The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate when Nangong Wentian stood at the orphanage gate. He carried a faded canvas backpack containing all the possessions he had accumulated in his twelve years of life—an encrypted hard drive, a few changes of clothes, and the protective charm Xiao Guang had secretly slipped to him last night.
The Director stood under the porch, supported by Sister Mary. The morning breeze stirred the Director's graying hair, and her aged face held an indescribably complex expression. This child was too special. From the moment he was abandoned on a stormy night as an infant, she had known he was extraordinary.
"Are you really leaving?" the Director asked, her voice hoarse.
Nangong Wentian turned and looked earnestly at the old woman who had raised him for twelve years. The Director's face was full of wrinkles, marks of a lifetime of toil for the orphanage. Her eyes were somewhat cloudy, but they remained warm when they looked at him.
"Yes," he nodded, offering no further words.
The Director was silent for a long time. She had known this child would fly away sooner or later—ever since he rewired the orphanage's power supply, ever since he smelted that strange alloy, ever since his eyes always shone with a light beyond his years. This child did not belong to this small orphanage; he belonged to a wider world.
"Whatever you are, this will always be your home," was all the Director finally said. She had considered taking out that letter of recommendation for Erica Simmons—a friend from her youth at Morgenroete who might be able to help the boy. But in the end, she did not produce it. She believed Nangong Wentian could carve out his own path.
Nangong Wentian bowed deeply. As he straightened up, he saw Xiao Guang peeking out from behind the door.
Xiao Guang was also twelve this year, a few months younger than Nangong Wentian. He was thin and small, but his eyes were bright, always filled with a curious light. The two had grown up together in the orphanage, scavenging for electronic components in the trash heaps and studying complex circuit diagrams late into the night.
"I'm leaving," Nangong Wentian said.
Xiao Guang ran out from behind the door and pressed something into his hand. "This... a protective charm. I made it."
It was a small pendant cut from a scrap circuit board, with a few chips soldered onto it, resembling a miniature circuit diagram. The workmanship was crude, but Nangong Wentian knew Xiao Guang must have spent a long time making it.
"Wait for me," Nangong Wentian said, taking the charm and hanging it around his neck. "I'll come back for you."
Xiao Guang nodded vigorously, his eyes reddening, but he did not cry. He knew Nangong Wentian disliked tears.
The other children also ran out to see him off. Sayuri held a cloth doll, and Xiao Wu rode on the shoulders of the cook, Tanaka. Tanaka had gotten up especially early to make rice balls for Nangong Wentian's journey.
"Remember to eat. Don't go hungry," Tanaka said, stuffing the rice balls into Nangong Wentian's hand and patting his shoulder with a rough, large hand.
Sister Mary approached and straightened Nangong Wentian's collar. Her fingers were cool, her movements gentle. "Be careful on the road," she said, her voice catching slightly. She had cared for this child since he was an infant, and now he was about to fly away.
Nangong Wentian bowed deeply to everyone, then turned and left. He did not look back, because he knew that if he did, he might not be able to bear leaving.
The northbound rail train departed from a coastal city in southern Orb, traveling north along the coastline with its destination set for the capital, Orleans. Nangong Wentian sat by the window, his canvas bag resting on his lap as the train slowly pulled out of the station.
Outside the window, the scenery gradually shifted from the coconut groves of the tropical coast to the subtropical farmlands and factories. Though small, Orb was fully equipped. Relying on its neutral policies and flexible economic development strategies, this island nation had managed to survive in the crevice between Naturals and Coordinators, even developing considerable industrial strength.
As the train passed through an industrial area, Nangong Wentian saw towering chimneys and factory buildings in the distance. That was the heavy industry base of the Morgan Reti Corporation, the pillar of Orb's private heavy industry. Further away, the facilities of Morgenroete were faintly visible—the true core of Orb's military industry.
He opened his canvas bag to check its contents. An encrypted hard drive—the core of the "Star Core," containing all the technical data he had accumulated over the years, including that alloy formula and the still-immature MS design sketches. These were his greatest assets, the capital he would use to change the world.
Eight million Orb Yuan—the funds he had grown by investing after selling the "Stellar Core One" alloy formula to Director Kinoshita. For a twelve-year-old child, this was a fortune. But for what he intended to do, it was far from enough.
A change of clothes, a few old books he had brought from the orphanage, and the protective charm Xiao Guang had made for him.
The train's broadcast suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Attention, passengers. Here is today's international news. The PLANT Supreme Council announced today that it will construct three new agricultural Colony Satellites in the Lagrange Point 5 Region. The Earth Federation has expressed concern, stating that PLANT's expansion may disrupt the strategic balance in space..."
Nangong Wentian looked up at the LCD screen hanging at the front of the carriage. On the screen, a PLANT representative was speaking at a press conference, with a large diagram of a Colony Satellite's internal structure in the background. The circular residential areas, massive mirror reflectors, and precise agricultural facilities—the Coordinators were building their own home in space.
The scene switched to an Earth Federation spokesperson standing at a podium, expression serious. "PLANT's expansion must be monitored. We will not stand idly by as space is militarized unilaterally."
"Tch, here we go again," muttered a middle-aged man in the neighboring seat. "Those Coordinators are bound to cause trouble sooner or later."
"Exactly," another passenger chimed in. "I heard they're even building their own agricultural satellites now, so they won't need Earth's food anymore. In a few years, will they even need Earth's air?"
"What do you know?" a young man sitting across the aisle retorted. "PLANT was forced into existence by us Earthlings. If Naturals hadn't driven Coordinators to the brink, would they have had to go to space to build Colony Satellites?"
"What do you mean by that? Aren't Coordinators human? They're genetically modified monsters!"
"Monsters? Have you ever seen a Coordinator? Do you know how high their intelligence is? Without them, could Earth's agricultural technology have advanced so quickly?"
The argument in the train carriage gradually grew louder. Nangong Wentian listened silently, a complex mix of emotions stirring within him. He had heard this kind of debate countless times back at the orphanage. The conflict between Naturals and Coordinators was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
He recalled the historical data stored in the "Star Core." In Cosmic Era 15, George Glenn discovered Evidence 01 in Jupiter's orbit, proving the existence of extraterrestrial life. This discovery shocked the world, but it also set a dangerous precedent—the first large-scale genetic modification of humans in an attempt to create a new type of human capable of adapting to the space environment.
In Cosmic Era 22, the first Coordinators were born. They possessed extraordinary intelligence and superior physical abilities, dominating almost every field compared to Naturals. However, what followed was not human progress, but jealousy and fear. Naturals began to reject Coordinators, while Coordinators grew arrogant due to their superiority.
By Cosmic Era 30, Coordinators began migrating to space on a large scale, building the PLANT Colony Satellite cluster. The physical separation between Naturals and Coordinators only intensified the conflict between the two sides.
In Cosmic Era 50, the year he crossed into this world, the relationship between the Earth Federation and PLANT had already reached an extremely tense point. Trade sanctions, diplomatic accusations, and small-scale military conflicts were happening almost daily.
And now, in Cosmic Era 63, the footsteps of war were clearly audible.
"Attention, passengers. The next stop is Orleans. Orleans is the capital of the Orb Union and the political, economic, and cultural center of our nation. At this station, you can transfer to commuter buses heading to major corporations such as Morgenroete and the Morgan Reti Corporation. We wish you a pleasant journey."
The train began to slow down, and the scenery outside the window shifted from farmland to towering buildings. Nangong Wentian slung his canvas bag over his shoulder, preparing to disembark.
As he stood up, he realized his height only reached the middle of the train window. At twelve years old, his frame was still slender, but long-term training had given him a lean and sturdy physique. He wore an old jacket issued by the orphanage, slightly faded from washing but clean and tidy. His hair was black, a bit long, hanging over his forehead. His eyes were deep brown, calm like a pool of still water, occasionally flashing with a light that seemed beyond his years.
His face still carried the innocence of youth, but there was a composed demeanor between his brows. The children at the orphanage called him "big brother," not because he was the oldest, but because he always remained calm when others panicked and always found a way out when others felt hopeless.
The train came to a stop, and the doors opened. Nangong Wentian stepped out of the carriage and onto the platform of Orleans Station.
The capital's station was much larger than those in the south, filled with holographic advertisements and bustling crowds. Office workers in suits hurried past, students with backpacks chatted and laughed in small groups, and mothers with children waited for their trains.
Standing amidst the crowd, Nangong Wentian felt small for the first time. At the orphanage, he was everyone's support, the "genius boy" who could always solve problems. But here, in Orb's capital, he was just one among millions.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart, and followed the flow of people out of the station.
Outside the station was a spacious square, with a massive holographic projection at its center playing Orb's tourism promotional video—crystal blue seas, lush green mountains, modern cities, and that famous slogan: "Orb, a nation of neutrality and peace."
Across the square, a tall building rose from the ground, its exterior clad in dark blue glass curtain walls, with a massive logo at the top—the headquarters of Morgenroete.
Nangong Wentian stood in the square, gazing at that building. He knew that Morgenroete was the core of Orb's military industry and the primary research institution for future Mobile Suit Technology. Erica Simmons, Uzumi Nara Athha, and those who would become key figures in the future all worked in that building.
But he couldn't go there yet. He was still too weak, too young, without enough capital to engage with those people. He needed to establish himself first, to accumulate strength.
He took out the encrypted hard drive, holding it tightly in his hand. This was his only bargaining chip, his hope for changing the world.
"From today onward, everything is a new beginning," he said to himself.
He turned and left the square, walking into the streets of Orléans. According to his plan, he would rent an apartment in the capital and settle down first. Then, he would begin market research to understand the distribution of tech companies, policy directions, and the business atmosphere here. He needed to find an entry point for the Colossus Group.
The apartment he had booked online was in an alley across from the Morgenroete building, an old residential block. The landlady, Mrs. Tanaka, was a plump woman in her fifties, overly enthusiastic.
"You must be Nangong-kun, right? Oh my, so young! Coming to the capital all by yourself to make your way? Impressive!" Mrs. Tanaka looked him up and down, her eyes filled with surprise.
"Yes, please take care of me," Nangong Wentian replied politely with a bow.
"Come, come, let me show you the room," Mrs. Tanaka led him upstairs. "This room is small, but it has everything. Water, electricity, and gas are all included in the rent, so no worries. By the way, what do you do for work? You look like you're still in school."
"I… do some technical consulting work," Nangong Wentian answered vaguely.
"Technical consulting? Oh my, so young and already doing technical consulting? Impressive!" Mrs. Tanaka exclaimed in admiration. "My son, about your age, spends all day playing games…"
The room was on the third floor, by the window, offering a view of the Morgenroete building across the street. It wasn't large, only about ten square meters, but it was clean and tidy, with a bed, a desk, a small kitchen, and a private bathroom. For Nangong Wentian, this was more than enough.
After seeing Mrs. Tanaka off, he closed the door, placed his canvas bag on the bed, and walked to the window.
Outside, the Morgenroete building shimmered with a golden glow under the setting sun. Inside that building were Orb's top scientists and engineers, the most advanced research equipment, and everything he would need in the future.
But he couldn't enter yet.
"Soon," he whispered. "When I have enough capital, I'll walk in, openly and proudly."
He returned to the desk, took out the encrypted hard drive, and connected it to the network terminal in the room. The interface of the "Star Core" lit up, with familiar code scrolling across the screen. He pulled up the market research module and began gathering information on the technology industry in Orleans.
On the screen, dense data flowed down like a waterfall—Morgenroete's military-industrial operations, Morgan Reti Corporation's heavy industry, the distribution of small and medium-sized enterprises, policies and regulations, talent mobility... Each piece of data was like a puzzle piece, piecing together the economic landscape of this city.
He noticed an interesting phenomenon: although there were many tech companies in Orleans, most were concentrated in traditional manufacturing and the military-industrial sector. New energy, new materials, aerospace infrastructure—these fields were almost untouched.
"This is it." Nangong Wentian's eyes lit up.
He quickly compiled a market analysis report, listing new energy and aerospace infrastructure as the main business directions for the Colossus Group in the future. These two fields not only had immense market potential but also avoided direct competition with Morgenroete. More importantly, they aligned with his philosophy of "using technology to promote peace"—the Orbital Elevator, solar power stations—these things could benefit humanity while providing cover and funding for future MS development.
He worked late into the night. Outside the window, the lights in the Morgenroete building gradually dimmed, leaving only a few windows still lit. Nangong Wentian knew that behind those illuminated windows were people working late into the night, just like him. They might be developing new MS, improving armor materials, or designing new energy systems.
"Just wait." He whispered, turning off the screen and lying down on the bed.
There was a small crack on the ceiling, clearly visible under the moonlight. Nangong Wentian stared at the crack, his mind replaying the events of the day—the Director's gaze, Xiao Guang's amulet, the arguments on the train, the prosperity of Orleans, the Morgenroete building...
He also remembered the stormy night of his transmigration, the surge of technical knowledge in his consciousness, and the green light that resonated with the Star Core.
"Mia." He softly uttered the name—a name from his past life memories, one he had never mentioned to anyone. "I've begun."
Moonlight seeped through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the amulet on his chest. The small pendant made from discarded circuit boards emitted a faint glow under the moonlight.
Outside the window, the capital of Orb remained brightly lit. This city never slept, just like every person in this era, all running on their own tracks toward an uncertain future.
Nangong Wentian closed his eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
He dreamed of the sea, the starry sky, and the children from the orphanage running under the sunset. He also dreamed of a massive green Mobile Suit, spreading its wings in space, guarding Earth like an angel.
That was the Star Core. That was his future.
He turned over, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Tomorrow, he would rent a larger space and truly begin his venture. He would register a company, find agents, build a laboratory, and construct MS. In ten years, he would turn the technology in his mind into reality.
He would change this world.
Outside the window, the moonlight gradually faded, and the horizon began to glow with the first light of dawn. A new day was about to begin, and a new story was about to be written.
From this day forward, Nangong Wentian was no longer an orphanage child, but the future founder of the Colossus Group, the creator of the Star Core, and the Innovator of this world.
Heading north was the first step he took.