"Is anyone really born for a purpose?"
He had read many books, all provided by Ino, but Sasha never found the answer to this question in any of them.
When Sasha posed the question back to Enli, the latter was momentarily speechless. Such a profound inquiry was beyond Enli's grasp.
"You're thinking, Enli, and that's a good thing."
Enli looked puzzled, as if unsure what to make of Sasha's comment. The boy was clearly entering his adolescence, a time when confusing ideas were common. Sasha believed that once Enli had experienced more of the absurdities of the world, he would mature, just as Sasha had.
Sasha let go of the glowing tungsten lamp and resumed walking forward. Enli, frustrated, let out a light hum and motioned for the team to keep pace with him.
"Sasha!!!"
Ino wasn't the first to greet him; Sherf was. Ever the energetic one, Sherf had tried to join the hunting group but had been sternly rejected by Alina. In retaliation, Sherf told the other kids he wouldn't talk to Alina for half a day... though he never skipped class.
"Can you teach me how to hunt beasts? I swear, I'm not planning to do it myself!"
The white-haired Liberi stood under the Generator. Due to his frail body, he couldn't stray far—Sasha had specifically instructed him to stay close to the Generator, where it was warm. He had listened well, though Sasha wasn't sure whether this was entirely a good thing.
"You're back."
Sasha nodded, and Sherf pouted before running off.
"How's the new clothing, Sasha?" Alina, unusually free from her usual workload, walked over to the two of them after greeting the hunting team.
She placed her hands gently on Ino's shoulders, making the boy blush.
"And Ino, about that lantern—remember to crank the handle."
Alina wound the lantern for Ino, who hesitated to say that he had already figured it out and taught Sasha how to use it the day before.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Alina noticed Ino was having difficulty moving in his oversized clothing, which she had deliberately made larger to accommodate his growing frame. Unfortunately, Ino was so frail that the extra fabric seemed excessive.
"It looks a bit heavy."
"No, it's fine like this..." Ino stammered, but Alina pinched his cheek playfully.
"If it's uncomfortable, just say so. I can ask the Generator to lend me the textile tools to make adjustments."
"It's warm," Sasha answered before Ino could, surprising Alina, who wasn't used to him speaking much around Ino.
"So do I," added Ino quickly.
"Good, then it's settled." Alina double-checked her notes on the tasks given by Wang Zhan.
"This afternoon is for lessons, Ino. Don't forget."
"I'll be there too, Alina," Sasha interjected firmly.
Alina wanted to suggest he rest more but saw he was adamant. "Alright, I'll see you both later."
Wang Zhan reviewed the day's tasks. He couldn't unlock the next decree until the following morning, but the research for [Generator Energy Upgrade] would finish this morning. The only tight resource now was steel.
He needed another storage depot for food rations. One raw food item could produce two rations, and the kitchen's efficiency had already reached 120%. The staff was working with newfound vigor since his promises, but there simply wasn't enough space to store all the cooked food.
Once the rations were full, the kitchen would have to stop production. Wang Zhan planned to inform them that their hard work had been enough once it reached capacity.
"Three hours left until the next tech point: [Workers' Quarters]."
Unlocking Workers' Quarters would allow him to start camp renovations early. If resources fell short, he could address it proactively.
"You're in good health," Ino noted after checking Sasha, "and your arts haven't been overused."
"Mm," Sasha replied, his attention on a pile of new books in the tent.
"Where did these come from?"
"Alina brought them from the children's shelter while you were away," Ino said, pointing to the books. "They're full of interesting stories."
"That's good," Sasha murmured. "Do you remember what Tallulah told us?"
"About changing our names?"
Sasha nodded. "I've decided. How about Faust?"
Ino laughed and pulled a book from the stack, a play titled Faust.
"Look! This book is called Faust!"
Sasha frowned slightly. "Then you can pick a name from it."
Flipping through the pages, Ino found a character interacting with Faust. "I'll be Mephisto then."
[Generator Energy Upgrade] research was completed. Tallulah heard the steady hum of gears from the workshop. A nearby infected worker reassured her it was a normal occurrence after a research upgrade was delivered.
Today was different, though—they needed to dismantle the outer supports of the Generator. It wasn't a lengthy process but required solid expertise.
If they accidentally removed the wrong part, they'd face Alina's wrath, which wasn't something anyone wanted.
"Alright, everyone, let's dismantle the Generator's outer frame."
The other four hesitated. Gatling was worried about being blamed for any damage, while the three infected feared a supposed curse.
"We've already prepared thoroughly," Tallulah said, leading the way. "Will you let trivial fears betray the Generator's trust in you?"
Gatling coughed awkwardly. "Alright, boss, you're in charge."
Tallulah shot him a glare, and the others chimed in, "We'll follow your lead."
"You lot..." she sighed. "We'll deal with this later. Let's not keep the Generator waiting."
Wang Zhan checked the Generator's interface again. Usually, upgrading this tech would automatically activate the second-level steam function. Why wasn't it responding?
Tallulah led her team to the Generator, instructing everyone to stand back. Following the blueprint's guidance, they began dismantling key supports. As the steel structure cracked and fell away, a surge of heat burst from the steam core, drenching Tallulah in sweat.
Looking up at the now-exposed core, she marveled at the intense molten glow. How hot was it? Perhaps even hotter than her own arts.
Workers started collecting the discarded steel for reuse.
"So hot—"
Tallulah tugged at her collar for relief but was met with only more heat. She couldn't take her eyes off the Generator.
"The Generator has issued a new task! Tallulah!"