Columbia, land of the free, land of opportunity.
As a nation existing in western Terra alongside Bolivar, Columbia transformed from a small territory composed of several mobile cities to a large nation of nearly a hundred mobile cities and towns in just two hundred years.
To this day, Columbia's territory continues to expand, and on its borders, countless newly established frontier towns still absorb refugees and pioneers from all over the world.
In the eyes of foreigners, Columbia is a land of abundance, filled with opportunities and wealth.
Columbia opens its doors, welcoming all immigrants to join this united nation.
In Columbia, all people are born equal, and there is never any racial discrimination; even Sarkaz are not contemptuously called Devils.
In Columbia, everyone can enjoy the most advanced medical technology; even if one contracts oripathy, the nation provides medical insurance for free treatment, and no one will ostracize or discriminate against oripathy patients.
In Columbia, there are countless job opportunities; whether joining a pioneering group in the frontier or finding a position in already developed territories, everyone can obtain a decent job.
In Columbia, as long as one is diligent, hardworking, and down-to-earth, whether you are a researcher, government employee, doctor, lawyer, businessman, worker, or farmer, everyone can easily live in a big house, drive a small car, and eat a cheap fried chicken for one… cough cough, for one Gold Coupon.
At least from the colorful posters and neatly printed promotional magazines in Sargon, Columbia truly is a paradise where everyone can find happiness.
The question is… who is "everyone"?
Clearly, not everyone is qualified to be a member of "everyone."
"Ha… they said this was the most advanced city, they should at least try to cover it up a little."
In the evening, the setting sun shone between the distant towering buildings, and the long shadow of a thirty-story building stretched out, covering Goki's figure and prematurely announcing the arrival of night.
Standing in front of a cluster of abandoned, low-rise unfinished buildings, Goki sighed as he looked at the flamboyant and eye-catching, yet weathered and peeling, colorful graffiti on the walls, and the discarded needles scattered on the ground.
On the street not far away, dilapidated tents were pitched along the road; some emitted sounds of deep sleep, while others had strange low moans.
Several children of different races were playing football on the dry dirt, dressed in worn clothes but full of vitality.
One could vaguely see several dark Originium stones on their shoulders and calves.
A Sarkaz, yawning and dressed in dirty clothes, quickly walked up to a Feline man with a stubbly face and a tattered coat.
The Sarkaz glanced left and right, stuffing a few damp Columbia Gold Coupons he held into the Feline man's hand. The Feline man also vigilantly scanned his surroundings for a while, and only after confirming no one was watching did he pull out a bag of light orange powder from his Pregnant.
"Put your hands up now!"
"Hands up, Smokestone Administration! Get on the ground!"
Just then, several officers in black uniforms, holding shields and batons, suddenly sprang out from a nearby alley. The two men making the transaction immediately took off running.
"Ice Wall, rise!"
Among the police was a Caster who waved his staff, instantly freezing the Feline man's feet with ice. A group of officers immediately rushed forward and pinned him to the ground.
"I surrender, I surrender, I can't breathe—"
"Secure the perimeter! Sir, you are now being arrested for illegally selling Originium! You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say will be used as evidence in court!"
The entire arrest process was smooth and fluid, a classic pursuit procedure.
"Goki, why are they fighting?"
Beside Goki, Skadi held a large bag of Saint Foucault City local snacks, biting into half a hot dog covered in mayonnaise, curiously looking at the arrest scene.
"Let's not get involved. I'll teach you slowly later—sigh, I haven't seen much good, but the chaotic dealings and violent enforcement are well-practiced."
Holding Skadi's small hand, Goki glanced at the still struggling Feline. He had no interest in saving a real criminal.
Although he looked like a drug dealer, this Feline man should actually be considered an arms dealer—Originium powder can be processed into simple casting units.
While Columbia allows holding small firearms, crossbows, and staffs—illegally selling Originium and not paying taxes to the Originium Management Association is a serious crime!
The law enforcement officers in front of them were from the Smokestone Administration, officially known as the "Bureau for the Administration of Tobacco, Alcohol, Arts Units, and Originium Products," specializing in regulating the illegal trade of these high-tax products.
And in Columbia, there are many different law enforcement departments across various states; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a police state.
After arriving in Saint Foucault City, Goki and Skadi first explored the city for a while, entering the most bustling commercial district from customs.
The massive mobile city is not a single entity. Taking Saint Foucault City as an example, it has over twenty districts of varying sizes and shapes, facilitating movement and separation, with each district being a mobile city.
As the state capital, the governor, mayor, and other elite residents live in the affluent and luxurious core urban area, while other districts each perform their respective duties.
As a typical modern mobile city, apart from the bottom layer of the mobile city, most of which is used for the power system that drives the city's movement, the upper deck and several underground levels of the city are allocated various functions.
The industrial zone is filled with heavy industrial factories emitting thick black smoke—steel mills, chemical plants, Originium refineries. All consumable items, from white to gold, found in games are produced here.
The agricultural zone is covered with various greenhouses, hydroponic farms, and large livestock breeding farms. Although it cannot meet the food demands of Saint Foucault City's millions of residents and requires support from surrounding mobile towns, it must at least ensure the ability to be self-sufficient for a short period.
The consumer goods district also occupies an area, producing daily necessities for life, and even specialty staff shops.
Of course, there are also residential areas, commercial shopping districts, and even entertainment facilities like amusement parks and zoos. As one of Columbia's largest cities, it also offers the most luxurious enjoyments.
The largest and most numerous districts are the dozen or so research zones and top-tier university campuses.
Saint Clara Valley, the world's research capital, has a core area of nearly several hundred square kilometers, with hundreds of research institutes and technology companies, employing hundreds of thousands of related professionals.
It can be said that everything in Saint Foucault City exists for these Geniuses, the smartest people on Terra.
Every moment, world-changing inventions and discoveries might emerge here, and the Columbian government will protect these research institutions, ensuring their patents are legally held.
This afternoon, Goki took Skadi to buy many things in the bustling commercial district—customs, after all, must be connected to the commercial district to keep travelers buying.
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Goki bought Skadi various Columbian specialty high-calorie fast food, beautiful new clothes, and also a mobile phone for Skadi to facilitate their communication—nothing makes him happier than spending money on the girl he holds every night.
This place is indeed different from the backward Sargon; it is an advanced civilized society of Terra, even having a cyberpunk feel.
Goki could see flashing, dynamic billboards on the high-rise buildings, sweeping robots walking everywhere on the crosswalks, and even hovering guide drones in the shopping malls.
Indeed, just as advertised, this is Terra's paradise—of course, only for the wealthy.
Following the coordinates sent by Kaltsit, after finishing their stroll, Goki took Skadi out of the commercial district and headed towards the sparsely populated outskirts of the city.
Here are the few districts in Saint Foucault City that have been completely forgotten.
Here, there are dilapidated buildings, streets covered in trash, and the occasional scaffolding long rusted.
Once, this place was also planned to be a prosperous corner of Saint Foucault City, but that was many years ago.
The enthusiasm of the Great Expansion era has long departed from this place, and developers have long since fled, leaving only low-rise buildings and the wanderers who roam among them.
Although this place also bears the name "community," the city government would ceremoniously propose an old city renovation plan and a job creation plan for the unemployed every day, but ultimately, they always ended up unresolved amidst the squabbling of council members.
No matter how unwilling one is to mention the name, three entire districts of street areas constitute Saint Foucault City's slum.
This place is filled with wanderers struggling to survive. They lack proof of fixed residence, thus cannot find work, and lack proof of work, thus cannot find fixed residence, ultimately falling into a vicious cycle and forced to become vagrants.
Of course, there are also such wanderers in other districts, and many people barely making ends meet in low-end residential areas, but they at least have a stable job and a residence that provides credit proof.
Apart from these three districts, wanderers are targeted and driven out by the local city police, and over time, they still gather here.
The district Goki was in was even more special; even people from the other two slums avoided contact with residents here—
This is the area where Infected individuals live. Even though the Columbian government explicitly prohibits the establishment of Infected quarantine zones, invisible discrimination has led Infected individuals to spontaneously move together.
There is no such thing as a human paradise; Columbia's moon is not perfectly round, and every resident who has traveled thousands of miles to the Columbia region deeply understands this truth.
Gangs are rampant, conflicts are constant, people die every day, even the security forces are unwilling to venture deep here, and politicians avoid discussing this place.
Who would have thought that in other districts less than ten kilometers away, it was so vibrant and extravagant?
"It feels… a bit desolate here."
As an Aegir, Skadi didn't understand the society of the land dwellers. Not long ago, she was amazed by the dense crowds in the commercial district.
But now, even as simple as she was, looking at the desolate and withered appearance of the streets, and the recent scene of police arresting criminals, she felt a huge sense of contrast.
She didn't understand which of these two places was better or worse, but she still found it a bit strange.
"This is Columbia, Skadi. You, no, we both have a lot to learn—I'll teach you slowly."
Sighing, Goki felt a mix of pleasure from guessing the truth and sadness from seeing it.
The most advanced city, no matter how it appears, is still the same old story; there's nothing new under the sun.
The world is still awful. Although it's not as chaotic as Yharnam, the people here are still struggling—no matter how strong the Old Hunter is, he can't solve social problems.
"Let's go, don't think about this for now—Kaltsit is temporarily staying in this slum, I don't know why, but this damned place has no navigation at all, it's really hard to find."
Looking at the blank navigation map in his hand, Goki knew that such a conflict-ridden slum would not have its map data uploaded to the network.
"Oh, it's okay, we can take our time looking. Anyway, we often camp out in the wilderness, so finding a place to just lie down is fine."
Skadi wasn't scared at all. She finished her last hot dog, mayonnaise on the corner of her mouth, and gave Goki a faint smile.
To her, this huge city was no different from Terra's wilderness.
"Why are you in such a hurry to find Kaltsit? We can go a few days later!"
Advanced or backward, as long as Goki was by her side, Skadi felt that this trip was interesting enough!
As for that woman Kaltsit, she didn't want to see her at all.
"Alas, this place is different from the wilderness. If we act too out of line, the security forces might come—though there's nothing to be afraid of."
Smiling and sighing, Goki cheered up and took Skadi's small hand.
"However, maybe we can ask a local resident, for example—"
As he spoke, a round pebble appeared in Goki's other hand.
With force from both hands, Goki gently threw the pebble in the direction from which the gaze, which had been on him for a while, was coming.
"Eh? Ah!"
Bang!
Soon, on a low green tree, accompanied by a small gasp and a collision sound, a small figure plopped down.
"You noticed me early on—eh heh?"
Falling from the treetop, the Liberi girl with long brown hair was flustered at first, but quickly regained her composure, sticking out her small tongue and somewhat awkwardly shaking the large gardening shears in her hand.
"Um, ma'am, sir, if I said I'm a gardener pruning the street trees here, would you believe me?"
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