Story Reader / Main Story / 32 To the Galaxies / Story
Video: S Nanami_Text Cutscene
Here you go, Commandant!
A small, luminescent star finds its way into your palm.
Well, I haven't figured that out myself.
Her gaze drifts to the distance, where a luminous nebula pulses with otherworldly colors, its light waxing and waning.
All Nanami knows is that there are more important things waiting for me here.
Maybe this is the price Nanami has to pay... but I really don't know.
But hey, it's going to be an amazing adventure...
Right, Commandant?
The hero and the knight defeated the dragon and claimed their treasure.
In a fairy tale, that would be the perfect ending.
But in the real world, this is merely the beginning.
You look down at the "intel" you just got from her.
Well, I suppose there is no way I can stop you if you've already made up your mind.
We passed the trial. Time for Nanami to get my reward!
The holographic screen flickers as she searches through the vast sea of data streams for what she needs.
Let's start with... ah, there we go.
Haicma?
Yes.
Please pack File No. 3241 up for me... and send it to this timestamp.
She marks a new set of coordinates on the space-time map displayed on the holographic screen.
Yes, but the risk is minimal.
Your space-time has long been in chaos. With Agent Zero's iterative birth, "They" have already deemed that civilization as good as theirs—they won't pay much attention to it.
Besides... no one will know you were ever here.
Don't mention it. This is just an analytical approach to part of the Hetero Tower's core. How far you can break it down depends entirely on you.
My powers are limited. I can only send you technology and information that you've already skimmed the surface of, or else...
She gently shakes her head.
When Prometheus brought fire to Earth, he had to bear the wrath of the gods.
Though she hasn't explicitly stated it, there's no doubt that to accomplish something of this magnitude, she, too, must pay a price of her own.
It's okay.
But this... is probably the last time I'm helping you.
Your civilization would probably decline even faster if they ever find out what I've been doing, so I'm going to have to avoid wormholes that allow me to communicate with your spacetime going forward.
Huh? What's with that look on your face?
Don't worry! And...
...
It's okay, none of this is your fault.
No matter how far away they are, if you just listen with your heart... you'll always hear what the stars have to say.
Right?
Shh...
That's a secret!
A mischievous smile plays across her face.
And "hope"... is the other reward you're getting.
I'm sure there will come a turning point where you'll find a perfect solution to the problems you're facing right now.
This is what you... what your entire civilization has strived for.
That's as much as I can say to you now...
Don't worry. Go and do what you need to do.
No matter where you go, the stars will always be in the sky, lighting your path forward.
Bye, Commandant.
Goodbye... [player name].
I'll catch you somewhere again!
Access—override—
Sharp needles of pain explode through your nerves.
Transfer—connect—
Breathing rhythm regular but rapid, no wheezing...
Body temperature rising, pulse rate normal...
Can you hear me... Gray Raven Commandant...
[player name]... wake up...
Your consciousness struggles in the depths of a pitch-black ocean, where the distant singing of whales echoes through the void—
[player name]...
A familiar voice grows clearer as your consciousness suddenly floods back, cold sweat already soaking through your back.
Your thoughts grind like misaligned rusty gears as a faint, briny scent fills the air.
Your body feels like a heavy sandbag, too exhausted to control. You manage to move a finger...
Where—where in the world is this place—
[player name]!
A familiar voice comes from beside your ear through gritted teeth, forcefully dragging your thoughts back to here and now.
Your consciousness floods back suddenly as a bitter wind cuts through the air, and that's when you realize your back is already soaked with cold sweat.
Your chest heaves as blood and breath churn within, while the icy wind peppers your face with snow, barely helping to suppress the metallic taste of blood in your throat.
I see you're awake.
I was about to drag you to the back of the mountain and throw you into the Red Tide.
Standing beside you with arms crossed, Vanessa seems anything but the person who was calling out your name just moments ago.
Water.
You take the water from Emma, not knowing what she might have added to it. Despite her harsh tone, she helps you up with unexpectedly gentle movements, using the warm water to moisten your lips.
Only at this moment are you truly back in your body.
Take it easy and rest up first. You have plenty of time to tell us your complicated story.
After a bumpy journey, everyone returns to Aerospace City.
You suddenly passed out cold when you connected to the Full Sensory Simulation Device, and the gadget was the only thing keeping you alive.
We thought the thing had a hiccup for a second...
So how do we know if all of this isn't just some sort of prank by... this mechanoid you're calling Nanami?
What if she just planted some data in there, like those visual simulation toys in Babylonia...
According to Nanami's timeline for deploying the "data," it should be about time...
Vanessa! We found something strange while clearing out the Hetero-Creatures in the area!
...
A smooth, star-shaped object lands in her hand.
...It's a Hetero-Core Shard. I've seen the decryption method for this in Asimov's notes.
I'll go and look for it now...
Rosa leaves the room in a hurry.
That's the true measure of a chief, huh?
Vanessa raises an eyebrow at you.
Asimov's model decodes and reveals methodologies for dismantling the Hetero Tower's core.
By combining the methodologies extracted from it with Rosa's previous research data, you're finally making some precious breakthroughs.
This is enough to ensure humanity's continued survival on Earth.
Correct. While new filter shields are keeping the Punishing Virus isolated, they're barely holding up.
Don't even dream about reclaiming the lost territories.
...We should be grateful that we're maintaining the status quo at all.
Vanessa sets down the data report and falls silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up.
I hate to admit it, but before your return, we'd been fighting a losing battle for a long time.
We can finally catch our breath... Where is the first batch of filter shields going to be installed? This settlement?
Aerospace City covers a larger area than the settlement does, has better infrastructure, and is more suitable for development.
You're right.
Next, they plan to relocate the majority of Earth's population to Aerospace City.
Thanks to Vanessa's exceptional efficiency, it doesn't take long before the first group of humans moves into this long-abandoned city.
Thank god we don't have to move from place to place anymore!
It's... safe here for now, isn't it?
This day needs to be recorded!
Today! Will be! A great new beginning! In human history!
Woooow!!!
In the streets, residents gleefully pick out their future homes.
They eagerly look forward to their new lives, hoping to settle down peacefully and acquire more arable land to farm.
The bitter winds of Aerospace City whip across your face and find their way to your skin through the thick hood covering you.
You never finished what you were saying that day.
What did you mean when you said you were sure there would come a turning point where I'd find a perfect solution to the problems I was facing?
Will there really be a solution?
Resources are scarce, and humanity can only produce these few filter masks for now.
Even if they can survive in Aerospace City, no one knows to what extent the mutated Red Tide will evolve in the future.
Do they really have enough time? Can they truly hold out until the day they create a real "Clean Zone" using the Hetero Tower's Core?
...
No matter what, we must survive.
Survive...
Such a simple word, yet so difficult to achieve in times like these.
The lives of the deceased shaped the world and put it on its current path.
The countless bones spanning the ocean's width witness civilization's days left. Even if death is the price to pay, you will light the torch with your souls to keep humanity's history burning bright.
You will not give up searching for that future you seek.
It has been <color=#ff4e4eff>10989</color> days since the commandant entered the Hetero Tower. It has been <color=#ff4e4eff>39</color> days since the commandant <b>left</b> the Hetero Tower.
