Why it never ends

Chapter 1254 Containment
Hershta first wanted to refute the other party's statement "Don't be afraid," as well as the earlier statement on the wall, "It seems you've been nervous ever since you entered this room."

However, she then belatedly realized that the previous discomfort did indeed seem to be accompanied by "fear"—the fear of being swallowed up by the room.

“I’m not afraid,” Hersta said after a moment’s thought, “I just don’t like the feeling here, everything is too smooth.”

The words "Would you be willing to let me adjust it one more time?" appeared on the wall.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hesta said softly.

The walls of the room began to change again. Hesta noticed that the light shifted once more from a soft, pale yellow to a cooler white.

The ceiling seems higher, but that should only be a visual perception, just like the window that is still changing shape—outside the window is a perfectly real, clear blue sky.

Hesta felt once again that everything was changing in a familiar direction. This once low, cavity-like room seemed to be transforming into a very spacious villa, and the flowing images on the walls seemed to be solidifying into a structural space of an isometric cross...

Hershta frowned again, a surge of inexplicable annoyance rising within him—all of this was undoubtedly directed at Ava's living room.

However, almost at the same moment, the previously frozen scene began to change again, as if the space had also sensed her displeasure and began to adjust itself once more.

“If you really want to do something to make me feel relaxed, just make an outdoor scene,” Hester said softly. “Like a grassy field, outdoors, and on a sunny day.”

The scene in the room immediately changed as Hesta had described, but things did not satisfy Hesta.

There are many lawns in this world, and many sunny days, but this patch of grass and this sunny afternoon felt strangely familiar to Hershta—as if someone were about to play the accordion and begin singing the songs of Aschia.

Even this moment of annoyance felt familiar to Hersta, as if someone were tapping her forehead with a cane, mocking her in a dreamlike tone:
Hide your weaknesses...hide them.

“That’s enough, stop,” Hester said in a low voice. “Don’t change anything, just restore it to its original state… restore the room to its original state.”

The vast sky and grasslands have disappeared, and everything has returned to its original state.

Hesta sat down on the ground in front of the curved wall, gazing at the gray wall that seemed to constantly display words.

"Does the Mother City possess the weaknesses of everyone?" Hester asked softly, "or does it only possess the Mercury Needle?"

There was no immediate response on the gray wall; about five or six seconds later, a line of text reappeared:

"...Okay, it seems we've messed things up again. Please forgive us."

“We?” Hester realized for the first time that this reference was unusual. “How many people are participating in this conversation at the same time?”

"just me."

This time, the gray wall responded quickly.

Hershta lowered his gaze: "...Anyway, I'm glad to be able to talk to the mother city today. I originally thought that submitting an application so rashly would be rejected."

"You can come anytime you need."

"Do we no longer need to apply through AHgAs?"

"If you are outside the base, establishing a connection via AHgAs is the safest option, but in the underground base of District 12, entering this room means initiating a conversation."

"I will always be here to answer."

What should I call you?

"Mother City 12." "I mean, you," Hester tried to clarify the two concepts, "you just said 'you' are always here answering, which means I can assume that every time I come here, the person I'm dealing with is you... because you're always in charge of communications here at the base?"

"Yes, it was all me."

"What's your name?" Hesta asked again, and when the other party didn't answer immediately, "...or is it something you can't reveal? I'd better not ask. Just use the code name 'Mother City No. 12'."

"Mother City No. 12 is a suitable name. However, if you would like to use a different name to refer to the 'I' who is currently speaking to you, I am happy to accept a new name."

How long have you been working in the mother city?

"My connection with my mother city dates back to some of its very early projects, but I only started to take on significant responsibilities in recent decades."

“…decades,” this time span surprised Hestallio, “then you must be much older than me.”

"Perhaps, but age may not be entirely determined by the date of birth."

"How to say?"

"Looking at time alone may not be enough; we also need to look at density."

"...the density of time?"

"Yes, some people may have experienced very strong emotional shocks, borne extremely heavy responsibilities, or possess amazing self-awareness or reflective abilities... You cannot measure the life experience of such individuals by their birth date."

“That’s certainly true,” Hester said, hands behind his back. “What’s it like working in Mother City? Have you been in Mother City for decades, or have you also been to the habitable areas and the wastelands?”

A long-standing blank space reappeared on the curved gray wall.

Hershta was puzzled by the reaction again—it seemed like a question that shouldn't have been pondered for so long.

“If it involves confidentiality, then there’s no need to answer,” Hester said. “I was just asking casually.”

"No, this has nothing to do with secrecy mechanisms. It's an interesting question, and I'll try to give you an answer."

"I don't limit myself to any one place, including my home city. Working in my home city certainly has its own unique rhythm, but the experiences I gain go far beyond my job itself."

"In a sense, I am more like someone who lives in many parts of the world at the same time."

"...that is, there is data sharing between the mother cities of different regions."

"That's one way to understand it, but it's far more complicated than that."

"Do you know what happened with the silence that occurred in the mother city of the First District not long ago?" Hersta asked. "Why did the entire district experience a communication outage? As far as I can remember, this is the first time something like this has ever happened."

That is indeed very dangerous.

"Because some distorted signals were misinterpreted as intrusion commands, Mother City 1 activated the Boundary Protocol and sequentially cut off external energy sources, especially electricity, in order to enter containment mode."

"...Containment status?"

"If the threat is determined to be valid, the external structure of the mother city will begin to close, and the core area will sink layer by layer until the entire city is separated from the surface operating environment."

In other words, the mother city will return to its initial position.