Section Thirteen: Who Brainwashed Whom (Part Two)

When the sunlight dispersed the mist, a tall and beautiful girl with slender legs was born. She stood gracefully atop the head of a dolphin, radiant and goddess-like. Before she had legs, no matter how she tried to balance on her tail fin, Helen was always a head shorter than Wei Wuke; now, though her height might still fall short of Wei Wuke’s, she could at least stand equal with Amango.

The young princess attempted to move her legs, recalling how humans walked as she had observed on the ship. After taking just two steps, she tumbled into the sea. Fortunately, her innate water control as a member of the sea folk remained, and the ocean was forever the guardian spirit of the Siren tribe.

As the tide withdrew, Helen rose from the sandy shore and slowly moved her feet, step by step, gradually mastering the human way of walking. Facing the morning sun, she cried out joyfully.

At that moment, several fishermen who had come to catch fish stared in astonishment at the beautiful girl dressed in a pearl shirt not far away.

Helen suddenly remembered the name Amango, one that Wei Wuke had mentioned. Perhaps finding him would be useful in her quest. With this in mind, the little princess of the Siren tribe walked toward the fishermen.

Gamio felt a certain admiration for the delicate, frail girl at his side. They had already entered the forest, a wild and undeveloped region rarely visited by humans. There were many such places toward the west, generally desolate, for the closer one ventured in this direction, the nearer one was to the beastfolk. Along the way, there were also small bands of bandits, such as the bear tribe among the earth folk, the only ones with real fighting prowess.

The path beneath their feet was treacherous, composed of rotting leaves and mud. Though Gamio tried his best to lead the way, even the members of Comminesen could not possibly know every road leading to the base. At least, Gamio did not know this one; all he could be sure of was that the direction was correct. Yet, on such a route where one had to pinch their nose and trudge through muck with every step, the beautiful girl followed him closely without a single complaint. Behind her, the Hegger couple supported each other, and at the rear was the shadow mage, Leyard.

“I must apologize, Mr. Hegger, Madam, Miss Sisley. We never expected such an accident, but it seems we’ll have to endure some hardship for a few days until we reach the base. The carriage was destroyed, so we stole horses from the post station along the way. Though this exposed our trail, it allowed us to travel quickly. Now, we must traverse roads that no pursuers would expect.”

“How long must we walk this way?” Madame Sera asked in a cold tone.

“Madam, we must at least pass through this forest. I’m not too familiar with this path, but I guarantee the direction is correct,” Leyard replied from behind.

Gamio braced himself for Madame Sera’s rebuke. He had seen along the way that she had not been persuaded by her husband, and she was thoroughly dissatisfied with this escape. She felt her husband had great prospects, only to be seduced by devils, and that Leyard and Gamio were accomplices of those devils.

Surprisingly, after hearing the unfavorable answer, Madame Sera’s expression darkened, but she didn’t utter any harsh words.

“Did Mr. Grant send only you two?” Hegger asked.

“Of course not. Rest assured, once we near the base, we can send a signal, and the base will dispatch more people to meet us,” Gamio answered quickly.

Hegger seemed quite satisfied. He held a dry branch torn from a tree as a cane and, after pondering for a moment, said, “Perhaps, to keep everyone from growing too lonely along the way, you could tell me about the base?”

“Oh, Mr. Hegger, allow me to explain. The base was originally set in a valley, but now we have a new one. With the help of the beastfolk, the leader has built a city. There are shops, land, and military factories—places where you can fully display your talents,” Leyard said.

“The leader eagerly awaits your arrival. He said that with you, the base will become even more formidable. Our comrades look forward to seeing you and your invention, the flintlock. We hope to equip ourselves with your creation and liberate more people. Though we are free, the leader is right—there are still many oppressed by the church, by Warrenheit, by the great merchants. We cannot abandon them,” Gamio added, glancing back.

“But, Mr. Gamio, it seems that Landia is not as bad as you say. Perhaps many dislike the church, but they strongly support the current prime minister and the system,” the delicate girl mustered her courage and said.

Gamio suddenly stopped and stared fiercely at Sisley. She was frightened, but only stepped back once, her eyes still meeting the warrior’s, refusing to retreat.

The warrior made no improper move. “The leader is right: the people of Landia have been thoroughly indoctrinated by Warrenheit. He is one of our most formidable foes. Miss Sisley, you are very brave, but I must point out that you are mistaken. Warrenheit is a great deceiver. His talk of freedom and democracy is nothing but lies.”

“How can that be?” Sisley exclaimed in shock. “Landia’s laws guarantee every citizen freedom and democracy. For example, we all have the right to vote.”

“You are wrong, Miss. Have you not noticed a truth? What Warrenheit promotes as freedom and democracy share a common trait: they are all bound by procedures, and those procedures grow ever more complex,” Leyard, at the rear of the group, joined the debate.

“What’s wrong with that?” Sisley asked, baffled. To her, it seemed nothing was amiss; necessary procedures ensured democracy and freedom.

“Those who most want election procedures to be costly are capitalists—so the poor cannot be elected. Those who most want judicial proceedings to be expensive are capitalists—so the poor cannot win lawsuits. Those who most want communication costs to be high are capitalists—so the poor have no voice,” Leyard declared loudly.

Sisley was stunned. Gamio spoke solemnly, “That’s what the leader says. So the so-called democracy and freedom of Warrenheit is merely the freedom and democracy of money, not the true freedom and democracy that belong to everyone, Miss Sisley.”

“Comminesen aims not only to destroy the rotten church and the rule of the monarchy; we must also defeat the even more hypocritical and powerful Warrenheit and the merchant class he represents. The leader calls them capitalists. All of Landia is deceived by their lies, but we will not give up. We have set our goal. In the near future, Comminesen will defeat Warrenheit and the capitalism he stands for.”

“What goal?” Sisley could not help but ask.