"What's that?"
"A gantry crane. It's steam-powered for now, but it may be converted to electric power in the future."
"What about that one over there?"
"A forklift. This one uses an internal combustion engine—the torque provided by a steam engine isn't enough."
"What's this?"
"Streetlights. Don't they have these in Rhine?"
Lina blushed. She had not lived in New Rhine for very long herself. Streetlights were a novelty that could only appear after industrialization, and she really had never seen them before.
Besides, Rhine was now ruled by the Candlelight Society. The old gas-burning streetlights had all been dismantled and replaced with candlesticks bearing lit candles, engraved with the Candlelight Society's sacred emblem. They had long since ceased to look as they once had.
Little Gwen stopped after walking only a short distance. She looked around, but made no move.
"What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know the way..."
Theus found it strange. "How could that be? This is the old district. These buildings were already here before you left, weren't they?"
Little Gwen took a deep breath. "When I left, let alone streetlights, the ground was still dirt. Not to mention those buildings..."
She pointed at the high-rises in the distance.
"These... God, there are far too many of them. They're making my head spin."
"Your head is spinning?" Theus immediately grew nervous. "Are you okay? Is your cognition still stable? Are you about to transform?"
"...Not really."
"And..." Little Gwen looked at the high-rises outside and pursed her lips. "I always thought my true form was a little too huge, but quite a few of these buildings are taller than my true form..."
Little Gwen's true form was the Bone Colossus. Before coming here, she had always worried that if her true form emerged, she might trample houses