Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"Yeah, just like this." Lunicia nodded, "Maybe there will be special discoveries, such as magic items or maps. If you are not sure if there is another town nearby, it might be better to explore here first."

This is indeed as it should be. As a symbol of the status of a magician, or in Hyperion's way, a wizard, the Mage's Tower is not only the residence of the wizard, but also his workshop, library, research institute, castle, and land of his own.

The wizard's research, teaching and life are all carried out in the wizard tower. As long as he is in his own wizard tower, the wizard is the king and the ruler. Also for this reason, most wizards will choose to place their treasures in the tower, at least all their daily necessities.

For this reason, the excavation of lost ancient wizards and their wizard towers often becomes a big deal among nearby adventurers. After all, it is not only a source of danger, but also a possibility of getting rich quickly.

This was the conclusion that Lunicia came to based on her own knowledge and understanding of Archmage Nasaran, and she concluded that the wizard Hyperion was not far from the truth.

...However, what she said was not entirely her idea. In the part of her thinking that she herself was not aware of, her suggestion to explore the wizard tower was partly based on her identity as an "adventurer" - of course she had never registered with any organization, it was just her own idea - exploring and discovering a lost wizard tower, let alone a wizard tower belonging to the legendary Hyperborean wizard, how could such a thing not make adventurers who love the unknown and adventure feel expectant and excited?

"Well, I also think it would be better to explore this wizard tower first."

Ella also gave her opinion.

She did not raise any objection, which meant that in her opinion, exploring the wizard tower was not that dangerous, and she could deal with the danger even if there was any. Or she had no better way and also pinned her hopes on the discoveries inside the tower. Going in to explore was always better than letting Lunicia be trapped to death here.

She was not blindly agreeing with Lunicia's opinion - as a mage, Ella judged that although this mage tower was built in an uninhabited area, proving that the owner might be a hermit who preferred to stay away from the hustle and bustle, but as a mage, completely severing contact with the outside world was not conducive to development and research. Moreover, he did not completely abandon his slaves, which proved that he needed these slaves to do things... such as running errands for him.

In this way, what might exist in this tower is not just a map, but a real way to connect to other places.

"I see. This machine has no objection. If I deny it, this machine will have no objection. It's just that——"

"only?"

"'My Porcelain White Moon', Miss Ella, did you discover anything during your preliminary exploration? According to my judgment, you are somewhat relaxed, but you seem to be troubled in other aspects for some reason."

In the end, Ashlee chose to avoid some perhaps embarrassing questions...for example, Ella's true thoughts.

After all, Lunicia also said that she hoped to hear Ella's story if she was willing to do so, so Ashlee simply chose not to ask too much. Besides, they were about to explore a new area, so it would not be good to create unnecessary trouble. This was her mental judgment.

"…I thought you were going to ask some weird questions."

"In other words, the current problem is not strange. Please explain."

"I wonder if Lady Luna has noticed anything unnatural here?"

"Hmm... no? After all, as Ella saw, I don't know much about magic."

Although Ella had not started to explain yet, Lunicia subconsciously understood that Ella might have made some special discovery, so she went to the vicinity of the wizard tower for preliminary reconnaissance with not too strong vigilance as she did at the beginning. This might be some discovery that only magicians could understand. After all, there was no special mark on Ashetherin.

"It's not necessarily that only magicians can understand..."

Ella paused, and then continued, "Although it seems that the barrier used to shield itself is supported according to normal practices, and the defense of the Mage Tower itself is not closed, this barrier has been unable to maintain its normal strength due to lack of follow-up maintenance. So I think that if there was a temporary defense system here, it is difficult to produce sufficient effect due to the passage of time."

"Well, can I ask, if this barrier is at a normal level, what should it look like?"

Now, it was just something like water waves that blocked the view from a very far distance. If you got close enough, it would be ineffective, which was consistent with what Ella said.

"Probably... even if we pass right through the center of the Mage Tower, we won't find any buildings here..."

It's as if the entire area is hidden in an alternate dimension, and even physical contact won't occur.

...Of course, if that were the case, the group would certainly not be able to discover anything here and would only continue to explore inland.

“Yes, that’s right.”

That sounds really scary.

"Also, although the defense system of the Mage Tower is not shut down, it is not specially turned on either..."

"Not very clear?"

"Although Lady Luna was attacked by magic missiles when she approached, that was probably only the defense to drive away birds. For the owner of a wizard tower of this level, he should know that such magic missiles can hardly pose any threat to intruders who dare to approach so close."

"That makes sense."

"If Luna is well prepared, those magic missiles will not pose any threat to her. To shoot down a flying object of Luna's level, we should use more advanced magic than the magic missiles we have now."

"If that's the case... For example, using a fireball or something like that... I don't think I really have any good solution."

"So, although the defense system of the Mage Tower is still in operation, it only maintains the most basic level of strength and has not been significantly improved. Otherwise, the missiles that appear may not necessarily be magic missiles. Because of this, I think there will be no high danger at least outside the Mage Tower."

This was indeed the case. The group had already arrived at the foot of the Mage Tower, but they were not immediately welcomed by countless magic missiles as they had been when they approached from the air.

"The origin of confidence has been explained. So, what about the special discovery?"

“There are some unnatural places…”

Having said this, Ella frowned as if in distress and covered her lips with her hands.

"In Zelhar's book, when did the Hyperborean War end?"

She did not immediately explain what she thought was unnatural, but instead asked Lunicia a question.

"It should be... the second year after the sixth calendar year."

This year is easy to remember, and even Lunezia, who is not very interested in history, can easily recall it.

The second year after the first year of the sixth calendar, that is, the second year of the sixth calendar - a full 630 years have passed since today. Even for the longest-lived elves, that was an old event that happened in the distant past and was part of history. Moreover, it is almost impossible to find many people who can live from that time to today.

What happened that day? It seems that it is no longer possible to get answers from other people's accounts. We can only place our hopes on books and papers, those pages that have turned yellow and withered.

"In six hundred years, the dust is enough to pile up into a small mountain, but..."

Uncertainty gradually emerged in Ella Hepper's eyes.

"but?"

"But... the time consumed in this barrier seems to be only a few decades."

Chapter 25: Cold Pavilion (Part 2)

The three of them, along with a black coffin dragged behind them, walked to the center of the complex together. The iron chain that was just broken by Ashlee was welded back by her, so Lunisia once again carried this "burden" behind her. She did not choose to bury the coffin here, after all, there was not even a decent cemetery here, and she also stubbornly believed that if she could not even do this, then she would be unworthy of being a priest.

What catches your eye is the main entrance of the wizard tower.

Even though they were already so close, no defense system like the previous "magic missile" was triggered. It seemed that it was really as Ella said, there were no more proactive defense facilities here. If the owner of this place didn't like birds so much, Lunicia and her group wouldn't even have been greeted by the magic missiles at the beginning.

Compared to its status, the gate in front of us seems somewhat ordinary... even simple.

The door frame and doorposts are made of the same azure blue material as the tower body. They are not overly decorated, let alone reliefs. Even the most common statues such as gargoyles are no exception. They are simply decorated with glowing dragon crystal lamps, just like the inner reflection of their owner.

Or maybe the customs of Hyperborea are different from those in the south, so they look like this?

"I think it's just a matter of the wizard's own preference."

As if she could see what Lunicia was thinking, Ella replied.

"Hyperil also has art forms such as sculptures and golems, and at least... this wizard doesn't seem to like to put these things at the door, probably."

"It seems so."

Lunicia didn't say anything, but just walked up the blue ice stairs one step at a time to the door.

The door was closed as if it were a matter of course. The ice carved into the thick door panel had a translucent texture, but the view inside the door could not be seen at all, as if the door was deliberately being used to arouse the visitor's curiosity.

"Besides... this door doesn't seem suitable to be opened like this?"

Lunicia felt around and found no handle or mechanism. The fact that no trap was triggered when she approached seemed to make her feel a little relieved, otherwise she probably wouldn't have chosen to touch the door so rashly. Fortunately, the wizard did not disappoint her. Nothing happened unless there was a special situation. The ice-carved door just let her feel around and investigate the secrets that might exist on it.

"This machine believes that this size should not be designed to take into account the possibility of manual opening by pushing or pulling."

“But there is no mechanism.”

"Perhaps the mechanism is not located on the door, just like the control lever of a city gate is usually designed to be somewhere else on the city wall. However, this machine believes that the Hyperborean wizard does not have a profound understanding of mechanisms and mechanical structures. This door should only be opened and closed by magic, and there is no guidance for manual opening and closing."

This is what should be done.

After all, Hyperborean is a country of wizards, and those who have their own wizard towers are the best among wizards. It is normal for their doors to open and close automatically by magic according to the owner's thoughts.

But in this case, how can I open the door?

"I can try to decipher the spell that controls the opening and closing of the gate."

Ella first proposed the most normal solution, but this would take some time.

"Then I'll try to see if I can open it directly...?"

Then Lunicia proposed a second option which was less normal.

"Wouldn't that trigger the alarm directly?"

"If I try to decipher it, the possibility of triggering the alarm is not much different from trying to open it directly. As long as the noise is not too loud, it should be like this..."

Although Ella lost confidence as she spoke, the final plan was still carried out by Ella and Lunicia at the same time. Ella tried to crack the control command of the door, and Lunicia tried to push the door open directly. Ashethelin? Ashethelin was responsible for standing aside to support and prevent any accidents, or to cheer them on.

"The magical connection... does exist. Yes, it is a magical control method. I can feel the existence of the spell. The next step is to analyze the type of spell, and then..."

Click————

“Ah, it’s open.”

"?"

Ella turned around and saw Lunesia looking at her hands innocently - and the ice door that had been opened a crack. What did she do? Thinking carefully, she didn't seem to do anything special. She just put down the coffin, put her hands on the door, leaned forward, and pushed the door inward like pushing a box...

And then the door opened?

Ella looked at her hands in confusion.

Could it be that this door was just for show and not of high quality, so it didn't take much effort to push it open? Was the Hyperborean wizard surprisingly casual about this?

Thinking of this, Ella also imitated what Lunicia did, lowered her waist, stretched out her hands and pressed against the door panel, moved her body closer, mobilized all her strength according to the way she would in battle, and then pushed forward with all her strength -

“Ugh————~~~~~!”

…The ice gate did not move at all.

Ella lowered her hands and gave a confused look.

Then he put his hands on the door again, imitated Lunesia's posture again, lowered his waist, stretched out his hands, pressed his body forward, and pushed with all his strength -

“Ugh————~~~~~!”

…The ice gate seemed to be fixed to the space, not moving at all.

"Hmm? Ella, what are you doing?"

Following the sound, Lunisia looked over with a confused look on her face, and put her hands on the door again. This time, perhaps because she had mastered the method of exerting force and the quality of the ice door itself, Lunisia did not lie on the door as exaggeratedly as before, but just put her hands on it and pushed hard.

Click————

The ice door was pushed open a little further. The gap created this time seemed to be wide enough for several people to pass through at the same time. There was probably no need to push the door any further. Anyway, it didn't close by itself just because no one pushed it, so Lunicia also put down her hands.

"Um, no, nothing."

Well, it seems that my judgment was wrong, Ella thought.

…It seemed that no alarm was triggered, which made people doubt whether this wizard tower really had a so-called defense system. The group also maintained the most basic alertness, stepped through the door that was pushed open, and slowly walked into this blue ice-carved palace that had been sealed here since who knows when. Or should I say, a prison? Regardless of what word they used, they finally did not choose to walk too stealthily, as if doing so would be disrespectful to this place. They did not look like thieves, but rather like tourists and pilgrims.

He was clearly an intruder, but he was thinking about such things. How could one not laugh or cry?

It was silent here, as if the noise made when the door was pushed was just a fleeting illusion caused by nervousness. There was no welcome, no rebuke, no discussion or evaluation. In this overly spacious tower, even the sound of the wind was blocked, and only the sound of footsteps was particularly clear. There was no one here, and it looked and sounded like no one was here. It was fortunate, or frustrating. It had been quiet here for too long. It seemed that the lack of a defense system meant that even the tower itself could not stand this loneliness, and even invaders were on its list of welcomes.

However, no matter whether Lunicia was willing or not, they could not completely adhere to sentimental thoughts, even though Lunicia wanted to do so very much.

After all, she was now an adventurer—an adventurer who was not registered or named anywhere—stepping into this unknown and unseen secret land.

From a structural perspective, there doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary here, just like what a chic tower should have. In this spacious interior space, the first thing facing the gate is a hall that is wide enough and far higher than the basic requirements. It acts like a lobby. Apart from that, there is no excessive extension in the plane direction that cannot be seen from the outside of the tower. The owner here doesn't seem to want to focus the visitors' attention too much on the hall. If you want to climb up, you only need to walk up the spiral staircase extending from the top, which is also carved from ice and has handrails. You can step onto the upper floors of the tower with just your feet.

But, what about the rest?

Originally, the group of people lit lanterns, thinking that in this tower that seemed to lack windows and had difficulty receiving light from the outside world, it might be pitch dark as so much time had passed since its owner disappeared, and they needed to rely on the small light source in their hands to ensure their only safety.

However, when they pushed open the door and stepped inside, they found that the scene of the sun's light shining through the eternal poisonous fog and pouring into the lightless tower through the crack of the open door did not appear as they had expected. Rather, it was just the opposite. It was not the light from outside the tower that illuminated the inside, but the light from inside that dissipated outside the tower, driving away the hazy sunlight and casting the shadows of the group of people obliquely onto the ice behind them.

The color seems to be summarized as "blue", but if you look closely, you will find that the omnipresent light is not a monotonous color. Several kinds of blue light are projected from different angles and directions in different proportions, mixed together, and finally form this omnipresent ice light. Dragon crystal lamps, fluorescent dust, ever-burning lamps, and eternal torches seem to be the materials that make up the tower. Those things that look like ice are also emitting their own light.

A huge "ice crystal" was suspended in the air of the hall. A ring formed by several runes fixed it like a rotating stream of light. If you look closely, you will find that it is not an ice block, but a huge blue dragon crystal polished into the shape of an ice crystal. Countless crystals carved and polished into different shapes, like stars, surround the "ice crystal" and flow up and down like a blue galaxy. They refract the light projected from countless light sources around them, and then project it to the position required by its installer. It is these countless crystals like galaxies, together with those light sources, that illuminate the interior of the giant tower with brilliance.

Is there only ice here? If so, would it be too monotonous?

This was what Lunicia had guessed at first, but the actual scenery far exceeded her expectations.

There are indeed very few materials other than ice used here. Unlike the stereotype in Lunicia's mind, there is no large amount of gold used for decoration. The owner here seems to love ice alone. However, these ice cubes have changed more than just their properties in his hands. They have changed from easily melted and fragile things to bricks and stones that are stronger and more permanent than steel. The sculptors seem to intend to use these ice cubes to replace all jewels.

From light blue to dark blue, from pure white to pitch black, from pure and transparent to not allowing any light to penetrate, it seems that making a piece of ice colorful is a fairly simple matter, by adjusting the content of bubbles in the ice, the proportion of various gases in the water frozen into ice, and then to the most common carving method, even without using fancy liquids to make ice, the wizard can easily use different shades of blue to mix a famous painting composed only of blue.

Even if you look at it from different angles, the colors of the suspended ice crystals seem to change, reflecting a blue kaleidoscope. Even the steps under your feet, which no one cares about, no one cares about, or even uses, are presented like piano keys with ice bricks of different colors. It seems that this place is trying to use the most simple colors and the simplest materials to create the most gorgeous works of art.

It seems that this is not a wizard's tower or a building, but the embodiment of the mental image of its owner, a wizard whose name remains unknown to this day.

...Not just him. Every wizard tower is unique, and to some extent represents the magician who owns it, his aesthetics, his expertise, his pursuits, his understanding of the world and magic, and the scenery of his soul. Because of this, every wizard tower has its own characteristics, and the risks and treasures you will encounter when exploring the ruins of each wizard tower are also different. In addition to being careful of magic, there is almost no other fixed pattern.

Because of this, this exploration is less like an ordinary adventure and more like a visit to a great magician.