Chapter 21: Part 7: Eisenburg

Dinner ended, but Seraphina didn’t take her back the way they came.

They passed through the restaurant and entered the center tower through a different passage.

This time, the elevator was different from before—much larger, without any decorations, only bright white lights shining down from the ceiling…

It was likely a freight elevator designed specifically for transportation.

“We’re going to the surface,” the woman pressed the button.

“From here?” Mili looked around the elevator interior in confusion, noticing the scratches left from cargo bumps on the walls.

“Yeah.” Seraphina nodded calmly. “The transportation below the command center is convenient. The transport system connects all underground facilities with surface roads.”

The elevator began ascending faster than before, accompanied by slight vibrations.

Mili clearly felt the change in air pressure; her ears began to ache again.

When the heavy metal doors slid open, a gust of cold wind mixed with the smell of machine oil and dust rushed in, making Mili tighten the coat the woman had given her.

They arrived at the surface.

—On an open-air platform high up on the central tower.

Used to the filtered, fresh, and clean air of the underground city, the surface air felt especially sharp and pungent. Mili couldn’t help but cover her nose.

“Not used to this environment?” Seraphina noticed her action.

“A little…” Mili admitted.

“The wind direction is quite chaotic at night, plus the surface air quality is poor, especially near the industrial area.” The woman took a deep breath without concern. “But it’s still much better than the gray haze outside.”

The view suddenly opened up.

Mili had never looked at Eisenberg from this angle before.

When she was in the underground city, she thought she had grasped the scale of this fortress—

But standing here, she truly understood what “vast” meant…

Below them, the outer ring of the underground dome was the industrial complex they passed by during the day.

Huge smokestacks puffed white smoke into the dark sky, with forge furnaces glowing in the night. The mechanical roar was occasional but persistent.

From above, the industrial zone formed a precise, well-oiled giant clockwork.

Beyond that was the outer residential district’s dense lights…

The outermost layer was a towering metallic wall reaching into the clouds.

Spotlights scanned the barren land outside the walls back and forth, leaving no lurking danger unseen.

At intervals, watchtowers stood with dark cannon barrels aimed into the darkness beyond…

This was the true face of Eisenberg.

“See that?” Seraphina stood beside her, the night wind lifting her silver hair, moonlight casting on her white shirt and black pants, giving her a cold and sharp aura.

She spread her arms in an embracing gesture, her clothes billowing slightly as if to hold the entire fortress close.

Her silver hair fluttered in the wind, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming under the light.

Mili timidly stepped back from the railing. The height made her weak-kneed, but the woman’s presence made her heart race even more…

“The core industrial zone of Eisenberg is right beside us; below is the underground residential area we just left,” Seraphina pointed to the distant lights. “And over there is the outer district.”

“Most of the workers and their families live there.”

The girl followed her gesture with her gaze.

Unlike the neatly planned buildings in the central underground city, the outer district was a jumble of buildings of various heights, packed tightly…

Dense houses surrounded the “queen bee” fortress like a honeycomb, sprawling far and wide…

Narrow streets stretched like spider webs between buildings, dim yellow lights flickering sporadically, with many areas shrouded in heavy shadows…

“Do they… live well?” Mili hesitantly whispered.

“Worried about them?” The woman’s beautiful eyes widened as she glanced at her expressionlessly.

“I…”

“They have life, work, housing, and are free from monsters and raiders,” Seraphina’s voice was cold as iron. “On this land, that’s already the best life possible.”

She turned around, her heterochromatic eyes staring intently at Mili.

“I gave them order, gave them safety, and they give me labor and loyalty.”

“—Fair, isn’t it?”

Mili silently swallowed her words.

She couldn’t argue with that logic.

In this dangerous world, merely surviving was a luxury…

“Back then?” The girl suddenly remembered and quietly asked, “When you first started, where did you live…?”

“When it was first established? Conditions were harsh; we lived wherever we could and camped with the troops.” Seraphina pointed toward a distant part of the outer district. “Before Eisenberg’s industrial line was complete, we had to go out ourselves to gather resources. After returning, I’d have dinner at a small restaurant over there.”

“…”

It was hard for Mili to imagine this high and mighty queen dining in such a humble place in the outer district…

“That small restaurant’s owner is the man you just saw in the central tower,” the woman chuckled softly.

“Back then, you… must have had it tough…?”

“Tough?” Seraphina snorted, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing dangerously in the night wind. “If it’s not tough, you die.”

She turned and leaned against the railing, her silver hair flowing in the wind.

“Do you know when I killed my first person?”

“…” The girl shook her head, her heart suddenly beating faster.

“At thirteen,” the woman said calmly, as if stating what she had for breakfast. “I took all the family resources and personally eliminated my family’s enemies, poisoning their entire clans.”

Mili’s face paled considerably.

“Do you know when I first commanded a large-scale battle?”

“…”

“At sixteen. With just over twenty people, I took down a gang with over a hundred members.”

“Do you know when I started building Eisenberg?”

“…”

“At seventeen. It took ten whole years to reach today’s scale.”

Seraphina’s voice was terrifyingly steady. Each milestone, like a nail driven deep into Mili’s ears, painfully sharp…

“From thirteen until now, I’ve killed over ten thousand people. Personally killed over a thousand.”

The woman held out her hand, fingers spread, and stared at her palm lines in the moonlight. “I’ve almost forgotten what they looked like.”

Mili instinctively shrank back.

“Scared?” Seraphina noticed her move and curled her lips into a mocking smile. “But this is why I can protect you…”

“No one dares touch what’s mine.”

She stood up suddenly and stepped closer to Mili, who had nowhere to retreat and was pressed against a pillar.

“Soon, you will stand before them.”

Seraphina lowered her head, leaning close.

Her breath brushed Mili’s ear, cold and chilling, making her shudder.

“The people in the outer district, and the many town residents under Eisenberg’s protection… They will see you, know you, believe in you.”

“You have to get used to this feeling of being watched by all.”

Her hand rested on Mili’s shoulder. The force was light, but Mili felt as if steel pincers gripped her tightly…

“You belong to me. You are Eisenberg’s saint, their hope in despair.”

Seraphina gazed at Mili’s trembling, fearful pupils, her voice low and seductive.

“So, straighten your back, my little saint.”

“Learn to accept their worship, just like me…”

The girl tried to pull away but found there was no escape.

After a moment, she could only nod tremblingly.

Seraphina was finally satisfied, withdrawing her hand and pulling out the portable monitor again.

“Your heart rate just spiked to 140 again.” She watched the rapidly beating numbers on the screen with excitement. “Fear and excitement trigger very similar physiological responses, you know?”

“Sometimes, I can’t even tell if you’re scared or looking forward to it…”

“…”

Mili’s face flushed bright red, overwhelmed by shame and anger but dared not argue.

The night wind picked up, blowing her skirt around.

Standing here, the prosperity and order of the central city lay far behind like a carefully sugar-coated sweet dream…

Before her was the harsh reality beyond the dream—a wider, crueller world.

Further in the outer district, near the ringed high wall, no decent buildings remained.

—It was a shantytown made of shipping containers, corrugated metal, abandoned train cars, and all kinds of recycled materials.

There was almost no light, like a silent black ocean in the night.

Only the occasional flicker of firelight proved that people still lived there…

From top to bottom, from far to near—three distinct worlds, clearly separated, like a ukiyo-e painting depicting a hell of social classes.