A message to all
"Madam! This is a government order. It's very dangerous near the city walls. You should move to the interior. Temporary shelters have been prepared there, and you'll receive subsidies later." Beneath the majestic city walls, Garrison Soldiers in their Garrison Rose uniforms were earnestly persuading a woman who stubbornly refused to move.
"No way! My family has been here for fifty years. We were forced to flee our hometown years ago, and we've only just managed to come back. You're telling me the walls are dangerous? Are there still Titan? Didn't you soldiers all say the Titan were wiped out? I spent all my savings rebuilding the house two years ago, and now you want me to leave?"
"Don't try to fool me! I'm not moving. If the government has the guts, then trample on me and demolish my house!" On the ground, the woman wearing a headscarf was practically throwing a tantrum.
The Garrison Soldiers on the other side were so frustrated they were about to vomit blood. It turned out that he had spent more than an hour explaining nothing.
Such scenes were unfolding in various corners of Paradis Island. Two days prior, the Garrison Regiment and the Military Police Brigade received orders to evacuate all residents within five kilometers of the city walls within three days. Considering that a large number of Soldiers had been incorporated into the New Army, the Garrison Regiment and the Military Police Brigade might not have enough manpower. After discussion in the Parliament, the more than 30,000 New Army New Recruits undergoing training in the island's Military Camp were also suspended and transferred to assist the two garrisons.
All civilians must be evacuated within three days. After three days, a cordon must be set up to prevent any civilians from approaching the city walls. Of course, the only city wall here is the Wall Maria. The higher-ups know why this is for, but the civilians and Soldiers at the grassroots level do not.
The inaction of the Royal Government in earlier years had already sown the seeds of distrust in the hearts of the older generation of people. Now, with the establishment of the Parliament and the implementation of various reform policies, the power of the Nobility has been greatly weakened, and the voices of the people have begun to be valued. With the Titan being wiped out, the people are no longer bound by the city walls. In addition, with the aid from the Orient countries outside the island and the resource supply from Hope City, the lives of the people of Paradis Island have improved a lot, and all walks of life have also recovered and flourished.
Even so, the government's credibility has only improved slightly, much better than during the Royal Government, but it still hasn't fully gained the public's trust. After all, it has only been a few years, and trust needs time to build.
However, evacuating the people around the city walls was a strict order, and it had to be done. The Garrison Soldiers and Military Police, no matter how wronged they felt, had to carry out the order. After all, even in a large forest, there are all sorts of birds, let alone the hundreds of thousands of people Wall Maria.
Moreover, most of the people living Wall Maria were people who returned to their homeland after the Survey Corps recaptured Wall Maria. They were forced to leave their homes because of the Titan and lived miserable lives. They also suffered scorn and oppression while living in Wall Rose and Wall Sina. They finally returned to their homeland. Now, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be to get these people to leave their hometown again.
Some of the Garrison Soldiers and Military Police happily accepted their subsidies and moved, but most of the civilians were spitting and cursing at the Soldiers.
And so, after three days of chaos and commotion, the Garrison Regiment and Military Police Brigade finally completed their mission and evacuated all the civilians.
A series of sharp hissing sounds echoed as Soldiers from the Garrison Regiment, Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, landed on the city wall. "Section Commander Rico, inspection complete. Nothing missed."
The white-haired female captain nodded, wiped the fog off her glasses, and then ordered, "Have everyone evacuate. Not only civilians, but our Soldiers are also forbidden from approaching the city walls to help the New Army set up a perimeter."
"Yes, but... Section Commander, do you know why we're doing this?" A subordinate hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering him. The Garrison Soldiers, Military Police, and the New Army Soldiers who were helping out all shared the same question.
Rico raised her head, standing on Wall Maria, gazing into the distance. She had once reached that end with the legion, where there was an endless blue "lake." The lake's water was salty; she had heard it was called the Ocean, and Ocean water was all salt, hence its saltiness. And beyond the seemingly endless Ocean lay land, where countless humans also lived. Those humans never worried about the threat of the Titan; instead, they were keen on killing each other.
Even the appearance of the Titan was caused by humans on the other side of the Ocean. So, are the enemies on the other side of the sea? Rico didn't quite understand, but she shook her head and didn't think about it too much. She was actually quite curious about the world on the other side of the Ocean, but she didn't join the New Army. Instead, she stayed in the Garrison Regiment. After all, as a certain Commander had said, the spirit and will of the Garrison Regiment always needed to be passed down.
"Don't overthink it, just carry out the orders. Do one last inspection, then evacuate immediately."
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, the Train departing from the port of Paradis Island was about to arrive at Wall Maria. On the train, the two brothers, Eren and Zeke, sat facing each other, each with a cup of tea in front of them. However, Eren was clearly not interested in these teas, and was just staring blankly at the scenery outside the Train window. Zeke, on the other hand, was savoring the black tea that was said to be a favorite of a certain Captain on Paradis Island.
"It's still astringent. Adding sugar doesn't make it taste as good as Wine. I'll have Yelena send a few cases to Levi later and see what he's drinking." Zeke put down his glass and clicked his tongue.
Eren turned around, a hint of a smile in his green eyes. "Nii-san, aren't you afraid that Captain will put a knife to your throat?"
Zeke: "What? That brutal guy, I gave him a few cases of wine and he wasn't happy? He tried to kill me for giving me something?" The monkey's fear of the 1.6-meter-tall guy deepened a little more.
Eren chuckled. Just then, the silhouette of the Wall Maria appeared outside the Train window, growing clearer and clearer. As the Train moved forward, the seemingly endless Wall Maria came into view before the Jaeger brothers.
Looking at the towering city wall, fifty meters high, Eren felt a mix of emotions, including a sense of relief.
"Nissan, time to get to work."
Inside the Parliament Building, Prime Minister Pyxis, seeing that no one was around, secretly pulled a bottle of wine from a hidden compartment under his desk, opened the cap, and took a satisfying sip. Being Prime Minister was really tough; there was a mountain of work every day, and he was so busy he didn't even have time to drink. He'd better wait until everything was over. By then, that kid Erwin should have enough merit to be Prime Minister. That kid, he looked like he was cut out to be a leader.
While enjoying his drink, Pyxis picked up a document on the table. The words "The Rumbling" were prominently displayed on the document. Before Pyxis could think any further, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes, and a vast blue space appeared in front of him. A booming voice rang in his ears.
"A message to all the Subjects of Ymir..."