Once the expedition set out, Eren and Gale were positioned at the center of the group, protected along with the supply convoy.
For the most part, they chose routes through open plains, only opting to pass through forests and hills if a very long detour was absolutely necessary.
The first day of marching went smoothly. Whenever a red flare lit up the sky, the people in the center of the column would sit down to rest, while the outer rifle squads and the Scout Regiment eliminated all Titans within a certain radius before resuming the march, to avoid frequent stops and delays.
At first, everyone was very nervous, but after seeing how the Titans were shot down the moment they appeared by the Gatling machine gun, they gradually relaxed and chatted whenever they had free time.
Many members of the group were originally from the Wall Maria region, so to make sure they wouldn't get lost, they recruited many of Maria's original inhabitants.
"Tonight we'll spend the night in an abandoned village."
Several members of the transport and construction teams were from this area, and it was they who guided the teams here.
After eliminating all the Titans, everyone except those on guard entered the old stone houses to rest.
When Gale arrived at the entrance of the village, he saw many people helping to dig a pit. As he approached to ask, he learned that they were digging a grave.
Upon returning to their homeland and their village, they found that everything had changed. The once-bustling village was now deserted.
Perhaps moved by the scene, everyone spontaneously helped bury the bones in the village.
A man of about thirty knelt before the grave, tears streaming down his face: "Mom, rest in peace. Your son has avenged you."
His knees and forehead were pressed against the earth, the place where he had grown up and spent the first half of his life.
Did he play hide-and-seek with his friends as a child beneath the sycamore tree at the entrance of the village? Did his mother used to take him around the village and help him work in the fields?
He once had everything, but now he has nothing left.
Gale once again felt that what he had done had meaning. If he had done nothing, this man might have been sent to Wall Maria by the former government last year and killed by the Titans.
"Life is precious and irreplaceable. We must learn to respect life," Gale thought to himself.
Once people's basic needs—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—are met, they will inevitably begin to think about other things.
There is surely a war going on in the world right now, on the other side of the sea.
How many more children are displaced, and how many people, like the man before us, cannot return to their hometowns?
Gale was somewhat sentimental; he hated war and everything related to it.
If he could, he would like to stay on the farm until the end of his life, where he could spend the rest of his days shoveling cow manure.
But no, he had to keep moving forward.
His hands were stained with blood: from the Military Police during the coup d'état, from the nobles involved in the Female Titan incident.
Many people had died at his hands.
Sooner or later, Paradis Island would have to face the outside world.
Once everyone learned the truth, Gale would push for the people within the walls to connect with the outside world.
Paradis Island still had many shortcomings, and building it alone would be very difficult. If necessary, they would have to resort to negotiation or even plundering.
"That future won't come too late; this man might join a new unit and die on foreign soil," Gale thought as he watched the man cry before his mother's grave.
But there was no choice but to move forward.
…
Gale lay on the bed, thinking that mutual understanding between people is something very difficult.
He seemed to understand, to some extent, the importance of the "Human Instrumentality Project."
But a world made up only of orange juice is quite boring; he still wanted to see the landscapes of the world...
"I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally. If everything could end, I'd like to leave it all behind and go on a journey."
He fell asleep with that dream in his heart.
…
The expedition continued its march, establishing outposts along the way.
In six days, they covered half of the planned route and rested midway.
Supplies arrived from the front, and the outposts were quite secure under the protection of the Gatling machine guns.
The reconnaissance troops and firing squads eliminated nearby Titans daily. According to the supply officer, although they were on edge during the journey, they did not encounter any Titans.
All the Titans near this route had been wiped out.
After all, the vanguard had carried out a major purge first, and the troops that followed continued slaughtering Titans.
Even if a Titan accidentally wandered near the battle line, it would be immediately detected, lured to the outpost, and killed.
As long as there is enough firepower, Titans pose no threat.
"There's still no news of Dina."
"We don't know where that blonde Titan has gone. The territory of Wall Maria is immense, and they've only covered a small section."
"I hope they can capture her alive."
During the second half of the journey, the expedition had to cross a forest.
Upon arriving here, the team was reduced from 600 to 300 people due to the establishment of outposts.
In such terrain, it would be safer with fewer people, so they would march at night and quickly cross the forest.
Eren moved toward the outer edge of the group, remaining constantly alert for the strange creatures.
During this time, they encountered two Abnormal Titans. One of them was lured after Eren prepared a weapon, and it was killed without Eren needing to transform.
The other was a surprise attack at night.
The abnormal suddenly leaped over a tree and nearly threw itself at the crowd, but fortunately Eren reacted quickly and transformed into a Titan to catch it before it fell.
During the attack, many trees were broken. This time, the Gatling machine gun was not used; Levi dealt with the strange creature.
Walking through the forest, one could feel an indescribably oppressive atmosphere.
An enemy whose whereabouts are unknown is the most terrifying. However, there were no major incidents, and they managed to cross without problems.
The road ahead would be much easier.
They crossed rivers on foot, traveled day and night, braving wind and rain, passing through ancient villages and towns.
The journey of 130 kilometers would only take two days on horseback if there were no Titans.
But they walked for eleven days and still saw no end. The number of people in the group dropped from six hundred to three hundred, and then to one hundred.
The fifteenth outpost was established, leaving behind twenty men and four Gatling machine guns to guard it.
The remaining eighty men drove the oxen pulling the cargo forward.
Eren suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the official road around him, his gaze distant.
He crouched down and picked up a piece of dry wood from the ground.
"We've arrived…" Eren murmured with a cold expression. "This… is the Shiganshina region…"
Gale, who was nearby, thought: "If I remember correctly, he and Mikasa once came here to gather firewood, carrying baskets on their backs."
His hometown is right ahead! Suddenly, he began to run, following the route he remembered, and hurried to the front of the group.
The wind brushed against his cheeks, and after crossing the small hill, the path suddenly opened up before him.
Before them stood a fifty-meter-high wall, and on the plain stretching out at their feet, stone houses with red roofs filled the landscape, while several Titans wandered in the distance.
"I'm back! I'm here!"
"After a year, he's finally returned!"
"We've reached the Shiganshina region!"