Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 436 Stepped on a Potato Mine
The rabbi is helping Mrs. Arele tidy up her house.

The soldiers outside were running rampant and domineering.

“These pieces of jewelry are very valuable. Sir, only your wife is worthy of them.” The soldier who had taken Mrs. Eresh’s precious jewelry handed the pieces to the sergeant.

The sergeant smiled slightly, reached out and took the best-looking and most precious pair of earrings, leaving the others untouched: "Good taste."

The soldier smiled and carefully put the rest away.

The person who took Rabi's suitcase found it a bit heavy and difficult to open, but still said, "These puppet craftsmen's tools are usually quite valuable."

"Hey, can those tools, no matter how valuable, be more valuable than gold and silver jewelry?"

"I don't think its value can be calculated like that..."

While they were chatting and laughing, completely unconcerned about whether they had captured Midia and only concerned with the value of the loot they had obtained, a figure in the alleyway was secretly watching them, preparing to strike.

The moment the garrison passed through the alley, the figure suddenly rushed towards them!
Before he could even rush out of the alley, a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him back into the shadows of the alley, without attracting the attention of the group.

Fear gripped Midia's heart. He struggled violently to break free from the restraints behind him, but the person behind him was too strong, and all his movements looked like a joke.

When he gave up struggling, the hand behind him loosened its grip, causing him to fall to the ground.

Midia quickly turned around and saw a standing doll, as tall as an iron tower, its face flashing red light: "Beep beep..."

He had never seen such a terrifying doll; just looking at it gave him a suffocating sense of oppression.

However, a black mechanical sparrow with a wise look in its eyes, pointing to either side, perched on the doll's head, slightly reducing the oppressive feeling.

As the puppet moves, the mechanical black sparrow's head and wings, connected by springs, sway comically, like a funny ornament on a car.

“Midi, acting impulsively is not a good idea. If you just rush out like this, won’t all the things you did for your mother be wasted?” The comical black sparrow figurine spoke, its words full of laughter.

Upon hearing her mother's name, Midia's previously flustered eyes immediately hardened: "Who are you?!"

"Just someone you dragged into this for no reason." Black Sparrow's seemingly silly eyes held a strange glint in them. "You deliberately acted like you were giving up, deliberately sabotaging your mother-son relationship with Ellie, just so you could minimize the impact on Ellie when your actions were exposed and you were investigated, right?"

Midia's expression changed slightly.

"It is fatal for someone who is destined for great things to be unable to make decisive sacrifices at crucial moments. If you had rushed out just now, it would have been inevitable that Ai Lei would have been implicated. You have feelings for your mother, and your mother still loves you. You are not an unfilial son, and this alone will be used against you by those with ulterior motives."

The black sparrow shook its head: "But none of this matters to us."

"What do you mean?"

"The key point is that the kind-hearted tenant originally wanted to kill all those soldiers on the spot, but she didn't want to implicate that poor mother, so she chose to endure it. You know, enduring is a very difficult and agonizing thing for her, so she was willing to follow her heart and do it. We can't let you ruin it because of a moment of soft-heartedness."

Midia immediately thought of Miss Phoebe, who was staying at his house recently.

He had always felt that Miss Phoebe was no ordinary woman. Given the current chaotic situation in Scalova, it was impossible for such a petite female doll maker to be traveling alone without some skill.

These two things in front of her were her only support...

Thinking of this, Midia's tense body went limp, and she leaned weakly against the wall: "I...I'm so sorry."

"That grumpy little potato is probably furious right now," Zheng Fan said sarcastically.

"Beep beep..." Radish agreed.

Just then, footsteps approached, and Rabbi, who had finished tidying up Mrs. Ereshkigal, walked out looking displeased. Her high-heeled boots clattered on the ground, and she lowered her small top hat to conceal her unpleasant expression. The hem of her dark trench coat swayed frequently as she moved quickly.

He immediately slapped Midia across the face.

"Tsk, what a hassle. I just randomly picked a place to stay and this happens." Rabbi cursed a few times with a local Scallovan swear word.

Midia was at a loss for words.

Rabbi suppressed his emotions and resisted the urge to slap him again, and asked Midia, "What have you been doing lately?"

“I…” He hesitated for a moment, looked at the rabbi and the tall doll in front of him, and gritted his teeth and said, “I have joined the Mechanical Heart.”

"That name sounds familiar." Zheng thought for a moment, feeling that it was a memory he had already erased.

“I see.” The rabbi nodded, not surprised.

“Beep beep…” Zheng Fan of the Radish Gang recalled for a moment.

It was the underground organization that had provided the rabbis with help and clues in Kabbalah, and ultimately played a role, albeit a minor one, at that council meeting.

"Wasn't that an organization that rebelled against the White Clothes, almost a reformist group? Is it still active now that the White Clothes are gone?" Zheng was surprised by this. Based on his understanding of the organization's nature, after the White Clothes issue was resolved, considering that they had received considerable support from those in power, they should have either disbanded or been subdued.

“Beep…”

Shortly after the start of the Scalovarian civil war, the Machine Heart also underwent internal purges and reforms. Its leader, Grealley, reorganized the organization, devised a new platform, and led the core of the Machine Heart away from Kabbalah, plunging headlong into the flames of war.

Although their power has weakened considerably after losing the support of those important figures, and they didn't control much armed force to begin with, they are currently in a semi-transparent state in this civil war. However, their ideological platform seems to be widely circulated, attracting many ambitious people to join them, and there are signs of their organization all over the country.

Some people have sensed the hidden power of this spark, and therefore have begun to intentionally suppress the power of the Mechanical Heart.

"Amazing!" Zheng Fan exclaimed, remembering what had just happened.

Although I felt that the party leader was a very capable person, I never expected him to go this far.

He wanted more than just to get rid of the people in white; he genuinely hoped that Scalova could undergo a transformation.

"What are your plans for Xinmu City? In just a few days, Xinmu City will likely be engulfed in war. The Dulason army outside could attack the city at any moment," Rabbi asked.

“We hope to withstand the attack of Durason, and then… obtain the new city of Xinmu from the Kabala royal family,” Midia said, making a startling statement.

Mechanical Heart also wants a new Mu City.

This city boasts a truly advantageous geographical location, abundant resources, and is easily defensible; it's also a transportation hub in the south. It's a major city, after all.

But can the current size of the Machine Heart really take over this city?
“We have been gathering our strength, and now the Mechanical Heart needs a suitable base. According to Chief Grell’s assessment, the situation in New Mou City presents an excellent opportunity,” Midia said in a deep voice.

"Are you planning to make your move while Dulason is occupying Xinmu City?" Rabbi asked.

Midia nodded.

Rabbi thought for a moment: "So, according to you, Greli is also in New Mou City?"

Midia did not speak.

Knowing what he was worried about, the rabbi said directly, "My real name is rabbi, rabbi Hydwin."

Midia paused, taken aback. He could guess that the rabbi was using a pseudonym, but what would be the point of suddenly introducing himself by his real name at this moment...?

Ok?
What did she just say her name was again?

“Rabbi Hydwin!?” Midia almost jumped up.

Although the Kabbalah royal family and parliament of Scalová proclaimed that they were the main force that drove out the White-Clad, downplaying the contribution of the Rabbi, most people did not believe that a little girl could have such great abilities.

However, within the current Mechanical Heart, Grell naturally did not conceal Rabi's contributions, and while promoting the organization's ideology, he also continuously publicized Rabi's contributions to Scalovar.

Those with a mechanical heart know this.

Rabbi almost single-handedly drove out the White Robes; the rest, such as the Mechanical Heart, the Kabbalah royal family, and the council, offered only minor assistance at best.

She is the real hero!

That's it! A petite woman with a tall doll by her side—that's the perfect setup!
"God of Gears! I am... I am your fan... no, I mean I respect you very much and thank you for everything you have done for Scalova!" Midia's cautious demeanor vanished instantly, and he would have pounced on you if Carrot hadn't stopped him.

"Uh, calm down." I didn't expect the other person to react so strongly.

During this time, Rabi lived a rather secluded life, simply enjoying his somewhat winding journey with Carrot. He had no further contact with Mechanical Heart and was completely unaware of the extent to which he was deified among certain groups and the lofty image and status he held.

"So, Grealley...?"

"The leader will arrive in Xinmu City early tomorrow morning to coordinate everything!" This time, Midia did not hesitate.

This is Rabbi Hydwin, how could she possibly have any ill intentions toward the Mechanical Heart?

Although he really wanted to tell the young man that his blind idol worship was wrong, looking at the other man's eyes, the rabbi felt that it would be useless to say anything.

However, if Grealley is arriving soon, then I'll go see him.

Originally, once Mr. Doll arrived, she and Radish should have broken out of the city and continued their journey in the car that Mr. Doll had provided.

But the situation is not so simple now.

Those damned soldiers who dared to steal her toolbox and evoke her bad memories must pay the price.

Miss Potato is vengeful; stepping on a potato mine will definitely get you blown up.

(End of this chapter)