Onboard, William noticed space for dozens of people; perhaps more. Ellie no longer waited, and her hand, clasping his, felt awkward. Since he didn't jerk it away, she didn't linger for nothing.

  She imagined William asking Haggard more questions about this boat or his work. Hours would pass because of that, and she had neither the time nor the patience to see it.

  It was large and empty, apart from the covered seating area. William roughly guessed it to be at least twenty feet long. Maybe thirty? There were shiny metal railings on the sides, allowing him to walk around the deck without falling into a sudden wave.

  As he walked around with her, he noticed a pair of chairs and an open space with no obstruction of the roofed deck. There was no steering wheel there—just an open view and an observatory thanks to crystal clear window panels everywhere.

  Watching his niece, Haggard grinned like a goblin and had a good hunch about what this was about. Walking behind their back, he promised himself to do a great job tonight, even if Ellie didn't want it from him.

  Frankly, Mi-Yung didn't plan for it either, but this was one of the better private businesses she promoted. Others would be more annoying, and it was just a coincidence that the owner was Ellie's uncle.

  Ellie swore that it might not be true. Mi-Yung might've done this on purpose, but why? How?

  Haggard loosened a thick rope and let the boat float out of this half-roofed dock.

  "Let's go! Take a seat, kids." Haggard laughed and assumed his position as a captain. There was a place and time for such a position. It was in the middle of the roofed deck. There were several analog screens, buttons, and a custom steering wheel that looked far too small to ride this thing.

  William watched it with surprise and hummed in wonder. It looked wonderful after he watched Haggard control it and took charge of this thousands-of-pounds heavy machine.

  The front of this roofed deck gave a clear view, acting as a single room, with the back being wide open. There was further seating there, close to the engines, and even sofas were around two corners. One might even sit on the roof or the ground.

  Unfortunately, no drinks or other fan services were available on-site. Haggard figured it might be overkill for a bunch of kids, and it wasn't as if they had a mind for it.

  After Haggard looked at the seated pair, he charged forth. The engines rumbled, and his laughter stormed off. It was quite a speedy start. William almost tumbled, but Ellie stopped him with a sudden hug that slapped his head to her chest. Yelping, he was unable to get his center of gravity straight, and Ellie could only smile and grab his head as the waves and speed played with everyone, apart from her uncle.

  Haggard laughed as he steered the boat into the open ocean. At that point, William grabbed Ellie's hands and straightened his position. She chuckled, fell aside with a sudden wave, and shoved him to the sofa before falling over him in another sudden move.

  "Sorry. It is kind of slippery..." She excused herself while William felt every minor move could knock him in a heartbeat. Fortunately for Ellie, it was not only unintentional, but William couldn't help himself at all. He muttered a bunch of excuses and felt sorry, or afraid he would hurt her, because it sure as fell that something nasty was brewing inside of him.

  In a few minutes, the boat reached a calm speed and proceeded into open ocean views. The moon was right there, shining in its red, hazy scar and glow. Aside from them was the Federation, which had massive docks that quickly receded but still looked impressive.

  Humming an unknown song out loud, Haggard enjoyed his time as much as he wanted because such nights didn't come very often. As a boatmaker, the joy of riding his creations was rarer and rarer. With contracts and private businesses being a bit harder than Assembly contracts, one had to work for everything, so it was hard to find free joy.

  Glancing behind him, he chortled a laugh and whistled. "Alright, calm down over there. We have about ten minutes of leisure time before we reach the proximity of Assembly Island." Haggard shouted in a clear voice, and his eyes glanced at Ellie and William, who were sitting beside each other like statues.

  His voice fell on deaf ears as both of the passengers deftly nodded and moved out of the roofed deck at the back.

  Ellie forced him out again, pushing him to the railing as she grasped his arm. The scenery was incredible. The stars and the moon were pretty and right around the corner. Notes of the Assembly Island were gradually exposed in thin layers of mist.

  Even with that, William was forcing his legs to remain calm, and he glanced at anything interesting. A gust of wind drove into the ship, and as expected, he was one step from tumbling away.

  On the other hand, these moves did not bother Ellie, although she had more trouble with her hair, which swayed in the wind and got into her face. It wasn't her first or twentieth time in a boat, so she was used to the lack of stability. So she grasped William and tried to stay on both of her feet, with him included.

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  Seeing her struggle was weird, and William got a hunch about giving his hat to her.

  Before she even thought of it herself, it was on her head and secured her hair.

  "Oh, t-thank you," Ellie said as she glanced at the distance.

  "I would find this annoying, but a girl loves her hair, am I right?" William asked in a thoughtful manner that shocked Ellie to her core. She was speechless, and her mouth quivered in a smile.

  William didn't see her expression because he was focused on the ride, his legs, and the view around the boat.

  It didn't take long for him to see Assembly Island more clearly. It was like a vast, strangely shaped fortress, but from a distance, it looked tiny. It was a great place that one wouldn't see up close. At night, it looked quite menacing, with its blackish style, mist, moon, cliffs, and rocks. Its design was almost unfit to be called a bastion for Walkers.

  Built on top of immense cliffs, the closest bricks were hundreds of feet above the usually ravaging ocean, so the whole area wasn't approachable.

  One might wonder how anyone could have built such a place. There was no place for a ramp or security, though someone managed to create an unmoving fortress with a bizarre layout. It was not part of the Bermuda; he would learn of it otherwise, William believed.

  Alas, he never found anything about it in the library, so it was either not there or not important because not many buildings were worthy of a text. However, this one was. He was sure of it.

  It was at least a quarter of a mile tall in total, with strange flat buildings, square rooms of various sizes, and odd pillars and halls visible from a distance that looked quite tall and out of place.

  "That looks insane," William mumbled.

  "A true fortress, right? Built on the very top of a rough cliff and rocks, it is a wonder how and when it was built. I don't know when it became like this or important. Walkers set it up, and people never got involved."

  "Really?" William said, glancing at her close face. It didn't faze him this time around. "I thought you would know more. I haven't found much about that place in the past. It's either a secret or the library doesn't have anything about it."

  "Or you are looking at it from the wrong side. It is Assembly Island, William. It is important and veiled in mystery. Walkers are all about it, and they rule it and have it there. I don't know any normal person who has visited it. Ever!"

  Humming, William nodded and pushed his arms from hers, but she kept her touch on it, even when he grasped the railing and looked around. Ellie was slightly disappointed and followed his gaze as she gripped the railing.

  The Assembly Island grew larger and larger as they approached. It had no distinct features like those in the Central District. It had dull towers or curves that facilitated nothing or were hard to notice. Everything seemed to be the same, so one couldn't appreciate much of anything. Most great Engineers might call it part of the grand design, while others would find it boring, dull, or lacking charm.

  But when the rest came, or the size, aura, and shades, it might also be unique because the Federation had nothing like this.

  As the boat passed the first few miles, those buildings, pillars, and rooms became distinguishable and noticeably glued together in a seamless fashion. They were also large, and one couldn't even notice bricks, adhesives, or plates pushed together. Some parts were even bigger than the library, and William swore it was one of the largest buildings in the Federation.

  He had seen the Emblem Association, so his views about architecture changed. This one was marvelous, and he couldn't notice if it had dozens of floors or if flooring even mattered. A couple of parts were of similar height and mass, while others were smaller by several times as if the whole cliff acted like a base for a large trophy.

  After all, who in their right mind would build a headquarters of this caliber in the middle of an inaccessible cliff? Only a madman or a complete idiot.

  Ellie couldn't guess the truth because she didn't know the whole history of this place. Could it have been here before the Federation began as a project? Was the Dawn the cause?

  Those inside this fortress weren't typical Walkers, either, but normal people could come there if Walkers brought them with them. Ellie was unaware of this possibility, and she could not imagine what was inside.

  She had numerous other ideas at the moment, and getting people to see their world and uncover secrets in the library was better than this. It pushed her mind into an overload and off the charts, and she barely had time to sleep in recent memory.

  It was nothing unusual. She was young and full of ambition, and with such great bait and chances, she didn't plan to stop.

  This fortress set into dark rock was the same. It hid mysteries and should remain here for as long as possible. One of her greatest goals was to go inside and see its mysteries.

  In her opinion, it was a large goal, and after weeks or years, it might not be a large goal but a mere idea or privilege. Whatever the reason, Ellie would get it one day.

  She was fully aware of how the Federation's upscaling process worked. Earth-Elementalists would move the earth, crash mountains, or slowly allow the ground to grow and change like two tectonic plates pushing together. It was a deliberate process that allowed a former limited island to grow every year.

  A less popular method was to literally crash the land from the continent or any other place and move it here. That required a ton of power and Walkers, and it might not be as doable. Such land could sink if it were unstable or crumbling apart. The ocean was why, and with already big upscaling projects long underway, the depth of the ocean didn't end humanity's hope.

  A rather unique idea was to build large pillars and push big, former towers or radio towers into the ocean, then use them as foundations. Another idyllic idea was to move skyscrapers, but that was kind of ridiculous.

  In Ellie's view, Assembly Island looked as if someone had taken those buildings and rooms, stacked them together, and pushed them to this cliff.

  It was fascinating, but she wasn't keen on such thinking or whether it was ridiculous or correct. She planned to wonder about it for as long as its mysteries remained. Could it be because she wanted to see the answers herself? That might be true, so how about William?

  Looking at him, she found no answers besides notes of awe in his eyes and face.

  "It might not be the prettiest, but it sure is unique for the Federation."

  "I am impressed it even stands and looks so oppressive. It is too evil if I see the main island."

  "Yeah... About that. This place has several rumors surrounding it. Since I was little, I had heard how Walkers could lift buildings and create whatever they desired. That might answer something about this fortress, as they did so with the Federation. It might also be wrong. Who knows? I have no clue how it could make sense. It isn't up for me to understand."

  William nodded and decided to change the pace by slowly moving to the front. Ellie walked beside him, wondering if his legs were fine or if they would soon be upside down.

  Either way, she was ready to catch him, either with her hands or her entire body.