In the end, it was decided by the beginning of the Federation to build a strategic fortress in the middle of the ocean. It creates a new important piece of land for mankind.
Closer to the American continent. It is near the origin, and the very beginning of the Dark beings, that splurged from the Amazonian landmass in the middle of South America.
As for where all of this information, books, and materials on all those floors come from, is also within this room. William is dumbfounded when he sees the approximate death tolls of the war against the Dark. It could not be really called that. It is more fit to call it a cleansing, but everyone has words for their preferences.
6 billion within the first decade since their appearance. It stabilized around the year 2037 when the first Walker was born. Although, it still remained depressing, since they needed to grow up. The number of people kept declining until the second half of the century when the counterattack of many Walkers started the pursuit of the mystery of the Emblems.
Now, William reads everything with an open mind. Not frowning, or being more emotional as he used to be. He decided to keep it calm. Steady mind with mindful decisions.
Currently, the proximity of the human population is around a few million to tens of millions of people living at present time. It makes sense since the sights of destroyed habitat made it quite hard to find the living spaces. Though, the roughest estimate of everything is rather hard to pinpoint for them to be correct.
After all, a lot of people must be out there, living as far away from everything, and surviving in the desert region, caves, tundras, mountains, and so on. Their statistics could not be included since there is no way to verify or find them in the wild world.
People have even built some cities over time, but they may as well call them temporary homes, since the hunting attacks of the Dark beings. It happened a lot, with usually the camps, that went through these destructions before retaliation of the Walkers. Camps on themselves, are temporary solutions, with the average lifespan being a few years at best. The best course of action is small habitats in mountains or very secured places by the Walkers, such as the Federation.
Everything led to a motionless, depressing reality, where the humans still struggle even with the Walkers, that are protecting mankind.
“I guess this is the reality that I wanted to know,” William mutters.
“It is depressing, but it is what it is. Past won't change itself. We can only keep going like our predecessors.”
“Right... I still can't believe all of this is so restricted. The payment for this room is 20 credits. Why does it even matter?”
“It is usual for the Walkers to see or people who are very keen on learning this no matter what... You know... You are both.” Ellie hesitantly says.
“Yea? Is the whole idea of Kaufman gifting me this card, right?”
“No idea. Just remember that no matter what, this is not a bad thing for you.”
“Not bad, but it still feels wrong. I have no idea what it even entails to become a Walker, yet I am here, learning stuff of the past that is kept out of the people's reach.” William argues with a speck of anger.
He is right, the same way as Ellie is right.
Both hold their truths and hopes on their own. Each is different, with a different past and future. They still keep each other company, since they want to from the very beginning.
William learns a week's worth of stuff with the assistance of Ellie. He is both grateful and glad she is here for him. But, she would not always be here, so she made sure to assist him with the functionality of the Library visits. It matters little since the Full-pass that he has is like a free ticket to everything on all 6 floors.
Arguing or discussing a pair within the lonely room of a saddening part of mankind, leave this place with a heavy heart. William will visit it a few more times within the next 6 weeks. He has to, so he won't forget.
Suddenly, there is nothing else further. They reach the end of the 4th floor and its exhibitions, as well as restrictive rooms.
Ellie looks at William, and sight to herself behind his back.
“Is this the end?” he asks.
“Yea. We can go to the 5th floor, which has a remaining place of the regular historical date, and books that are not restricted. Do you want to take a look, or was this enough for you already?” Ellie asks since they both spent the last 3 days here.
William ponders but still replies after a few moments of deliberations.
“6th floor it is.”
“I expected that. Let's go then.” Ellie slaps Williams back. Stunned and surprised by the stumbling few steps in front, he looks at Ellie with a questionable look.
“You needed it. So few days of this, and you will feel like a mummy! You need some days off. I could not imagine what would 6 weeks of continuous learning in this library is like.” she retorts.
In truth, Ellie has not spent years in the learning process of becoming a librarian. Although her parents are both alive and well, she helped out in the library from time to time and her life is her own. Her salary is enough for living alone.
“I don't think I will have time for this afterward... I need to force it like this, so I won't regret it. Such a chance doesn't come often.” William reasons with her argument.
“If you think so... Don't act like I did not warn you.” Pouting, she pushed William forward to get out of this damned place.
Out on the 4th floor, Sarey pushes William's shoulders until she reaches out the stairs.
“forget it alright! I will take a day off if you want.” William says since she is quite adamant about this.
“Really?”
“If I will feel like it?”
“You have nothing and no one in this place. What are you gonna do instead?”
“Train, exercise, or something meaningful?” William replies with a question.
“How about me?” Ellie points to herself while puffing her chest in a proud manner.
“What about you?” William asks with a confused face.
“Oblivious and clueless...” Ellie scowls internally.
“I can show you around if you want. There are a lot of things on this Central Island, while we can travel to others as well.” Ellie offers rather begrudgingly.
“Y-you want to? I don't want to bother your time. I am already very satisfied with you, showing me around this Library.” William honestly tells from her strangely beaming demeanor.
“T-t-this boy... ugh.”
“I would mind nothing. Where are you living, anyway? Dorms for the young walkers? Some hotel? Military compartments?” Ellie keeps going since she wants to.
“Ugh, I don't know the streets that well. The bridge on the west side, which leads to the Central District. There are some apartments or some sort. I have no idea how they are cal...”
“... You live there?” Ellie exclaims in surprise as she visualizes his words. Jumping in right as he speaks. Ellie knows a lot about the Federations and their structure. Even the Emblem Academy is somewhat known to her, but that is not the information she told William.
“You know it?”
“Of course, I know it. It is the best neighborhood on Central Island. Well kept and finished place with sky-high prices for each apartment. For the basic one, it is still hundreds of credits a month or week, depending on the quality and vastness of the living.” Ellie explains.
“Oh, I did not know Luke lived that luxuriously. I guess Rank 4 Walker has some wealth. I will do my best to become one as well.” William speculates and wishes for himself.
“It is just a temporary living there... I was told that by the military,” he says, while not saying anything wrong per se. It is a complication that is probably not true since it was forced upon Luke and no one else.
William would not find it hard to adjust to dorms or any kind of shared space. Although he had his own space in the Roshwell Camp since the orphanage got lucky to obtain the large and well-kept building. In previous camps, he shared all his living spaces with his friend Dann, or more people.
Ellie frowns while assuming it is still strange. For a boy from the clueless Outside, to live in the luxurious neighborhood even her parents could not afford. It makes her pouty. She knows that these building complexes are homes to a lot of Walkers since they are most of the people able to afford them. It has been built by them, for them, and no one would complain about it.
“Let's get to the 6th floor, will you? If you want to, I have no trouble shoving you around the Federation in my free time, alright?” Ellie says as he gives up on her tries to spend more time with a young walker like William. He slightly grew up on her, and they are not that far from each other's age.
William walks with unsteady steps as he still ponders what is the deal with Ellie's question and request. He was never that keen on girls, since everyone in the camps had been working, with little time for young romances, or friendships.
Although, the friendship of Dann and William was bathed in blood, and hope to live. Their sense of friendship was very different since their first meeting, which is equally as strange as terrifying.
Reaching the 5th floor, they don't inside of the doors in this hallway. Instead, Ellie goes first and reaches the other stairs that lead to the last floor.
There, William looks around the view down. Hundreds of feet below the vast entrance, that leads all the way to the ceiling that is not that far from his current position.
“Quite a good view, isn't it?” Ellie asks beside him.
“Yes.”
Turning around, William begins to examine the hallway of the last, and arguably, most mysterious floor of them all. Only Walkers have permission to enter it, and it also seems they have some restrictions depending on their ranks. Whatever that is.
There are quite a few doors on each side of the wall. To the right and left, to the distance of the end of the hallway.
William notices someone laying beside a wall. Napping with crossed fingers on his lap as he sits there with crossed legs. An old man with a cowboy hat on his head. William could not see his face because of the hat, but it is clear that he is napping through the body language and leaning on his head that is halfway to the ground.
“Who is he?” William points to him while looking at Ellie, who is equally puzzled.
“He is sleeping beside the entrance, so he apparently waits for someone.” Ellie guesses.
Walking to the door, William crouches down to see the face of this man and steps back as he discovers a face he has seen before. Once, but it still counts.
“M-mister Kaufman?” He blurts out.