Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"Oh, is that so? Anyway, Ella also said before that the Secret Codex School perfects the magic book by extracting knowledge, so as to strengthen its own school, right? Then in a place like this, I guess you can get a lot of precious knowledge that you can't find anywhere else, or something like that?"

"Um……"

"Ok?"

"Where's Lady Luna?"

"Immediately changed the subject."

"I didn't ask you."

The lights here are always bright. It is said that in the earlier times, the world did not need to use light to repel deadly dangers, and being in darkness did not mean losing safety. People at that time naturally did not need to light up the lights day and night like they do now. In this way, the unrestrained light on this ship is more like showing off its almost inexhaustible magic power than having some purpose.

But sometimes, without any warning, some crystal-like light bands would flicker, as if they had been in disrepair for a long time.

"Are you happy, Lady Luna?"

“I’m happy.”

"Yeah……?"

Are you feeling joy?

Ella Hepper tilted her head involuntarily, a way she had learned from Ashlee and Lunitia to express confusion.

Chapter 13: The Girls' Adventure

"I don't know why."

"Ms. Luna herself doesn't know?"

"Yeah, I don't know."

Frank and straightforward, as if talking about a topic that has nothing to do with him.

After the winding corridor, the scene the group saw was very different from before - what appeared before their eyes was no longer the Nasaran Kingdom-style structure composed of white, black, gold and dragon crystals. Those complex and overlapping geometric structures were almost swept away from their eyes, and even the hazy halo disappeared. What appeared there was a rusty corridor that seemed to have spanned an unknown number of years.

As if it had been soaked in water for a long time, everywhere you look, whether it is the door frame, the ceiling or the ground, is covered with a layer of red rust of varying depths. When you step on it, there is a sound like stepping on gravel, and the sound echoes in this deserted corridor, as if someone is whispering in that dark and hard-to-see corner.

Originally, the lighting in the Nasaran-style corridor relied on the hazy white light that seemed to penetrate the walls, and the faint blue light flowing through the dragon crystal grid. But here, those scenes that clearly came from the distant past but seemed to be of the present and the future disappeared. All that remained were the elliptical lights embedded in the ceiling, one after another, covered with rusty wire mesh.

The light emitted by those bulbs was not the reassuring warm light - it was indeed a not uncommon orange glow. However, for some reason, perhaps because of disrepair or perhaps because of insufficient energy, the light projected from the bulbs was abnormally dim. If one only relied on the light cast from above, it would be difficult to even see the things right in front of them.

If you step in blindly like this, you will probably die.

No, it should be said that he will definitely die.

Too dim a light is the same as complete darkness, which is also common sense on the continent. Some places seem to have a faint light, but in fact, it is nothing more than a trap left by darkness for the ignorant, just like the person waving at you in your field of vision. You clearly feel that his strange face is quite familiar, and you can even vaguely remember that he is someone you know, but you just can't recall his name, his real identity, and you don't know who he is. If you walk over, you will die, no matter how it looks, no matter how it feels, if you step into it, you will definitely die.

This is the reality that flows through this world.

Just like those streets scattered in the "Northeast District", which look no different from normal, and can even be said to be brightly lit.

There is just a hole in reality.

If you step into it, you will die.

"This is……"

Even Lunicia couldn't help but be stunned at this moment.

"What's wrong, Lady Luna?..."

"Ella, what did you see?"

"Strange corridor."

"Where's Ash?"

"Rust-covered, the grave of dreams."

"call."

Although the scene before her was so strange, Lunisia's tension was relieved a little.

At least, it was not an illusion that only appeared before her eyes, but a "reality" that could be confirmed by everyone. The style of the corridor did change greatly after a corner, as if there was some kind of fault that was invisible to the naked eye. Lunicia was also worried that there would be spatial anomalies, so she carefully extended the giant sword in her hand there. After the tip of the sword crossed the vague boundary, she still felt nothing, proving that it was just an ordinary space and she would not be torn apart as soon as she stepped in.

Lunicia said: "It's a normal area."

Ashlee added: "But it's not that normal."

Perhaps this place is very normal in a narrow sense. Time does not pass strangely, you will not go back when you step forward, and you will not fall into the sky when you jump. But on the other hand, the existence of this place itself is abnormal.

"Lady Luna, let me..."

"I'll do it."

Lunisia didn't seem to be willing to give in on this issue.

"My body is stronger."

If an accident occurs and an attack occurs, there is no doubt that adventurers with stronger resistance to attacks will be able to buy more time, allowing their companions to counterattack at the best time. However, if companions with less sturdy bodies are allowed to take the lead, not only is there a high probability of casualties at the moment of attack, but the companions behind them are also likely to be hit by surprise, and the existence of the forward loses its meaning.

"Well... there are other ways, Lady Luna."

"that is?"

"like this."

Ella Hepper took out a brass basin like a magic trick, placed it flat on the ground, and then took out charcoal, incense and cooking herbs from somewhere, mixed them one by one and poured them all into the basin. At this time, she did not hold the black and purple swords in her hands as usual, but instead, she held the plain-looking book, the cover of which was made of some kind of processed leather, and the edges were wrapped with silver amaryllis and baby's breath relief. Just glancing at the book was like looking at the cold and beautiful stars.

The flames jumped and flowed at her instruction, falling into the copper basin like liquid, igniting the charcoal, burning the incense and vanilla leaves, and emitting thick white smoke with a strange aroma. The wisps of smoke intertwined and floated upwards, but in just a moment, they magically gathered together and formed a swirling vortex above the copper basin.

Then, the vortex of white smoke suddenly dissipated, revealing a pure black crow - it seemed that it was the crow that flapped its wings violently, blowing away the smoke, leaving only a faint fragrance floating on the nose, telling the onlookers that the disappeared raw materials had once existed here. The black-feathered crow with red eyes neither called nor flew around, but just quietly flapped its wings in front of Ella Hepper until she took out the lit lamp and handed it to the crow, who then obediently held the handle with his beak and flew into the strange, decayed and quiet passage.

"Um, is it a demon? No, is it a spirit?"

"Yes, Lady Luna is indeed very perceptive."

"This machine can also determine it."

"You didn't say that."

Summoning a magical pet is a practical spell that almost every wizard has prepared. Although the magical pet itself has no combat power, the wizard can use the magical pet to complete a series of actions such as reconnaissance, long-range operations, practical magic items, and long-distance transmission of contact magic effects. It not only has low consumption, but also has high practicality. In the current situation, arranging magical pets to open the way in front can also effectively reduce the pressure faced by Lunicia.

But what are the specific effects of doing this?

Lunisia herself was unsure about this matter.

Crunch, crunch.

It was like stepping on a soft surface, as if the ground under my feet was not metal but mud. It was noisy and trivial, just like someone whispering, making me feel irritated and nervous, as if it was not my illusion, but someone was really there, whispering something in my ear.

There seemed to be something on the pillars supporting the cabin structure. It seemed to be a hook for hanging clothes, or perhaps an unknown oil painting had been placed there. The painted walls swelled and peeled due to moisture, leaving only the turbid and dark interior. Even so, some dark marks could be vaguely seen, like traces of something that once existed here.

Is there any trace of something that once existed...?

"Mrs. Luna."

"what's wrong?"

"Are you scared?"

"I am a holy warrior."

"If you're scared, you can always switch with me."

"You can also exchange with the original machine, but the original machine doesn't have such emotions after all."

"You said too much today, Ashlee."

"can you?"

"So, what about Ella herself? Will she be scared?"

"……Won't."

If even you feel scared, the people behind you will definitely be even more uneasy.

If even a paladin can't make others feel at ease, that must be the worst case scenario.

But there are also people who don't feel fear, and there are people who are tired of fear. They may not be afraid of the environment and the enemy, but they may be uneasy for other reasons.

So, are you feeling uneasy now?

"If fear and anxiety do not come from the fear of death, then what do they come from?"

This time, someone really was whispering in his ear.

The pale lips lacking blood, the breath without temperature, the tone of voice with few ups and downs, the mechanical girl seemed to be more active, and seemed to have more secrets. If the fear and anxiety did not come from the fear of death, then what did they come from? Lunixia did not know, she had never thought about this question, perhaps only those who had a long enough life to observe their own existence from different angles could give their own answers.

Walking into the room on one side of the corridor casually, one can only feel the narrowness and embarrassment that is different from those Nasaran style areas. Even the cabin of the Muland passenger airship is much more spacious and comfortable than here. The room in this corrupt corridor can probably only accommodate three people at most, so at most Lunicia and Ella can enter together at a time, while Asheselin is responsible for guarding the door at the end to prevent possible situations from happening behind.

The door was not closed. Judging from the rust falling off near the door hinge, it seemed that someone had used the door recently. It might also have turned naturally, but the possibility was not high. After all, a door could close automatically due to accidental reasons, but it was unlikely to open automatically.

This place is just as rusty as the outside. The lights in the corridor are already strange and dim, and there is no lighting in the room at all, so I can only rely on the eternal lamp in my hand to explore. The wall facing the window is now sealed with layers of wooden boards, and the long nails on the edge of the wooden board are covered with rust or other dirt.

The room was not only small, but also had very few furnishings. In addition to the "bed" that looked like an iron plate hanging on the wall, there was only a table and no chairs. The bed might have once been covered with bedding and pillows, but now all that could be seen were dark black cotton wool and torn cloth. The remaining fibers were stained with dark red marks of unknown substance. Anyone with a normal mind would not consider spending the night on it.

The table is not a pure wooden table, but a piece of wood on a simple frame made of several steel bars. It is a name for something that probably has no advantages except cost. After the crow pet flew in with a lamp and made sure that there was at least nothing suspicious here, Lunicia followed and walked to the table, trying to find clues that might be left here.

For some reason, many empty cardboard boxes and rusty tin cans were piled under the table; the thing on the table, which might be a desk lamp, was completely unusable. Where the switch used to be, there was now only a dark hole, making it impossible for people to even think of sticking their fingers in; the thing on the pen holder might have been a fountain pen, or something else, but now all that remained were cylindrical lumps of rust; something that looked like a notebook was placed in the most inconspicuous corner, with no dust around it, but one had to be very careful when picking it up, not only because one had to be careful of the tabletop that looked like it would collapse if touched, but also because of the dark black notebook that seemed like it would soon rot into pulp.

"What is this, a lump of coal?"

"It looks like a notebook. Maybe there's something written in it..."

Ashatherine couldn't see it, and Lunicia couldn't figure it out either. Ella's attention was not on this tattered notebook. From the beginning, her attention seemed to have been distracted, but she was repeatedly checking the situation around her.

They did not stay in the room, but retreated together tacitly, and then returned to the white, black, gold and blue corridors along the original direction. Fortunately, the worst situation did not happen. They could still travel back and forth between the two points normally as before, and the return road did not suddenly disappear.

"Ella, help me get the lantern."

"Huh? Ah, yes, no problem, Lady Luna."

"Although I hesitated for a moment, I still added it. . . . Never mind, let's try it first to see if it works."

Maybe it was due to moisture, or maybe it was due to other reasons, but this notebook made of ordinary paper had become very difficult to open. The pages seemed to be stuck together and were extremely fragile. With a little force, most of them would turn into broken pieces of paper. One could only barely tell from the black marks on them that there seemed to be words on them.

"Do you want to dry it? This machine can blow out hot air."

"That's not necessary—"

"Well, can you open it?"

"It seems okay."

However, it seems that some usable parts are still retained.

"On the third Friday of the Snow Moon, this 'Lady Ivita' ran aground."

It says this.

Chapter 14: Shadow Records

On the third Friday of the Snow Moon, the Lady Evita ran aground.

I can't remember clearly. My diary is gone, so I can only use this new book to record the situation. If I don't write it all down, I might lose my mind one day. On the third Friday of the snowy month, the "Lady Ivita" ran aground. Two patrols have passed since then, and the situation has become worse and worse.

I don't know who to trust anymore.

Didn't we just need to escort this batch of prisoners to Cape Ethel? Where exactly is this place? Zanoba told me "I don't know" on the day we ran aground. The map couldn't identify it. There was no signal. The navigation system was completely out of order. The captain also said "wait for rescue" - the captain also said "wait for rescue" a few days ago. Does he really think there will be rescue? Who can find us in a place like this, a place like this?

What about the clouds outside? What about the things outside?

Those things that were visible two days ago are gone now. Where did they go? Are we really stranded? Yesterday, Neil volunteered to go check, but she never came back. We sealed the passage she walked through before she disappeared. Could she still be alive? Did we kill her? I don't know. When I asked the captain this question, he said nothing. No, no, he even laughed.

I don't know who to trust anymore.

Zanoba had told me "I don't know" before, but today he came knocking on the door, knocking on the door in a way that made people uncomfortable. How did he know I was here? I had already moved out of my room and found a spare room that no one was using, but he knew I was here, knocking on the door and saying, "We're almost there." Arrived, where? This ship hasn't moved once in the past few days. If there is an empty island or something stuck on the ship, it should still be there now. Our supplies are running out, and the prisoners have been out of food for three days, but he said "We're almost there." He is not Zanoba, who is he?

Who is he?

I don't know who to trust anymore.

Who is he? I had locked the door long ago, and when the thing with the same voice as Zanoba saw that I didn't respond, it started to hold the door handle and tried to open the door. The click-click-click sound of the door lock was clear. It was banging on the door, twisting the door handle and banging on the door frantically, without saying anything, just banging on the door, banging harder and harder, as if even the door frame was shaking.

I could feel the bulb in my desk lamp dimming. The food I had smuggled in was running low. I didn't know how much longer I could hold out.

[The water stains soaked through the paper, making the middle pages unrecognizable, and the text after that became increasingly disorganized, with many low-level grammatical errors.]

I must record what is happening.

I feel like someone is watching me.