Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

“This is what we will eventually face.”

"The little girl has grown up a lot. Do you think she will stay here for hundreds of years until she becomes insane?"

"That's because we don't know people well. Besides, the moment the cards were turned over, some things were already doomed. Since it's a 'glimmer of hope', then for her, it's definitely not a future with no way out."

"makes sense."

After the twenty-second shuffle, the playful old man casually threw the deck onto the table, and those seemingly ordinary cards scattered around, disordered and lacking in pattern, as if in a completely random state. Twenty-one, no more, no less, twenty-one golden pupils surrounded by stars, as if looking in the same direction.

"You are fortune-telling, what is the object?"

“Their journey.”

"Complete—"

"complete."

Turn one of the sheets over at random so that it faces up.

The pattern drawn above does not belong to any of the twenty-two patterns.

The exquisite card of impermanence is filled with only blank space.

……

"Ella, what are you thinking about?"

“…Ah, nothing.”

Lunicia's words brought Ella Hepper back to reality from her thoughts. She always felt a little uneasy, but she didn't know where the uneasiness came from. Maybe it was her usual nervousness, or maybe it was something else. Even though she didn't think there would be anything bad in the city of Muirand, she still couldn't help but shiver as she got closer to the city.

"I was just thinking that those two fortune tellers were a little unusual."

"Is it unusual?"

Lunicea tilted her head.

"I don't think they're unusual, but I think they seem... familiar."

This time it was Ella's turn to express confusion, but it was Ashlee who asked the question.

"Familiar? Does Luna know them?"

"How could that be? I have only known about 20 people since I was a child. They are not the kind of people I have only met once. For example, I may not feel familiar with the leaders of several departments of the Divine Court even if they are in front of me."

Ella fell silent again.

Before the journey to Muirand began, Ella and Ashlee were already taking turns lost in thought. It made people worry that they might overwork themselves because of thinking halfway through the journey.

“But it still feels familiar.”

"Appearance... probably not. I only saw two cloaks, not even their faces. Voice... and feeling?"

"Feeling, a vague but real thing."

Ashlee nodded slightly.

"In other words, Luna is not sure whether she knows him or not."

“It just feels familiar.”

"…Aishelin, what do you think?"

Ella's question was not clear, but Ashlee quickly understood what she meant.

"They are humans, but nothing special can be seen. The one on the left is about 122 years old, with no other notable features. The one on the right is about 130 years old, and has undergone mechanical transformation. His legs and left arm have been replaced, and his internal structure has been shielded, so we cannot analyze them. Their appearance has been intentionally concealed, so we cannot obtain it either."

"That's really not any useful information..."

“Don’t just scan other people.”

The "Death" sign was put into the pocket, and the group also walked to the area that was actually used to divide the traffic modes.

"Next we need to consider how to get into the city."

“It feels like they are all pretty much the same…”

"There should be some difference. Which one do you like, Lady Luna? We have sufficient funds, so we don't have to worry about these expenses."

"Um…………"

Sure enough, I should think about it carefully.

The maintenance cost of the portal and the transmission network is a considerable expense. After the drastic change in the environment, the difficulty of maintaining the transmission LAN has not increased much, but the expenses have increased a lot. In this case, the use of portals has changed from a popular and convenient means of transportation to a more high-end one. In other words, it has become similar to some other equally ancient means of transportation.

The original price of 2 el for 10 stations has now risen to 50 el for 5 stations, and the price will not decrease as the distance is shortened, but will only increase as the distance increases. Even if you only teleport one station, you still have to pay 50 el. The operating company explained that shortening the distance does not reduce the consumption of the transmission network, and they are just charging the most basic maintenance fee.

As to whether this statement is credible, that depends on one's own opinion.

"The teleportation array is very reliable when you don't know the way."

"If you know the specific destination, you can use it to get there directly. Has Lady Luna ever used this?"

"Not once."

"If we break up the elementary particles and then rearrange them in their original form at a specific location, we can also achieve the effect of teleportation, although we haven't tried it yet."

"Ashe, don't even think about something so dangerous."

Magic flying carpets are now a popular item. You only need a command to fly everywhere. For those who cannot provide magic power, at most they need to go to a supply station to recharge from time to time. After being improved, they can also block wind and rain. Who doesn't like such a magic item? Of course, the prerequisite is to obtain a flying carpet license, and for some people, there is also the pressure of a "carpet loan".

"A flying carpet is also very convenient. Can Ella operate it?"

"I have studied and passed the driving test, but I don't have any actual driving experience."

"I see. Where's Ashe?"

"Ashe can fly by herself, so she doesn't need a flying carpet."

“…That’s true.”

Many people also think that although magic carpets are convenient, they cannot meet their needs for appearance and "feeling". Indeed, the appearance of magic carpets is very limited. Even if you add luxurious decorations and cut the edges to look like waves, it is just a flying carpet. So after all, some people will choose biological mounts as their way of traveling. In this way, not only the appearance itself is cool enough, but also the saddle, protective gear and tapestry can be carefully crafted.

Among them, dual-use mounts such as griffins, pseudo-dragons, and Pegasus are more popular than pure land mounts, and their prices are naturally higher. If you buy them as a means of transportation, their owners have to consider many more issues than the flying carpet driver: how to ride? How to park? The cost of feeding? Should I hire someone to take care of it? How to choose a better riding gear? How to avoid violating the Mount Control Act? These are all problems worth worrying about. Of course, as long as the money is in place, these are not problems worth worrying about.

"Nowadays, many public transportations are also developed with mounts as the core. Beasts or monsters with strong pulling ability, coupled with large carriages, can increase transportation efficiency without high costs, and the price will not be too high."

"Then, Ashley thinks that public flying carpets are also a viable project."

"That doesn't sound very safe."

Having said that, I believe you all understand that the above travel methods are not very user-friendly.

To be precise, it does not quite meet the needs of high quality and low price. After all, we cannot kick people out of the citizenry just because their income is slightly higher - think about it, veterans are also citizens, although citizens are not necessarily veterans.

Bicycles are an ideal means of transportation. For non-professionals with average physique who find it difficult to walk briskly, pedaling can speed up travel and exercise the body. Bicycles are not expensive - of course there are expensive ones - but if there is any problem, it is that the mountain city of Muirand has a large height difference, and the technical threshold for riding a bicycle is not low.

Professionals don’t have to worry about this kind of problem. Long-distance running is a compulsory course anyway. Since you are not slow when you run, just run.

The rest of the people had to think of some way, and those who didn't plan to run or ride a bicycle also had to think of a way - what came into being was Muirand's unique public transportation, the aerial rail train that runs through the entire city.

Chapter 15: Heading to the Top

Muirand was built on the mountains, but it not only includes the mountains, but also the valleys and plains around the Kanser Mountains. The main urban area is centered on the main peak of Kanser, while the areas located on the rear edge are mostly slightly remote and backward development zones. They are also part of the city of Muirand. For this large city covering an area of ​​more than 5,000 square kilometers, it still needs some kind of fast and convenient transportation to connect it with the city center.

In other words, the entire city is woven into a network.

The final answer is the aerial rail train system. The steel rails constructed in mid-air span the entire city. Five main lines connect the east, west, south, north, southwest and center. Trains run on these tracks, transporting people throughout the city. Under its influence, even without relying on air-land transportation - that is, flying carpets or flying mounts - people can also quickly travel between the north and south of the city. The prosperous economy and technology have led to changes in transportation methods, and efficient transportation has further developed the economy. In any case, the beneficiaries will be Muirand itself.

"It really looks like..."

Standing in front of the station, Lunisia was a little speechless. For her, who had only been out of the door a few times, this large-scale transportation system itself was enough to shock her, even though she had not seen the train itself, but only saw the station entrance.

"What kind of power is used to drive a train of this size?"

"It doesn't look like a steam engine."

Ashlee first ruled out one possibility.

"So, it's magic?"

Lunicia turned her gaze to Ella, who nodded.

"I can feel a very clear fluctuation of magic power... maybe I can figure it out when the train arrives."

Follow the crowd into the hall, buy your ticket at the ticket office, and then go up the stairs to the second floor to wait for the bus.

As a public transportation system for the general public, the ticket price for the rail train is not expensive - 5 irs for half the journey, and 8 irs for half to full journey. It only costs 8 irs to travel from one end of a line to the other.

Unlike long-distance trains or airships, tickets for this type of city train are purchased by picking up the ticket at the station you board, then checking the ticket at the station you disembark and paying the fare based on the length of the journey. If the ticket is lost, you will need to pay double the full fare when leaving the station, which is 16 il.

Beyond the crowded waiting crowd is a two-way track prepared for train operation - unlike railways, the track of the skytrain is not below, but above, and the train is actually suspended. The outer layer of the track is wrapped with a transparent pipe for safety protection to prevent possible accidents.

As the silver train roared in, Lunicia's consciousness seemed to be blown away in an instant.

She looked so stunned that she couldn't even move her legs.

"Wow..."

"Hasn't Lady Luna ever taken a train?"

Ella asked with a smile while holding Lunicia's hand and pulling her to follow the crowd forward to avoid the embarrassment of having to wait for the next bus.

"No, this is amazing—"

"When Luna went to the southeast of the continent, she took a carriage. Before that, she took a carriage..."

"It's a secret mission, so there's no need to change trains during the whole trip."

"A mechanical carriage? From Zelhar to Shuichequ..."

As if she had thought of something, Ashlee groaned for a moment, as if she was thinking, but she did not stop. She followed Lunicia and Ella into the carriage in the surprised eyes of the people around her.

The train carriage was quite spacious and bright. Thanks to the efforts of the cleaning staff, it was kept clean and tidy. The seats and handrails were all available. Lunisia and her group were lucky enough to find three empty seats. There were no passengers in sight who needed to be given way.

The result was - Lunicia was kneeling on the seat in a very ungraceful manner, with her face pressed tightly against the car window, facing the scenery outside the car, with little stars popping out of her head.

"Ms. Luna, this is a bit..."

"But, but!"

Lunicia's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement, so much so that she would occasionally poke her fingers at the glass, pointing at the scenery passing by outside the car window.

"This is really amazing! Ella, come and take a look - hey, that building is so tall -"

Whenever something new passed by the car window, Lunicia could not help but burst into praise. Even if the sun was not shining brightly and everything seemed to be covered by a light gray filter, she was still fascinated by the scenery and marveled at the prosperity she had never seen before.

Some people saw her actions, either helplessly or complacently smiled, shrugged, and then turned their attention back to the original matter, while some listened to her and followed her example, looking at the scenery outside the window. The former were probably locals of Muirand, while the latter, like Lunicia, were travelers who came to this real metropolis for the first time.

Only when you leave Muirand South Station can you truly experience the scenery of Muirand.

Compared to the closed transition zone between the city gate and the city, once entering the official scope of Muirand, all boundaries seem to disappear, leaving only a vast sky and the distant street scenes under this sky.

The past is the dark gray inherent in Muirand, while the modern ones are more diverse colors. The buildings that have been added as the city has been gradually renovated are completely different from the stone-structured ancient Muirand buildings, and it is difficult to tell which one is better in terms of design or construction technology. They echo each other and together form the landscape of this three-dimensional city.

"This is still the edge of Muirand. Of course, it is more prosperous than the 'edges' in the north, west, and east. After all, this place is closer to the main gate of Muirand, while the borders in the other directions are development zones that were expanded later."

Of course, Ella had never been to Muirand. She did know something about Muirand, but the reason she could talk about it so eloquently now was mostly due to the knowledge she had learned from her last-minute lessons.

"Hmm, hmmm, so what are other places like?"

"It's probably about the same as Tweek's? ... The facilities may be better."

"It doesn't sound very reliable."

It is not known whether Ashlee was complaining about Ella or the Muirand Edge area.

"We're not even in the city center yet. Luna, you can calm down first and be careful not to get too excited."

"Go directly to the city center?" Lunicia asked with little stars floating above her head, "Or should we go to the airport first? It seems that this line can reach both places without changing trains. It's hard to decide."

"We can go to the airport first..."

“Then head to the city center.”

"…This will also make it easier for Lady Luna to arrange her schedule."

"I understand. Thank you!"

After saying that, Lunicia's eyes were once again fixed on the scenery outside the car window, unable to look away.

This city is like a second piece of land built on the mountains, like a scale, with a base standing on a flat surface, and a flat surface on the base for displaying weights and hearts. The large number of high-rise and even floating buildings reflects the difficulty of increasing the land area, and is also a proof of its prosperity. On a land without the sun, everything is often accompanied by shadows. These high-rise buildings that should have brought shadows, but due to the existence of shadow-driving building materials, they bring a hazy brilliance. This tiny detail also proves that this city is built on a delicate balance. The weight of the heart and weights often seems to sway, and finally returns to stability.

Unless a strong wind blows, causing it to become unbalanced and completely tilted.

However, Lunicia's quietness did not last long. She soon became like a curious little girl, pointing her fingers at the tall buildings outside the window and asking questions to the two women around her.