Erwin, seated at a long table, said, "We must prepare the island for war, temper the hearts of everyone in Paradis, and encourage the youth to join the army."
Now that they would no longer be fighting Titans, but humans, it was essential to share achievements and news that had previously been unknown.
By spreading knowledge, Gale's early plans to build schools where the younger generation would learn to read now made it easier to disseminate information and news.
That was why his carefully crafted plan had succeeded.
Thanks to his knowledge of the future, Gale was ten steps ahead of events.
…
At the end of May, a large number of newspapers were printed and distributed across various المناطق within the walls.
The government assigned soldiers to different regions to spread propaganda.
"The Titans that devour humans are also human—they share the same ancestor as us and are all children of Ymir."
"One hundred years ago, our king built the walls and used the power of the Founding Titan to alter people's memories, making them believe that humanity outside the walls had perished."
"But humanity has not perished, and those outside the walls call us—the people of Ymir—"
"A race of devils."
"In the near future, the enemy will use the pretext of resource plundering to begin invading us. The attack of the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan a year ago was the first step of the invasion."
Some treated it as a joke, others accepted it in silence, while others, dissatisfied with the new government, claimed it was a conspiracy.
Just as some legislators had feared, chaos reigned everywhere.
However, the new government took no measures regarding this. Instead, at the beginning of June, it launched a new round of mandatory recruitment with no limit on the number of recruits and made the requirements more flexible.
Many former residents of Wall Maria, now living in poverty in the refugee lands, took part in the enlistment examinations.
Others did not, as they were farmers who had dedicated their lives to agriculture.
Some people worried that the mass abandonment of productive labor would cause food shortages, but the government did not respond to this concern.
…
Wall Sina, entrance to the underground city.
Beneath the capital stretched a vast underground cavern, where a city had been built and many impoverished people once lived.
Now, thanks to policy changes, all poor residents had been given the opportunity to rebuild their lives. They had received free housing or had been assigned to work in factories, farms, and textile workshops, enjoying better and safer living conditions than before.
When this policy was first implemented, Gale encountered some resistance due to certain underground forces.
However, the gangs and low-level criminals remained the same, so the government made a firm decision and sent an army equipped with standard firearms to suppress the various gangs in the underground city.
Within a few days, they brought the situation under control.
The underground city had now become an absolute void. All valuables that could be taken had been removed, and whatever could not be taken would simply rot and fade away in the darkness.
In the distance, a massive red sun slowly set, the clouds on the horizon seemed to burn, and cicadas sang tirelessly.
Levi, dressed in casual clothes, stood at the entrance to the underground city, looking at the path leading below, which had been sealed with cement.
He had grown up there and never felt any nostalgia for the place.
He was standing there waiting for someone.
That man was named Rod Reiss.
After Grisha Yeager's notes were made public, the government received a letter signed by Rod Reiss.
Lord Reiss, who had been absent from public life for more than a year, wished to meet with high-ranking government officials.
However, it was obvious that the person who came today would not be Rod Reiss himself.
Although he had expected it, Levi was still somewhat surprised to discover the identity of the visitor.
The man, wearing a black fedora, a coat, a three-day beard, and polished leather shoes, strode toward Levi.
"Kenny Ackerman… So you were the one who came to this meeting in person…" Levi, with his hands in the pockets of his gray coat, looked coldly at the newcomer.
"Are you completely alone? Are you really so sure we won't lay a hand on you?" Levi asked coldly.
"Leave me alone, Levi," Kenny said with a shrug, putting his hand into his empty pocket. "I didn't bring any weapons. Call your men and stop pointing those strange weapons at me."
"Times have changed. I'm getting old, and my heart can't take any shocks."
Levi looked at him, raised his hand, and dozens of soldiers armed with AK rifles emerged from every corner.
They lurked in blind spots, hiding their presence perfectly.
But Levi knew he could not prevent Kenny from being aware of these ambushes.
This man had shown such "sincerity" that Levi would not act with resentment; after all, he and Kenny were old acquaintances.
Kenny looked at the soldiers without changing his expression, took out a roll of tobacco from his bag, and lit it with a match.
He took a deep breath, leaned against the wall, and exhaled clouds of smoke. "Levi, aside from your height, you've grown quite a bit in other ways."
"Where is Rod Reiss?" Levi asked with a grim expression.
"That guy is a coward. He won't show up until a decision has been made." Kenny looked toward the sunset.
"The government has no intention of eliminating him. If he is willing to comply with our agreements, we can guarantee his basic rights as the former king." Levi stared directly at Kenny's face.
"I don't care about that kind of thing," Kenny said as he chewed his tobacco. "You claim that the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan are Marleyan warriors and that their true identities have been confirmed. If it's true that you captured them… does that mean you already control that power? Otherwise, there would be no other way to explain how you captured those Titans."
"Has the power of the Founding Titan been inherited? Let me guess—is the new heir Rod's illegitimate daughter? That popular princess?"
"No comment," Levi said dryly.
"Don't be fooled by my appearance—I've served two generations of Kings of the Walls," Kenny said, throwing his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it under his heel.
"How did you manage to change the Wall King's stance? The previous two kings opposed everything related to war. They possessed the power of the Founding Titan but never used it. Are you planning to do the same as them?"
"How much of the information you've released to the outside world is true, and how much is false?"
Levi did not respond. Instead, he simply turned his head, and all the soldiers followed suit, standing at attention and saluting in that direction.
"Mr. Kenny, if you truly want to know, why not join us?" Emerging from the darkness, Gale walked from the end of the street, accompanied by two people: Ymir and Eren.
He wore a formal black suit and carried a leather notebook.
Kenny, who had remained calm until now, frowned.
Levi and the soldiers saluted a boy who did not appear to be more than fifteen years old. He was somewhat confused by the direction of the new government and slipped his hands into his pockets.
As an experienced assassin, he would never come to a meeting without preparation.
Hidden beneath his coat was his maneuver gear, which he had prepared in advance. He had deliberately chosen to meet near the underground city because the surrounding buildings were dense, and he knew the area very well. With his skills, he was confident he could escape alive.
But for some reason, that boy gave him a very uncomfortable feeling.
It was a kind of animal instinct telling him that the three individuals were dangerous and that he could not allow them to get any closer.
However, the other party stopped just outside Kenny's dangerous range, more than ten meters away, and looked at him with a smile.