Anna didn't answer. She turned the handle of the variable speed wheelchair and drove towards the depths of the bookshelf. Hesta then turned the rollers on both sides of the wheelchair and followed closely behind her.
"Ava is a very good friend. She can always easily arouse strong love and hate in other people's hearts," Anna said softly. "Some people love her, some people hate her, but no one can ignore her."
Hesta looked at Anna's back, "When did you meet?"
"Very early."
"How early?"
"That's not important." Anna raised her head and looked at the folder high up. "Time is the least important thing in a friendship."
"What is the relationship between Zero and you? Who does she take orders from?"
"She is free."
"Who are you free to take orders from?" Hesta asked, "You or Ava?"
"Freedom, Jane, what do you understand by that word?"
Anna pressed a series of buttons next to the bookshelf, and the top display layer of the bookshelf slowly moved out and sank until it landed at a position convenient for her to read. Anna's fingertips brushed across the folder labels in front of her, obviously looking for something.
"I hate this kind of riddle," Hesta moved the wheelchair and slowly came to Anna's side. "Before, I always thought that she received Ava's instructions to help me, but it seems...she always carries out the instructions. All the orders you gave.”
"Don't be nervous." Anna comforted softly. She took out several file folders and pushed them back intact. "I know that nothing will threaten your safety."
"I know."
"You know?" Anna glanced at Hesta with interest, "Then do you believe it?"
"Do you still need to answer this question? I'm already here alone."
"But that's not because you believe me," Anna said softly, "but because the person who sent you here is Qianye?"
"...That's certainly part of the reason."
"Quite a bit." Anna laughed again, "Let's put these things aside for now and let's look at something really interesting."
Hesta looked at the file folder in Anna's hand. It was spread flat on Anna's lap. The four metal rings on the spine of the case held hundreds of pages of documents. They are stored in clear plastic envelopes on a4 and each page has been vacuumed. This way, the papers can be stored for a longer period of time.
"What's this?"
"Some papers."
This uninformative answer made Hesta slightly raise her left eyebrow. She looked at Anna seriously, "It turns out to be a file. If you hadn't told me, I would have thought it was a menu."
This teasing without warning suddenly made Anna laugh. The laughter made Hesta a little confused. She habitually held her arms with both hands. She didn't realize that she hadn't attached her right hand until her left hand was empty. .
When the laughter stopped, Anna finally took a breath and said, "Are you hungry, Jane?"
Hesta looked hesitant: "...I was just joking."
Anna patted the armrest of Hesta's wheelchair, still smiling in her tone, "Ah, good boy... you are really good at making wisecracks."
With that said, Anna handed the folder in her hand to Hestad's arms. The page number was about 1/3 of the way. Hestad lowered his head and glanced at it. This was the text from District 14.
"You are from Hesta, you should be able to understand?"
"I learned a little bit when I was a kid."
Hesta pointed to the huge title above the document and read word by word: "...Close the door...life...?"
"The Ministry of Commerce and other 11 departments have issued notices on certain measures for the production and consumption of civilian simulators," Anna said with a slight smile. "You will be living in the 14th District soon. It's okay if you don't know the common words."
Hesta ignored it and just continued reading: "...January 22, 3674."
She raised her head and said, "About one hundred and forty years before the Great Power Outage?"
"Yes, in 3812, the Great Power Outage began." Anna said softly, "This can be regarded as the last afterglow of the Golden Age."
"...Did Zero appear at that time?"
"No, it's earlier than that." Anna said softly, "Turn back again?"
Hesta turned back a few pages. Most of the files contained in the folder were explanatory materials - the Ministry of Commerce issued four documents in a row to guide and promote production. The large-scale export of simulated humans brought an extremely considerable sum of money. Profits...etc.
The document was heavier than the official wording, which made it more difficult for Hesta to understand, but she could understand some data and use it to deduce the gist of the material.
After reading a few pages like this, Hesta's hand stopped and she saw four miniatures of the announcement.
"About...what...notification?"
"It's not difficult for you, let me tell you," Anna took back the file folder, "These are four criminal cases, all occurred in April 3676, Southern Zhou - which is now the South Fourteenth District. Some young students discovered corpses scattered in the countryside during field training, and each one had been dismembered.
"The students immediately reported the case. The police followed up the investigation and found that the deceased were all women. After DNA comparison, the police quickly discovered that three of them were the young people who disappeared in the city..."
Anna suddenly stopped talking, and she noticed some changes in Hesta's face.
"Are you okay, Jane?"
"...I'm fine."
"What's wrong with you?" Anna blinked. "You look surprised now... Did I just say something unbelievable?"
"...The Golden Age," Hesta's throat moved, "In the Golden Age, would such a thing also happen?"
"Why not?"
"But that was...the golden age?" Hesta frowned, "In that era, everyone traveled freely, lived a prosperous life, and both outward and inward exploration reached their peak. 'Whenever...someone started to celebrate civilization It has reached its peak moment, and soon someone will bring a new dawn——'"
"Who told you all this?"
"...Isn't that so?"
"To be honest, I have never seen the kind of human you are talking about." Anna gently held up the side of her face, "Humans have maintained the same appearance from beginning to end, but there are many different masks."
"but--"
"The name 'Golden Age' itself is a great irony of that era. If you ask me, it should be the darkest moment in the entire history of human civilization. At least I have never seen any era where human beings were so completely enslaved. As for the chain, it has become an indispensable part of everyone.”
For a moment, the air condensed in the gap between the bookshelves.
Hesta digested these sudden violent remarks, and her fists clenched unconsciously.
"...Where is the evidence? What is your evidence?"
"You sound a little angry." Anna stared at Hesta's face, "Can you tell me what I said just now that angered you?"
Hesta's chest was indeed rising and falling violently, but she gritted her teeth and said not a word.
"Or," Anna said thoughtfully, "these... words of mine accidentally shattered your Fantasyland?"
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