Carla, of course, wasn't dead. No one could take away a life Zenith refused to let go of—not even Jesus himself. He had said so, and so it was.
Spinal injuries would have been quite tricky for the SPW Foundation in the past, but Zenith had provided a little bit of assistance.
He had provided SPW's research department with samples of Healing Potions and Regeneration Potions. Even with the exact same raw materials, using science to replicate the miraculous potion brewing of Minecraft was no easy feat.
But after so many years, they had made some minor breakthroughs. At the very least, many conditions that humanity had previously been helpless against could now be cured with these new serums.
This included irreversible spinal damage.
Grisha wept tears of joy. Anyone who hadn't experienced the sheer relief of regaining what was lost could never understand this feeling. Maintaining his professionalism as a doctor, he refrained from recklessly touching the patient. But when he saw young Eren and Mikasa follow them into the room, a heartfelt smile finally graced his lips.
The projection of the future Eren vanished into a burst of static noise. There would no longer be an Attack Titan named Eren in this world. Grisha resolved to spend the twilight of his life properly accompanying his family.
Inheritors of the Titan powers simultaneously bore the Curse of Ymir; upon gaining the power of the Titans, their remaining lifespan was reduced to a mere thirteen years.
But his wife was alive, and his family was whole. With that, Grisha had the strength to face anything.
As for Hannes, he had already reported back to his squad. The regime inside the walls maintained four major military branches: the Military Police Brigade that guarded the royal capital, the Garrison Regiment responsible for public order and daily defense, the Scout Regiment dedicated to exploring the world outside the walls, and the Cadet Corps for new recruits.
Hannes was an ordinary soldier in the Garrison Regiment, a role that essentially functioned as a mix between a beat cop and a city guard.
Bound by duty, he needed to do everything in his power to maintain order inside the walls during this crisis, so he had bid Zenith an early farewell.
Meanwhile, Zenith had strapped a modified set of ODM gear to his waist, preparing to pay a visit to the main protagonist faction of this world: the Scout Regiment.
Leaving the newly acquired land in the hands of the SPW Foundation couldn't have been more reassuring. Not to mention, Serie was over there researching language magic, so there was absolutely no need to worry about any unexpected accidents.
Outside the Scout Regiment's headquarters, Zenith slowly brought his horse-drawn carriage to a halt, casually waving a greeting to the guards stationed at the entrance as if they were old friends.
"Sir, this is a restricted military zone! Civilians are not permitted inside!"
The guard took a step forward, exuding a fierce, battle-hardened aura. Among the four military branches, only the Scout Regiment engaged in direct combat with Titans. As a result, their soldiers were of the highest caliber and boasted the greatest combat strength.
Correspondingly, their mortality rate was also consistently the highest.
"No, no, no." Zenith pointed to the carriage behind him. "I'm here to deliver supplies. These are prototypes for a new type of weaponry. I have a feeling your commander will be very interested."
"Sir, that is not for me to decide. You will have to wait here. Furthermore, we need to inspect your carriage."
The guard's tone softened slightly, though he remained firm. They were indeed in desperate need of better weapons and equipment, but a soldier's caution meant he wasn't going to just take Zenith at his word.
Zenith made a "be my guest" gesture, then casually raised the stakes.
"If we can reach an agreement and your regiment chooses to purchase our equipment, the SPW Foundation is willing to cover a portion of the pensions for the Scout Regiment's fallen soldiers."
At this, the guard's expression shifted completely. Dropping his strictly businesslike demeanor, he offered Zenith a solemn, respectful military salute.
Regardless of whether the deal went through, that single promise was enough to earn the soldier's utmost respect.
In this day and age, there were hardly any merchant guilds willing to even make such a claim, let alone actually follow through with it.
After a quick inspection of the cargo in the carriage, the guard didn't find anything suspicious.
The equipment in the back looked nearly identical to their standard-issue ODM gear; at a glance, he couldn't spot any major modifications.
"I will report this to the commander immediately. Please wait here."
Zenith didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, the guard returned, accompanied by a female soldier with her hair tied up in a high ponytail.
"Hange Zoe. I'm in charge of the weaponry and equipment division. If everything checks out on my end, the commander will discuss the procurement and pension details with you."
She pushed up her glasses. "Speaking personally, I really hope we can make this partnership work. But of course, that depends entirely on whether your new gear is actually worth the investment."
Hange. Having read the original manga, Zenith naturally recognized her.
A wild scientist with a borderline psychotic obsession and fanaticism for Titans. He hadn't expected her to actually have such a reliable, professional side when dealing with non-Titan matters.
Hange led Zenith to a testing ground. The area was filled with towering trees and wooden cutouts painted to look like Titans, ranging from three to over ten meters in height. It was clearly designed to simulate real-world combat scenarios in the wild.
Hange checked the time, then turned to him. "You may begin your presentation. My time is limited, so you have exactly fifteen minutes to explain the pros and cons of this new gear."
*Here we go.* Zenith excitedly pulled out a set of ODM gear and strapped it on. His excitement wasn't from interacting with a canon character, but rather because he had genuinely crafted this gear from scratch with his own two hands.
He hadn't relied entirely on Minecraft mechanics this time. Instead, he had built it using the knowledge he had accumulated over the years, combined with just a little bit of technical support from the SPW Foundation staff.
For Zenith, this was a monumental, epoch-making milestone. He was finally no longer a complete academic failure!!
"This new gear features massive optimizations and improvements over your standard-issue ODM gear. First and foremost is the propulsion system."
Zenith began his detailed pitch. "Your current propulsion system relies on gas refined from Iceburst Stone to fuel your mid-air jet acceleration and 3D maneuvering. However, that conversion process actually results in a massive waste of resources."
"Instead, I've opted to use raw Iceburst Stones engraved with runes, paired with an energy conversion magic array to power the entire rig. Not only does this increase the gear's operational battery life by five times, but it also provides a few special functions."
Hange immediately interrupted his explanation. "Wait, did you just say *runes* and *magic arrays*?"
In a world utterly devoid of mysticism, throwing around terms like that was bound to draw skepticism. Zenith had fully anticipated this. And the best way to shatter skepticism was with a practical demonstration.
He drew his blades. As Zenith squeezed the triggers on the grips, a brilliant crimson glow instantly flared to life along the steel.
"Scorching Blade, Armor Piercing, and Power. These enchanted blades boast vastly superior attack power and durability. They could easily slice clean through solid diamond."
As he spoke, Zenith pressed the grapple-launch button. A phantom streak of light instantly shot out, embedding itself deep into a nearby tree trunk. The glowing tether flashed, and in a burst of purple particles, Zenith instantly teleported onto the trunk.
It was the teleportation effect of an Ender Pearl.
"In addition to the standard tether mode, the grapples are equipped with two charges of instant teleportation. This will drastically increase a soldier's ability to survive in a pinch."
Hange's chest heaved rapidly, a visible wave of sheer, unadulterated excitement crawling across her face.
"How did you do that?! Tell me right now! Hurry, hurry, hurry, I can't wait! Does magic actually exist?! Or is this some kind of advanced technology I've never heard of?!"
Looking at Hange's crazed, borderline yandere expression—looking as if she were about to eat him alive—Zenith fell completely silent.
*Seriously, this woman switches between her two personas way too fast!*
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