I am dreaming. A dream of when I still lived in a Russian orphanage. The city is called Sochi. It has a warm climate, and it's surrounded by mountains and facing the sea. I ran freely through the alleys, inhaling fresh air into my lungs. As I slowly exhale I feel like I was able to get out something melancholic within me. Cirsium bloomed in the weathered road under the lovely sunlight of June. They are purple, thorny, arrogant and stubborn flowers, able to grown freely in the most barren lands. Just like all the hardworking poor humans. Bees fly around the flowers. A familiar smell tickles my nose. I don't know where or when was this. It could all be a weird hallucination. But I know one thing for sure. There is something I've lost and is still missing, buried here like a time capsule. Walking past the steam of the hot springs, I arrive at the shore of the Black Sea. From the Argonauts to Nikolai Ostrovsky, countless known and unknown heroes have stopped here to listen to the sound of the waves.

Note：

尼古拉·阿列克谢耶维奇·奥斯特洛夫斯基（Николай Алексеевич Островский, 1904 - 1936）是一位传奇式的苏联作家。他15岁参军入伍，16岁时在战斗中头部负伤、右眼失明，23岁时全身瘫痪、双目失明；然而，就是在这种状况下，他坚持口述（由妻子整理）并在29岁时完成了一部讲述信念、毅力、自我认同的自传体小说——《钢铁是怎样炼成的》。

 The Petrel is free to roam the sky. A familiar smell tickles my nose. I don't know where or when was this. It could all be a weird hallucination. Hey. Good morning. Going to bed and getting up early can be difficult in a ship isolated from the outside world. Well, that might be true for the captain who went through 10 alarms before waking up. Us Valkyries are trained in a way our life rhythm will not disrupt those around us! Is that so? Quite different from what Rita told me. ... ..... ...Wait. What did you hear? Nothing big. Just... When you sleep you put your head under the pillow—— You kick the sheets out of the bed at least 5 times throughout the night—— And when it seems you're done one finds the sheets are drenched in saliva—— Stop! Don't say anything else!! Why did she share so—— I mean, why did she tell you so many lies!? Ahahaha! Better ask her yourself! Ugh...!!! Bianka-sama, Shakespeare-san, I apologize for interrupting your conversation. Today's breakfast is fried bread made with whale fat, bacon egg, fried shrimp and asparagus, apple salad and a mushroom cream soup—— ——Please enjoy. (Grrr... she changed the topic so smoothly! But...) ...this looks delicious! (munch munch) T-This fried bread is delicious!! Rita, aren't you a little too good at this!? I'm honored by your praise, Bianka-sama. ...D-Don't think I-I'm letting you off the hook just yet. D-Don't go babbling about your leader's private life to strangers! Is that clear, adjutant? Hehe. I will keep it in mind. ...Geez! You have no intention of listening to me! Someone somewhere once said—— 「The way to someone's heart is through their stomach」 Such random thought popped up in my head as I was stuffing breakfast down my mouth. Seems everyone is done eating breakfast. The 「Caledonia」 has surfaced and will soon deck on Alexandria's port. On this eventful day your captain has a selfish order for all of you—— ——Everyone gets a 24 hours vacation!! Woooah! Heck yeah!!! Your dear captain will help those who want to go to Alexandria. Go and have fun! Except gambling I'll cover all the costs! Long live our captain!! Long live vacations!!! Cough. Those who have been tagging along with me for a while already know what's going on with the 「locals」, but we got some new people aboard this time. Thus, I'm giving another order, one of upmost importance—— Old and new sailors must form pairs decided by a lottery, and stick together the entire day! Forming groups of three or more people is forbidden. It has to be two! Yes, like a date! Heh. Huh? Ehh... ..... Look, the lottery is all ready. Will you seize your own fate with your own hands—— Or should I do it for you? Don't come crying later if I cheat. Sigh... Being the 「Director of a Theater Company」 means you can't behave like a normal person? Hahaha, sounds fun. Since no one wants to go first let this old man take the lead. (Chooses a piece of paper) Alright, this one!! Ohh! It says 「S」! That's you isn't it, captain? Hahaha, that's me! You're gonna have to wait a little bit until all the pairs are decided, old man. No worries! You're taking care of me, it's the least I can do. Well then... Who's next? ...Sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday. (Chooses a piece of paper) 「I」...? Seems we're a pair. I dislike soldiers—— But our mother tongue is the same. At least I can be your guide. ...I'll be counting on you. ..... (Chooses a piece of paper) 「W」. A-Ah... That's me. ...Hm. Well, why not. You're kinda irritating, but you don't seem to be the type of person who would cause serious trouble. A pleasure to be your partner. Umm... thank you? That was a compliment, wasn't it...? Heh... You're too much of a good boy, engineer. ...Then only Rita and me are left. It seems so. Do you have any recommendation regarding souvenirs? Mmm... a souvenir... Hard question. I can think of many I can't decide which one. ..... Well? What do you think of the world's largest city? Hm. For a big city it has a retro feel, kinda like Aden or Kolkata. Oh, those are places I've never been to—— In any world. Then... What about Florence or Istanbul? ...Haven't been there either, but I get your point. Ahh—— The information society of the 21st century must be wonderful. You can know all about the beautiful history of past civilizations! I'm so jealous! Can you take me there someday? Um, that's... Hahaha, don't take it so seriously! Let this person from the past envy you earnestly! Anyway—— Today is your day off! Don't stand there! Everyone, get out of here! Hahaha! The captain of the Caledonia laughed as she pushed her crew members and guests out of the ship. Each group must be of two people! Prepare to receive the captain's 「special punishment」 later if you don't comply with this 「forced date」! Hahaha! We're finally on land again. The management of this place is sloppy, no one asked us for clearance. U-Umm... about the management—— ——Ah, they're here. What came here? Please be clear—— Welcome to Alexandria—— James Watt and unnamed young lady. ..... Young lady, I am the police of this city. For your first visit you are required to enter various basic information. Oh, so this is what you were talking about, Jimmy. Y-Yeah! Amazing, isn't it!? Please enter the required information. Name: Bianka Ataegina Gender: Female Age: 12 Birthday: January 1st ...not that I know what calendar system this places is using. And lastly a fingerprint. Is that enough? Yes. Thank you for your cooperation. Have a nice trip! Even though a year only has 365 days... this is the first time I see someone born on New Year's Day.... Gosh, it's not good manners to peek at a lady's private information, you know!? I-I-I-I-I'm so s-sorry! I-It wasn't on p-purpose. Sigh... Well, it's no big deal. Don't lose your composure so easily. And it's not my real birthday anyway... It's what a teacher at the orphanage decided for me. T-They decided it without your permission? Yes. I don't know when I was born—— And New Year's Day is easy to remember. ...Makes sense. Well? Where are we going now? Hmmm. Ah, I know! W-We could hire a robot guide since the captain said she would pay for it. Please wait. Not only the police are robots, but also the tour guides? Y-Yes. Isn't this city amazing? Hm... I'm curious about who's managing these robots. If it is... The 「City Administration Group」 is in charge of them—— They do it from a place called 「City Hall」—— They also use robots to maintain safety and collect taxes. ...Who are the members of this group? An election is held each year to select people from among the citizens. Actually, the system is self-maintained so anyone can do it. The job is akin to jury duty in a British court. I-Is that so. Surprisingly advanced. Shall we move on? R-Right. I-I'm not sure where to go... Oh, look! I-It's a guide robot! Welcome to Alexandria. Information on basic services is free. If you need a tour guide, please provide your ID and insert 3 Drachma. Drachma? What's that? M-Money. Money is called 「Drachma」 here, it's a Greek word. It may not look like it, but each Drachma is equal to 10 grains of gold—— Surprisingly expensive. And what does this 「10 grain」 refer to? 「Grain」 is the average weight of 「1 gram of wheat」. Gold is precious so we use small quantities. And now... the opportunity to save money has presented itself! ...What do you mean? Rather, who are you? Me? I'm someone who can give you a better tour than any robot—— For the mere price of 2 Drachma! ...So you're also a tour guide? Guide? No way, that line of work is too much work for me. My tour is fundamentally different because my train of thought is fundamentally different than that of a robot. In short, I'm a philosopher and I don't see things the same way as them. Err... what are you going on about? Hmph. Seems there is a small difference in our perception—— It means I must prove my value for you to recognize it! Like I'm saying... I don't know where to start with you—— Can't you do something about how you talk!? I know what you mean! But I can't! I am Thales of Miletus, Director of the Metaphysics Institute of the Great Library and Commander of the Three Forces—— A true philosopher. Here's my business card. ...Wow, it's really someone from the 「Great Library」! Awesome! Great library? You mean the one that was burned several times in history——

Note：

大图书馆在历史上曾遭受过两次灾难性的焚毁：于公元前47年凯撒征服埃及时、以及公元3世纪末叶的内战时期。根据爱德华·吉本 (Edward Gibbon) 的说法，公元391年，大图书馆位于塞拉比斯神庙的分馆也毁于基督徒之手，导致其藏书和建筑最终无一幸存。

 That's not the case here! The 「Great Library」 is the best research institute in the world! It is said it has been active for over 2000 years! Also, all the robots in the city are manufactured by the 「Great Library」! Oh my, there sure is a lot of rumors about us. The 「Great Library」 has only existed for less than 200 years—— Sorry to disappoint, boy. S-Still, studying m-metaphysics at the Great Library is a-awesome! ...By the way, what is 「metaphysics」? Is it something that important that you praise it so much? Umm, if the engineering science I'm studying is 「learning to deal with limited material」... ...then 「metaphysics」 is the study of 「something infinite」. Philosophy within philosophy! ...I didn't understand a word of that. In general science studies things and their behavior in the real world, while 「metaphysics」 studies abstract concepts and their relationships. Because reality is ultimately limited and the potential of the abstract is limitless, that's the best analogy he could think of. Incidentally, I don't agree with 「metaphysics」 being a 「philosophy within a philosophy」. That is a prejudice made by our predecessors who's development level was too low and brought in non-philosophy into philosophy. Which is why I think 「philosophy is a part of metaphysics that cannot be proved by a logical argument」. In terms of subset, it's actually the opposite of what he said. As science gains ground, the 「position」 of 「philosophy」 shrinks. You could say it's proof of the development of science and mankind's progress. ..... The more you explain the less I understand! More importantly, I'm curious about something you said earlier—— 「Commander of the Three Forces」 was it? Are you a 「philosopher」 but also in the military? Ah, that. It was a joke. The 「Metaphysics Institute」 only has 3 members, thus 「Commander of the Three Forces」. If I phrase it like that I sound important! Hahaha! ..... Only 「3 members」 you say—— It must be tough. Is that's why you're making money by working as a tour guide? ..... Boy, you think that you're familiar with this city, do us a favor—— ——Tell us what you can buy with 100 Drachma. Umm, with 100 Drachma... P-Probably a drum oil! One big enough that needs to be carried by two strong sailors! T-That example is hard to follow... Umm... T-Then if I use food... M-Maybe half a cow... I think? Or a pig? (So approximately 2000 Euros? Or maybe a little less?) That's certainly 「a lot of money」. How long does it take to get 「100 Drachma」? One week? One week? At the Great Library you can make that in half a day. ...? 100 Drachma in half a day, 200 per day, that's 4000 Euros... Your monthly income is 120.000 Euros and your yearly income is... 1.44 million Euros!? But that's even higher than the salary of a Rank A Valkyrie! A Rank Valkyrie? 「Valkyries」 have a rank? A-Apologies, I lost my composure. Please forget I mentioned any rank. Cough. Now I see, Thales, you didn't approach us because you were in need of money. Now you get it! I wanted to talk with you because you seemed interesting! What do you say? You don't get the chance to explore the city guided by a 「philosopher」 often. It certainly doesn't sound like a bad idea but—— ——If you're so rich, why did you want to charge us for your services? ..... Hahaha! You're an interesting one! Fingerprint confirmed. Thank you for choosing the 「Lighthouse」 guide system, Director Thales of the Great Library. Interesting kids—— ——I will take over as your tour guide. Huh...? You paid the robot yourself? 「Rational thinking is trapped in contradictions and as such it will lead to its own denial」.

Note：

出自黑格尔 (G. W. F. Hegel) 《哲学全书》的《逻辑学》分册。因作者早年还出版过同名的另一本书，故此册俗称《小逻辑》。

 When you reach a dead end reverse your line of thinking to see what both parties really want. In our current situation—— You want a guide, but you don't want to be deceived. I want to talk with you, but you don't know me. Basically, since if you hire me or not is irrelevant, there is a way for me to leave this predicament. I must reverse 「receiving money」 to 「paying money」. That way, both parties get what they want! ...We can be friends. As long as you pay, that is. Heh, look at you. You look so 「serious」 but you can joke too. ...Hey! Aren't you being a little rude? Anyway, 「metaphysics」 is the study of the nature of reality. It examines thinking itself, its ability and limits to grasp the 「truth」. It would take an entire semester of classes to explain it in detail so let's not go there now. (Enters commands into the robot) Input confirmed. Starting tour. This is the central square of the Harbor District. It's a great place for travelers to buy souvenirs. Many different stores can be found here and this zone is also a tax-free area. You will be able to find high quality products at a reasonable price. Today we recommend Rice Flour Chiffon Cake from 「Nile River Orchard」, canned Sea Urchin from 「Memories of Nicosia」, and glass art from 「Copenhagen's Mermaid」. He... sounds like a salesman. Well, this is a commercial city after all, please overlook it. Speaking of products—— Do you know what's the aesthetic difference between food, clothing and buildings? ...I-I don't know. Seriously—— If it isn't the 「Overseer」 it's you—— Do all 「philosophers」 take pleasure in presenting a question they themselves can answer? Haha, you presented an interesting idea. Well done, kid. P-Please don't treat me like a child! I must let you know I'm a great Valkyrie! A-And you don't look too much like an adult yourself, shorty Director. Yes yes, I got it—— ——Let's get back on track. I will teach you the difference between food, clothing and buildings. Cough. The answer is their 「shelf life」. ...S-Shelf life? Yes. Food has the shortest shelf life, it doesn't last very long and once you eat it it's gone. Clothing is the middle ground. They can be used for several years, even decades. If preserved well enough, they can be passed down from a generation to another. Buildings, of course, have the longest shelf life. The cost of making one is high, but once built it can be used for centuries. In short, you can eat 3 meals a day, wear a different piece of clothing each day, but if the building you live in is old, there is no choice but to endure it. Unlike food or fashion trends that change in a short time or in spiral, Architecture represent the transition of aesthetics in history. 「Revolutions」 are 「changes」 that come at the price of destroying the previous history. Those who are aware of history's value will only repurpose the inside of a historical building while preserving its appearance and value. For example, this central square—— Until 200 years ago it was a 「slave market」 and not the 「tax-free area」 that is today. ...Slave market!? Yes, a place to buy and sell living humans. You probably don't know about it, but this city still has a certain degree of slavery in the form of liabilities. ...What did you say? I-It's true. If you go bankrupt in Alexandria you'll be listed as a 「Community Contracted Slave」 by the government. Well, you could call them free prisoners—— In the case of bankruptcy, the government will pay the money including interests. ——Your salary during the duration of the contract will be used to repay your debt, or you can get someone else to pay it for you. If the parents can't pay it during their lifetime, their children will take over their debt. And the interest rate is barely 7.5%, not too high. ...Isn't it too much of a tyranny? Tyranny, huh. From your point of view it might look like that. But this city has no prison or death penalty, there is only 「confiscation of property」 and 「complete exile」. Looking at the history of this place, slavery was inevitable. The fact that slavery has been reduced to 「Community Contracted Slaves」 is already a huge improvement. ...I can't accept it. I have been taught that slavery and joint and several liability are unacceptable barbaric laws. Yes. It's obvious someone from a more advanced society wouldn't agree with it. But you're here today as a tourist to enjoy the city, don't worry about those things right now! ——You can't judge this city without knowing every aspect of it. This is the 「City Hall」 mentioned earlier. Hear more about it from the robot. The City Hall of Alexandria was established 165 years ago in the Year 1 of the Republic Calendar, it was confiscated from its previous owner by a group of revolutionaries. Since then the building has been the headquarters of the legislature 「Public Council」 and the executive branch 「City Administration Group」. It was built with a Greek style in mind, and both sides of the arch are decorated with statues of important figures of the outside world such as Aristotle, Alexander The Great, Solon, Pericles, Leonidas I, Spartacus, Gracchus, Caesar, Cicero and Augustus. Those who wish to hear a more detailed explanation about any of them, please input the number below the statue. I'm more interested in that 「Public Council」 rather than in those extraordinary people right now. Such a strange name. Basically, it's an organization in charge of making all citizens vote to change or enact laws. Just in case I'll clarify, 「slaves」 and 「outsiders」 don't posses citizenship so they can't participate in this vote. ..... A group of revolutionaries 100 years ago took control from a 「Tyrant」 pirate. But the revolutionaries were pirates themselves, so a war between 「Commoner Pirates」 and 「Aristocrat Pirates」 broke out. That's... The city has a deep trench at the North, an oasis at the South, and an affluent of the Nile River flowing from East to West—— Which means it's easy to defend, so many people were interested in controlling it. S-So how did it become a commercial city and not a military stronghold? Haha, that's because the location was perfect to be a commercial hub. Merchants aren't afraid of pirates—— As long as the other party likes money! In the end it all came down to a 「government」, a 「state」, or you could call it 「a tool to let one class exploit another」 as well. The self imposed 「peace」 of a 「barbaric society」 is a social auto regression. While it's a good thing, often enough it leaves bad customs in that society's culture. ...You mean slavery. Exactly. Ironically, due to the high level of development of this city—— Even slaves are living better than anywhere else. Public baths, flushing toilets, basic medical insurance, social security. These are things you can't get anywhere else. ..... Ah, my workplace is nearby! Why don't we visit the Great Library next? The 「Great Library」 was once the personal museum of a previous ruler. Its origin can be traced back to an ancient temple. In the Year 2 of the Republic Calendar it was rebuilt as a scientific research institute. The citizens of Alexandria believe science to be very important. For that reason the 「Great Library」 has been given the same social status as the 「Public Council」 and the 「City Administration Group」. Thanks to the widespread use of robots as public servants, the 「Great Library」 has taken over the duties of the 「courtroom」 and has become a pillar of society as a legal institution. The external side of the building has been heavily influenced by Asian culture, but the interior remains Greek in style, similar to the 「City Hall」. The interior and exterior belong to different cultures, but their nature matches so well it can be seen as a rare example of architectural transformation. Use of the Great Library is free to those registered in the city. Outsiders must provide a citizen guarantee or make a payment in advance. ——Do you understand what the robot meant by that? You mean the difference between a 「person registered in the city」 and a 「citizen」? That's right. The former includes slaves without citizenship, and the later is limited to citizens with citizenship. But don't get hung up on those social issues! Let's go inside! A-Amazing... I-Impressive... Does it go 10 layers underground? The underground segment was recently built while the upper segment was the personal collections of the tyrants of the past—— Nothing but a storage. That said, not everything disappeared along with them. For example, the 『Greek Military Junta』 and the 『Complete Comedy Works of Aristophanes』. Of course, we also have titles such as 『Homu's Hyper Adventure』 and 『Records of the Three Homu Kingdoms』. ...Why is there a 「Homu」 in their names!? ——And does this say 「novel edition」!? They are works reproduced by 「outsiders」. Most of the works here are 「memoirs」 rather than the 「originals」. If you spot any inconsistency with the version you know please point it out! With any luck you'll get rewarded! Heh... There are two great writers aboard my ship, Shakespeare and Cervantes—— Maybe I'll tell them to drop by later. Oh, the scenery from the back side is wonderful. Haha, it's a nice place to relax and cool down your head. Well, have you managed to grasp the beauty of 「civilization」? ...You mean 「architectural art」? ...Not only that. If it wasn't for humanity's constant 「living」, the pyramids or the Parthenon would be meaningless geometric figures. And let me add, aesthetics is a process in which free will is self sublimated by emotion. Deep in one's heart all external information comes together transcending spacetime, and synchronizes with a 「mental wavelength」, giving birth to a profound emotion. The beauty of 「civilization」 lies within little countless things that interwoven to form a larger and complex picture. Each free will is one line, one point of color in that picture. Apart it may be ugly, but pieced together it can form something beautiful. ...Yes yes, there you go again with the complicated talk. Jimmy, it's about time we—— ——He's gone! Jimmy, where are you!?