Survival Came First

As the last rays of the setting sun vanished below the city's horizon, the Red Moon, its counterpart, had just risen, marking the end of another day.

Altair had finished dinner early and was luxuriating in a hot bath. When the bathroom door opened, Vivian, worn out from a busy day, stepped into Altair's tub calmly, as if they had arranged it beforehand.

Noticing Vivian was clearly in a poor mood, Altair asked with concern, "You seem down today. Did something happen?"

Vivian frowned and gave a slight nod. She let out a soft "Mm," then sighed helplessly. "The Demoness Sect has assigned me another task, and they're also pressing me to train newcomers."

"Honestly, I brought this trouble on myself."

Altair asked curiously, "Didn't they consider bringing people over from Intis to handle the task? And if it's enough to wear you out, they must be training a lot of newcomers. Aren't they worried those people might betray you?"

At Altair's sarcastic remark, Vivian rolled her eyes helplessly and explained, "Of course I know that, and so do they. But the Demoness Sect isn't united; it has different factions. A large part of my faction either doesn't want to come or can't. If I didn't need the Beyonder Characteristic to advance later, I wouldn't want any part of this, either."

"And don't think those newcomers are all like you, with no control measures put in place. You were lucky to meet me; I didn't use anything on you. If you'd run into someone else, you'd have been in for a world of trouble."

"Don't forget what Sequence Seven is called."

Altair clambered over beside Vivian and said ingratiatingly, "That just proves how lucky I am to have met our kind Vivian. Otherwise, I might've been eaten down to the last bone by now."

"Mm." Vivian patted Altair. "Good. At least you know it." "Mm." "Do you know what's been happening in the Industrial Zone lately?"

That was a little beyond what Altair, who rarely left the house, knew about, so he asked, puzzled, "What happened there?"

Vivian turned slightly and leaned back against him. She whispered in Altair's ear, "There's been a bloodbath there lately. Looks like your Instigator Potion will be fully digested soon."

"Why did you stop? Keep massaging me. I'm just starting to feel it."

"Mm."

"That feels good."

"Does it have something to do with me?" Altair asked in confusion.

Vivian was still lost in the pleasure of the massage and didn't reply right away. Instead, she enjoyed it for a moment before answering happily, "Mm, of course."

"Although a lot of people joined you in this industrial reform, some didn't. For their own benefit, they started spreading rumors that the reform would make factories go bankrupt and workers lose their jobs. The workers they incited have already begun smashing factory machines, and they're planning to storm government offices in a couple of days."

Altair stopped what he was doing and asked in shock, "Our factories?"

Annoyed, Vivian pressed down hard. "No. Your factories offered compensation, so most of the workers didn't get involved. Only a very small number were lured in by promises of profit."

"Most of the factories involved belong to powerless nobles, well-known businessmen, or members of the Mafia."

After hearing her explanation, Altair grew even more confused. "What does that have to do with them? We're reforming and expanding our factories. Why are they kicking up a fuss?"

Vivian found Altair's expression amusing and chuckled. "You don't actually think most people are clearheaded, do you? Don't be so surprised. This sort of thing is normal. Ordinary people at the bottom lack the means and ability to assess information, so they're easily incited and manipulated."

"Survival is their first priority. Those who are deceived will try to stop you in order to survive, while those who see through it will take the other side for the sake of a little profit."

"They aren't supporting the factory owners. They're just afraid to gamble with their own survival and that of their families."

Vivian glanced at Altair, whose expression kept shifting, and continued, "Don't worry. Your plan is still proceeding as scheduled. They don't have the power to stop you."

Vivian paused, raised her head, touched her lips with a finger, and thought for a moment. A smile spread across her face as she said:

"I think in the next couple of days... oh... no, no, no... in a few days. Yes, in a few days. For the next few days, only ordinary people will die. Then a large number of the organizers will die."

"What's wrong? Are you sad?"

"The Steam Age, which I kindled with my own hands, has become a breeding ground for an Evil God's arrival? This isn't the civilization I wanted." Altair's mind turned to Roselle's words, and he couldn't pull himself away from them.

Vivian shook Altair. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Roused by her, Altair gave a self-mocking smile and asked, "I remember our factories are only involved in steel and weapons. Why has there been such a strong reaction?"

Vivian patted Altair, signaling him to continue what he'd been doing. Once he started again, she slowly explained, "Mm. The main reason is that you're producing everything entirely independently, and they're jealous. And don't think weapons manufacturing isn't profitable. Wars are constantly breaking out between countries, and military spending remains high."

"And the others aren't fools. You registered so many companies at once. Even though you've only revealed your weapons technology so far, that doesn't stop them from guarding against you expanding into other fields."

"I think they originally just wanted to cause trouble and see if you'd compromise. But they couldn't keep the situation under control, and someone else took advantage of the opportunity. So they became prey."

"After all, your agreement with the various sides only required them to protect your own workers. Workers at other people's factories aren't the same as your own."

"Now they're just recovering some losses early. Having a few 'appetizers' beforehand doesn't spoil the main course."

Altair sighed. "Human life really can be so cheap."

"Hahaha." Vivian laughed. "Sometimes I really think you're so naive, like a child who never grows up."

"Mm, are you angry?" Feeling that Altair's touch had grown noticeably firmer, Vivian asked helplessly.

Altair protested, "No."

"Is that so?" Vivian shot back. "Then can you explain why the water's rippling so much now, and why you're pressing so hard?"

Altair replied bluntly, "Isn't this nice? You look like you're enjoying yourself."

Vivian gave a soft "Hmph" and didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Did Simon advance?"

"How did you know?" Altair asked in turn, then explained, "He advanced around noon today. Last night, I sent him to a gathering, and there happened to be a Dawn Knight Beyonder Characteristic, so he bought it. We had the formula at home, too, so I gave it to him."

"We... Altair... Earl... really... are... gifted... able to... multitask... and still speak so clearly." Vivian spoke with difficulty.

"What, don't you like it?" Altair asked. "I thought you liked it. If you don't, I won't massage you anymore."

"Don't!" Vivian hurriedly said. "I do like it, all right? Hurry, hurry. Today's already been depressing enough. Now that your massage has finally made me feel better, I don't want to lose that."

Vivian sighed softly. "The main thing is, I saw him when I got back. I really don't know whether the Warrior Pathway is having an affair or the Sun Pathway is cheating. Why would a Warrior need light-related abilities?"

It really was easy to mock. The Dawn Knight belonged to the Eternal Darkness River, one of the three Darkness Pathways. Its Adjacent Pathways were Darkness and Death, yet here was this odd one with a touch of light.

Did those three Pathways represent different times of night—dusk, evening, night, and dawn?

Even if you added the Red Priest and the Demoness to become the Space-Time-in-One, the combination still didn't seem to make much sense. After all, one Pathway represented war and the other calamity.