Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"It has completed its regeneration. After some thought, I think the word 'regeneration' is not appropriate for this machine. Perhaps I should choose a more appropriate description."

"It doesn't matter. Although it's not what I imagined, and it doesn't look like a town, it should not be completely worth investigating..."

Ella looked from afar, at the complex of buildings not far away.

...Only when I stand here and look at it from a stable, normal perspective can I see some clues in the space that I subconsciously ignored due to the motion blur. From the ground to the sky, an invisible object like water waves and mercury mirrors is swaying slowly in the winter wind. It is not a wall, as Lunicia thought. After all, even if she bumped into it, she would not feel anything. She just passed through it without realizing it.

It seemed that as they approached the complex, the things inside the curtain, the low igloos and the huge tower in the center, became clearer, from being almost indistinguishable from the surrounding snowfields until finally appearing in full before their eyes. It seemed that this place was previously blocked by such a barrier, which prevented Lunicia and her group from seeing the tower from afar.

Ella glanced at Ashlee's back and continued:

"I'll go in and take a look first, Lady Luna."

"Eh? Let me go. My defense is stronger. If I get attacked by something like that again, I can handle it better."

"No, Lady Luna. Maybe my defense and regeneration abilities are not as good as Lady Luna's, but I am a wizard after all. If you encounter a situation related to magic, it may be better for me to handle it."

"Perhaps this machine is the first choice for exploring the way. After all, this machine will not be damaged and has a certain tolerance to magic."

"Ashe, just watch from the side. If I let you do it, what if something unexpected happens like what happened just now? You just need to be Luna-sama's guard robot here—"

Ashlee blinked.

"OK?"

Ella just waved her hand, then hung up her sword again and walked towards the building complex.

Although Lunicia and Ashethelin agreed with Ella's idea and asked her to explore the way first, it did not mean that they really did nothing... No, Ashethelin did nothing. She just stood on tiptoe and looked at where Ella was from afar, at the path leading directly to the building complex, which was almost invisible under years of wind, snow and rust. Lunicia held the sword in front of her, closed her eyes, and prayed silently.

Faint rays of light surrounded Ella like falling gold dust, and even she herself did not notice it.

"Blessing" is guided by faith and provides a little protection... Even in a place so far away from God's mercy, God's glory, and God's sight, the magic seems to still be effective.

This gave Lunicia some comfort, but it also brought more confusion.

Gods can touch this place, or perhaps faith is enough to cross the barrier of space - but if so, the gods who can touch this land are helpless against it, then what am I to this endless silver? A little trouble? A passer-by? Or nothing at all?

Probably nothing.

A huge and glorious empire was destroyed here. Its tombstone does not care how passers-by look at it. Everything about it is immersed in the tomb and no longer has any meaning to itself. This is the strange place of the word meaning. In the ice and snow, any achievement, authority, power and glory are just part of nothingness.

no--

They are the fuel of nothingness.

The greater the achievement, the greater the authority, the greater the power, the brighter the glory, the more empty the nothingness.

Perhaps it was because of this that when she really faced the remains of the giant creature, Lunicia felt that the hand holding the sword was so powerless.

She just squinted her eyes, looking at the tall tower that seemed to reach into the clouds, while "paying attention" to the direction of Ella Heper. Her body felt weak because of the ancient relic, but as soon as she thought of her companion, the palm holding the sword tightened again, becoming more powerful than before, and the gloves made a "creaking" sound due to friction.

And Ashleelin - she wasn't so dull that she didn't notice this, but she didn't say anything, just blinked her eyes.

"It looks like nothing happened..."

"Would Luna want, like, something to happen?"

Lunicia just breathed a sigh of relief, but was frightened back by what Ashatherine said.

"How could that be! Of course it would be better if nothing happened, right?"

"is it?"

"Yes."

"This machine is only a recorder of events. Although the records are now almost destroyed, the records themselves will not disappear. However, this machine will sometimes compare the records."

"What are you talking about?"

"In the records, there seems to be such a person: practicing good deeds, feeling satisfied with good deeds, but deep in their hearts they have expectations - they hope that others will have accidents, which will bring them opportunities to do good."

Her golden pupils, which might have belonged to a human or a corpse, turned and looked towards Lunicia.

"It seems that Luna does not belong to this category."

Then, the cold eyes turned back.

"Um...really?"

Although facing the words that sounded like a question or a provocation, Lunicia did not seem to be angry at all, but her expression was somewhat confused. Ella's presence never disappeared from her perception, and there was no instability, so she was only confused, without any more worries.

"I am just a useless machine trying to speculate meaninglessly on Luna's way of thinking as a human being."

"Why do you keep emphasizing the 'machine' thing? Even Ella doesn't think that way, does she?"

The reason why she added "even if" was probably because Lunicia felt that the relationship between them was somewhat subtle.

Ashlee simply blinked her eyes, as if this was the best way for her to express her emotions, and no one else could understand her emotions except her.

“There is no special emphasis, just stating the facts.”

"fact……"

Lunicia muttered quietly before slapping Ashetherin on the back.

Her back, like the rest of her upper body except for her arms, looked normal, just like those of an ordinary young girl who had not experienced much wind and frost. Her smooth skin was shaped like mathematical curves. The dress given by the Muiranders seemed to have left out only her waist and back. In this severe cold, her body did not become icy, nor did it rot and decay due to the life-ending temperature. Instead, it had the same soft touch and a wonderful temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold as usual.

——According to the suggestions of Lunicia and Ella, Ashatherine finally adjusted the temperature back to a level that would not affect her body and movements.

The feeling of patting it with your palm seems to be no different from that of a living person.

Even though we know clearly that there is not even a beating heart underneath, we still think of her as a girl living somewhere in this world - making us imagine whether her expressionless face can also be sad or smiley.

It's like a dream that only lasts for one night and will never come true.

"You have so many similarities with me and Ella?"

Ashlee tilted her head.

"You have witnessed how this body was shattered and how it was repaired. Why do you still say such a thing? It's like writing a maple leaf as a flame cloud. I don't understand."

"Even so—"

Lunicia looked at her free palm, clenched her fist lightly, and then released it.

"Hmm...if we're talking about 'rebirth', then I'm pretty much the same now, right?"

"Even if Luna's head is cut off or her heart is dug out, her life will still dissipate. But for this machine, I don't know where the upper limit is."

"No, you don't know?"

"Even if my head and I are ground into powder, this machine will only rise again from the ashes."

"That's really..."

Lunicia also tilted her head and smiled again.

"...You're amazing, Ashe. You seem to be much more powerful than a half-baked immortal like me."

"Yeah."

Ashlee maintained her demeanor as always, just like the ancient ice that never melts and can be seen everywhere here. Her voice lacked the ups and downs of emotion, and her face lacked the emotions that seemed essential for being human. She also followed Lunicia's example, stretched out her hand, and then put her other hand on it, using her metal fingertips that seemed to have no sense of touch to stroke her palm, which was also made up of mechanisms and was far more delicate and exquisite than a music box.

I don't feel anything. As it should be, right?

"This machine judges that such a being would be called a 'monster' or 'alien' in the so-called 'smart species society'. Moreover, this machine originally has the flavor of 'darkness' and should be regarded as something evil and destructive."

She turned around and looked at Lunesia.

It's like saying...

——Even so, do you still consider this machine as a “same type”?

Silently telling such questions.

"…Um, Ashe."

"Is this unit listening?"

“Although I don’t really understand it.”

"Ah."

"But, in the past, everyone always taught me..."

Cast your eyes to the end of the trail, where Ella Heper was waving. Although her voice was mostly blown away by the north wind, Lunisia, who could hear all words, could still hear it clearly. She was informing people that the front was safe and indicating that they could continue exploring.

It seems that it is time to end this little conversation.

"What is a human being? There is no clear definition for this kind of question, right?"

She didn't want to think about such complicated things at all. It was as if to her, no matter whether it was human, elf, dwarf, dragonborn, mixed-race offspring, dragon, angel, or demon... as long as possible, she would not refuse to communicate or refuse the opportunity to become friends because of race.

Perhaps... it is precisely because of this...

On that night under the gaze of the blood moon, in the ruins where sadness remained, she would reach out her hand to the black iron doll that exuded an ominous aura and looked like the god of death.

Just as her teachers, her "family" taught her.

He just smiled at Ashlee again, then turned around and walked towards the end of the path.

Chapter 23: The Bitter and Cold Prison

Compared to the town that Lunicia had imagined ancient wizards to live in, this place seemed somewhat disappointing to her.

The towering wizard tower is indeed very impressive, but what is left?

Even a place as desolate and remote as Shuichequ would at least hang a sign at the entrance of the village with the words "Shuichequ" written on it, to show everyone who passed by here - even if it was possible, maybe there was no one - that this was the place where waterwheel blades were made for the nearby big city in the past, and it was a gathering place for craftsmen. Of course, this was not the name of the village itself, but the name belonged to the town that had been destroyed by the ghouls.

But here, let alone the same sign, there is not even a decent entrance to Lunisia.

Following a shallow path that was somehow not covered by snow, I walked to the end and came to this small "village" hidden behind the hills. If you look closely, you will find that the path does not actually lead to a place too far away, let alone be considered a "road", as if the people here will never leave this place.

If such a road really existed, there was no reason why Lunicia and her companions could not find it: unlike the wizard tower itself, this extended path was not covered by any special barrier. If it was extended, it would be discovered at a glance.

"Is it safe here, Ella?"

"At least the outer areas are as I judged, there is no particular risk, Lady Luna."

Ella Heper lowered her head slightly, as if to welcome Lunicia's arrival.

"It's strange."

This is different from the situation in midair? Lunicia frowned slightly and tapped the ice with the tip of her sword.

"Ashe, what impression do you have of a place like this?"

"No such record exists. As mentioned before, this machine does not have much information related to 'Zhongbei', 'Hyperil', and 'Zhongbei Civilization'. It seems that this is the first time we have set foot here."

"okay……"

As if she had noticed Lunicia's strange dissatisfaction, Ella asked:

"Ms. Luna, have you discovered any problem?"

"Problem? Um... no..." Lunicia looked around, "I was just wondering if there's something a little bit..."

"A bit?"

"Hmm, aren't they a little too... 'shabby'? These houses don't look much better than the cellar I dug myself. Do all Hyperborean wizards live in places like this?"

Although she felt that these buildings were somewhat unworthy of the name of the Zhongbei civilization, Lunicia still looked at them curiously: these houses made of bricks chiseled from ice and then stacked with ice bricks looked different from any buildings she had ever seen. There were arches made of ice, chimneys made of ice, windows made of ice and fences made of ice. Everywhere was crystal clear and dazzling. Although they were definitely not tall, the materials and light gave them a dreamy atmosphere.

Before she even walked into the house, Lunisia was already wondering if there were beds, tables, chairs, oil lamps, and boilers made of ice in these houses? The people here all lived with furniture made of ice, so would their bodies be different from those of humans, elves, dwarves, dragonborn, halflings, and the like in the south? After all, she had never seen any Hyperboreans in person, and it was hard for her to imagine how they could live on ice.

"This is indeed something that Ishiselin is concerned about. Only the Mage Tower here fits the description of the Zhongbei people, and what are the rest? Miniature landscapes?"

If you say that a wizard with a lot of free time built a village-like setting next to his house, it sounds too subtle.

"No. I don't think so."

Ella walked towards one of the igloos.

She did not try to open the main door made of ice directly. She could not do so. The door on the igloo did not look like the common doors in the south - consisting of door hinges, locks and handles, and closed by pushing and pulling - made of ice and then inlaid in an ice door frame. Instead, it was made of two specially shaped ice walls put together, sealed in the middle with something like grease. By pushing one of the doors, a gap could be created for people to pass through.

This grease-like substance does not seem to evaporate or freeze over the long years, but maintains its proper properties: it will not freeze together with ice at low temperatures and become unable to move, but it can act as a seal to prevent the cold wind from outside from blowing into the house, making the doors and windows meaningless.

Ella just stood at the door, drew the sword from the scabbard, and then stabbed the ice door diagonally. The originally tightly closed ice then slid down and fell outward.

Ice itself is not a completely opaque building material like bricks, stones, and metals, but with such thickness and sealed environment, it can naturally completely block the light from the outside, just like blocking the cold wind. As expected, the ice house is almost pitch black, and only the light from the cracks at the door illuminates part of it. No one wants to speculate what happened to the people who are trapped in the darkness of this world, but the smell wafting from the open door makes people feel disgusted and creepy - it is not a physical "strange smell", but a "sense of existence" that belongs to some unknown, invisible, and imperceptible things.

Even if there was nothing there, no real objects, no sounds, no movements, nothing that shouldn't be there, only darkness blocking the view.

Ella lifted the lantern in her hand, and the flame on the wick flickered, dispelling the darkness in the room.

It was somewhat similar to what Lunicia had imagined: a bed made of ice, an ice table and chair fixed to the ground, a wardrobe carved out of ice, and something that looked like a fireplace. The house was not very small, but the furniture inside was quite poor. But there were also some differences: in addition to the furniture made of ice, there were also some utensils whose purpose was unclear at first glance. They were not made of ice, but of a material that looked like chitin. These items were basically not large items like beds, tables, and chairs, but were probably daily necessities.