Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"I see. There is no record of this. Very interesting."

"I think maybe we should change the subject, to something more relevant to the issue at hand."

"Okay. According to the map, there seems to be a monastery further north of here—"

"Of course."

"Yes, of course, but this monastery is also abandoned. And our destination is further south."

"Hmm...it seems that even if there is a problem, it is unlikely to seek reinforcements and supplies."

“It’s really a hassle.”

"This place is quite far from the nearest settlement. In addition, there are only you and me here. If something unexpected happens, the mission will basically be declared a failure."

"There won't even be a chance to send this record back, okay. But I don't think that will happen."

Dongdong - it sounded like someone in the "recorder" role tapped the camera with his fingers.

"is it?"

"At least this mission is very contradictory in every aspect, and it is quite different from the mission I remember of 'the rate of persuading people to quit is too high'."

"Tell me."

As the voices were speaking, the camera turned and began to move in a direction...approximately "south". The voices outside the screen did not express surprise or doubt, which should be the normal operation result under their control.

"First of all, it's just the two of us."

"'Captain'... huh... or 'thug'? And you, 'recorder'."

"It proves that the headquarters has made the judgment that this operation is necessary, but the risk... or difficulty is relatively low."

"So it's only two people, not zero or more. That's good."

"It seems that the higher-ups are not going to give up this... mission. But at the same time, they can't spare more manpower."

"After all, even the simplest missions have a chance of failure. But it's clear that others have more important tasks to do. Prepare for battle? That's all I can think of."

"You said you were preparing for war—war with whom? Long ears? Are you still not satisfied after signing the agreement?"

"Who knows? It's a war of self-defense after all."

"Oh, I hope their judgment is not wrong."

Judgment naturally does not refer to "judgment of task priority" but "judgment of task difficulty".

"'Find out the status of the target location' - the instructions are very vague, and the requirement is just 'you can return after completing your own judgment', but it seems to be a reconnaissance or exploration mission."

"And it's not a completely unknown area. Dungeons, ruins, etc."

"Otherwise we should now enjoy the warm welcome of the advance exploration team or excavation team, right?"

"At least it was greeted by corpses and the stench of corpses."

"…Stop the horses here?"

"No, get closer to the destination."

"of course."

The picture continued to move, heading in the set direction, along a semi-deserted road.

"Speaking of which..."

The person with the identity of "recorder" spoke again.

"what?"

"Don't you think it's a little strange?"

"Strange places? There are too many. Which one do you think is right?"

"Corpse."

“Ah—really?”

"The village - well... it should be a village, but I didn't see even a single bone. It's very unnatural."

“Is there a cemetery nearby?”

"Not within visual range."

"If someone collected the body, it would have been buried near the scene."

"Normally, that's the case."

"It doesn't look like it."

“Not really.”

"…Anyway, it shouldn't have happened recently."

"Will it be related to our 'work'?"

"Salvating the souls of the dead is also one of the duties of the clergy, but if possible, the less unnecessary trouble the better."

"When it comes to saving the souls of the dead, our bureau should be more professional than other departments."

"On average? Hmm - dungeons, ruins, and ancient tombs can easily be associated with things like 'dead spirits', so in that respect, yes."

"so……"

"No, but our work is ultimately related to 'holy objects' and 'sealed objects'. If there are traces of the undead among them, things will become very complicated."

"That's the same thing—look at that."

Outside the screen, the voice of the "recorder" suddenly lowered a few notes, and the camera turned in a certain direction. That might be their destination, the location of the "due south" that deviated from the road.

"Well……"

"see it."

"It's clear. The land here..."

The soil exposed on the surface did not look like normal soil. It was too dark in color, and did not look like fertile black soil. Rather, it looked like sticky, dirty, and nutrient-free black sandy soil, which not only smelled fishy and corrosive from pollutants, but also had an indescribable smell of corruption.

Not just land.

The plants, meadows, shrubs and trees that were supposed to be yellowish in color, had already changed from their unhealthy but still full of vitality to truly "withered" at some point. Did it just start? No, it seemed that this change had already begun on the way here, and it was only now that the two finally realized it.

They "survive" in a weird, "dead" posture. They look completely withered, but it feels like they are still alive. But there is also another feeling that no matter how much water or fertilizer is given, or how much better the living environment and resources are provided, it may not be possible to make them return to "normal".

Not just plants.

The sky, which was covered with poisonous fog all year round and only partially shone through, seemed darker and gloomier than usual. It was clearly noon, but it looked as if it was approaching sunset and about to enter the night, emitting a faint light that made people feel uneasy. It seemed that I could hear the sound of the wind from afar, from the other side of the plain... or perhaps from the direction where the camera was pointing, the destination, as if someone was roaring, screaming and wailing in the distance. No, no, that was just an illusion. There would not really be anyone here, in a place like this, making such a sound.

After all, this place was abandoned a long time ago.

Time is enough for this place to become unrecognizable to anyone - a completely different and unfamiliar place.

"How about it……"

"I didn't feel anything."

"Everything?"

"No. Nothing. That's why it's even weirder."

It doesn't look like "nothing" here, but it blatantly presents a weird scene. The more so, the more weird and suspicious this judgment of "feeling nothing" becomes.

"……All right."

With a sigh, the "recorder" took the initiative to walk into the camera together with his "leader".

Both of them wore full black armor, one was medium armor, the other was full heavy armor, their faces were covered by helmets, and their appearance underneath could not be seen. The emblem of the Court of Glory was engraved on their chests, not the emblem of a single god, to show that their department would not favor a single god, including the highest priest who served it, which was a symbol of impartiality.

"At 2:11 pm, the Fire Eater team, reconnaissance mission, recording begins. The weather is clear, the wind direction, the flow of magic power...no special performance. The target location can be directly observed from here. No special situation, we will go deeper next, over."

After making good records and adjusting the camera, the "recorder" and the "leader" turned around and looked towards their next destination.

That looks like... a cave.

There are obvious signs of artificial carving, and even stone doors and stone pillars can be seen on the outside - the door seems to have collapsed long ago, leaving only a pile of scattered stone slabs, while the stone pillars still remain standing, although the carvings and text on them have been worn away by the erosion of wind and rain, leaving only some blurred bumps.

And behind those traces of artificial carving, all the naked eye can see is opaque darkness.

After the two turned around, the camera used for recording seemed to turn towards the location of the cave imperceptibly.

Staring straight ahead, staring at the thing hidden behind the darkness.

Chapter 15 Northward Yaw

The Northern Continent itself is known together with the South Pole, Mu Continent, Atlantis, and the Lost World. However, if one really tries to compare them, one will inevitably find that even if they are collectively called the five continents of the world, the area of ​​the Northern Continent is smaller than that of the other continents.

This wasn't just the aftermath of the Hyperborean Wars - after that, no one had really been able to map the size of Argonautica - before the war broke the land into pieces, this continent was the smallest in size.

This may be exciting. After all, it means that it will be easier to cross the Far North and look for specific things in the land of Hyperborea than to cross... and search other continents. But please calm down and let us think carefully about what we just said and what those words mean.

"Across" an entire continent.

"Search" an entire continent for a specific destination.

Even with the help of a fixed map, this kind of thing can never be called "simple" or "easy to achieve". Especially now, being thrown into an unknown corner, lacking sufficient preparation and supplies, without a map, no positioning, no direction... If you say this, will you have a full understanding of this difficulty?

This difficulty is not like a strong enemy, a battle, or a dungeon to be explored. What adventurers need to do can be summarized as rushing into the deepest part of the maze and smashing the lich's urn. The current difficulty comes from many aspects, and basically, from nature and the environment itself. It is illusory and lacks substance. How to overcome such difficulties?

"Hmm - more observation?"

Lunicia tilted her head and then made this point.

"It's a sunny day now, so there's no reflected light that would hurt my eyes. Also, since the goal is 'searching', it makes sense to increase the field of view."

Ella offered no objections and added details.

"In that case, just let this machine do it."

"Will the mechanism be more reliable than the flesh at times like this?"

"At least this machine can fly? If Miss Ella is willing to take on this job, this machine can also adopt the second plan, which is to let this machine hold you and fly, and then you will observe--"

"I don't want it?!"

The actual execution was handed over to Ashlee. Of course, the mechanism might not be more powerful than Lunicia, or more agile and cunning than Ella Hepper, but its functionality would always make people shine. This was probably the so-called convenience of the tool, although neither Ella nor Lunicia thought so, only Ashlee herself would think so.

Of course, the change is not that obvious. Perhaps in complex terrain, a higher field of view means more discoveries, but on an ice field like this, it is another matter. However, it is better than nothing, and it can be regarded as adding some fun to this journey.

Squeak, squeak——

It was not only the sound of footsteps on the new snow, but also the sound of the coffin sliding across the ice.

……

In this place where it is so quiet that even the world seems silent, the only sounds you can hear are the distant howling of the wind and the sounds coming from under your feet. Will the next step be the same solid flat ground as always, or a small surprise hidden under the snow, such as an ice storehouse or a crack? When you hear the sounds coming from below, your thoughts will turn involuntarily.

"Today is the fifth day of survival in the snowfield?"

"Yes, Lady Luna."

"Even if the impression of day and night becomes weak, there may not be any error in a short period of time—" Ashlee flew briefly, acting as an observation balloon in her words. "By the way, the total distance traveled so far is about 160 kilometers."

"Eh?!"

Lunicia let out a melodious scream at the result.

"So it's actually only 160 kilometers!"

"This machine can ensure that there are no errors in the distance measurement function."

"What's wrong, Lady Luna?"

"No... um... it feels much slower than expected?"

This seemed to frustrate her a little, but not enough to affect her pace.

"You sound unhappy, Lady Luna. Well... in that case, I think I should blame the person who made you feel worse—"

Buzz—this time it was the sound of a long sword ejected from its scabbard, cutting through the air.

"That's not necessary?! And it's not because of Ashe that this happened, right?"

"Really? I'm sorry, Lady Luna."

"Is Ash overreacting?"

Judging from the numbers alone, it is indeed not ideal. Even if there are three people walking together, the speed of travel depends on the slowest person in the team, and they are also dragging a pure steel coffin with two inactive mechanical dolls lying in the coffin - in theory, the speed should not be so slow. After all, the three people present are all extraordinary people. Even Ella, who is theoretically the thinnest and has the worst physical fitness, has "extraordinary" leg strength. As a magic swordsman wielding an evil sword, it is natural that her walking speed is better than that of ordinary people.