Chapter 63

“A bird will fly there,” Luke pointed to his mouth.

William shook his head and closed his mouth. “Are you making fun of me?”

“You wish I hadn't? We are alone, just so you know. Anna was kind of busy. Good that she can deal with herself.”

“Really?”

“Probably. Am not her caretaker, am I?”

That was unarguable, yet was he even his caretaker? From the looks of it, Kaufman didn't have some big position over Luke, though William felt like he underestimated the Federation a lot.

Unlike what Willliam had seen in the past, this place held no destruction. The buildings stretched far, yet he was still able to see the Atlantic Ocean that surrounded this land. Nevertheless, the Federation still ended up much larger than he had pictured.

It was no wonder Luke said to not get lost. The Federation had the best defenses in the sea, coming from patrol boats, but the south behind him showed him what truly mattered. From the east, there was nothing. Just water.

Turning his head, he watched the sight of notable Rifts hovering in the night sky. Below, there were enough defensive lines to reach the horizon. They eclipsed this land from the South District, protecting the west and a small size of the north. East was not necessary, for an impressive Island was hiding in the darkness.

There were even rivers going through the city, providing water and ways for boats and bridges. It barely resembled what William imagined in his mind. The reality was so much brighter. Dann would be even more shocked, William believed.

“Is this... even a city?”

“More like a nation, haven't I said it?” Luke argued. “But be my guess. There are a lot of people here and the land is big and always expanding.”

“Expanding? An island?!”

“Earth Walkers work well for those reasons and parking a chunk of earth is getting the job done. Imagine it, a giant figure grabbing a chunkier piece of land and snatching it into the water. It's glorious.”

“Walkers are building the Federation?!” William almost became hysterical and couldn't believe it.

Luke was getting tired of his constant surprises and was worried for William's future. “Not just that. A lot of the workings of this place operate because of Walkers. We have electricity and running drinkable water because of work. It wouldn't be feasible at this scale otherwise. We are in the ocean and resources are scarce. People aren't, so where do you think resources go? If we want more, people and resources are crucial. Walker's help is a boost that makes this process easier.”

William suddenly realized a lot of things at once. There was a reason why many camps were strictly under the Federation's control. The land was precious and if it was always expanding for people and new buildings, it was worth looking for land somewhere else. Right. Camps. Those were worthy of some struggle because of the land as a whole.

Federation had no expansive agriculture in the slightest, but its population was enormous. Most of the lands were for businesses and operations to create the largest fortress in the world.

And it was succeeding.

“I see,” William said and calmed down.

Luke was glad and pointed to the Central District. “That over there is where you want to go in your free time. You shouldn't worry about getting lost if you know what you are doing. Streets are simple and you can always look up and see those tall buildings, or read some signs around the streets.”

“Weren't...” William wanted to ask what he meant by tall buildings. Then, he realized his eyes were far too unstable and his point of view was wrong. The scope was wrong. The buildings might be much larger due to the distance and light. There might be genuine skyscrapers in the Central District with dozens of floors. He looked at it from a higher elevation and a few miles of distance, so he could see his false assumption.

“Is it that surprising? The ruins of the old world are the same. Haven't you seen New York City? I mean, it gets clouded by the destruction or Darks taking it for a home, but it is more vast than this little island. Both vertically and in size.” Luke's words roused something in William's head.

Right! “S-sorry. You are right.”

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“Glad you get it. There is so much out there. You should be surprised.”

“Have you been in many places? Not this, I mean. Outside.”

“Of course. My position and age speak for itself. I lived through many years, but not as some others. There are many elders who remember a lot of things that are no longer possible to visit. Mind you, this isn't even Emblem Academy, so don't judge everything at first sight. What was at first small became this all thanks to years of work and sacrifices.” Luke tried to blow William's mind.

It worked.

''Walkers are workers? William thought. I met Walkers Outside who were fighters, so what to think? Depending on them, are those Divisions working in vastly different fields than I previously assumed? For what and why? Those choices that they described were there because they lack approach or their Emblem is the right answer all along. Everyone does what they are fit for. What about me? Could I do it justice and fight, or help build?

William clutched his arm and quenched his internal thoughts. “How big is this place? How was it built?”

“Never asked. Never tried to find out, apart from the building processes. I have different purposes, and the running of this place is for others to decide. Over there, specifically.” Luke pointed to the east.

William couldn't see that well, but there was a detached island from the Federation. It was small and darker in color, and he couldn't see well because it was like a fortress in the middle of the raging sea of night.

“I can't see.”

“That is Assembly Island. A place where the most powerful Walkers of the Federation push major decisions. Divisions are even lower them them.”

“Oh, it is outside of the Federation. What about this center? It seems so much bigger than the rest.” William nodded, pointing to the place right before him.

“East, North, West, and South are all important in their own ways. Each has purposes and businesses. South is for military, or...” As Luke began, he figured William wasn't listening.

“We are in the middle of the ocean... This is insane...”

“Are you going to marvel about this for all eternity, or do you want to eat and sleep in a warm place?” Luke asked and figured his explanations weren't necessary. It wasn't even that cold. William would be fine to nap beside some tree.

I used to have a warm place of my own, William thought as he returned to focus on their walk.

There was a pavement road down the hill, with people jogging and walking from the military base to the city or other places. A lot of paths connected many streets, and William hardly saw a reason in them, besides many signs with many names and numbers.

There were military personnel everywhere, clear in green uniforms, but he had seen some purple ones or others as well, or even regular civilians. Once more, he couldn't notice any Walker.

It was as Kaufman said; the Federation was their home and they all acknowledged that their Emblem as tools. In public, it was recommended to cover it if possible.

As they moved deeper, William saw how the scope of this place increased before his eyes. That was when Luke described what he meant before.

“That one is the Central District. The biggest in the Federation, but not that populated. Residencies are in every District, no matter what. A million people mean a lot of places to let them live. Central District has business and a lot of work opportunities as a center of this land.” Luke explained.

“This feels surreal.”

“It is. Understanding this place is one of the basics. See that big sharp building?” Luke pointed to the humongous buildings that protruded into the sky. It was close to a tower, with shining glass and a steel frame. The orange light of the descending sun made it quite beautiful, almost like a sword going into heaven.

“It is hard to not see it.”

“That is the central stage for research facilities. A place called Emblem Association has numerous large buildings around it. Anna works there, for example. They have a deep history with work for many people. Some of that even goes far behind the Federation. Much more of that isn't as obvious. The Examination is going to be there as well, so keep that in mind.”

“I see...” William looked at that building very carefully and etched it to his memory. The city in front of his eyes will be his new home for the foreseeable future. Yet, when nervousness overlapped his mind, it soon weakened due to his hunger and all-day-long travel. He should've taken some snacks with him.

Walking with Luke wasn't exhausting. He was reaching his limits due to the whole day, yet he knew Luke was the same. He met him in the morning and had seen him ever since. He was stable and great, barely showing any weakness even when he fought against a Jawran and suffered some injuries.

So William kept walking and soon entered the main city. Many buildings held many styles, and rivers created some boundaries, bridges, and residential areas looked like small cities on their own.

It wasn't as cramped as it looked from afar, though William thought it would be more open. Camps weren't that open either, but farms were. Walkers around him were hiding for the sake of their regular lives, away from the military or responsibilities. They needed some rest because they were still humans.

To this moment, William couldn't see how Walkers built this place. He couldn't really get it because he wasn't sure what was old and what was new, or what he should imagine as building an island.

“Luke?” William asked after a long stretch of silence.

“We will be in my place shortly.”

“Okay. I am more curious about the population of Walkers”

“Population? I don't know about that. Statistically speaking, there are very few of us if we regard this whole place. One in a thousand? More? No idea. Maybe less? If I think of the military departments, I guess Walkers are more common, but that's just how our jobs work. You wouldn't expect a cook working in the fjords, would you? There are a lot of normal people working for the military and most businesses around here are large and heavily reliant on the workforce. Enginists need it, let alone Machinists or Engineers who are even more demanding.”

“I guess it is because of economic pressure and people.”

“Yes. You guessed it or knows it from the camps. You learned a thing or two before, haven't you? How was the teaching Outside? I wonder about it so I wouldn't bother you with some useless words.”

“It was good, I suppose. It was mostly reminders of humanity and training. It wasn't anything special when I think of it.”

“I mean the world. What have you learned, lived through, or know?”