Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

From that moment on, no words were spoken between the three of them.

The casual chat that was supposed to go on on the road now seemed to become difficult to continue. After half a day's journey, the only sounds that could be heard were the rustling of branches, the sound of footsteps on the snow, and the whistling of the north wind. This rather subtle atmosphere really made people feel overwhelmed.

Every once in a while, Lunicia and Ella's eyes would meet. Although there was no communication between them, it was as if they had made an appointment. They turned their heads to each other, letting their brown and blue gazes entangle together, and then bounced away from each other as if they were electrocuted, and turned their faces to the side where they could not see each other again. There was no sound, no more actions, and just because of this wonderful tacit understanding, the paladin's shoulders trembled slightly, and the half-elf's ears shook slightly, causing a blush to climb up her cheeks, which was then covered by the blush brought by the cold.

And Ashatherine just looked to the left at Lunicia, then to the right at Ella, and finally tilted her head.

This little game that could be played without communication was played again and again as the pace progressed. Neither Lunicia nor Ella Hepper seemed to be bored with it at all.

The paths that were once trampled by travelers are now covered by snow. Having lost this most clear signpost, all that is left to do is to move forward in the predetermined direction.

When will this ever-repeating scene come to an end?

At the beginning, you will marvel at the whiteness of the snow, tremble with excitement when the north wind mixed with snowflakes blows on your face, and be extremely happy to see the jungle after the snow. But after watching for a long time, you will feel tired because of the almost the same scenery, and even doubt whether you are really moving forward because of this scene that seems to be repeating over and over again.

Occasionally, you would see signposts for forks in the road. Some led to unknown small villages, while others seemed to point to supply stations specially prepared for travelers. Only with the existence of such things did Lunisia feel that she was moving forward rather than standing still.

Just as she was lost in thought for who knows how many times, thinking about how to start the conversation, the scenery before her eyes changed a little.

It's footprints.

The footprints of people of all sizes and types began to increase gradually. A small number came from the direction where Lunisia and her group came from, while the others came from the small paths to the east, west, and northeast. It seemed that no matter where they came from, the footprints of people who chose to cross the Nemres Hills to Muirand would gather here.

The footprints are messy and of varying sizes. Judging from their condition without giving any light, it can be determined that they have not been there for very long.

——It’s so lively.

This was not a sign of danger; rather, it indicated that the group was very close to their destination.

I don't know since when, the flat land and downhill roads completely disappeared from my sight, and all I could see was an uphill road that seemed to have no end. I climbed up along the shallow and smooth mountain path. Even though I knew that these were just small hills no more than a few hundred meters high, and there was still a big gap compared to the real mountains, climbing over them for several consecutive days still made me marvel at the greatness of nature.

Up, up, let the soles of your boots step on the snowy mountain road, step on the footsteps of your predecessors, hold on to the tree trunks and railings with your hands, and get your body moving, so as to dispel the cold, as well as the embarrassment and silence.

All kinds of thoughts flashed through his head. He recalled his experiences along the way, thought about how to talk to Ella, thought about what he should do next, and thought about what kind of place Muirand was - until a strong and cold north wind blew across his cheeks.

call----

That was a sound that came from across the North and here, across thousands of miles.

call--------

That's the sound of the wind.

The hair was blown up and the snowflakes hit the face. The sudden strong wind could instantly lift people's spirits. Lunicia, who was facing the wind, couldn't help but squint her eyes, shrink her neck, and then cover her eyes with her arms. The strong wind made it almost impossible for her to open her eyes. Until the wind slowed down a little, she was able to look at the world that suddenly became wider.

What followed was a long period of aphasia.

The sun was not bright, and what shone through the gray clouds was at most a little light and shadow after being isolated by layers of clouds. The poisonous cloud was so thick and oppressive that most people who looked at the sky would have an illusion that the sky was very close to the ground, so close that they could reach out and scoop up a handful of dust.

And here it becomes a fallacy.

Villages and towns scattered around, roads extending in all directions, road signs and street lights, ranger camps, greenhouse farms and breweries, firewood and chickens and dogs, caravans and travelers, forests and trees, farmers working, tourists from all directions, and the broad and flat white snowfield. Everything is scattered on the earth, dotted in a star-like pattern. This vast plain surrounding the Kanserer peaks is lively and rich. If you look from the end of the hills, from the top of the big cliff, everything is like a model in a sand table, like an exquisite sculpture in a snow globe, even the pedestrians and carriages, from a distance, are no different from black spots on the ground.

The only exception is the city on the top of the mountain.

The peaks were flattened and the mountains were split apart. White walls stood out from the mountains. The city on the mountain full of stone spires was like a castle, a fortress, a fortress, and even more like a church on the top of the mountain. In the city buried in the clouds and white mist, it seemed that one could hear the hymns coming from the spires in the distance and the morning bells echoing in the streets.

From the mountaintop city of Muirand down to the magnificent fortress Geisenberg known as the "lonely city" in the mountains, and further down, large towns and villages gathered around the foot of the mountain.

It is said that these places were originally resting places for travelers. In the past, when the processing of travel procedures was not as quick as it is now, travelers and caravans often had to wait for several days at the foot of the mountain. Over time, people in the villages near Myoland and the lower-class citizens in Myoland discovered this business opportunity and began to provide various services and supplies to travelers at the foot of the mountain, and slowly developed into this prosperous and busy town.

Rich people are willing to pay for a wealthy lifestyle, which means convenience, and short-distance transportation projects within the city are open to them. Those who are unwilling to pay for this service have chosen another path, which is to hike up the "Sulannell Avenue", climb this long stone staircase carved around the main peak of Kanserle, and head to the city on the top of the peak.

No matter who he is, when he truly steps onto the stairs of Sulanel Avenue and sets out on the road to the summit, he will inevitably experience something that can only be experienced at such a high peak, the feeling of being surrounded by white mist and submerged in the sea of ​​clouds - and only at this time, people will realize with particular clarity how far away that thick and oppressive poisonous cloud is from themselves and from the earth.

"—!"

With eyes wide open, the pair of brown pupils stared at everything in the distance. She wanted to say something, but forgot what she should say. Even the method of making a sound was forgotten along with breathing. It was left behind and thrown into the whistling north wind. Lunicia took steps eagerly, strolling, walking quickly, running, and even sprinting, as if she could not wait to do something, rushing to the end of the Nemres Hills, rushing to the edge of the cliff, grabbing the guardrail with both hands, leaning her body outward as far as possible, leaning forward, and leaning forward again, taking in the scenery with the greatest enthusiasm and greed.

"Ella! Ash! Come on, come and see!"

She forgot the embarrassment, the silence, the shyness, the awkwardness of not knowing what to say, and threw all that away, including the silence, and melted in the not-so-bright sunshine. The girl shouted and waved to her companions, calling out to them, and she was so excited that she almost jumped up.

The cold winter wind seemed to become warm and friendly, and the pedestrians and travelers strolling on the distant plains seemed to have changed from strangers to friends traveling together, just because they were here, sharing this scenery with Lunicia.

"Look, look, look there!"

Every sound was so urgent, so impatient, and so eager for Ashlee and Ella to stand beside him, to be as close to him as possible, to share the scene he saw.

Lunicia as a holy warrior, Lunicia as a saint, Lunicia as an adventurer, Lunicia as a traveler, Lunicia as a girl, are all impatiently stretching out their hands, pointing to the horizon - no, pointing to the existence at the horizon, at the other end, at the end of the snowfield.

“Look at that city on a hill!”

There is the stone dome beneath the zenith.

The divine tower in the east of the continent is there.

The brilliant diamond of Mteria is there.

The capital of the sea of ​​clouds is right there.

The city on the hill is there.

—Muirand, right there.

……

Most of the travelers and merchants traveling to and from this land seemed to come from the west or east, and very few came from the north or south. Regardless of the north, the group had an answer in their minds as to why there were so few teams from the south: the people of Mariai who fled the country to avoid disaster probably would not wait until the war broke out before leaving. With the country in chaos, the teams from the southern Principality of Mariai naturally decreased a lot. Perhaps there would be more teams later due to the unstable situation, but that was a matter for the future.

Travelers passing through here, mercenaries traveling all over the country, religious people traveling to preach, chambers of commerce, adventurers looking for work, employees transporting supplies for Myuland... these people with different origins, ages, genders, occupations, purposes, and identities have gathered here to form a huge flow of people, bringing vitality to the transportation network around Myuland, bringing wealth and population to the towns around Myuland, and together forming part of the lifeline of this mountain city.

Myuland is the largest city in the east of Mu Continent. That being said, the flow of people coming and going here is a bit too huge, isn't it? However, Lunisia and her group were completely unaware of this, as if it was supposed to be like this, because only Ashithelin had actually passed by here, but she was unable to leave any memories here.

Almost all the farms around Twick were destroyed under the strategy of clearing the land. All that could be seen were deserted villages and ruins of houses. There were probably farmlands around the waterwheel canal, but she was too busy at that time to pay attention to them. It was not until now that Lunicia had the opportunity to examine the places used for farming on this land for the first time.

Those sheds look like they are made of transparent shells, and underneath them are farmlands. Different crops are planted in different sheds, some are unique to the cold zone, and some are crops that are difficult to grow in such temperatures. It seems that this shed can not only block acid rain, but also has the effect of controlling temperature. The water supply does not seem to be completed by ditches, probably because of concerns about pollution caused by acid rain. Instead, there is something like a sprinkler, which seems to irrigate the surrounding crops regularly, probably connected to a water source somewhere.

Unlike Twek, unlike Nosawy, the villages and towns around Muirand had a different kind of vitality than the Marie region, relying on the great city to live, as if by doing so there was hope even in this too sad world.

Following the bustling crowd, they heard noisy or fragmented words, and the north wind was mixed with the sounds of wheels and animal hooves. There was still no communication between the three of them, just like the period after the morning.

However, there are some differences.

The shoulders were closer together, so close that one could almost feel the other's warmth.

Passing by farms, villages, and towns, walking on the brick-paved road, raising my head, my vision changed from looking down to looking up, looking far away at the place shrouded in white mist and clouds.

The city on the hill is right there.

Chapter 9: The Gate to the Sky

The excitement that filled her heart could dispel everything, making Lunicia look around along the way, radiating the greatest amount of heat with the greatest enthusiasm and the most simple attitude - so much so that other travelers would turn their eyes to her from time to time, to this girl who didn't say anything but had a look of being suffocated.

It is really curious. If they knew that this person was actually the Holy Maiden of the Glorious Divine Court, what kind of expressions would they show and what kind of thoughts would they have.

"Ah, Lady Luna, really——"

Is this statement really appropriate for the savior? That being said, Ella's mind seemed to automatically filter out the answer that it was inappropriate, just like she didn't care at all about Lunicia's words and deeds, which were not cute and had no saintly intentions at all, and had nothing to do with the savior. She just silently accepted it all.

"It's Ella who's too slow. If she doesn't catch up, I'll have to climb to the next level."

Climbing the stone steps in armor until you reach the top of the mountains is undoubtedly an exhausting and painful act just by listening to the description.

None of these appeared on Lunicia's face. Rather, it was the exact opposite. Her overly energetic and vigorous figure, seemingly never tired, always attracted the attention of the climbers around her.

I don't know if she really doesn't know what tiredness is, or if it's just that curiosity, that desire for the outside world that overwhelms tiredness, eliminates exhaustion, covers up boredom, and allows her to see only a glittering world. Wearing that armor, she can still jump forward on the steps, and from time to time she will temporarily stop on a platform, press her body on the guardrail, and shout to the vast sky with all her strength.

Let your voice be wrapped in the north wind, swept away, and blown to an unknown distance, as if leaving your own mark on the world.

They were climbing up vigorously, but because they had to stop at almost every platform, their progress was not very fast. Even though Ashlee was floating slowly behind them, Ella was just stepping on the stairs at a normal speed and would definitely not be left far behind by Lunicia.

One was looking around with emotionless eyes, collecting memories of the Avenue Sulanel, while the other was just staring at the back in front of him, with an expression that was a little helpless, but also full of joy and concern.

There are carvings for counting on each step, and each guardrail is inlaid with reliefs of raspberry roses, oleanders, irises and pansies. While it is a feast for the eyes, one can also feel the power and wealth of Mulande, the shining diamond of Mutalia.

Even if they don't pay attention to the carvings on the stone steps and guardrails, don't count the distance they have traveled, and don't care about the distant views beyond the guardrails that belong only to the mountains, travelers climbing this road will still stop from time to time.

The reason is simple: they need to pay attention to the map and signs beside the stone steps from time to time.

The Sulannel Avenue surrounds the Kanserle Peaks and connects all accessible places in the entire Muirand City area. Different peaks are connected by suspended stone bridges, which connect the mountain fortresses around Muirand, the areas on other peaks, and the main city of Muirand. If you don't use the teleportation array or take the steam cable car, the structure of the Sulannel Avenue can be said to be very complicated, and there are signs and maps everywhere to ensure that no one gets lost on the avenue.

Of course, it is not really possible to prevent such situations, but even if you are really lost, you can climb up or down, find the nearest service point or outpost, and ask for help, so that you can continue in the designated direction under the guidance of the staff.

As long as you climb high enough like Lunicia and her group, you can enjoy the scenery of the entire lower-level building complex of Muirand from the observation deck specially built on Sulannell Avenue.

The four tall towers, northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast, are located at the four corners of Muirand. Their prominent locations make these towers as eye-catching as the Muirand City on the top of the mountain.

These extremely tall stone spires are not only military stations and outposts, but also important facilities that constitute the protective barrier of Myuland. As long as these four towers are intact, any attack on Myuland can only be carried out from the foot of the mountain. Together with the isolated fortress Geisenberg located on the mountainside, this stone city can be said to be absolutely impregnable.

Many urban areas are scattered on other hills of the Kanserle Peaks. The scale of these districts cannot be compared with the core area of ​​Muirand, which includes the main peak of Kanserle and many surrounding hills, but they are also carved out of the mountains by incredible means. The mountains are hollowed out, and then houses are built in them to form cities, which are then extended outward to become a wonder like an umbrella cap.

Most of these areas are not used for living, but for production. Most of the factories and workshops in Muirand are located in these areas, rather than in the main city of Muirand. Some of the products produced here will be shipped abroad, and some will be sent to the main city of Muirand via freight cableways and sold in stores there.

Put your hand on the guardrail and brush across the iron chains that have been polished too smoothly. A layer of transparent solid will cover them. This thing that looks like some kind of paste is made from animal bones and herbs. It is hard and not easy to fall off at low temperatures, and it is difficult to get dirty. It will evaporate quickly at normal room temperature, leaving only a faint mint scent. It is one of the greatest inventions in the northern winter.

In the cold and long winter in Muirand and further north, if you are not careful, some part of your body will stick to the metal, and it is inevitable that you will come into contact with outdoor metal objects. In this case, these ointments called "Exavoam", which can both prevent freezing and play a maintenance role, are particularly practical. "Exavoam" is the pronunciation of the Zhongbei language. In the southern region, this ointment is generally called "cold metal protection oil".

They stepped on the stone steps, passing the exhausted pedestrians, and climbed up step by step, briskly and surely.

The temperature decreases as the number of steps increases. The closer to the top, the stronger the howling of the north wind becomes. Even though the existence of the barrier has slowed down the wind speed, the northern elves wrapped in snowflakes are still playful and joyful, blowing cool breath into the ears, so that the skin under the traveler's heavy clothes can feel their presence.

White mist began to linger around her body. Those invisible and white things seemed to be particularly familiar to Lunicia. When she raised her hand, she could see wisps of white mist wandering around her fingertips.

As we got closer to the sky, the pressure became more obvious.

It is not some tangible pressure, but something more abstract and difficult to describe, coming from the height of the mountain top, from the mist and the north wind, from the long history, and from the sky. It is like a huge eye opening from the clouds, staring at oneself, gazing at oneself, without emotion or warmth.

However, it seems that not everyone feels this way.

The travelers around were either chatting or breathing heavily, or recording everything in the city on the hill with their eyes. There was no pressure on their faces, just tiredness at most - it seemed that only a few people, like Lunicia, Ashetherin and Ella, felt something, felt some unspeakable and indescribable existence.

So what exactly is it?

I don't know the answer, but my slightly trembling body can only prove that all that is not an illusion, but something that really exists there, somewhere, at a certain time, and above the sky.

"So, the final destination is... here, right?"

Looking up and gazing straight ahead, the joy and happiness had completely disappeared from Lunicia's voice, leaving only a kind of emotion that came from the heart.

She had seen the legendary Wall of Erumu, standing at the border of Twick. The white walls from the distant past were tall and magnificent, almost without any decoration. Their sheer size conquered every passerby who stood at their feet. People were impressed by its hugeness, its whiteness, its antiquity, and its eternalness. Just by looking at the wall woven with magic, they could recall the distant ancient country of Nasaran and the magical civilization in its heyday.

Even so, she would still praise what she saw from the bottom of her heart.

In the beginning of ancient times, there were clouds and ancient trees, snakes and deep seas, the sun and the moon alternated, the stars changed, dragons gathered on empty islands, giants built courtyards, humans were born, demons invaded, gods descended, and history turned around and around until there was no return. Intercept it, remember it, carve the ballad of swords and axes, draw the scene of people conquering each other, heaven and earth biting each other, turn it into stone carvings, cast it into doors, and then you have what you see before you, this tall, magnificent, majestic black stone door.

"'Door of the Firmament'... I have only heard of its existence in storybooks..."

Even Ella looked up and stared at the towering door.

Ashlee seemed to have recalled something, she just stopped and thought, remaining silent.

"Door of the Firmament" - This main gate of the city of Muirand is said to be carved in imitation of a certain door, but no one knows what its prototype is. Its meaning is clear and unambiguous, that is, the door that separates heaven and earth. Because of this, many archaeologists also speculate that its prototype is also the "door that separates heaven and earth" that exists somewhere in this world.

As the facade of Myland, the time when this "Door of the Firmament" was carved is difficult to verify. It is said that before the sixth calendar, that is, before Myland was founded and became what it is today, this door already existed here, embedded in the mountains like a natural formation, waiting for someone to dig it out from the mountain wall.

The relief carvings inlaid on the door are extremely majestic and exquisite. No matter whether it is a human or a monster, or even the plants used as decoration in the corners, they all show a vitality as if they are alive. From the tiny decorations on the armor, the patterns on the hilt to the dense scales of the pseudo-dragon, these details are all missing. If you look closely at this huge black door, you may even feel dizzy because of the excessive details. All of this is carved on such a hard object made of ink steel, which adds a sense of mystery.

However, no one knows what the meaning of these carvings is.

It doesn't seem like a story, like history, or a legend about gods. It seems to be just people fighting each other, and alien creatures devouring each other. It seems to be just showing a certain scene, with no beginning and no end. No matter at the bottom as the beginning or the top as the end, all that can be seen is blank, as if the sculptor deliberately concealed something, leaving only this masterpiece without beginning or end.

Almost everyone who arrives here will stop here for a long time, until they have appreciated all these exquisite and mysterious reliefs, and only then will their souls return and they will remember to move on. Lunicia and her group are of course no exception.

"..."

Unlike the two who were excited and emotional respectively, Ashlee simply reached out and touched the cold stone door, looking up, silent, without saying a word, not even her expression changing. Even so, anyone could see that the silence was not just silence, but also contained something else.

——…

When the language is silent, the heart is silent too.

"Ashe, what's wrong?"

Walking to Ashetherin's side, Lunicia also raised her head and looked up at the "Door of the Firmament" from a very close angle, but she could not see any difference from the previous ones. She found some clues on this door that no one else had noticed.

But Ella didn't do so. It was as if after sighing, she had completely lost interest in the door. She just stared at Lunicia's profile, as if there was nothing else in this place except the black-haired woman.

"nothing."

The sound paused for a moment, as if the gears were slowing down, the prayer runes slowly meshed with each other, slowing down the speed and leaving more time for memory. The sound was ringing, the footsteps were ringing, everything seemed to become exceptionally clear, another world seemed to be right in front of us, the upside-down horizon, the black and white sea level, the individuals above and below, one named Asheselin, the other also named "Aisheselin", staring at each other, expressionless, silent, just reaching out to each other, as if to let the black iron fingers touch each other.

The wind blowing from the other side of memory makes history fade away and the past weathered, turning it into fine sand that breaks at the touch.

"nothing……"

"……Yeah."