Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

For Lunicia and her group, it's not that they don't have better food than canned food: instant food packaged using magic and vacuum technology, fruits and vegetables stored in stasis fields, tablets made of pure nutrients to ensure nutrient intake. For those adventurers who hold high positions or have prominent family backgrounds - no matter what their reasons are for embarking on the journey of destiny - there is absolutely no reason to indulge themselves in choosing canned food that is so inferior that they can't even find a manufacturer. They can completely exchange higher financial investment for a better experience. This theory is valid both in food and other aspects.

For great magicians with plenty of leisure time, they can even use the time-stopping field to preserve a feast and set up a grand feast in underground ruins built thousands of years ago. After all, if they can really do it, why not?

However, Lunicia and her group cannot fully grasp their situation right now.

Unlike the adventurers who were well prepared and knew the destination through commissioned information or their own prior investigation, Lunisia and her group, who were suddenly thrown into this uninhabited ice field, had no idea where they were, nor how long it would take them to leave. Adventurers usually could choose to retreat temporarily when they were in an unfavorable situation, but the cost was nothing more than wasting time and some supplies, but the lovely paladins, magicians, and mechanical creations had no choice but to retreat.

Retreat, where can you retreat to?

Even the cemetery for the "Opera House" sisters has not been found yet, so all materials must be carefully calculated and used economically.

"Because no one knows what will happen here...?"

"Although I have experience living in the North, I have never set foot on the Hyperborean continent. I am very sorry, Lady Luna."

"Don't apologize, it's not Ella's fault."

"Because I never said that I know the North, I won't apologize. Also, I know nothing about the situation here, so the knowledge of the polar regions alone should be useless."

"It's no use?"

"Peony and peony are not the same kind of flowers, Miss Paladin."

"All right……?"

Chapter 11 The Journey Continues

"My opinion is that we'd better find a way to quickly confirm our location so that we can plan a route to escape. What do you think, Lady Luna?"

"Is there any way to do this kind of thing?"

"Generally speaking, it's as difficult as searching for the legendary ghost ship in the ocean. If you can do it, you'll immediately have the hope of escaping your current poverty and becoming a wealthy lich covered in gems."

"Isn't that impossible?"

Ashlee always makes such strange analogies, but it is still somewhat understandable.

"The southern map can only outline the outline of Hyperborean continent at most. The more detailed situation is..."

When the topic came to this point, even Ella Hepper couldn't help but look embarrassed.

The North Continent is vast, but there is actually only one country in the entire continent, the Kingdom of Hyperborea. This isolationist wizard country is almost completely closed to the outside world. Even for the southern countries in the golden age of the Fifth Calendar, few people know what happened in their homeland where it is cold all year round. Such a mysterious and dangerous behemoth naturally attracts the attention of almost everyone in the south, making people wander in confusion, expectation and anxiety.

However, what is impossible is impossible, and what is impossible to understand is impossible to know. Only in the enclaves outside the mainland of the Kingdom of Hyperborea can the people in the south get a glimpse of the splendor of the wizarding kingdom. For those very few wizards who are fortunate enough to enter the borders of Hyperborea, their narratives, diaries and memoirs are regarded as exaggerated and boastful, like delirium and dream talk, which are not believed and are not worthy of being believed.

Even in the world war between the Kingdom of Nasaland and the Kingdom of Hyperborius, known as the Magic Network War, Nasaland did not invade Hyperborius even once. In this case, the best effort that the southern countries could make was to map the edge of the Northern Continent. After the Kingdom of Hyperborius was completely destroyed for unknown reasons and the Northern Continent became a restricted area, it became even more impossible to understand the situation here.

There was not even a single map recording the general topography of the Far North. To Lunisia and her party, everything here was like a mirage shrouded in fog.

"It's a very optimistic statement. My opinion is that the situation is more complicated than originally expected."

"Didn't you say you knew nothing about Zhongbei's situation?"

Ashlee pretended not to notice Ella's glare at her and continued:

"According to what I know, there was a war here."

"The mysterious Hyperborean War." Lunicia interrupted, "Nothing is clear, no one knows, no one knows the beginning and the end. How could there be such a war in this world?"

"A war that could destroy the so-called 'Kingdom of Hyperborean'. How many legends or other things would participate in such a war? In this fierce and gorgeous storm, how would the topography of Hyperborean change? These questions are very curious - I am not curious, after all, they probably have nothing to do with me. They are just some insignificant but interesting things."

"This will indeed complicate things."

Well, even Ella would have a headache by now.

"…It would be nice if we could find the city."

In the end, she could only sigh and offer some opinions that were better than nothing.

"Yes, it is true. It is easier to set up a temporary camp in the city than on this ice field. Maybe we can find some supplies."

"I don't want to discourage you, but Lady Luna, the supplies from six hundred years ago are probably no longer usable."

"That seems to be the case... um... but that's Hyperborean. Maybe their daily necessities are like ancient artifacts, preserved for six hundred years and still in good condition?"

"It's not completely impossible... But what I want to say is that maybe we can find some maps or something. If we are in the city, we should be able to find paper maps."

"It's hard to say."

"Wow?! Can you please stop showing up out of nowhere!"

At some point, Ashethelin had left the comfortable and reassuring seat on Lunicea's shoulder and sat upside down on the ice-carved ceiling - of course, it was impossible for her to really sit on it, but she was hanging upside down on the ceiling through the anti-gravity effect, appearing to be sitting cross-legged, hanging beside Ella, talking in her ear while letting her black hair fall like a waterfall and fall on the half-elf's shoulders.

"After all, neither this machine, Miss Moon, nor the lovely paladin understand the people of Zhongbei."

"You can't say you're clueless... Hey, your hair is tangled."

"Really? I'm so sorry. I don't know, so how can I tell? They will definitely use paper maps. Maybe the great wizard country has already gotten rid of paper prints that are said to be good at preservation, and has devoted all its energy to storing information in magic crystals. If that's the case, it must be very troubling for the two of you."

"Um, Ashley, wouldn't that bother you too...?"

"This machine doesn't matter, huh?"

As she said this, she moved her face towards Ella, forcing Ella to tilt her upper body in the opposite direction. How did she manage to maintain such stability even after tilting to an angle of more than 45 degrees? She really had enviable body flexibility and balance.

"For me, it's nothing more than a change of place to continue wandering. I will try to extend your survival time as much as possible. Overall, it can be considered a pleasant journey, right? After all, this is a secret place that no one has ever set foot on. No matter what you achieve, it will be an outstanding achievement for an adventurer."

"How dare you say such a thing——!"

Ella grabbed Ashlee's head and began to shake it violently.

"Even if they completely give up the habit of using biological leather to make paper, I am an unquestionably orthodox Hyperborean wizard! Hyperborean recording terminals are not a problem for me at all! And if you keep talking too much, I will pluck out your tongue next time and use it as a spellcasting material. You can regenerate anyway!"

"Luna."

"Ah, eh? Why are you suddenly mentioning me here?"

"Do you miss the cold but lovely Ella Hepper?"

"Hmm?? I, I don't think there's anything wrong with this situation now?"

"Although this machine also judged it this way."

"Luna-sama?!"

Ella panicked.

Why is this happening?

"Anyway, Lady Luna, let's just keep moving forward and look for supplies in the city. If we have a map, we can also confirm our current location, which will also be helpful for leaving the Northern Continent."

"Well, just do as Ella says."

But before that, one thing must be confirmed.

"The snowstorm should have stopped by now?"

"I can't detect any sound here, but the sound of wind, snow, hail, thunder, clouds... the sound of breathing is very clear."

"I can't hear it either. It's just too quiet here."

"Since it is Lady Luna's judgment, there should be no problem."

The sound of the blizzard whistling across the surface was not a small thing for the cave dwellers who were temporarily living in the ice cellar. Being able to fall asleep in such a situation was also due to the effect of adventurer training - why do they need to train for such things? But in fact, it would come in handy like now. Of course, it could also be considered as a side effect of physical strengthening, so don't worry too much about it - just ordinary listening can roughly judge the surface situation, not to mention for Lunicia who has a particularly sensitive hearing?

"So, I'll open the door?"

It is said to be opening the door, but in fact it is just inserting the "vindicator" into the ice layer that has been sealed before, and then cutting an opening for entry and exit according to the original appearance. Since the ice-carved steps have been prepared in advance, as long as the opening is opened, the rest will not be a problem.

"Wait, wait, Lady Luna—"

"Hey."

Ella's reaction was still a step too slow.

When the meaning of her words reached Lunicia's ears, the broad white blade in the latter's hand had already completed its work, cutting through the opaque dark ice, removing the heavy ice brick from its original position, and then -

“Puwaaa?!”

"Mrs. Luna!"

"what--"

Buried by snow.

……

"It's going to be a lot of trouble when we get together."

"I'm so sorry, Lady Luna. If I had discovered it earlier, I wouldn't have..."

"So it's not Ella's fault."

This way of getting along is really tiring, at least for Lunicia.

"If we think in a more wonderful way, at least there will be no losses?"

"It almost became a 'loss' situation, I was just too careless."

"In my opinion, caution doesn't seem to have any effect in this context."

“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

"What are you talking about, Lady Luna?"

"If this is the case, no one will be responsible, so there is no need to worry about this kind of thing anymore."

“It’s really a very strange idea.”

The crisp sound of stepping came from the soles of my feet, indicating the soft texture of the snow and the fact that I had set foot on this land again.

It was only a scene that had been seen overnight, but it gave people such a strange feeling. Was it because the narrow ice cellar was boring, or was it simply because they were happy to embark on the journey again?

Different from the ground that was composed of a little snow and a large amount of opaque ice seen yesterday, the location obviously did not change at all, but after just a glance, all that could be seen was seemingly endless white snow. The ice surface was probably buried underneath. Compared with yesterday, it was a completely different scenery.

Is there really such a big difference? In fact, they are just common polar scenery, and I only came up with such an argument out of the idea of ​​finding joy in suffering.

“It’s a pity.”

"The coffin... that thing, wasn't it already brought out?"

"That's not what I'm talking about. I thought I built that room pretty well, but it ended up being abandoned after only one night of use. You always feel sorry for it, right?"

"Then please let me be in charge of setting up camp next time, Lady Luna."

"Hey, here? It will be much more difficult than camping in the mountains."

"But since Ella claims to be from the north, maybe the difficulty will be reduced. Ice flowers should grow in the north. They always seem too abrupt for the lush rain forest and would not be beautiful enough."

"what are you saying."

"That is -"

"Don't explain. I don't want to hear it. That's basically it, Lady Luna. It's just that compared to the northernmost continent of Hyperborean, the place where I was born is in the south after all."

Is it an illusion? I always feel that Ella deliberately made her voice and tone seem colder than before. This is somewhat close to the tone of voice when she and Ashlee talked to each other at the beginning, but it is still a little different.

"But...is it still night now?"

"From the measure of time, or from the measure of you and me?"

"I don't understand what you're saying, but it's probably the latter."

"Well, then, it is so. The clock keeps ticking, but the sun is still not rising."

The time when I fell from the airship - I didn't take out my pocket watch to check it immediately, but judging from the time adjustment result after setting up camp, it was indeed night time.

Looking back, there was definitely something not quite right.

Although it was night, it did not give people the feeling of being in the countryside, a remote place with no lights or human presence, only darkness everywhere - no, it was not to say that this place was safer than the deserted woods, wilderness and ruins. On the contrary, although the light was sparse, distant, and not as if it was right in front of them, just setting foot on this snowy field would produce a sword-like pain as if they were in the restraint ship Gleipnir, the nerves indicating danger were bleeding, being drawn out, and secreting liquids that symbolized panic and fear, but there was one difference.

No, no, it's not about the extreme silence, as if all insects and animals have become extinct, as if humans have completely disappeared from this vast land. After all, this is a forbidden zone for life in general perception. Although due to the progress of the Antarctic expedition, people have fully realized that even in such an incredibly cold area, life can still exist tenaciously and in large numbers, the common perception has not changed, and this silence is not enough to surprise Lunicia.

But there is light here.

Should I say it like this? But it doesn't seem accurate enough. That's not the normal light that Lunisia knows. It comes from lamps, dragon crystals in the activation stage, and the light of spells and divine grace. There is no light source. The moon and stars are long-extinct things. For humans crawling on the ground and wriggling in the mud and rocks, the light is too far away. It is just a fantasy that only exists after the poisonous miasma. There is no light. Maybe there used to be a prosperous country and a glorious city here, but all you can see is ice and snow, some of which can be seen everywhere in the south now. There is no romance at all in the cold reality. Yes, yes, I remember, there have been similar situations before, right?

For example, in the cabin of the restraint ship Gleipnir, the unknown brilliance was attributed to the unique technology of the Kingdom of Nasarlan that was beyond the imagination of modern people, a disguised magical brilliance, maybe so, maybe a hundred years ago, when the magic empire was in its heyday, when the ship soared in the sky under the will of the great wizards, but now, the hazy brilliance in front of us only reminds people of the phantom light in the cabin. Or, recalling the past, in a corner of the city of Muland, the shame mark called "Northeast District", the scene there was so chilling that it seemed like an invisible thing was crawling on one's back.

There is clearly nothing there - or perhaps, only from our perspective - and there should be nothing there except the ruins. However, our eyes can capture the light that seems to come from civilization, the bright spots of gas lamps in the glass windows, the fire in the fireplace, as if there are still people living there, a world equivalent to the lightless zone, but you should know that it is just a dead place and there will not be any "ordinary" life there.

Because of this, even though she could not perceive the existence of darkness and the pale snow around her shone with silver light in her field of vision, Lunicia still did not extinguish the lantern hanging on her waist, allowing it to shine quietly. Of course, the same was true for Ella Hepper. It was a feeling that came out of nowhere, and it seemed that only in this way could she capture the only remaining moment of peace of mind.

Because of this, Lunicia almost didn't realize that she was in darkness.

Until now, when she once again dug up the ice sheet that concealed her existence and found herself on this silver land again, Lunicia seemed to suddenly understand that this was it. This was a night that would never dissipate. No matter how bright the field of vision was or how far away the objects she could see were, this fact could not be changed.