Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

As she spoke, Lunicia reached out to Ella, motioning her to sit on the horse with her, while Ashlee consciously opened her shoulders and built a jet aircraft from the cavity between the mechanical structures - it seemed that she wanted to try a different way of flying this time.

"You can let me ride the horse, and Lady Luna just needs to sit in the front or the back..."

"When we were in Marié before, it was Ella who rode a horse to find the 'Opera House' lady, right? So this time it's my turn. Let me show off my riding skills once in a while?"

"...Then I will follow Lady Luna's arrangements."

As the three of them were talking, people in the surrounding shops also looked over out of curiosity. Mages don't have such abilities, and the sacred effect means that the user is someone related to the church, and is likely a paladin, which is a rare sight for residents of the North District who rarely see paladins.

Lunicia's riding skills were not superb, but just OK: the Central Cathedral was indeed large enough to fit a horse farm, but it was obviously not large enough to practice riding skills to perfection. If Lunicia rode an ordinary warhorse, she would probably perform just barely, and might even have some minor problems, but the mount she was riding was summoned by divine magic, which not only had excellent intelligence, but could also communicate with Lunicia mentally, making her look no less capable than the most professional riders.

It didn't take too long to ride from the Abetone Skyrail station to Abetone Skyrail itself, but the result was not satisfactory...or rather, it was difficult to be satisfied.

"...The airship from Muirand to Zelhar? This route does exist."

"Indeed, there is."

"We can go to New Arkham, Paradise Island, Farinu or Letoni, but this time is not a good time."

The receptionist's words stunned Lunicia.

"Not a coincidence, is it?"

Turning her gaze to Ella Hepper who was asking the question, the receptionist nodded and said, "Although the route is still available, there are no flights departing today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. If you want to take an airship to Zerhal, you will have to wait until 2 p.m. the day after tomorrow at the earliest, when there will be no flights taking off."

"Then may I ask why this happened?"

"Because the day after tomorrow is the founding anniversary of Muirand."

This question was not difficult for the receptionist. It didn't seem to be a secret. "Including the pilot and the captain, the crew members are on vacation until the day after tomorrow. The only ones left here are the cleaning staff and maintenance workers. Even they have to take a day off the day after tomorrow. If you come here the day after tomorrow, you will find that the door is closed. Even I am not here."

"National Foundation Day... But if it's National Foundation Day, shouldn't the airport usage rate increase? Shouldn't we take into account the tourists coming here from foreign countries by airships?"

"You think too highly of airships."

Faced with Ella's question, the receptionist could only smile bitterly and shook his head.

“This may not be appropriate for me to say, but the current airship transportation industry is no longer as prosperous as it was a long time ago. The technology of today’s airships has been improving, but the speed of technological improvement can never keep up with the speed of environmental deterioration. Now, unless you are a captain with strong experience and don’t drive a high-strength airship, who dares to go to the sky?

Not only will few people come from abroad on an airship, but there must also be safety issues during the anniversary. If you are unlucky and an airship crashes during these three days, not to mention the losses, won't the Senate be in a fuss over it? If the national finances are still sufficient and the airship route itself is still necessary, this airport might have to be closed."

“There are no airships available now” is bad news, while “there will be airships available in three days” is good news. Generally speaking, although today’s trip wasted, at least the next itinerary has been arranged.

However, Lunicia never expected that she would hear such an answer.

Chapter 17 Under the Gray Sky

"Will their progress go smoothly?"

Lauren Holt Howard looked exhausted after removing the thumbtacks from the wall and rolling up the map. Even so, he was still chatting with Roy von Ivanov. Compared to the two of them being silent and resting their eyes, they still felt that chatting about something to divert their attention would be more relaxing.

"How could it not go smoothly?"

“It’s hard to say.”

"There's nothing wrong with that. No matter how difficult things are here, they won't have any problems in Muirand."

"Are you so sure?"

"of course."

"Are you really so sure?"

"Of course, of course. Do I have to ask this question twice?"

While tidying up the documents on the table and preparing for the next meeting, Lauren Holt couldn't help but glance at Roy, who still didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with his opinion.

"I think it's still necessary."

"Miland is the air transport center in the southeast of Mu Continent. Abetto Airport and Laurenhot Airport can almost handle the airships east of the Anda-Brun Mountains. What problems can they encounter in such a place? They just want to take the airship home. They are not like us. We have nothing now and have to continue to confront the 'Legacy of Natya'."

When he heard "Abeto Airport", little Laurenhot didn't react much. But when he heard "Laurent Airport", the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch a few times.

"Young Master."

"That's an ugly name."

"Are you really from Muirand?"

"I spent about three years of my life in Muirand, so it shouldn't be a problem to call me a Muirand."

"Then do you know why my family was driven out of Muirand?"

"I really don't know."

Roy was stunned for a moment, then chose to answer truthfully.

"Laurenthal Airport was not originally called Laurenenthal Airport. It was originally called Shecher Airport, a private airport for sale. It could be bought for a small sum of money, and a bunch of airships were given as a gift. It was so cheap that it was almost free. The only problem was that the buyer was responsible for repaying the debts incurred by Shecher Airport. My great-great-grandfather - that is, my father's great-grandfather - was called Laurenenthal de Howard..."

"Your family really likes this name."

"Don't interrupt."

"Okay, go ahead."

"...In the end, my grandfather thought the same as you. It's easy to turn around the business of an airport in Muirand. The previous owner must have failed because he was not capable enough. So he bought Shesher Airport with this mentality."

"Then he succeeded and the airport business was booming, but his relatives were jealous and kicked your family out through conspiracy?"

"You've read too many novels."

“I’ve seen quite a lot.”

"Then I have to tell you, what actually happened is that after Shecher Airport was renamed Laurenhot Airport, Laurenhot de Howard had to embezzle funds from other places to fill the airport's debts due to poor management, and was eventually kicked out of Muirand. Later, I heard that Laurenhot Airport was confiscated by the Senate, and it is said that it will be converted into an exhibition hall soon, leaving only Alberto Airport... Anyway, no matter what, Muirand's air transportation industry is now in a mess."

"What's going on?"

"You really don't know?"

“To be honest, this isn’t often written about in the newspapers.”

"You rely on newspapers to keep up with the goings-on at Muirand? The editors of the Daily Muirand and the Mountain City News hate the air transport industry."

"Then they should launch a major press release to discredit the air cargo industry."

“Their attitude is more like they don’t care.”

"So, why is this happening?"

"Today, airships face many more problems than they did a few hundred years ago... You probably have never ridden an airship before."

"No, I don't need to travel far. At most, I just go back and forth between Mariel and Muirand."

"Then what do you think..."

Little Lauren Holt paused, then continued:

"...Now that the airship wants to take off, what is the first problem it will face?"

……

"Now that the airship wants to take off, what is the first problem it will face?"

Hearing Ella's question, Lunicia thought for a moment, then looked up at the sky again.

It was still gray there.

The sky that can be seen in Muirand is no different from other places. Even though the air here is a little fresher than outside the city, the color of the sky will not change. It is still a thick and dripping dark gray. Against the backdrop of this gray cloud, it seems that even the black sun in the Marie area seems more acceptable. At least, it is a colorful thing.

Not like what was hanging overhead now, like a photograph with all the color washed out.

"Maybe... visibility?"

"Visibility and corrosiveness are factors that are inseparable from that cloud layer."

The gray horse moved very steadily. This supernatural horse would not do anything that Lunicia did not want it to do, nor would it change its speed and strength at will. Even if a huge locomotive used as a public transportation vehicle passed by, riding on its back was like walking on the ground, which gave the three of them plenty of energy to talk.

"They are highly toxic gases - something is keeping them aloft, rather than their mass settling down, which is what's causing the grey clouds above and preventing the ground from being flooded by the gases."

Ashlee added this.

"So, first of all, the captain and crew need to have rich experience, reduce their reliance on unreliable navigation systems, and ensure that they will not get lost in low visibility. Secondly, the quality of the airship itself must be guaranteed to avoid crashing due to corrosion during flight... Other than that..."

Ella also cast her gaze upwards, towards the gray sky that was impenetrable to both sunlight and vision.

"The Sky Island Ruins appear and disappear with the change of air currents. They have changed from something that can be analyzed to a reef with no regular pattern. The always dark environment brings chaos and interferes with normal judgment. It is said that there are other things lurking in that gray sea of ​​clouds. No one can survive to convey information about its true identity. Some say it is the Dark Kings, and some say it is the corpse of a dragon... In any case, the sky now seems too harsh."

"..."

Lunicea was silent for a while.

Her brows were slightly furrowed - but the reason was not because of what was happening in front of her. The operation of airships had become difficult, and the air transport industry was in decline. These had nothing to do with her journey. She only needed to spend three days here in peace, spend her travel expenses to her heart's content, and then she would be able to welcome the airship to Zerhal in joy and put an end to everything - she was just feeling distressed about something that seemed to have nothing to do with her at all.

"The sky... was taken away."

"Ah."

Ella responded briefly, but Ashlee remained silent. She seemed to see something through the clouds, but she didn't tell her companions, as if she was fine with the status quo.

The sky was taken away, but by whom? No one can answer this question. Perhaps no one took away the sky. It is just that humans, or humanoids in general, did not take away the sky. They just gave it away to something they did not know or understand.

This world is full of malice of one kind or another, and this is just one of the many malices - she still has no sense of reality. In the street shop, a child is holding an educational toy and complaining to his father who is watching the shop about how annoying this thing is. Near the bungalow under renovation, workers are eating pancakes and baked potatoes, enjoying the lunch they deserve at this time, saving up their energy for the next work. People with nothing to do are playing cards on a low table and looking at a group of people riding horses. It seems to be their pleasure to observe these people who still travel on the airport transportation line.

Looking into the distance, in the hazy air, there are tall buildings standing, trains passing, and flying carpets floating. In the weak sunlight, the glass panels inlaid on the tall buildings are shining, as if replacing the stars that have disappeared from the night sky. That is something that cannot be seen in the countryside of Mariai. The suburbs of Shuichequ are densely wooded but desolate and terrifying. Here, all that can be seen is prosperity and things as dazzling as the sun.

Even if it was the sun at dusk, it could not change the warmth it shone on Lunicia. Just by seeing that scene, she could not realize the true appearance of this world, just like what she felt in the garden, just like what she felt from her adoptive father, her non-blood-related sister, and her respected and loved teachers.

The sky was taken away - it was not a light and airy word, but it was not infused with much reality either.

Just like herself now.

The current state of silence continued. None of the three were good at speaking. One of them had probably talked to less than three digits of people in his life. One of them devoted himself to Lunicia and was inevitably distant and hostile to others. One of them had not had any contact with humans for who knows how long, and was a puppet roaming in the wilderness called loneliness like a curse. Now that nothing had happened, Lunicia kept silent, and the remaining two naturally chose to remain silent.

"… Let's go buy something."

It was Ashlee who spoke first.

The tone still lacks ups and downs, and the expression is still dull.

"Ashe?"

"Luna's armor is damaged. Go change it or repair it. Besides, Luna and Ella are not like Ashe. They can absorb energy without eating. Now it's almost time for humans to have lunch. There are still three days before the airship departs. How about starting with lunch and experiencing everything in Myuland in these three days?"

"That's... pretty good? Or rather, it seems like this is the only way..."

Lunicia's voice was a little hesitant, but she did not object to the proposal. As she said, she would probably do so even if Ashlee did not bring it up.

"Compared to saying 'it has to be this way', Ashe still hopes that Luna can enjoy it more."

"Ashe..."

"Ok?"

"Have you recently..."

Lunicia hesitated, as if she couldn't figure out how to phrase the second half of the sentence.

"Something strange?"

"Yes, that's it—eh?"

In the end, it was Ella who helped to finish the second half of the sentence.

"Isn't that what Lady Luna meant?"

"That's exactly what I meant... But it feels a little weird when I say it this way..."

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong."

Since the person involved, Ashlee Lin, herself doesn't think there's anything wrong, let's just assume that everything is normal.

"She was like this in front of the city gate."

"Anyway, what happened recently?"

Looking at Lunicia who was concerned and slightly puzzled, Ashlee looked the same as before. She just said lightly: "...Maybe she saw something familiar and remembered something. Ashlee is still sorting and archiving her mind. She hasn't found anything extra yet. When she figures it out, Ashlee will tell Luna and Ella."

"Ok."

"Perhaps it was due to some opportunity..."

Ella thought for a moment, then raised her index finger.

"At the gate."

"At the gate? Ophelia?"