Working together with one heart, one difficulty after another was overcome; supporting each other, they hoped that one day they could mend the world.
At that time, the people of Chemos were like siblings and close friends, and no matter whether they were poor or rich, they would always live in harmony.
They firmly believed that the power of unity would ultimately make their ideals immortal.
Fulgrim danced gracefully as the recitation continued.
......
"—But time is a silent killer."
Her dance was graceful and beautiful, like a mournful elegy, shedding tears like pearls under the moonlight.
"Noble ideals have all rusted, ancient vows turned to dust;"
"Time cannot fight us, but it can destroy everything we cherish."
"Those who once aspired to great things no longer toiled for their ideals; they sat high, proclaiming themselves esteemed nobles."
"Who would have thought that past grand ambitions have now turned into public thieves and dictators?"
Fulgrim fell sideways, as if she had truly been pushed to the ground.
The broadcast from the sound array above the square was now mockingly harsh.
"Although we are all human, we are not the same: only the inherent wisdom of nobles can see beauty and art; while you are merely dull stones, born only to serve!"
The wisdom and talent of the noble will always be respected, while the lowly will die from their own laziness and vulgarity.
Some are noble like flowers in a greenhouse, others are lowly like the yellow sand beneath one's feet.
"Born this way," they said, raising their heads.
"The nobility and lowliness of humans are predetermined. And our fate has always been nothing but mediocrity."
Fulgrim sat on the ground with bent legs, her hands raised in front of her as if tightly embracing something.
"Under the heavy pressure, the cries of the wrongfully dead fluttered, like wild grass rolling in the wind."
The high walls of Karrakis remained silent, like an old man who had experienced many vicissitudes, quietly watching the sandbar outside the city.
Light flickered behind her, and tiny specks of light converged into two faces:
Colin and Tolleria, Fulgrim's adoptive parents.
Their expressions were weary and Forbearance, weathered by hardships; to raise this sudden new life, they had given too much, far too much.
Their lifespans were like mayflies: like countless workers, they all died from high-intensity labor.
The only thing they left for Fulgrim was an old, faded fairy tale book.
The lights in the venue grew dimmer, just as darkness enveloped everything in the fortress of Karrakis.
......
The once firm vows have all decayed now;
The once bright stars have all fallen now.
She sobbed as she opened the book, weeping to the goddess who shared her name:
"Fulgrim!"
"Oh, primal god, please tell me:"
If we are merely stubborn stones, why does our heart still ache when we part?
If we are already numb, why does anger still burn in our chest when there is injustice?
Why can the Chemos people, who once shared life and death, never share joy, but only hardship?
The lights reignited, and the path ahead grew brighter.
Fulgrim slowly rose, untying her hairband; her silver strands fluttered like a scattering of stars.
"Is it—!"
"Is it that I am like you: my love for beautiful things is no less than yours; the emotions in my heart are as abundant as yours!"
A crisp question came from her mouth, landing in their hearts.
Her extremely contagious weeping echoed through the venue, and even though she wore coarse cloth, she still looked like a noble princess.
She was speechless, and the lower levels of Karrakis's dark factories were already sobbing uncontrollably.
They shared Fulgrim's joys and sorrows, good and ill.
They wanted to shout, to speak; though they didn't understand literature or drama, the most primal emotions were stirring in their chests at this moment.
"No!"
"Are we not plants, that we cannot feel sorrow? Do we have listeners? We have only ever endured!"
"And when have we not wanted to rest for a while, to try, to try to love life?"
"But this iron gate to the upper levels remains tightly closed, and protests against the upper levels always begin without end. Even with thousands of grievances, this iron lock cannot be broken!"
Crack!
At that very moment, the closed gate leading to the upper levels in front of the factory was no longer an obstruction!
All the sadness, all the anger, converged into one force at this moment—
"Charge!!!"
......
"What's going on?"
The foundations of the fortress shook, and the people's rebellion was in full swing.
Earth-shattering shouts accompanied their footsteps. From all directions of the square, sadness and anger resounded.
The iron plates beneath the crowd's feet clanged, and the fire of anger burned fiercely in their mouths.
"Boss! People, so many protesting people are flooding towards us!"
"I'm not deaf! You don't need to repeat yourself here!"
Herold's tone was fierce, but his eyes were filled only with terror.
"But our stun batons seem to be a bit insufficient!"
"You idiot, can't you speak according to the situation!?"
"Patrol team, quickly come and guard my sides!"
"Shut up, evil butcher!"
Fulgrim reprimanded sharply: "To preserve the status of the nobles, to forever lord over others."
"You have even degenerated to colluding with outsiders and assassinating your own father!"
"Your brutality is inexpressible, your crimes are too numerous to record!"
The screen behind her changed, showing surveillance footage of Herold negotiating with the Surfa thugs.
"This... this isn't real, these are fabricated accusations!"
He argued loudly, trying to escape blame.
But everyone present looked at this ridiculous master and servant with cold, angry eyes.
Hadn't those called the patrol team also suffered humiliation from the nobles?
How could they willingly abandon their past great ideals to become the pigs and dogs that the nobles belittled as ignorant?
Everyone's gaze changed from confusion to determination, surrounding these two damned fellows.
"Your brutality is inexpressible, your crimes are too numerous to record!"
"Your brutality is inexpressible, your crimes are too numerous to record!"
"...Uh, alright."
At this moment, Raul seemed to understand his master's accusation.
"It seems we lack a lot more than just stun batons."
......
Cheers like mountains and tsunamis filled every corner of Karrakis.
People followed the guidance of the route, rushing to the upper levels.
They were both actors and audience.
"Why?"
"Why can you make all the workers riot for you?"
"Why can you retrieve surveillance footage, and manipulate all the machinery in the entire fortress at will?"
The tide had turned; surrounded, Herold faced Fulgrim in the center of the stage, fearful and confused.
Could it be... that a legendary deity was secretly assisting?
"That's right!"
"She is our deity Fulgrim!!!"
The workers filling the venue celebrated this from the bottom of their hearts.
In their eyes, Fulgrim was truly the undisputed savior!
"No, my friends."
She smiled and bowed to the crowd: "I am not a deity; it's just that everyone seems to have forgotten my assistant."
.......
"Huh?"
Kasga, who was operating various machines at the top of the fortress, felt the platform he was on descend into the venue.
Why was this?
In the pre-arranged plan, there was never any mention of such a scene.
Meeting the astonished gazes of countless people, Kasga, accompanied by the platform beneath him, landed in the center of the square.
"It's Kasga, I recognize his face!"
"So it was with his help..."
Fulgrim stepped forward.
"Brothers and sisters, there has never been any deity in this world, nor do we need to rely on a savior."
She bent down and raised Kasga's right hand high.
"Power comes from the hands of each and every one of us!"
"As long as we have the will to fight, we will all regain our freedom!"
"Good!"
"Well said!"
"Sister Fu Gen is the best!"
The people's support was like a mountain and a tsunami, their applause deafening.
Meeting everyone's praise, Fulgrim turned her head to look at Kasga, her eyes full of affection.
"Kasga, do you still remember my promise then?"
"Last time, it was ruined by those fools who called themselves nobles; but this time, I won't let you escape so easily."
Before everyone's eyes, she knelt on one knee and held up an exquisite silver box in her hand.
Engraved on the golden ring in the box was a lifelike centaurus.
It was more exquisite and dazzling than the one Kasga had crafted.
"Kasga, are you willing to become the guide of Chemos with me?"
!
This unexpected scene instantly captured everyone's attention.
"Woo—!"
"Say yes to her! Say yes to her!"
The cheers were like thunder, the shouts filled with blessings.
"...Mm."
Facing this situation, Kasga smiled shyly, extended his hand, and nodded.
"Firecrackers and gongs and drums, celebrate the birth of this new couple!"
......
As the eldest son of the Sherlock family, Herold slumped in the excited crowd, having lost all his strength.
It shouldn't have been like this.
The previous negotiations between them went very smoothly; Fulgrim herself was very willing to be part of the nobility and lead the future Chemos with him.
But—!
But just when he was about to succeed, for some unknown reason, Fulgrim's temperament suddenly changed. Instead of being a proper noble, she chose to mix with that damned bastard Kasga from beyond the sky!
The person for the marriage alliance... should have been him!
It could only be him!
Those days, he felt he was constantly controlled by a clear yet insane hatred.
And even after so much time had passed, he seemed to clearly remember being consumed by that jealous purple hue.
Helplessly, to prevent the jade from being tarnished, Herold had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
Even retracting the previously raised worker benefits was due to his vengeful nature.
"Don't panic, Master."
"Look, I got this."
But it seemed that his loyal servant, who had always been by his side, had not given up yet.
From Raul's hand, a bundle of hot melt, obtained from who knows where, was handed over.
"This bomb can send them all flying into the sky."
Raul chuckled, his expression lewd.
