The Dawn of Symbiosis #130 Chapter 25 Section 7: Rei's Realization and Dialogue - Serial Novel

Several weeks had passed since the value of the currency began to fluctuate significantly.

Central news reports grew more tense with each passing day, stock prices and exchange rates fluctuated wildly, and the internet was flooded with voices fueling people's anxiety.

However, the atmosphere in City A was different.

Rei stood in the plaza in front of the station, quietly watching the expressions of the people walking by.

An elderly woman carrying a shopping bag bowed deeply to the greengrocer.

A parent and child laughed together while pushing a bicycle.

Behind those scenes, the exchange of "thank yous" shared through Yura was spreading like ripples.

"Even though there should be chaos, it's somehow... calm."

It felt strange even to him.
Even though the currency was wavering, for some reason, the "foundation" of the town was not shaking.
It was as if an invisible base was supporting this town... that was the feeling he had.


That afternoon, Rei gathered with his long-time colleagues in a room at the city hall.
A young staff member who supports the region, a teacher who faces children in the field of education, and a female staff member involved in regional welfare.
These were people who had faced this town from their respective positions.

"The currency confusion, the instructions from the center are all over the place... honestly, the front lines are in a panic. But..." the young staff member began.

"But, there are more and more voices from residents saying, 'I want to help.' Even if there are no goods, they ask if there is anything they can do. ...I wonder why that is."

"Something similar is happening at school," the teacher continued.

"Parents brought us rice balls, saying, 'Teachers must be having a hard time.' I thought people would be more prickly at a time like this."

Rei nodded quietly.

"Humans are... kinder than I thought.
I was convinced that if money disappeared, everything would stop. But in reality, it was different.
People can move just on 'thank yous.'"

Silence flowed through the room.

It was not a heavy silence, but a time where everyone was waiting for 'something' that no one had yet been able to put into words.

The staff member in the welfare field muttered softly.

"It feels like 'trust' has started to flow instead of currency. Even though we were so concerned about electronic numbers, I feel like now we are looking at 'who, what, and for whom.'"

Rei took a deep breath.
As if to take the temperature of the entire town into his chest.

"Maybe what we were doing wasn't designing a 'system'.
It was about questioning something deeper at the root:
'How should people be to be happy?'"
Outside, the laughter of children echoed on the wind.

"This isn't the end. It's the beginning."

Rei said with conviction.

Those words did not belong to anyone.

They were simply a quiet light directed at everyone who would live in the coming era.

⬇️Continued