Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

Mechanical puppets - to put it bluntly, they are machines without hearts. With such a name, no matter how close to humans they look on the outside, their insides are just cold iron blocks made up of gears with prayer circuits inscribed on them. They don't have "special ideas" or "thoughts of their own", so naturally there is no such thing as a miracle.

She felt different. Although it was only a brief contact, she could be sure that Ashlee was definitely not a heartless machine. Even though her skin was too pale, even though she had a body and limbs made of iron, even though she didn't show too many expressions and her speech didn't have too many ups and downs, she could still be so sure.

——It's the same thing, she and I.

"If I were to say 'creator'... yes. Since 'that person' gave me a physical existence, it is only natural to call him 'father'... I don't quite understand why he called me that, and that seems to be the missing part of my memory..."

"Well, it's a bit like that... Was it 'Coleman Jetta'?"

"'Jeta', huh?"

"He's from Arkham City, so he's considered a very famous person."

Nikola Tesla, also known as the Tesla of the famous Arkham Three Musketeers, "God of Thunder Phoenix", "Thunder Demon", and "Silver Man". Unlike the other two of the Arkham Three Musketeers, "Grand Master" Crowley and "Transcendent" Madame Blavatsky, Tesla's ability to drive the "Goddess Machine", an Arkham-style grand ritual product, is not that strong. The reason is that Nikola Tesla does not have his own magic book, and his "Goddess Machine" is completely derived from his own ability.

Correspondingly, the reason why he can be mentioned together with the other two master-level magicians is mainly due to his extremely high attainments in mechanisms and energy. In addition to his terrifying strength that can sweep across the Dark Clan Legion alone, his ability to create top-notch mechanical puppets is also one of the results - he can create mechanical puppets that are almost indistinguishable from humans.

Coleman Jetta, the young assistant who stood beside the "God of Thunder Phoenix", was like a legendary figure to Lunicia, just like her master. However, from what she had heard, the young girl had almost the same vivid expressions and rich emotions as humans. If you ignore her conspicuous ball joints, it is almost impossible to distinguish her from an ordinary girl.

“…This is probably the type of person he is.”

"Mr. Tesla...?" Ashlee tilted her head slightly. "He should be a very great person. Since he is a genius with a deep understanding of the 'mechanism', if we visit him, we may be able to touch a ray of the truth, just like the new spring soil after the first snow melts."

This can be considered as a tactful way of expressing one's opinion, hoping that Lunisia can choose "Arkham" as a travel destination.

Of course, Lunicia understood what she meant. That was why she couldn't help showing a distressed expression and sighed, "It's impossible."

"why?"

"…Arkham City is now completely destroyed."

In the "Void Disaster" whose truth no one knows, Arkham, once the largest steam-powered city in the world, was completely destroyed. The pollution caused by the disaster not only made the ruins of Arkham a forbidden place that humans could not enter, but even spread to the entire Eden continent. The pollution of the disaster interacted with the smoke and dust brought by the steam engines, eventually causing the Eden continent and its nearby seas to become an area completely isolated from the world.

The name "Eden" has been lost there. Today, the continent of Eden is called the "Lost World". Except for the New Arkham Peninsula extending from the corner, all other places are listed by various countries as prohibited areas for entry and exploration - it is better to say that even if someone wants to set foot on the land abandoned by the gods, they do not have the ability to do so.

Since then, the continent of Eden has become known as a "forsaken land" along with the Arctic in the south and Hyperborean in the north.

Except for a small number of residents who had the opportunity to escape because they were far away from the central area of ​​the "Void", the vast majority of Arkham's residents either died on the spot, were contaminated by the disaster and turned into alien monsters, or disappeared without a trace. No one knew whether they were alive, dead, or living a life worse than death.

The former Three Musketeers of Arkham had no news after the final battle. Most people believed that the three strongest men in the world had died in the battle with the dark kings. Even if they just wanted to find their final whereabouts, it would be an absolutely impossible task for Lunicia.

Lunicia originally thought that, as a being with a prominent background no matter how you looked at it, Ashetherin might know something about the divine disaster that completely overturned the world. It wasn't memory but knowledge. However, she looked confused and probably knew nothing about the "Void Divine Disaster".

"Don't think too much about it for now, let's go back to Shuichequ and rest for a while."

The journey hasn't even started yet, and thinking too much will only add to the troubles. Or rather, right now, Lunicia is completely unable to extract any "useful" questions from the chaos of information.

She removed the white cloak with several holes in it from her shoulder armor, and then wrapped it around Ashlee, covering her body like a robe.

According to Lunicia's idea, after she met up with April and his group, she planned to bring the villagers of Shuichequ here to bury the innocent dead here so that they could also have a place to rest.

The End of the Long Road, the End of the World

"What is going on here?!"

When Lunisia saw the scene in the waterwheel canal, her expression could be summed up as stunned.

Although the original waterwheel canal was dilapidated and decayed, it was at least a safe place with human presence, and there were garrisons from the Principality of Mariai stationed there - of course, it was questionable whether the garrisons themselves were of any use - at least it was still in decent shape.

Now the waterwheel channel is only a pile of broken walls and ruins, and the old wooden buildings are not good in appearance, and now they look like the ruins next door. The celebration of the 13th day of the Resurrection Festival is held at night, and it is still dark now. For this festival that officially ends at sunrise, now should be the most enthusiastic time for celebration. But now there is no one in the huge village, only the howling cold wind to announce its existence.

As for the guards, they were now lying on the ground in pieces. The cause of death was the same: all of them had their neck arteries cut by a sword.

There were traces of blood on the ground that had not yet dried up. It looked like it was not the amount of blood that could have been shed by the guards. It was almost a pool of blood that covered the entire ground. There was no doubt that a very brutal battle had taken place here in just one night.

Lunicia's heart suddenly jumped up.

She was not worried that someone would ambush her here, but she was worried that April and his group would encounter some accident. However, she soon found a way to comfort herself: it seemed that the other party was intentionally hiding something, and they might have other purposes in taking the villagers away or killing them. In addition, Lunicia affirmed the abilities of April and his group, so she felt that the three people should be fine.

"…Here, there are some bloodstains left not long ago."

Ashlee bent down in front of a small bloodstain and lightly touched the surface of the blood with her slender fingertips.

"Not long ago, huh?"

"An hour ago to be exact."

"So close?!"

"It's the bloodstains left by the half-elf... but the others are different." Ashetherin brushed her fingers across several other bloodstains. "It's been about three hours since they were spilled. In other words, two batches of battles took place here."

In this way, what happened here is somewhat clear. Obviously, three hours ago, someone came to this place, killed the defenders who tried to hinder them, and moved all the residents here to other places. And an hour ago, April and his party met the mastermind here and fought with him.

"In the end, they still didn't follow my instructions..." Lunicia's expression was a little subtle for a moment, "It looks like the amount of bleeding is not large, so it seems that they are not fatally injured."

"It is more likely that they will escape with injuries."

Ashlee soon found some subsequent blood spots, which also belonged to a half-elf. Judging from the direction, they retreated towards the main gate of the waterwheel channel. The traces after that were not so obvious and difficult to track, but the current discovery was enough to make Lunisia feel a little relieved.

It seems that April and his group did not intend to follow Lunicia's instructions at first, and planned to follow the traces to find Lunicia to help her, but for unknown reasons, they did not find Lunicia herself in the end, and then returned to the waterwheel canal. When they returned to the waterwheel canal, they found the tragic situation here, encountered the mastermind behind all this, and chose to retreat after a brief battle - the details may not be accurate, but this is probably what happened.

This adds another purpose to the trip.

"If it becomes like this, there will be no way to find someone to collect the body."

"There's nothing we can do. After all, no one knows where everyone has gone..."

"Does Luna have any idea of ​​the attacker's identity?"

"I have absolutely no clue." Lunicia shook her head helplessly. "There is too little information at the moment to tell whether the other party is targeting me specifically, or just dealing with the troublemakers while attacking the waterwheel channel."

She was more inclined to the latter possibility. After all, as a completely confidential mission, she still didn't think that anyone would be able to know their destination in advance. The incident with the "Holy Family" was a complete accident. They could only blame themselves for being too careless and brazenly barging into the cult's sphere of influence.

Although Lunisia was not a priestess, she still performed a simple requiem ceremony for the dead defenders.

"Ashe, I plan to take you back to Fort Ambliss first."

"Fort Ambliss?"

"Zerhal's capital is also the core of the Glorious Divine Court. First, we need to find the whereabouts of April and the others, second, we need to report the situation to Father Sieli, and third... well, maybe we can help you find the whereabouts of that 'father' through the Divine Court's intelligence network. However, we can only go back quietly now and cannot directly seek help from the branch, which may be troublesome..."

"why?"

"The radicals at the grassroots level of the Divine Court don't like anything related to the prayer book. In order to avoid getting into trouble, they can only avoid it. It would be fine if Father Xieli's signature was still there, but..."

Lunicia couldn't help but smile bitterly.

In the previous battle, her waist bag was crushed to pieces by the divine light that fell from the sky. Not to mention other miscellaneous items, the most valuable pass was directly evaporated without a trace.

"In other words, you and I are now the equivalent of an illegal resident in the eyes of the Divine Court."

"But Luna is from the Divine Court, right? And her status doesn't seem to be low."

"Well... nominally speaking, that's true." At this point, Lunicia's voice dropped slightly, "But apart from the core members of the Central Cathedral, the other believers don't know me. Whether they are deacons or oracle priests, I am just a suspicious stranger to them."

"Luna...?"

"Nothing." Lunicia turned around and smiled sadly, "Let's go find the gifts first, and then head to the nearby big city."

Ashlee didn't answer, but just stared quietly behind her, at the girl wrapped in tattered clothes.

……

Taking Ashlee to the ruins of what used to be a hotel, after a very difficult search, Lunicia finally found her suitcase among the rubble and wood.

The function of this suitcase is not only to carry things, but also serves as a prop for Lunicia's daily exercise. For this reason, the entire suitcase is made of metal that has both weight and hardness, so it is not damaged at all even in the event of the hotel collapse.

Although she had anticipated this situation, she was still relieved when she saw that the suitcase was intact. If the suitcase was really damaged or lost, she would have to be prepared to go to a nearby city wearing rags and without any cash.

When she finally dragged the suitcase out from under the rubble, a piece of paper slipped out from the bottom of the suitcase.

"Luna, that."

"Ok?"

Lunicia had no impression of this thing at all. She didn't remember putting such a thing under her suitcase.

——Could it be something from another room?

She didn't care too much about it and just turned it over to reveal the side with the words on it.

After seeing that line of familiar handwritten words, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Be careful of the Divine Court."

……

In the holy throne filled with solemn golden glow and surrounded by giant marble knights, Saint Sieri, who is old and not very strong but has a brilliance in his eyes that cannot be ignored, is sitting there. He is rarely seen wearing a long robe with white background and gold thread, a triple crown with gold foil and rubies on his head, and holding a scepter engraved with the holy emblem in his hand, looking down at the stairs with the majesty of the highest priest.

"Your Majesty, the observation station in the southern polar region has sent in intelligence that disturbing movements have been discovered in the deep ocean."

“… Really? Has it already started?”

Saint Sieli's voice was somewhat different from his appearance, deep and solemn, but with a hint of sigh. As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, as if thinking about an important decision. The person under the stairs did not dare to say much, just waiting for Saint Sieli's words.

After a while, when his eyes opened again, his words were heard by the visitor.

"Pass on my order, and have the elite knights from all over the world gather together and prepare to follow me to the Cold Plateau."

"But, Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Avis..."

"It doesn't matter." Saint Sieli's voice was firm and decisive. "Compared to the so-called believers of the 'Hand of Light' who are not worth mentioning, preventing darkness from rising from the sea again is our most important task."

"Yes! I will obey your order!"

Saint Sieli did not notice that at the bottom of the nine steps, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the lips of the "Perfect Hunter" Leopold Greenhilt.

……

"..."

The woman with long white hair and a long braid behind her pulled her hood up to cover her striking face.

Those features were so distinct that it was hard for her to guarantee that she would not be recognized by acquaintances, even though she thought there would be no one familiar to her here.

Bright orange mixed in with the white hair, like some kind of corrosion on this weak body, one eye is covered by a black and orange eye mask, and two scary scars can be seen spreading from the eye socket, and the remaining eye shines with a faint luster like gold, as if just a glance can take away the will of others. These are undoubtedly clear symbols of identity.

However, for those who don't know her, none of this will catch their eye.

At least, it was far inferior to what she was carrying on her back.

That huge black sword that was so terrifying.

A line of small orange inscriptions was branded on it. Every stroke of the words, which seemed to be carved with a knife and an axe, was clear and profound, like some kind of eternal mark deeply rooted in people's hearts.

"The misanthropic one".

……

The two swords pierced the zombie's neck from the left and right, and then crossed up and down like a circle, and the ugly head was completely separated from the body.

The girl did not shake off the dirty blood on her swords like an ordinary swordsman would. She did not even avoid the blood spurting out from her carotid artery. Even if a few blood spots splashed on her cold and beautiful face, she simply touched one spot with her index finger and gently stroked her lips.

He stretched out his tongue and inadvertently touched the blood of his prey.

This action brought a hint of confusion to her face, as if even she herself didn't understand why she did this.

The blue eyes, as cold as her face, no longer looked at the prey, but stared at the two swords beside her. Her pink hair swayed with the slight shaking of her head, especially the bun that was tied up, which swayed particularly obviously.

"Should we start?"

It seems like a question, but also like a certainty.

——At least this time, history will not repeat itself.

With this thought in mind, the girl pulled the two swords out of the ground again.

Around her, countless cloudy, pale pupils shone, as if a screen of will-o'-the-wisp was interwoven in the night forest. Funny, distorted faces that looked like a cross between humans and dogs emerged one after another, like masks hung at a test of courage on a summer night.

In her hands, two long swords, one black and one purple, were greedily sucking the blood on them, beating like heartbeats in the darkness.

……

"What's wrong? Do you suddenly want to pack your luggage?"

“I felt like I wouldn’t get any inspiration if I continued to stay in this city, so my artistic instinct told me to move to another place.”

"Isn't the capital of Noron, El Erik, able to meet the needs of creating new districts?"

"This place is just too noisy and... full of criminals who make people unhappy."

There was a striking white spot on the forehead of the black-haired girl. Not only that, she also had eye-catching amber and gold heterochromatic eyes, and her figure was much better than usual. In one hand, she held a black and white harp that looked like a chessboard, and in the other hand, she held a stack of manuscript paper, and crumpled the papers with unsuccessful songs written on them.

"If you really feel unhappy, why don't you just let me go and annihilate them all!~"

"That's too much of a stretch... Let's talk about it when there's a chance."