Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 256

Chapter 256

While blending into the night, Kait and Emotion searched for a place where intelligent life might dwell. As they flew around, certain things gradually became visible.

"The desert is vast... Could this be the reason the Federation abandoned this planet?"

'Yes. It's believed that a sudden environmental shift drastically reduced the habitable zones for intelligent life.'

"Hmm...?"

A drastic reduction in habitable zones for intelligent life. Come to think of it, Earth, where Kait and the others had once lived, had experienced similar environmental changes. Kait still didn't know the exact reason why Earth had come so close to extinction, but perhaps without the Federation's intervention, Earth might have ended up like this planet.

That said, if Emotion was correct, intelligent life still survived on Mardila. Despite catastrophic environmental changes, the inhabitants of Mardila had managed to survive somehow.

Whether they could regain a civilization capable of reaching for the universe again remained uncertain, but at the very least, it was permissible to quietly root for such a future in one's heart.

"Oh? That sound is...?"

A whooshing sound, followed by a steady clanking, came from the direction of the eastern horizon. It was gradually approaching. Kait thought for a moment, then searched for a place to hide.

He concealed himself near a suitable boulder and waited for the source of the approaching sound.

The sound, like a cry, continued without pause. Kait somehow found it familiar. It was one of the essential sounds when studying Earth's culture.

"A steam engine...?"

'Yes. It seems to be a steam engine. However...'

Even though it was night, the starlight made it not entirely dark. Once the eyes adjusted, it was possible to maintain a decent field of vision. Thanks to the results of body modification, it was incomparably better than when they were on Earth. As they waited, the silhouette of the source of the sound slowly came into view. It was large. And unsurprisingly, its appearance didn't match anything from Kait's memories.

The part that advanced while pushing aside the sand resembled a swimmer doing the butterfly stroke. Behind it, a large cloud of sand rose, suggesting some kind of propulsion mechanism was at work. However, what was moving it wasn't something like the trains or steamships Kait had seen before.

"A house... No, an apartment complex?"

'What a strange sight. A massive apartment complex swimming through the desert sea.'

Simply put, Emotion's description was probably the most accurate. An apartment complex was moving through the desert sea. That was the easiest way to understand it.

With a roaring sound and massive jets of steam shooting from both sides, the mobile apartment slid past in front of Kait and the others. It was impressive, but he didn't feel any desire to ride it.

"...It seems more civilization remains than I expected."

Blocking the kicked-up sand with a barrier, Kait muttered. It was clear that the exterior was made of reinforced steel. Considering its size, it undoubtedly required advanced technology.

He had never seen such a massive land vehicle even on Earth. Perhaps the Federation had been too hasty in concluding that civilization had been lost.

'I don't think so.'

"You don't?"

'No. There were no signs of life inside that thing.'

"You mean..."

'Yes.'

As they watched the mobile apartment move away, Emotion made a whirring sound. It wasn't a sound of dissatisfaction, but rather one that suggested she was checking something.

'It's probably running out of control.'

***

Giving up on chasing the mobile apartment, Kait and Emotion resumed their journey through the desert.

Even so, the topic of conversation remained focused on that moving structure.

"No signs of life. Yet it keeps moving. Powered by a steam engine... How?"

'Well, I'm not sure. But there are a few things I do know.'

"Such as?"

'Without a doubt, the output of this planet's steam engines is not normal.'

"Huh?"

'It's definitely a steam engine, but the mechanism that generates the steam—or the materials used—those are what's unusual.'

It was certainly strange. Enough output to move a building that looked like an apartment complex. And at considerable speed. The materials were also intriguing. It was definitely some kind of steel, but still...

"I wonder how long that thing's been running. I doubt it's been going for five hundred cycles."

'Right. There's no record of such a bizarre machine in the Federation's archives. If they'd been observing, it wouldn't be strange for someone to have witnessed it.'

Emotion's response was logical. But that only naturally led to more questions.

Unfortunately, those questions didn't help resolve the situation.

"If that's the case, then it must have started moving after civilization collapsed. Does that mean the inhabitants of this planet possessed some special condition that allowed them to maintain knowledge and technology independent of civilization?"

'Oh?'

If anything, it only deepened the mystery.

***

The questions had multiplied, but their priorities remained unchanged. They needed to find a settlement of intelligent life and update their translation interface to the language currently in use.

Investigating the planet's history and capturing Dangaresion would come afterward. Emotion was likely sending real-time reports to the Federation, so even footage of the mobile apartment was probably being transmitted.

Imagining how Asheid or Terapolapaneshio would react to that footage was oddly amusing.

'Captain. Detecting what appears to be intelligent life in the southeast. Likely a settlement.'

"Understood. Let's head there without being seen."

The horizon was beginning to lighten. It seemed the night was nearly over. Kait deployed a barrier to hide them from view and flew southeast. Before long, something resembling a walled city came into sight.

It was likely a sand barrier. A large amount of sand had piled up near the western wall, and it looked like it might soon spill over. However, the wall itself didn't budge even with the sand pressing against it. A massive steel plate was majestically holding back the sand.

An iron wall. And from within the city, several plumes of steam smoke rose. It seemed that steam engines were still in use here as well.

"A planet of sand, steel, and steam, huh? Mardila really is a strange place."

'Whether civilization still exists or they're merely operating what was left behind—the questions just keep piling up.'

"For now, let's get inside the city before anyone notices us."

There were no signs of intelligent life near the western wall. Despite the sand pressing up against it, there didn't seem to be any guards stationed there. In other words, the wall wasn't built to protect the city from external threats.

Landing on the western wall, Kait concealed both his presence and appearance as he descended further into the city. Until the residents began to stir, they would remain hidden. Just because dawn had broken didn't mean society would suddenly spring to life. Until the surroundings awoke and the usual bustle returned, the two of them would have some idle time.

'Captain. Regarding the state of this planet...'

"Yeah?"

'It seems the Federation's estimates were accurate. Based on the plant distribution and desert expansion from five hundred cycles ago, it's almost certain that intelligent life either went extinct or regressed to a point where they couldn't maintain civilization.'

"And yet, there are all sorts of strange remnants, aren't there?"

So far, neither Kait nor Emotion had encountered a living intelligent being from Mardila. While leaning against a wall in the shadows, Emotion continued to scan for information without letting her guard down. In times like this, it was best not to interrupt her.

'That's what I find strange too. That mobile apartment clearly started operating after the conclusion that civilization had collapsed. There's just so much we don't understand.'

"All the more reason to investigate thoroughly."

A report was already being submitted to the council of the Central Star Cluster. Before long, the Federation Congress would be informed of Mardila's current state.

What kind of judgment they would pass on Mardila and its people—Kait had no idea.