Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

Taking a bus from the city center to the outermost edge of the city, and then walking back to the center of the city from the desolate streets, the two experiences give people completely different feelings. The buildings slide to the end of the field of vision, and groups of pedestrians come into view again. It seems that the two are not in the same world, but they just happen to intersect here.

Smooth brick walkway.

There are wide roads with carriages and mechanical devices running on them.

The prayer street lamps will light up automatically at dusk.

There are tall buildings and clean roads.

No one was surprised or surprised by all this. In the eyes of those passers-by, these were too common and not worth paying more attention to. Without armor and weapons, these things could not be the first priority here. People once again put on soft cotton and silk for comfort and decency.

Adventurers have always had a place, but in this city, they stand out even more.

"I feel like my armor should be refurbished..."

“Defensive performance has really declined.”

"It's mainly because it doesn't look good."

Lunicia pinched the white cloth used to cover the damaged parts, looking quite embarrassed.

"It should at least be polished and waxed..."

It's okay in the wild, but it's a bit too conspicuous on the street.

It wouldn't matter in Mariae, Twick or Nosavi, in Puchlia or other cities. Even such damaged armor is common in these places - in fact, even this kind of armor can be considered among the better ones.

It looks like this city has never experienced any hardship.

There is a huge difference between here and the villages and towns at the foot of the mountain, but this is still within the scope of understanding. Here and the other side of the not-too-far border are more like two different worlds. Although they are so close, it is almost impossible to understand each other. The border seems to be empty, yet it actually separates cause and effect. It seems that war and suffering belong only to Mariai, and everything has nothing to do with this country called Muirand.

It seemed that there was no room for me to comment on this. After all, the girl named Lunicia was still just a bird that had just escaped from the cage after crossing a few cities.

There is still much to witness, much to feel, and much to turn into memories.

She was impressed by the taverns in Nosawi, where food was a combination of hard bread and spicy stew pots. It was said that the taverns in Nosawi often added water to the cheap barley beer, but for Lunisia, who had never tasted alcohol there, such things were unknown.

"There doesn't seem to be a pub here?"

"The map says there's a 'bar'."

"……map?"

Lunicia tilted her head, and Ella asked back, "We don't seem to have purchased the map yet. Where did Ashetherin see it?"

"There are so many prayers here..."

Closing her eyes, as if she was feeling something, Ashlee changed her position in mid-air, from lying on her back to lying on her side.

"It seems that the Internet can be accessed everywhere. The people here use the mechanisms of the prayer words and use them to serve themselves, but they seem to lack knowledge of the prayer words themselves... Are they floating around? Weaving into a network, arranging into a spectrum, but no one appreciates them? There are no defenses, no obstacles, and as long as you reach out your hand, you can feel their existence, see them themselves, and the information they contain."

Perhaps only a being with the same physique as Ashlee could fully understand everything she was saying now. That was an area that neither Lunicia Agris nor Ella Hepper could understand. Only she could touch it, only she could kiss it, and only she could describe everything about the invisible world.

"Um……"

Lunicia nodded, not quite understanding.

"Are bars and pubs...not quite the same?"

"A bar is a place dedicated to drinking... a pub is... a place for people who want to drink to eat?"

It seems that this problem is somewhat difficult for Ella.

"What's the difference between a pub and a restaurant?"

"A pub is a place where you drink and eat... A restaurant is a place where you eat and drink...?"

Obviously, Ella didn't go to either place often, and it was too difficult for her to answer.

"Then let's go to the restaurant to eat!"

For Lunisia, who is not good at drinking, alcohol seems to be something that can be ignored.

Putting the difficult questions behind her, she prepared to experience food she had never experienced before - she regained some of her cheerfulness, took a deep breath, and planned to face this completely unfamiliar city like this.

Chapter 19 Gray Clouds on the Dining Table

“This is beef.”

"Yeah, it's beef. It should be the perfect temperature for Luna."

It looked like a sticky, bright red substance, and you could barely make out the lumps inside. There was some green crumbs sprinkled on top, which were probably spice leaves. It was served in a bright yellow ceramic bowl. If Lunicia remembered correctly what she had ordered, this was probably the beef stew she wanted.

It’s common sense that you shouldn’t expect anything from presentation in a home-style restaurant!

"this is……"

“Salad, probably.”

Ella's tone was a little uncertain.

The white one is cream? The red one is... beetroot? The yellow one is potato? And what is the orange one? The transparent one is... probably onion. What is the rest? The boss introduced it too fast, so I couldn't hear it clearly...

"The white one is cheese sauce, the red one is beetroot, the yellow one is potato, the orange one is carrot, the colorless one is onion, and the rest is aspic. I heard that a long time ago, herring was not used instead of aspic, but herring is no longer available now."

At this time, Ashlee was more reliable—not only did she perfectly record the boss's lines, but she could also scan at a glance what the neatly stacked cylindrical objects on the plate were made of. This result was not unsatisfactory, but it really made people feel a little depressed.

"What about this?"

Lunicia pointed to something on another plate.

“These are cheese dumplings.”

"What are dumplings..."

When ordering, she had no idea what something called "dumplings" was. She just saw something with this name listed in the staple food column, and she had never seen it before, so she ordered one for some reason. As it turned out, Lunicia had never seen such a thing called dumplings before.

"Some places eat this kind of thing, wrapping the filling in dough... and then cooking it."

"That sounds like pie."

“There should still be a difference.”

"can you?"

"At least pies are definitely not dumplings."

Obviously, Ashlee looked like she had never eaten dumplings before, but she had a mysterious confidence that allowed her to give such a decisive answer.

"what about this?"

“This is mashed potatoes.”

The person responsible for answering it was Ella Hepper - although the question did not require any technical content, the yellow paste sprinkled with a few chopped green onions looked like mashed potatoes and should not be anything else.

"What about this?"

“This is potato pancakes.”

Mashed potatoes and starch are kneaded into thick pancakes, fried on an iron plate, and the result is something like this with a browned skin and a fragrant aroma.

“…There are a lot of potatoes.”

"Is everything okay? Lady Luna doesn't like it?"

"Not really..."

Potatoes, potatoes, this kind of thing is not unfamiliar to adventurers. Although potatoes are not a type of crop that can be stored for a long time, whether they are raw or cooked, they will become inedible if left alone, and if they sprout, they will cause poisoning. However, no matter what, this kind of food with high yield, cold resistance and the ability to quickly meet energy needs is very popular in today's world. Whether you like it or not, whether it can meet the needs of the wild, you can always eat a lot of it when it's time to eat it.

"Originally, mages can also cast the spells of creating food and creating water, right?"

"At least there is documentation to prove it."

While picking up the cutlery, Lunicia chatted with Ella and Ashcelin.

The problem of reduced production has also begun to appear in the southern region. Due to the increasingly closed environment and increasingly long distances, crops that are more adaptable to environmental changes cannot be delivered to every place in time. In the sparsely populated countryside, crops are still thriving with mysterious tenacious vitality. It seems that pollution and the increasingly cold climate cannot knock them down, but no one knows how long or when this situation will last.

"Why did it disappear——"

"This document..."

"Is there really such a thing in the literature? All I've heard is unreliable stuff, more like rumors than serious records."

"…No. No one seems to know why. No one knows why these spells disappeared from the Weave. The reason, and even the timing, is a mystery."

"I see. What about Ash?"

"As an individual, Ashetherin cannot use so-called 'magic', nor can she come into contact with the thing called 'magic net' mentioned by Luna. Have you heard of it or come into contact with it? That is just a moon in the water. What you see is just an illusion."

"uh-huh."

That means I don’t know.

The devout eat tasteless cakes and bread, and drink colorless liquids that are just water. The magician can give the dough colorful flavors, but it cannot change the fact that it is just dough. Give understanding and comfort, after all, this behavior is also the patent of the strong. The powerless still need to cultivate the land, sow seeds in the black mud polluted by acid water, wait for the crops to sprout and grow, and wait for another year's harvest.

Harvest barley, harvest potatoes, harvest food that the strong cannot create but can’t wait to enjoy.

Not bad. As a country with a long history of potato cooking, perhaps we can expect some differences between potatoes here and elsewhere.

……

"No potatoes? Oh, at least I didn't see anything similar to potatoes on the table. I guess you really didn't prepare anything like that?"

"As far as I know, people in the east, northeast, and north don't eat potatoes."

"You're right."

"You've been in these parts for a few days, so you're not going to take the potatoes, are you?"

"This is a huge misunderstanding. I just don't feel like eating potatoes today."

Julio de Howard took off his hat and hung it on a yellow wood carved hanger together with his coat. His expression did not seem to change - a complex social etiquette and polite smile that was neither annoying nor pleasing to the eye. It seemed that he was completely accustomed to this smile, and it was difficult to correct it even though it was not a formal occasion.

"...In that case, you shouldn't be here right now."

He picked up the plain glass bottle from the table and poured himself a glass of mead. This sweet, light golden liquid made from cinnamon and honey was as popular in this city as those turbid milky white grain wines. There was no label on the bottle, so it was probably home-brewed.

Francesco Stuart was not prepared to entertain Giulio de Howard. The latter's appearance here was just an accident. It would not matter if it happened... It would not matter if it did not happen. Naturally, there was no preparation.

Biscuits, butter slices, onion shreds, carrot slices, pork fat pickled with salt and black pepper, a bottle of mead and a bottle of grain wine, and everyone who came could drink with them, and that was all.

"Haha, I think I'm quite popular."

"Just thinking, you should be being interviewed by now - those reporters?"

“Just give them the manuscript you’ve written before.”

Reaching out and grabbing the glass bottle filled with milky white wine, Giulio poured himself a glass. There was no change in Giulio's expression. He maintained this indifferent smile, but he did not seem to feel tired at all. Instead, he seemed quite contented.

"I'm afraid the reporters from Shancheng Daily and New Viewpoint are not so easy to deal with. They are all wolves who eat people without leaving any bones. Can they be dismissed with a manuscript that is not their own?"

"They have to write something... before tomorrow."

Giulio didn't seem to mind.

"Then it seems I should be worried."

"worry about what?"

"Will there be reporters knocking on the door soon? Those people at the Mountain City Newspaper love to stick their ID cards on people's faces."

"You're quite secluded here."

"you flatter me."

Drinking, enjoying the cold dishes on the table, and talking about irrelevant topics.

This is not a bar, there are no extra guests, no spies called bartenders, and it is not a reception room, there are no servants on standby at all times. This is just a small room that can accommodate up to four people. There are tables and chairs, clothes hangers, decorative shields and daggers hanging on the wall, and the flickering fire in the fireplace prevents this place from falling into darkness.

There is no one else here, so you have to do everything by yourself. There is no one else here, so you can speak freely - only those things you want the other person to hear.

"I'm sure you've heard about the situation in the south."

"Marie? I learned about it on the way."

"Then there is no need for us to discuss this topic any further.

Did you go to Shahis or the Seldon Wall this time?"

One is on the east side and one is on the north side.

"They're all gone."

"That was pretty fast...faster than expected."

"Day and night."