Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

The boy felt like his brain was about to freeze.

What this means is that the knight from the Glorious Court in front of him just saw that he was beaten for stealing bread, so he chose to buy all the bread to provide help?

He was not shocked by the other party's generosity, but was thinking very frankly, is it possible for such a thing to really happen?

Am I still dreaming?

Thinking of this, he involuntarily stretched out his hand and slapped his face with the greatest strength he could muster.

"……pain……!"

"Haha, this is not a dream."

Lunicia shook her head, causing the paper bag on her shoulder to rustle.

"Aishi has a question." Ashlee glanced at Lunisia and asked, "According to the testimony of the bakery owner, the Nosavi City Government, or the Ivanov regime, should have provided relief rations. Why is there a shortage of food in this situation?"

Hearing this question, the boy's mood seemed to drop even more: "...Yes, we do provide relief food...but..."

"but?"

"The actual amount we received... was very little." The boy couldn't help biting his lip, looking quite aggrieved. "Five people had to share one person's worth of food... and the food was very bad... black bread that was as hard as bricks, unsifted flour mixed with sand and sawdust, and covered with mold. It was inedible if not soaked in water for a long time... but they refused to provide more water, and also forbade us to go to the river to fetch water...

We still have many elderly people, patients and children... With this amount of food, many people can't survive. Many people have already died... of hunger, abdominal pain or other reasons... We are not allowed to cultivate the land or find work, and we can't even get food ourselves. We are even restricted from leaving the refugee camp. Not many people can survive by catching rats and insects. If this continues, everyone will just starve to death..."

The more she listened to the boy's narration, the more shocked and sad she felt. She thought carefully and asked, "Grand Duke Ivanov... there is no belief in the Three Stars in his fiefdom, but he mentioned that family when communicating with other divine courts. If I remember correctly, in order to absorb refugees, and with the urging of other divine courts and the church, they should have provided a lot of food for relief, right?"

Apart from the Crimson Temple of War, Death and Judgment, which are indifferent to this, the Glorious Temple, the Prosperous Temple of Wisdom, Trade and Architecture, and the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture and Prosperity all clearly support secular governments in providing relief to refugees. At least this was clearly stated when world communications were still connected. There will also be a certain degree of condemnation for countries that refuse to provide relief, but it will not be too forced.

Under the circumstances, it was hard for Lunisia to imagine that the implementation of such relief would be so poor.

"But……"

"I'm not denying what you said." Lunicia smiled and tried to calm the boy down, shaking her head. "I'm just wondering why this happened. It doesn't match what I heard."

It's not just the issue of food relief, there is another statement that also concerns Lunicia - according to the boy, these refugees are not allowed to leave the refugee camp, are not allowed to reclaim wasteland for farming, and are not allowed to engage in various jobs. This is completely contrary to the traditional sense of absorbing refugees.

Although Lunisia's knowledge in this area was limited, she could roughly guess that the purpose of taking in refugees was to obtain labor.

Just when she was puzzled, she had already stepped over the last relatively intact stone slab.

The texture of the soil brought her thoughts back to reality, and in front of her, the ramp leading to the refugee camp was sloping down, spreading silently.

Chapter 13 Relief (Part 3)

This is called a refugee camp, but it is very different from the refugee camp that Lunisia knows.

In Lunicia's impression, since the word "refugee camp" means a campsite, it should also look like a campsite. She had seen the appearance of front-line campsites in the battlefield photos brought back by her predecessors. There were simple walls surrounded by barbed wire and wooden stakes, a huge bonfire in the middle of the campsite, and temporary houses built with planks. Although they looked shabby, they were at least neat and impressive.

There is none of that here.

If you must say, it's not completely useless - at least one small fire after another has replaced the function of a real bonfire, but how much use they can bring in the cold wind of this snowy month is another question.

There are no barracks or walls here, only countless simple tents crowded together. They can even be called tents at best. They look like frames supported by branches, covered with thick cloth full of patches and holes. They can barely keep out the cold wind from the north, but other than that they can do nothing to retain heat and provide shelter. They are just that.

There are no walls here. The Nosawi City Hall does not seem to have made any effort to confine the refugees in a small area, or there is actually no need to do so. The abandoned buildings that already exist in the North District have perfectly played the role that a wall should play. The vast and uninhabited ruins of buildings form a natural barrier between the urban area and the refugee camp. For the refugees who have little physical strength due to lack of food and water, it is almost impossible to cross the intricate ruins to get to the urban area.

If they took the main road, Yule Street would be the end of their destination. If they went any further, they would undoubtedly be expelled from the city hall, or even arrested by the security team and thrown into the dungeon of Nosavi, where they would not know whether they would live or die.

People with listless spirits and yellow faces huddled together, tightly holding onto their torn or dirty clothes, surrounding a fire that could barely be called a burning fire, trying to keep warm while also preventing the fire from being extinguished by the cold wind.

To these people, the arrival of Lunicia and her group did not seem to be something worthy of concern. They merely raised their heads to take a look and then lowered their heads again, at most staying there for two or three seconds out of confusion. Then they just shook their heads and continued to keep their gaze on the flickering flames, trying to create the illusion that their bodies were warming up.

Of course, not everyone can maintain this status quo.

A figure sat stiffly beside the fire, and then fell diagonally backward without any warning. Before the people around could react, the tall and thin adult man curled up his body, covering his abdomen with a painful look on his face. Large streams of sweat continued to pour from his forehead, and his fingers kept digging into his stomach. This struggle did not last long - after a while, his hands began to cramp, and then fell down weakly.

A low and faint sob was heard from the crowd. Several people stood up from the fire, lifted the man's body together, and carried it to the explosion crater far away from the refugee camp before discarding it.

Not all corpses received such treatment. Several corpses were curled up under the ruins on the roadside, drying up bit by bit in the cold wind. No one collected them. Some of them looked like they had no relatives, while others died together with their relatives. As long as the corpses were far enough away from the refugee camp, no one was willing to touch them and waste precious energy and calories on the task of moving the corpses.

The heads of those corpses were obviously twisted off - Lunicia knew that was the best way to prevent corpses from turning into corpses when there was no way to comfort the souls or purify them.

An atmosphere of sadness instantly enveloped the entire camp, but the sadness lingering over the shanties did not last long. Like an iceberg submerged in the deep sea, it slowly sank into an indescribable huge cloud, numb and depressing, yet as if there were flashes of lightning, making people uneasy.

But when people saw the bags that Lunicia was carrying, the atmosphere changed again.

Some people couldn't help but reveal a greedy look, but then shrank back when they saw the armor and the giant sword. Some people were indifferent, and some people seemed to have thought of something. They suddenly raised their heads and stared at Lunicia with incredible eyes, but then seemed to remember something, laughed at themselves, and then lowered their heads in loss, sighing.

Looking at these scenes, Lunisia felt only sadness and disbelief.

For her, who had just stepped out of the birdcage called the temple, the world had never been so strange as it was now - the fresh air, the simulated sunshine, the fake and prosperous garden, the words of God, the gentle seniors, the peaceful adoptive father... those familiar things did not seem to be from the same world as the miserable and sad scene before her.

She even felt at a loss.

This was completely different from the simple ruins at the Shuichequ before - those were things that had already been destroyed and there was no room for redemption. Even if one had witnessed a moment of it, one was still not an eyewitness of the destruction. It was like the audience of a drama. Even if one had the opportunity to avenge the dead and kill the enemies with one's own hands, one would still want to stay out of it.

And here, destruction just keeps on existing. Even if it is not a spectacular disaster, it is still happening in reality, happening right before Lunicia's eyes, making her feel again and again that the world around her is no longer a greenhouse and a birdcage, but a different kind of world.

She couldn't help but think back to the day when God's voice disappeared from her ears.

We walked through row after row of shabby shanties, and finally, under the guidance of the young man, we arrived at an open space in the middle of the refugee camp. There was no huge bonfire for heating, but only a rather simple-looking wooden platform with a large black pot underneath. The pot was of course empty, not to mention food, not even a drop of water could be found. In addition to these, there was a simple gallows with noose hanging from the wooden beams, swaying in the cold wind.

Stepping over the empty cauldron, the wooden platform, and the gallows, the three men came to a tent that looked no different from other shacks.

If you must say, there are some differences - a rusty snowflake holy emblem is hung on this tent, which is blown up and down by the cold wind again and again, but there is no sign of it falling.

This part of the tent looked more repaired. With the thick cloth in between, Lunicia couldn't see what was going on inside the tent. But judging from the boy's attitude, this should be his "home".

The boy looked at Lunicia timidly, as if seeking her permission, but Lunicia just smiled, pretending not to care.

He lifted the patched cloth curtain, bent down and walked into the low, leaky tent. This set of movements was so skillful, as if this was really the boy's home - but it could be said that it was not, because this was really just an inconspicuous corner of the refugee camp, or it could be said that it was, because his family, a man and a woman who were not old but looked weathered, were sitting there.

"Dad, mom...I..."

The boy originally thought that since he had found food and found kind people who were willing to help people like him who had nowhere to go, and could even get help from the gods, he should act happier no matter what, so that his parents, who were worried about him because he ran out to look for food without permission, could feel relieved. But when he really opened his mouth, tears came out involuntarily.

The boy's parents were shocked at first, and then they were filled with unspeakable relief and joy - they wanted to stop their son from going out to look for food, and they thought that their son who sneaked out was in great danger, and when he really came back safely, their worry and pain condensed into tears and flowed from the corners of their eyes.

"It's okay! Son, it doesn't matter if we don't find food, as long as you are safe..."

The man soothed the boy's back and kept comforting him.

"May the goddess of death bless the messenger and delay his steps by one second..."

The woman drew the holy emblem of the goddess of death on her chest over and over again, praying with her eyes closed and shedding tears.

Hearing this, the boy realized what misunderstanding he had caused. He quickly shook his head and wiped away his tears.

"No, I...I found food!"

Chapter 14 Relief (Part 4)

These words made the boy's parents stunned.

They never expected the boy to find food. In their opinion, it would be a miracle if he could return safely. As for food, let alone bread, even if he could catch a mouse, the couple thought it was impossible. So when the boy took the initiative to bring it up and his hands were empty, they even suspected that he had fainted from hunger and was just dreaming.

"Is such that……"

Under the puzzled gaze of his parents, the boy told them what happened after he went out -

……

"I really don't know how to thank you..."

Faced with the boy's father's gratitude, Lunicia suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

This was the first time she formally accepted the gratitude of a living person since she left the church, and she had not considered such a thing at all when she thought about paying for the bread. Therefore, when the other party really started to thank her, she had no idea how to respond and could only wave her hands in panic.

"No, no, it's nothing... Anyway, how about distributing these breads first?"

This purchase was a huge loss for Lunisia.

The bakery on Yule Street looked small, but it actually had a lot of bread in stock. The price was not cheap, but the only products it offered were the most common and cheap bran black bread. After all, it was a shop in that kind of place, so even if it offered more upscale milk toast, no one would consider buying it. Besides, people who buy goods in bakeries in that kind of place don't care too much, and bran black bread itself is durable in storage. Lunisia bought all the black bread in the bakery, including the shelves and reserves, for a total of one month.

As a result, there were several unnaturally large paper bags, or simply simple cardboard boxes, in Lunicia's luggage.

Considering that the people here might have been hungry for a long time, Lunishi thought it would be better to distribute it quickly.

"Don't worry about water. After all, I'm an outsider. I can just go to the river to get water."

These incredibly hard and salty black breads would be difficult for the refugees to chew if not eaten with clean water. In serious cases, they might even choke to death. In this case, a pot of boiled or purified water becomes very important. This is why a big pot is set up outside. When distributing food, the refugees are asked to use bowls to get water and eat it with the rationed black bread.

Hearing this, the man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's better to let them take a break and distribute these to them later."

From the man, Lunicia learned that the official in charge of transporting relief food had just left not long ago. In other words, the refugees had just had a meal. The boy went out to look for food on an empty stomach in anger because the official was once again unwilling to increase the amount of relief food.

For those refugees, if they get food again just a short time after their last meal, something unexpected might happen, especially if they have never had a full meal before.

"Thank you very much for your kindness. You are willing to provide food for us refugees at your own expense. This is a great kindness... But, please forgive me... Although this bread looks like a lot, if it is distributed to everyone, the amount left at the end will not be much more than what the city hall gives."

Lunicia nodded, she felt the same way.

Bought a month's worth of the bakery's inventory at one time, this sounds like a lot, but it's actually not a big number. After all, the bakery on Youle Street is just a private bakery, and the demand from customers is not much. They don't bake too much bread in a day, and after deducting the part sold in a day, there is not much inventory left in a month.

The scale of this refugee camp is not small. Lunicia estimated from what she saw that there are at least a thousand people. If the bags of bread in her hands were distributed equally, each refugee would only get a quarter to a fifth of a piece at most, which is less than half the size of a palm. Lunicia really didn't think that this amount would have much effect.

After all, she couldn't conjure more out of thin air.

"According to my personal opinion, I hope to distribute these together with the relief food provided by the city hall next time. I will be responsible for the distribution. This way, I can hide it from the eyes of the city hall, and I don't have to worry about any problems happening to other people. It can also calm everyone's emotions..."

Hearing this, Lunicia couldn't help but look the man in front of her up and down.

He looked like the other refugees, thin and emaciated due to long-term running around, hunger and fatigue, with rough and flaky skin, a sallow color due to malnutrition, and the deep eye sockets unique to the residents of the southern part of the Lamenesian Peninsula appeared even more sunken. Even so, there seemed to be some spirit in his eyes, unlike the numbness, distress and pain of the other refugees.

This is a spiritual difference. He may be more persistent than others, and therefore can endure more than others.

Things like distributing food are usually handed over to respected and trustworthy people in the group to ensure that everyone else can get the portion that suits them. Even though Lunicia is not very worldly-wise, she can vaguely understand this truth. It is for this reason that Lunicia suddenly became a little curious about the family in front of her.

She couldn't help but move her sitting position to make herself look as serious as possible. She first agreed with the man's statement, and then asked cautiously: "Speaking of which, where did you come to Nosawi from?"

The man was stunned for a moment, looked at his wife and children, then smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I'm so sorry, I was so excited that I even forgot to introduce myself..."

"It's okay. I'm Lunicia Agris, a knight of the Radiant Court."

The man was not surprised by Lunicia's identity. He just continued, "My name is Ernest Logorides, this is my wife Elida, and this is my son Carlos... My family are all believers of the goddess of death and ice. We originally lived in the Principality of Lanmen, but unfortunately ended up here."

"Logorides...ah, that Logorides?"

Lunicia muttered this form, and it took her a while to remember what this form meant.

"Does the surname 'Logorides' have any special meaning?"

The questioner was Ashlee, who was looking at Lunicia in confusion, with her head tilted.

"Don't you know Ash?"

Lunicia was stunned for a moment, and then explained:

"Logorides means 'preacher of the blue ice'."

After being promoted to bishop, believers of the Goddess of Death and Ice and Snow can apply to be granted a surname by the church. Logorides is one of them. The person in front of the two now is the former bishop of a certain place.

Chapter 15 Relief (Part 5)

It all dates back to six hundred years ago, when the sixth calendar had just begun.

The flames of war known as the "Hyberil War" swept across the entire Hyperberil continent and even affected the northern part of the Eden continent. The scale of this war was so large, yet no one could explain why - one side of the war was the Hyperberil Kingdom, the core of the Hyperberil civilization, known as the "twin pillars of the history of magic" together with the Gunasalan Kingdom. The other side was completely unknown, and no one knew who the Hyperberil Kingdom's opponent was.

Ethnicity? Unknown.

Military strength? Unknown.

When and where the attack will be launched is unclear.

The specific course of the war is completely unclear. It is said that when the Hyperberian War was going on, the entire Hyperberian continent, including the Hyperberian Ocean, was shrouded in a storm wall that no one could penetrate. Not only was there no means of passing through, even the monitoring satellites in the sky could only capture images of the storm. No one knew what exactly happened in the storm.

Only one thing is clear.

That was the outcome, the end of the war.

One of the most powerful countries in the world.

A country that owns tombs, wizard towers and observatories all over the world. Although it has no colonies, it can expand its influence to any corner of the world at any time.

A country that is known as the pinnacle of the magic world, and whose achievements in magic are unmatched by anyone else.

A country that is thought to be able to lift and reshape the entire surface of the planet overnight.

A country where the castle is fixed in the sky by magic, and magical light shines all day long.

A country said to have created a legendary artifact that could open the door to the ultimate truth at the end of time and space.