Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Foster father was always working, and since their last meeting in May, the blink of an eye signified half a year without being able to return home.

Malin searched the map for a while before he found the place called Pitzport, at the very northern tip of the Union, also the westernmost point of the northern defense line.

Further north was the region contaminated by Chaos, the former Engma Empire, now the land of Chaos. The Sydney Union, Karam Kingdom, and the free territories of Engma were respectively to the south, southeast, and east, maintaining the defensive line against the Chaos.

Don't think that these three realms were struggling to survive; that was the case in the Middle Ages. In today's age of scientific development, the Sydney Union had even reclaimed the once northernmost province, and they were now pushing toward the core area of the Chaos nation in collaboration with the other two countries—there was no scheming for victory in sight because after millennia facing the Chaos, all humans understood that now was not the time for negotiations or profiteering.

The free territories of Engma were the last remnants of the once Engma Empire. It was said they had reached an agreement with Sydney and Karam regarding the division of territories—the three southern provinces of the Engma Empire and tax-free trade rights among the three nations would be allocated to the two kingdoms as a reward for recapturing lost territories, uniting against the Chaos, and for everlasting peace.

Under the covenant witnessed by the True God, the granary of the southern Engma Empire just needed purification to be usable for the rear, and with no more wars among the three nations, that was enough motivation for the Sydney Union and Karam Kingdom to give their all.

But in Malin's view, he did not know how long this war would last.

Likewise, Malin did not know what his adoptive father was exactly doing. Maya often missed him, but on the whole, under Malin's care, there were no issues.

After Malin had prepared a delicious sauce for Maya, the meat grilled by this Leopard Girl became more popular among the Church members, and having her live at the Church gave Malin some peace of mind—although Carfa Avenue No. 418 had become safer after the Church's renovations, the experience of being invaded by unseen spirits still unnerved Malin.

So, until Maya learned self-defense from the instructor, Malin had no intention of sending her back to that home.

Aside from the spirits, what Malin worried about most was the unfathomable human heart.