Inside the commander's office, the lamplight burned low, and shadows stretched long across the walls. Lock stood across from Zachary and Erwin, hands clasped behind his back, his expression steady.
"Lock, you've stirred up a storm this time," Zachary began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. There was a flicker of excitement in his eyes, half anxiety, half admiration. "Are you prepared to confront the public head-on?"
"Isn't this a little early?" Erwin added, though his tone was thoughtful rather than opposing.
Lock shook his head.
"We don't have the luxury of time. The outside world won't wait for us. Development must accelerate. I'm taking a group of volunteers outside the Walls and relocating them to the northern bay. We'll reclaim land, build, and open a fixed route. It has to be done."
Neither Zachary nor Erwin spoke. They watched him, listening.
Lock continued, his voice firm:
"And I intend to transfer the headquarters of the Survey Corps to the bay. That coastline will become the first point of conflict with Marley. If we're going to be attacked, it will be there. Not here."
The logic was simple, undeniable. Inside the center of Paradis, there would be peace for some time. The real threat would come from the sea.
Of the Nine Titans, only the power of the War Hammer remained under Marley's absolute control. The Beast Titan was already an internal ally. And Marley's armies were still tied down by the war against the Mid-East Alliance. They could not afford to withdraw large forces to deal with Paradis.
That bought time — but not much.
The northern seaport would become the bridgehead, and it had to be fortified.
Erwin and Zachary exchanged a meaningful glance. They understood.
Lock moved to the window. Twilight had deepened, indigo washing across the sky. He gazed outward as though he could see beyond the horizon.
"We develop first," he murmured, "then we take the offensive. Being forced to defend is not my style."
The laboratory had already begun changing everything. With Yelena's arrival and the technical expertise she brought, Hange had solved puzzles she'd wrestled with for months. Steam engine research was advancing at an astonishing speed. Paradis was on the verge of entering a new age.
Comfort within the Walls would end. People would spill outward. The north would become a frontier — and then a home.
Lock had no intention of stopping that momentum.
"As long as the government pushes in the right direction," he said, "people will go north. They'll farm, graze livestock, and build towns. They'll see results, and others will follow."
And the north was rich.
Coal, minerals, stone — all the resources the island needed were waiting.
When steam arrived, electricity would follow. Coal would become a strategic resource. Lock had already begun organizing exploration teams, and once Titan activity was under control, civilian groups would follow.
In time, the north would be full of life. The island would expand. Prosperity would move outward like wildfire.
Paradis would change.
Lock could already picture it.
Zachary finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Your plan is audacious," he said with a slow exhale. "But necessary. I support it."
"I agree," Erwin added immediately.
Lock nodded. "Then I'll trouble you both with the internal work. Publish accounts of what we've seen outside. Encourage people to open their eyes to the world. And as for the truth about Titans… release enough to shape understanding. But not everything at once. You know how to handle it."
Zachary's eyes flashed. He understood perfectly.
The old royal order had left stains — fear, ignorance, death. The truth of that was a political tool now. Not for cruelty, but for progress. If presented carefully, the public would accept it, and the influence of the old lineage would fade.
Zachary was an expert in this sort of work. Lock trusted him. He knew the man's cunning and skill far exceeded his own in matters of politics.
Erwin changed the subject with clear enthusiasm.
"In three days, I'll head for the southern coast again," he said. "Yelena has already sent word. Their researchers and technicians will come with me. They'll provide support in our laboratories, on port construction, and in equipment development."
Compared to the outside world, Paradis was primitive. It had relied too long on Titans as its only strength. But now, with international expertise added to the island's own focused effort, everything would shift.
A centralized government with no internal resistance meant progress could be fast. Very fast.
This was the era Erwin had hoped for.
Lock did not let the excitement take him. His voice remained calm.
"External support matters. But we must strengthen ourselves. Education needs to expand. Rewrite textbooks. Shape a new generation. We need successors — people who can take over when we fall."
"Agreed," Zachary said.
"Absolutely," Erwin echoed.
Both men looked at Lock — still so young, but far ahead of them in vision. For a moment, neither spoke.
He stood at the window, posture relaxed but eyes sharp, carrying the weight of a nation without flinching.
In that quiet moment, the two older men understood something:
Lock was no longer a promising youth.
He was the one leading Paradis forward.
And they had chosen well.
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