Chapter 34: System Mission [I]
They were on the road for several hours.
The rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels over dirt had become almost soothing, blending with the distant hum of the wilds.
During this time, Azel and Gerome had conversed freely with Lorraine pitching in at times, they had become comfortable with him.
The older man was far more talkative than Azel initially expected, and their discussion spanned everything from trade routes to hunting practices in the western continent.
Despite being a player of the game, Azel realized just how limited his knowledge of the world actually was.
The game never truly delved into the politics or culture of the other empires — it had only ever shown enough to create settings for battles and tragedy.
But now, hearing Gerome speak with such vivid detail, Azel realized how shallow his prior understanding had been.
All he’d ever known for certain was the end result: calamities forcing humanity to its knees. Entire cities crumbling, empires collapsing. By the time the game reached its conclusion, there were barely enough humans left to fill one empire.
Monsters prowled the ruins freely, and whatever semblance of rulership had once existed was long gone.
He remembered vividly, Reinhardt — supposedly the main protagonist and humanity’s "savior" lacked any form of leadership.
His raw strength had been undeniable, but in the vacuum left by crumbled thrones and broken armies, it was useless.
Even though the game ended with a win, Azel was totally sure that Humanity ended afterwards.