do.

If it's a problem in battle, Mash Kyrielight, already a seasoned warrior, is confident she can handle it.

However, Mash still lacks experience in dealing with these kinds of everyday problems.

"It is indeed very prosperous. Even I have never been to such a prosperous city before..."

Looking at the bustling yet orderly crowd, Gwen smiled and waved to the two girls—

"Let's go, let's integrate into this place first. Don't rush to ask questions. Let's listen to what the residents are saying and gather some basic information."

"Good."

Upon hearing Gwen's words, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a glance and nodded slightly.

When faced with a completely unknown world, it is not a wise thing to act rashly and alert the enemy.

However, despite having gathered intelligence, under Gwen's deliberate influence, the two of them became somewhat immersed in the life of this bustling city.

It wasn't until the warning from the Goddess Europa spread throughout the city that the three of them, along with the surrounding citizens, showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty. After discussing the Chaldea invaders for a while, they left the crowd again, finally breaking free from the previous relaxed atmosphere.

"That was really close..."

Once Mashu confirmed that no one was paying attention to them, Mash breathed a sigh of relief.

"If Gwen hadn't reminded us earlier, and we had directly inquired about the situation here, we probably would have been recognized just now..."

As she spoke, a hint of shyness appeared on Mash's pretty face—

"Moreover, I was a little too engrossed in pleasure just now. If Gwen hadn't sent me a telepathic message, I probably would have already been exposed..."

Even though it was an embarrassing incident, the honest Mash still told it.

Me too.

Fujimaru Ritsuka also looked somewhat embarrassed and bowed to Gwen—

"In any case, thank you for reminding me, Gwen."

"I already told you not to use honorifics, they create too much distance..."

Gwen sighed, then laughed—

"Now that you've all been immersed in it, do you feel happy today?"

"Hmm... I played with a lot of things that I had only seen in pictures and stories before, and even encountered some completely new things..."

It seemed that after a short day of sightseeing, Mash gradually accepted Gwen's presence and spoke honestly.

"Hmm... there are indeed many things here that I haven't tried before..."

Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded in agreement, but her attention was more focused on the surrounding buildings.

"It's just that because it's not easy to ask further questions, I only got some superficial information that seemed to be common sense."

"Don't feel guilty for having some fun just now; I was partly influenced by you."

Now that our break is over, let's summarize what we've learned this morning.

Gwen laughed and confessed what he had done, then steered the conversation back on track.

"Huh?"

Why did Gwen do this?

Mash, puzzled.

Chapter 588 Civilization and Toys

"Because you're all so tired, wouldn't it be better to use some of that not-so-essential time to relax?"

Gwen chuckled softly—

"Since the attack on Chaldea, I have been on the move non-stop, and have hardly had a moment of rest..."

If this continues, people will get exhausted.

The timing is perfect; it's good to relax a bit.

Gwen paused, then added—

"And to be honest, I'm also very curious about what life would be like for humans under the rule of gods."

"So how do you feel about the lives of these people?"

Upon hearing Gwen's answer, Mash blinked, and the slight self-reproach and shame she felt for her negligence quickly dissipated. Instead, she asked curiously.

"Life is good..."

At least for ordinary people, the idea of enjoying a good life without much effort is purely a pipe dream.

Gwen looked at the bustling crowd in the distance and spoke the truth.

"Oh, you think so too?"

Mash exclaimed in surprise.

"Wouldn't that be the first thing a normal person think?"

Gwen smiled and glanced at Fujimaru Ritsuka the side—

"Fujimaru, what about you?"

"In Japan, where you live, similar cultural trends must still be quite popular, right?"

"Not having to think about how to work, not having to be busy and busy with life, is indeed the life that many people imagine."

When Gwen asked her about it, Fujimaru Ritsuka smoothed a strand of hair at her temple, a hint of hesitation on her small face—

"But... something just doesn't feel right..."

"It definitely doesn't look right..."

Gwen nodded in agreement with Fujimaru Ritsuka's feeling.

Where is it?

Mash blinked and asked curiously.

Strictly speaking, this was Mash's first time visiting such a modern metropolis that only existed in other people's lives, and she felt as if her fantasy had come to life.

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who often heard her relatives complain about various troubles, looked at Gwen curiously, wanting to hear what this mysterious and powerful man had to say about it.

"Because the utopian world presented before us is incomplete—"

In short, the prosperous human society we see before us cannot be called civilization at all, but is merely a plaything of the gods.

Gwen racked his brains for Remembrance related to version 2.5.2, trying his best to explain it to the two girls in front of him—

"As we have heard before, the people talk about gods all the time."

This is not merely because the environment and conditions here are similar to those of the Age of Gods, with deities overhead displaying their Divine Miracle; it is also because every aspect of their lives is influenced by these deities.

Even in the Mythological Greece of normal history, although gods would always connect with humans through various heroic deeds, they would never be so omnipresent in every aspect.

In other words, they cannot survive without those gods.

At the very least, they simply cannot maintain their current lifestyle...

It will take at least a long time, with a large number of people dying and a prolonged period of turmoil, before they can possibly achieve self-reliance once they have mastered the skills necessary for survival.

"Can..."

Mash wanted to retort, but after opening her mouth, she didn't continue speaking and instead silently pondered Gwen's words.

In contrast, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who ultimately grew up in a normal society, was better able to understand Gwen's meaning—

You mean to say...

Are these people's lives now built on Blessing of the Gods, rather than on their own?

"That's the key point."

Gwen nodded and said in a deep voice—

"In this world shrouded in the glory of the gods, they may have achieved some success, but this society and this civilization were not built by them at their very foundation."

They were merely dancing in the palm of the gods, which certainly spared them much suffering and worry, but it also prevented this civilization from being called a civilization at all; it was simply a toy built by the gods.

"But... according to what the people say, the gods who maintain this city nowadays seem to be benevolent and kind..."

Even though she had already thought of some things, Mash still hesitated when she heard Gwen's words.

For Mash, who was born in an experimental chamber and whose Lostbelt, everything in the Interstellar City Mountain Olympus was too beautiful, so beautiful that it was difficult for the pure and kind-hearted girl who yearned for beauty to accept this fact.

"Perhaps in the eyes of the people, the gods are all great and benevolent, and the gods have indeed done a lot for these people."

Gwen nodded, not denying it—

Although in his memory, not all the surviving Machine Gods had feelings for humans, they all contributed to the establishment and prosperity of this interstellar city mountain range.

However, this does not diminish the distorted nature of this society and the false prosperity it presents.

Prosperity built on the foundation of gods can also collapse suddenly when the gods leave, and can be turned upside down by a single thought of a god...

Even in normal human society, there are instances of a grain of sand in the era and a mountain on an individual's shoulders, but these are far from enough to cause the collapse of an entire civilization, let alone allow one to act arbitrarily.

But for these gods who formed the cornerstone of this civilization, who possessed the power to destroy most of this city with a single thought, it truly was just a matter of a single thought.

"This..."

Mash was speechless.

For Mash, who has always lived in Chaldea and whose limited time away from home is spent either fighting or carrying out missions, this kind of heavy topic is still somewhat difficult to accept.