Chapter 21: Part 1: Eisenberg

Two days had passed, and life didn’t seem as terrifying as before.

Seraphina was still constantly by her side, as usual, but no longer forcing her to learn anything. Instead, she found a new pastime—treating Mili like a doll to be cared for.

Every morning, she would carefully select dresses for Mili—sometimes a simple white dress, sometimes a light blue short-sleeved top paired with a pleated skirt.

A different outfit today, another tomorrow…

The woman always watched her dress up with great interest, occasionally teasing her with a few words, watching Mili blush and avoid her gaze.

Sometimes, she even personally brushed her hair.

Besides having to go to the West District every day to work the experimental fields as required, Mili could spend the rest of the time wandering around the museum palace or strolling in the garden.

Of course, she only did simple gardening.

It was quite boring.

In the afternoon, Mili squatted by the flowerbed, idly chopping at the soil with a small shovel, glancing up at Seraphina nearby who was reading documents.

Today, Seraphina wore a well-tailored pair of black trousers and a white shirt, her silver hair casually draped over her shoulders.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting patches of light on her, making this terrifying woman appear somewhat peaceful…

But Mili quickly withdrew her gaze and went back to her work.

She dared not forget the true nature of this woman.

“Come on, cry for me,” Seraphina said as if she had finished her work. She crouched beside her and pinched her cheek.

“…???”

Mili’s expression went blank as she tried to stay calm.

“Why the deadpan? If you’re going to fake it, at least do it properly,” Seraphina said, flicking Mili’s forehead with her finger. “You look cuter with teary eyes.”

Hearing this, Mili bit her lip and let her eyes moisten.

Though this strange request left her speechless and confused, it was far easier to bear than the suffocating torment she had endured before…

She also noticed Seraphina had recently prepared many new gardening tools and better seeds—delicate little shovels, watering cans, pruning shears, and even special greenhouse cultivation boxes…

All of these were neatly stored in the garden’s tool shed.

The edges of some tools still bore marks from factory cutting.

The seeds were even more impressive, packaged in exquisite bags printed with complex foreign labels—

Mili barely recognized a few types.

Plump tomato seeds, premium wheat grains…

As for the other vegetable seeds, she couldn’t name them.

“These are high-quality varieties preserved from the old era,” Seraphina said proudly as she stood and placed a hand on Mili’s shoulder from behind. “I put quite a bit of effort into getting them.”

“Mm…”

The girl lowered her head, poking at the packaging on the ground, unsure how to respond.

Seraphina was used to her silence by now and even found it somewhat endearing, thinking it a form of shyness. She snapped her fingers near Mili’s ear.

“Today, I’ll take you somewhere special.”

“Where…?”

“You’ll know when you come with me.”

“…”

“Let’s go, time to eat.” Seraphina smiled mysteriously and turned toward the garden exit.

In the afternoon, Seraphina took her to the other side of Eisenberg.

The architectural style along the way was completely different from the palatial area Mili had seen before.

Factories and bases of considerable scale lined the route.

Steel and concrete buildings stood side by side, one after another, chimneys puffing white smoke, the hum of machinery rising and falling endlessly.

Massive cranes swung overhead, carrying heavy steel beams;

Workers clad in thick protective gear busily moved among complex equipment…

“What are all these?” Mili couldn’t help but ask.

“That building is a military factory, the ones beside it are arsenals—just behind is a heavy machinery maintenance station, compatible with most models.”

Seraphina held Mili’s hand and pointed out the buildings one by one. Mili followed carefully, avoiding pipes and cables on the ground.

Passing through the factory doors rolled high, Seraphina even gave her a distant view of a towering steel furnace deep inside:

“These are the industrial core of Eisenberg.”

“Without them, we couldn’t stand on this land.”

Armored vehicles roamed the wide concrete roads, soldiers stood armed on patrol, and the whole area was filled with a solemn atmosphere.

Mili stared wide-eyed at the military base-like complex in front of her, utterly amazed.

She had never imagined that beneath this seemingly barren land, such a huge industrial system existed…

No different from a developed civilized society…

Compared to this, the Oasis was like a backward countryside. No wonder Seraphina had been able to build such a powerful force in the wasteland.

“How is it?”

“Really… impressive…” she murmured.

“Hm?”

“Amazing… absolutely amazing!”

Seraphina smiled slightly at her words. “And that’s only part of it.”

They continued forward, finally stopping before a semi-submerged underground machinery building within the complex.

The building looked unremarkable, with no windows and plain gray-white walls marked only by a few small vents.

But the two fully armed guards standing at the entrance betrayed its importance.

“Your Majesty,” the guards greeted in unison and immediately stepped aside.

Seraphina nodded slightly, passed a complicated facial recognition system, then led Mili inside the building, taking a special internal elevator downwards…

When the metal doors slid open again, the scene before Mili’s eyes felt utterly different from the outside world.

—It was eerily quiet here.

Only the faint ventilation noise from central air conditioning echoed overhead.

The corridor walls were pure white, floors tiled with glossy ceramics, and bright yet soft light strips illuminated the ceiling.

Occasionally, a few staff in white sterile suits and masks passed through, stopping respectfully when they saw Seraphina, bowing without making a sound.

Soon, a nurse-like woman approached, bowed to Seraphina, then handed Mili a set of pale blue patient clothes.

“Miss, please change into this.”

Mili took the clothes, feeling uneasy inside.

Patient clothes?

She looked at Seraphina in confusion. “What’s this…?”

“Go change,” the woman said without directly answering, merely nodding toward the nearby changing room.

“But… I… I’m not sick, am I?”

“No one said you’re sick. Just some checkups and necessary preventive treatment.”

“…”

With no choice, Mili obediently changed into the patient clothes.