Gale smiled coldly as he watched this; he had expected it. First, he wanted to know what Eren would do at the moment when the memories of the past and the present began to make sense.
As Napoleon once said, to conquer everything, one must first resolve all kinds of internal problems, and Eren, at this moment, was a ticking time bomb that needed to be dealt with.
"Are you on my side or against me…" Gale murmured with a cold smile.
Ymir, beside him, silently drew a knife, staring directly at Eren, waiting for him to lose control so she could attack.
"Eren… Eren…"
"Hey, what's wrong, Eren…?"
"I just turned into a Titan not long ago. It shouldn't have been enough to make me faint from exhaustion, right? Or is it a side effect of my Titan's power?" Eren opened his eyes at the faint and indistinct calls.
The dim firelight, the white steam surrounding him, the sticky flesh and blood, and Hange's large face loomed before him.
Ah, right… I already placed Dina Fritz onto the transport platform.
"I'm fine, Captain Hange…" Eren, holding his head, stood up, and Hange used a knife to cut away the strips of flesh that were connected to his body.
Eren emerged from the nape of the Titan and looked at Dina, who was tied to the transport platform.
"Are you really okay?" Hange asked with concern. "You looked terrible just now."
"Really…?" Eren scratched his head, forcing a smile.
"Go back and get a full check-up with the doctor," Hange ordered, stroking her chin. "Even those with the power of the Titans can get sick like they have a simple cold."
"Maybe." Eren rubbed his forehead.
"Let's return inside the city walls first," Gale said from the side, waiting to see how much Eren had obtained from his memories. "We'll rest once we get back."
The group escorted the transport vehicle back to the Karanes region.
After moving Dina Fritz into the tent inside the wall, Hange ordered her men to pierce her left and right abdomen with two thick tree stumps, then tied her wrists and calves with wire and rope, firmly securing her to the ground.
Hange stayed inside the tent, saying she was going to study Dina. She was very excited, as it was the first time they had captured a Titan alive within the walls.
Judging by her expression, she had no intention of sleeping that night. Back in the resting area, Gale found Eren and told him, "If you have any problems, you can come talk to me."
Late at night, when everything was silent, Gale's door was knocked on.
"It's me, Eren. Can I come in?" With a creak, the wooden door opened.
Gale held a candle, its flame flickering.
"Come in."
The two sat on the bed. Eren wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.
His mind was in total chaos. He grabbed his head, opened his mouth, and closed it again without making a sound.
"Eren, when you touched Dina Fritz, did you see something?" Gale asked without hesitation.
"How did you know?" Eren suddenly looked up.
Gale looked at Eren and thought to himself: I know because your father's goal was the Founding Titan, and within you, you possess both the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan. So when you touched a Titan with royal blood, you obtained memories.
Gale had nothing to hide; this was a new future, so he hoped to change things. However, Eren was not someone he wished to trust.
"I don't know exactly what happened…" Eren pursed his lips. "When I came into contact with that Titan, I saw many strange things."
"For example?"
"Gale, do you remember? When Armin and I went to see the forge, that was the first time I transformed into a Titan." Eren looked at the palm of his hand. "I don't know how to describe it, but that noon… it might not have been me who wanted to go see the forge…"
Eren's words sounded strange at first, but Gale quickly understood what he meant.
So that's really how it is…?
Even before today, Gale had already vaguely sensed it.
Eren's transformation into a Titan had been too coincidental; it just so happened that the foundry had very little staff.
Gale never told anyone, but he secretly calculated that if Eren had not transformed into a Titan to help with iron smelting and construction while at the factory, the overall efficiency would have been delayed by about one-third, and the overall progress of the project would have been delayed by nearly ten days.
Based on this premise, on the day the Military Police attacked, they would not yet have had enough weapons and ammunition to carry out a coup, and therefore would not have been able to launch a lightning attack on the capital the next day.
Ten days may seem like a short time, but there are many variables and uncertainties within those ten days.
After the disappearance of the Military Police, would the central government realize the problem and risk launching a coup without sufficient armament…?
Even though it was only delayed by ten days, the possible repercussions are countless. In the worst case, the coup might not succeed even before the end of the year, or it might even fail.
If the coup fails, the glass greenhouse program cannot be implemented on a large scale…
Upon closer analysis, the moment Eren transformed into a Titan was quite ingenious.
At that critical moment, due to an accident, he transformed into a Titan.
In retrospect, that day Eren did not lose control when he transformed into a Titan for the first time. When Gale stood on the palm of Eren's hand and looked into the Titan's eyes, what he saw was not confusion or helplessness.
"Besides the blast furnace, what else did you see?" He showed no abnormal expression, but he understood where this was going. "For example, did you see something you didn't recognize?"
"Unknown things…" Eren thought deeply. "I feel like I'm flying through the sky, and many people have arrived on the island… everything is on fire…"
"Giants… So many Colossal Titans…"
"Ah, right… I also heard your voice…"
"We have to hurry…"
"I heard you say that."
"And my father… My father appeared in a strange place, transformed into a Titan. I don't know how it happened… but… it seems like my father killed the King of the Walls and stole the power of the Founding Titan…"
"I saw someone I don't recognize…"
"Gale, why do you think I'm seeing these things?"
"Will those things really happen? I've seen so many people die, so many people have died…"
"Allen, do you believe me?" Gale and Eren looked at each other.
Eren was stunned. At that moment, saying he believed him seemed weak and powerless, but he instinctively nodded.
It was Gale who brought him out of the border. To him, Gale was like a reliable older brother who always took care of him, Mikasa, and Armin. It seemed that Gale could solve any problem.
"Leave everything to me." Gale looked at him silently. "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen."
"As long as we keep moving forward, one day we will surely reach freedom."
"I will lead Paradis Island to victory."
Hearing that determined voice, Eren's heart gradually calmed down. Although he still did not understand what had happened, someone had shown him the right direction.
…
That same afternoon, Gale wrote an urgent letter.
The letter read as follows: "Commander Erwin, the Titan of Dina Fritz has been captured. Please transfer Annie to the Karanes District. I will find a way for Dina Fritz to inherit the Female Titan."
The letter was handed to Levi and Hannes for delivery, and they departed from Karanes during the night, riding toward the capital.
A few days later, Levi escorted a wooden carriage pulled by horses to Eubetia.
The carriage was covered with a thick tarp and escorted by a full unit of armed men.
Inside was Annie, sealed within a hardened shell.
Although she looked like a girl, she was a warrior of Marley. That is why no one looked at her as a child—she was the enemy that everyone had to crush.