It wasn't easy to progress in this world. Engineers understand it a lot more than anyone, including Walkers. People who had learned complex occupations over decades were the backbone of development, and most Walkers struggled to focus on these operations.

  However, they helped them to exist and build land or infrastructure, while the rest was up to others. If everything were fine and proper choices came from great people, no one should find it inappropriate.

  It was a self-sufficient idea that the Federation was progressive and constantly on the trail of advancement, even though it was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

  With various problems, resources, and people, further issues arose. Every working industry had its stakes and needs, so it was no surprise that a lot of work and jobs were necessary to keep things afloat. If one part got destroyed, many others would follow.

  Engineers ensured it wouldn't reach that point, and every corner where machines made human work more manageable was one less worry. Maintenance, functions, and repairs were the responsibility of Machinists or Enginists.

  At the core, Enginists had a bit more history than the rest due to their name and purpose, which had long revolved around the military. Their direct effects were primarily related to weaponry and driving and flying machines. It was less about making quality-of-life features or devices.

  Wars were the cause, and the Machinists and Engineers became apparent only after things settled. The majority of cars, helicopters, and most of the equipment and high-end weapons came to mind.

  Humanity wouldn't have survived the passing decades without them. It predated the Dawn, with a different time that couldn't visualize an apocalyptic tide ahead of time.

  Still, there were weapons that were more than useful for up to Rank 4 Dark, with special ones capable of damaging or opening Rank 5s or brittle or flawed Rank 6s. Above that, nothing conventional worked. Not even nukes.

  Thanks to a deep history of records, prints, and plans, knowledge of how things worked reached this era. That's where making them a reality became a possibility. It wasn't easy, yet many things could happen, as advancements throughout human history might shine once more, now with Walkers in their wake.

  Thousands of years validated this idea, and William hoped humanity would crawl from this terrible time or advance to the point where the Darks would no longer be a threat.

  Of course, with Walkers in sight, this idea was different, and some machines and concepts didn't make things easier.

  For people? Sure.

  For a Walker? What were tanks? A big pile of metal with engines, high consumption of fuel, and power that costs a ton of resources. The fundamental nature of their creation was way too big, and the current Federation had almost none of them because of their flaws and rigidness.

  Humans learned. Tanks were useless against swarms of beasts and monsters. They worked well against other tanks and humans instead. It was by design, while this war was of a different magnitude.

  Almost no place needed such expensive coffins, and instead opted for artillery concepts, or semi-operational missile systems and tanks in significant and permanent positions. Those could work and do something when Hordes arrived, or Swarms spread around the sky, since Walkers were of limited quantity.

  The Federation had to include them, and regular people were fine taking such opportunities. Many plans and resources made it into a tough, long-term military operation, with many cannons and towers.

  Every place in the world operates on similar principles, but for different causes, paces, and ideas, due to their position, surroundings, or internal factors.

  The Federation had the most immense scale due to its extensive position and widespread connections across tens of thousands of miles, which were made possible by its location in the ocean. Then, they also knew their targets: the Rifts spread across the sky, rather than in depth or walking on the earth.

  A lot has changed since humanity first fought with tanks and nukes. Without Walkers in sight, it was a time with the highest degree of losses that inherently altered the rest of the future.

  The point of the bullet was simple. A lucky hit to the head might deal with most Rank 1 and 2 Darks. And here and there, big projectiles could do even more damage. Still, the power that represented a Walker was far bigger. The strongest dwarfed the nukes and chew tanks to bits. Darks were the same, if not worse.

  It came as no surprise that Walkers were real killer weapons, and letting them grow and see new generations was necessary. They lived and fought, yet the need for regular soldiers never faded. It was a war for their survival, and any chance was better than none.

  Acknowledging defeat was not in anyone's vocabulary, but fleeing and trying to outdo the previous generation was kind of healthy.

  The recourse of this idea created Divisions and present military that revolved around people and Walkers alike. Considerable numbers of ordinary people were there for a reason, from management of the Assembly Island in the mainland, soldiers, or scouts, to officers and teachers.

  The military often stationed those with heightened training, skill, and capabilities in teams full of Walkers. Such people were known as supporters, either because of their mastery of equipment, operating missions, or machines. Enginists, Machinists, or Engineers might be these people, working around science and Walkers. By nature, it was up to every team's missions, Division, or needs.

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  William found it easy thanks to his life Outside and common logic. Even without camps in sight, many survivors and settlements outside the Federation's control had achieved a degree of advancement if they were able to survive with minimal or no support.

  Food was the issue; thus, long-lasting food was vital. This led to the processing of wheat, potatoes, rice, and a variety of vegetable mixes that could be grown quickly and well. This type of processing made every harvest important, and with food security, a lot of attention could come elsewhere.

  Underground was a good place for that, even if Darks were keen on the darkness. Storage facilities and the safety of the earth were standard across thousands of years. Ice, jars, and many centuries-old methods of food preservation remained the same. It was great even in the twenty-second century.

  Years' worth of supplies were at stake, so the base premise of safe facilities and food was one of the foremost directions. In the Federation, it was even more true, while the camps had to deal with it in their own way or by managing resources.

  Fast or strategically harvested crops were often transferred somewhere else. That was a common idea that even William learned. There were even instances where bandits would steal from camps. It wasn't a pretty sight to see people fighting against one another, but it happened often.

  With that in mind, food management was prone to issues. Potatoes lasted long, and tomatoes came in many varieties, making up for excellent sauces and ketchups. Fish was also good, whether canned, dried, or otherwise.

  Other than that, animal farms produce various byproducts and were quite prone to Darks, unlike the farms. Such facilities need a multi-layered workforce. Electricity and freezers were that, and any mistake with them could literally change everything.

  The Federation didn't have such worries thanks to its core protected development. Every corner of this land had nonstop electricity and water supply all year round, thanks to the underground facilities and an extensive network of canals, cables, and various energy-gathering structures.

  William also learned that various Walkers controlled these methods, and not just in infrastructure, but in creation and ongoing efforts. Allegedly, there were Walkers who dealt with waste and water and ensured electricity was running constantly. Considering the magic of Arcana and its many elements, it made a lot of sense.

  As far as he could tell, not every Walker was suitable for the war fields; thus, they became part of the industries due to their talents, age, or their Emblems being better utilized elsewhere.

  There were notes about electric or flaming Walkers with instabilities or proper Skills that were powering entire factories. It was curious for William, as not every shock came with an apparent cause or explanation.

  People easily got comfortable in this place, and Outside, they barely get by. In some ways, it wasn't too different. People cared about jobs and food, and William observed many individuals taking care of their responsibilities. Mourning deaths was shitty, almost like dwelling on the past.

  The layered defensive structure in the south and how this whole island operated assembled the answer for almost everything.

  Turbines aimed at water or wind. Solar power had a clear sun, so that made sense. William could not understand the principles of gaining energy. From that light? Water? He never found the reason why it worked, and Ellie said there was no need to understand it either.

  Curiosity could kill the cat, so William couldn't wrap his head around every secret and briefly touched upon subjects in the library.

  Now, with Ellie aside from him, he strode forth to the East District. The sun was already gone, and the breeze of smoke and the industrial smell hit his nose.

  The streets weren't as wide as he thought, due to a high concentration of shops and buildings, as well as an increasing number of workshops. One could repair pretty much anything. Broken watch? Easy, free, or credit fix. Broken bicycle? Not a big deal.

  Everything benefited regular people. CCP and the Assembly didn't hinder such business. Regulations were loose to encourage productivity and hard work, and they taxed them minimally.

  Large businesses were different because most had the direct backing of important people, such as Walkers or an entire Division. Many resources contributed to success, and numerous Walkers played a significant role in the expansion. It was often part of missions and involved a lot of Outside.

  In the East, the making and processing of metals were the most significant endeavors, and each was quite costly. Mining was why, and the resources to make a ship were enormous. There were large-scale missions involving thousands of miners at times, and a large force of Walkers.

  William learned about such long-term missions as any other outsider coming to this place. It involved a tanker, a ship with immense weight and mass at the east docks.

  From what William gathered, those missions took weeks to finish and involved delving into the Zones around Florida or even Mexico. He also read rumors about oil platforms, so the fuel was also part of it.

  Such a big mission had at least a Rank 7 Walker in charge, or many of them if they got closer to South America. Sustaining the needs of the Federation came with sacrifices and dangers, and it was unavoidable.

  It didn't even require going beyond the limits. The Federation needed to grow.

  At worst, one High Pillar from the Assembly got involved in such an operation. They would travel with that tanker and a group of large ships to collect resources and return. Every trip would create an excessive workload and quantity of resources. Of course, it required a lot of processing, but that was why companies were there, employing tens of thousands of workers.

  After a bit of walking, William looked at the East District in all its glory. He couldn't help but marvel at these buildings and their craftsmanship and work. He wasn't even here for the first time.

  It was the second time, as Ellie had briefly shown him many things during their first walk. The second and third were also fine. However, Ellie didn't like this place very much. It had narrow streets, a pungent smell, and a lot of noise, even at this hour.

  Most of the machinery operated through electricity, but coal was also utilized in the processing. A lot of energy was required to smelt metals or create stuff in general.

  "So impressive," William praised when he reached the docks.

  Ships had whole parades, with dozens of individual spaces of quite a width and length. There were even those housing a rough skeleton of ships, ongoing productions, or nothing at all.

  One skeleton was significantly bigger than the others. That one aimed at the tankers, which were hundreds of feet long monsters, and how tall, exactly?

  William couldn't even tell it because he couldn't see the full view of the skeleton, let alone the proper one, which wasn't even here at the moment. It was a feat of decades of engineering and cost so many resources that William would be speechless.

  It wasn't wooden but full of steel pillars, plated metallic buildings, and who knows what else. It would take years of work and many expeditions to get enough resources to make it.

  "This will be the second tanker, William. They will be a critical piece for this place, and every time it goes out, Rank 7 Walkers go along. It is critical to protect it no matter what." Ellie explained.

  "I know. You told me about it a long time ago."

  "It is not bad to refresh your memories," she argued, pushing William away from this silly street. She didn't want to stall or dwell on them either. She even bet he would marvel at these pieces of metal for hours because he was that sort of guy.