Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

"Has Luna never ridden an airship?"

This kind of thing can be understood as long as you think about it, but it is still a little hard to imagine in Ella's opinion. For her, Lunicia should be more knowledgeable and experienced. Of course, Ella Heper herself has no relevant experience, and can only say that she has too much theoretical knowledge.

"No. We came here from Zerhal in a carriage."

"Um……"

"If it's an airship, it will be much faster than a carriage, right?"

In theory, this is true. After all, no matter what, airships can ignore the limitations of terrain. Even if ground transportation can also use steam engines and hybrid creatures as power, it is still difficult to compare with airships in terms of speed.

"While that's true, it still takes several days to fly from Muirand to Zelhar."

"Won't there be food provided on the airship?"

"Luna, you are planning to buy an economy class ticket, right? It seems that economy class doesn't provide food and drinks now, so you need to prepare your own. And from Mariie to here, Lady Luna has consumed a lot of supplies, so she needs to replenish them consciously, plus the part for preparing for unexpected events..."

"Okay, okay, I bought them all anyway."

For topics like this that she doesn't know much about, Ashlee would often choose to watch silently, floating aside and attracting the attention of people around her. She herself was completely unaware of it and didn't think it was strange that she was floating in the sky. She just thought that those who cast curious glances at her were being uninformed.

Although Lunicia had acted as a team before, she did not have any special logistics personnel assigned to her. All the luggage and supplies had to be carried by the knights themselves. Although there was a carriage to transport them to the waterwheel canal, the carriage would return immediately after sending the group to their destination as planned and could not provide more assistance. Therefore, Lunicia and her group tried not to carry more luggage as much as possible, or simply considered obtaining some supplies locally to alleviate the weight problem.

This inevitably caused Lunicea's thinking to be a little difficult, so that she subconsciously forgot that she had a travel companion who could greatly reduce the weight-bearing problem.

Although Lunicia received a very systematic adventurer education, it would be no problem for her to carry a bag and a giant sword to search for treasures and defeat monsters in deserts, jungles or ruins, but she still lacked the experience that a real "adventurer" should have.

Her mentor, Sestin Perancine, was a top-notch Paladin, but she was not a true adventurer after all. As a member of the "Black Silence", she either acted alone or teamed up with other members of the "Black Silence". She did not consider how to organize a team, take on tasks, and search for ruins like adventurers. Lunicia would not have such an opportunity, so Sestin did not include this knowledge in her teaching from the beginning.

For a team of adventurers, the presence of a spellcaster is extremely important. Having or not having a spellcaster can greatly change the adventuring experience - even the difference between life and death - not only because they are often wealthy people, a wizard who started out as an apprentice or a priest who works in the church will have a lot of wealth, but also because they always have the ability and gadgets to solve various problems.

"By the way, Luna, do you feel anything that is concerning?"

"If you put it that way, there is indeed a point..."

But even Lunicia, who personally participated in the shopping, couldn't say what it was exactly. She had talked with the clerk when she bought clothes before, and had a general understanding of the recent situation in the Mulande market. Something seemed very familiar, and she always felt that something was wrong, but with her limited experience it was still difficult to tell.

"The price of food has increased significantly compared to the same period. Products such as alchemy pots have increased several times compared to before."

"Hey, is Ash clear?"

It seemed that she had heard such a statement, but Lunisia did not pay much attention to it at that time - she thought it was some kind of fluctuation within the normal range, such as a reduction in production caused by climate or epidemic, but what Ashtherin said did not seem to be the case.

"Because Ashe can access the remaining prayer network here. The prayer network here seems to be non-existent to most residents. They generally mistake it for an independent existence limited to one terminal. Ashe can use the network between terminals that exists and does not exist to collect data from all terminals."

"That's it."

"I have to say it's a very convenient ability, but it's not very helpful in understanding the current situation."

"Yes, Ashe thinks so too. Ashe doesn't often come into contact with human society, and there is no need for her to do so. By comparing the previous records in the local database, she can directly determine the recent changes in the Myuland market - the prices of food, daily magic props, and even water resources have risen sharply, and weapons, armor, and building materials have also increased slightly."

"Hey, weapons?"

Lunicia looked a little surprised, and Ella couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

“The reasons are quite different.”

Sitting on Lunicia's shoulder, Ashlee looked relaxed and at ease, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her and she was not interested in how things would develop next.

"It seems that the purchase volume of food far exceeds the local production capacity, so the price has increased significantly in a short period of time... Hmm..." Ashlee seemed to search for data, and then continued in a low voice: "The representatives of the Agricultural Association and the Merchants Guild held a discussion? The results of the discussion were published in the Daily Muirand. After the Merchants Guild intervened, although Luna spent a lot of money and only bought the current goods, at least there is no situation of price without demand, and the food supply is also proceeding normally."

"What about the weapons? This situation seems familiar..."

"Because just a while ago, something similar happened to Tweak."

Ella couldn't help but sigh.

"Compared to food, weapons, armor, magic scrolls, and building materials seem to be purchased by someone in a unified manner, and the merchant guild is systematically raising the prices, which has led to a certain increase in prices..."

Ashlee's tone, which usually lacked fluctuations, now carried a hint of uncertainty. It seemed that she had not found any information that could clearly confirm this, and could only speculate based on the changes in the data.

Unlike the price changes of food, which can be supported by reports and documents, the price changes of sensitive items such as weapons and armor would be difficult for ordinary people to detect unless they could directly view the price trends of the entire Muirand like Ashleelin. And those who could understand the truth were also cautious enough and did not leave too much material for Lunicia to investigate. As the heirs of the ancient magic kingdom, the people here were not good at using steam engines and the power of prayer letters, but this did not mean that they knew nothing about it. In particular, their aversion to steam engines made them more vigilant. No one would put truly confidential and important content in a place where it could be viewed at will.

"This kind of thing is not suitable to be discussed here."

Ella looked around slightly and didn't see anyone paying special attention to this place - at most, it was just passers-by whose attention was attracted by Ashlee Lin. No one heard what they had just talked about. Even so, she still felt a little uneasy.

"Well, I also think it would be better to move these things into the room first."

Although the reasons were different, Lunisia also agreed with this. As for Asheselin, she never cared, and she had already told Ella and Lunisia everything that needed to be said, so it was up to them to analyze the information.

Pasipatio Hotel - If you must say, this is not the most luxurious hotel in Muirand. This hotel was founded by Auschwitz III Pasipatio. Even this 42-story building was supervised by Count Pasipatio himself. It has a history of more than 80 years. Even so, this hotel is only ranked third in the city.

Regardless of the cost, the reason why Lunicia did not choose the top two hotels but chose this one was mainly because she thought this hotel had the best view. If she chose to live by the sea, she would naturally choose a window sill where she could see the black waves. If she chose to live in the mountaintop city of Muirand, she would naturally choose a corner where she could see the mountains.

The waiter would help carry the luggage to a special freight elevator and then deliver it to the guest room instead of walking into the passenger elevator with the guests. Lunicia and her group did not have this need, so their luggage was handed over to Ella Hepper for management and placed in that not-so-large stable demiplane to ensure that no accidents would occur.

This actually gave the hotel staff some free time. After all, for Lunicia and her group, the service they needed now was just to listen to the waiter in the elevator introduce the special floors, such as the location of the swimming pool, the location of the restaurant, and the bar and dance floor on the top floor.

It is now the peak tourist season in Murand. The refugee crisis is not accepted by the Murand authorities, and there are still many dignitaries who have fled from Mariai or Prosi, as well as exiles from the Principality of Lanmen gathered here. Unlike ordinary refugees, these outsiders often carry huge wealth, or even their entire fortune. These people who have just escaped from disaster and terror mingle with ordinary tourists, spending money lavishly, trying to relieve their mental tension with pleasure, alcohol, beauty and food, shopping at will, and indulging in sensual pleasures. Tonight, they are the chosen people.

The market of Muirand was filled with gold in exchange for comfort like its blood vessels. Merchants would offer praises, and bureaucrats in the Ministry of Finance had to consider the consequences of the large influx of currency and precious metals. As for travelers, for example, Lunicia Agris from Zelhar, Ashtherin from the south, and Ella Heper from the north, the first thing they needed to consider was that it was more difficult to book a room than before.

It seems that even the cheapest hotels in the better-located areas cannot provide rooms for every resident. Some tourists even need to consider ordinary homestays, and those who are not particular may even ask whether they can set up tents in the park. The Northeast District has become a huge blank. Not to mention the natives, latecomers are unwilling to pay even a little attention to it. Under such circumstances, Lunisia and her group were able to book a large room in this hotel ranked third in the city, even if it was not on the best floor, which can certainly be said to be extremely lucky.

"Really...are you going to live here?"

"Of course. It's a big room, but it seems like it's impossible to squeeze three people into one bed—"

Ella, who had originally suggested choosing a good hotel, now seemed a little embarrassed and unnatural. On the contrary, Lunicia, who had originally planned to choose only a cheap room, now acted quite familiar.

"I thought it would be more luxurious, but it can only rank third in this state."

"They are all the same in Ashe's opinion."

Not only was he familiar and comfortable, he also had the spare time to comment on the layout of the room.

The decoration style of the Pasipatio Hotel is jokingly called "modern classical style" - in Myrand's words, it is neither modern nor classical, and it is neither fish nor fowl. The first-ranked hotel in Myrand is located near the Myrand Grand Theatre. After being bought by the current owner, it was renovated and completely transformed into a modern hotel that uses a lot of magic and steam machine technology. The second-ranked hotel is located in the West District. Although it has changed hands three times, it is a classical high-rise building inherited from shortly after the founding of Myrand. It has a longer history. In comparison, the private property of Count Pasipatio seems to lack characteristics.

Although it was already night, the room was still equipped with a dessert tower and two types of hot and cold red wine, placed on a marble coffee table, next to which was a spacious leather sofa. Standing by the French window and looking inside, one could tell that the designer wanted to make a breakthrough in freshness. I don’t know if it was to accommodate the earl’s own taste, but the room still retained a lot of shadows of the old times. The walls were hung with oil paintings that were no longer popular, and the corners of the room were decorated with traditional Muirand-style reliefs, but the content of the reliefs was unremarkable, not heroic stories or historical legends, but just some delicate-looking vines and animals.

The room was simply divided by marble walls, which gave it a heavy feel, but was far less flexible and convenient than the deformable glass walls that used new technology. Lunisia herself didn't care about that at all. She just checked the room with a relaxed look on her face, thinking about what to do tonight. She was so relaxed that it felt like she was back home.

Indeed, even though the lights were not bright, there was no indoor lake, bird cage or garden, and no servants, this room still brought her some memories of Zerhar and the Central Cathedral, making her think: Ah, it turns out that I once lived in a place like this.

But for the girl who has never experienced such a life, it is a different state of mind.

As for the construct that lives in the open air and is far away from humans - she doesn't even need sleep, perhaps she is just experiencing another form of wandering.

Chapter 29: The First Night's Dream (Part 1)

"It's divided into two small rooms and a large hall. Can three people fit into one room?"

"In Ash's opinion, two people in a room is just right. Three people would be a bit crowded."

Ashlee was floating in the air, taking notes of the decorations in the room without stopping. She seemed quite interested in these things, perhaps she had never seen them before.

"Ashe doesn't need sleep. Although Luna asked Ashe to have a good rest, Ashe has no requirements for the sleeping environment. She can sleep in a separate room or in the living room. What is Luna's opinion?"

"It sounds a bit bad..."

"Well……"

As if she was a little hesitant, Ella suddenly said, "Luna and Ashleelin sleep together. I will sleep alone in the room on the right."

"Hey?"

Lunicia couldn't help but be surprised. Ashetherin didn't make a sound, and her eyes didn't change. She just stared at Ella with her pupils that swayed like a golden lake. For her as a humanoid machine, surprise seemed to be an emotion that would never appear in her eyes, but that didn't mean she wouldn't have other similar reactions.

"Don't you want to sleep together?"

After hearing Lunicia's question, Ella was silent for a moment, then she smiled as usual and shook her head gently: "No, I have never lived in a place like this before, so I might not be used to it... Sleeping alone is more in line with my previous experience, and it may be easier to adapt to than sleeping with Lady Luna. This way, I won't have to trouble Lady Luna."

What Ella said made sense, and Lunicia was a little hesitant, but Ashethelin still said nothing, floating quietly in the air without making any sound, tilting her head. It seemed that she did not have any questions, but she did not seem to know what to ask. Ella Hepper seemed to be a very contradictory and complicated person. If Ashethelin were to comment on it, it might be "as messy as ink and blood mixed with mercury." The girl would not say that she knew Ella Hepper very well, and the same was true for Lunicia.

"But, before..."

Lunicia hesitated and didn't finish her words. She looked like two different people when she hesitated and when she was decisive. These two contradictory states in her might be caused by the same impulse, that is, concern. In this respect, she was also a girl as difficult to understand as Ella Hepper, "daylilies in the summer breeze of the sea and moon", but Ella was complicated and Lunicia was difficult to understand.

Is there any difference? It can be said that there is a big difference, or it can be said that there is no difference.

Lunicia didn't say the rest of the words, but both Ashlee and Ella knew what she was referring to - on the snow-covered mountain road between Mariel and Myuland, in the tent beside the campfire, the frightened calls, the traces of nightmares, the girl about to cry - that incident seemed to have happened a long time ago, but also seemed to have just happened not long ago. When you recall it, it seems to have happened yesterday, right in front of your eyes.

Lunicia only said half of the words, perhaps because she didn't want to embarrass Ella. She had never been described as "slender" or "delicate", so in this sense, she might be a little bit "sensitive".

"it does not matter."

Ella didn't seem to care at all and still had that faint smile on her face.

"It's just a nightmare at most. If I sleep with Lady Luna, I might disturb Lady Luna when I wake up in the middle of the night. If anything unexpected happens, Ashlee can warn Lady Luna, and I can protect myself. Don't worry, Lady Luna. It's just a little nightmare. There's nothing to worry about."

—Nothing to worry about, right?

Lunisia did not deliberately hide her thoughts. Her thoughts were almost completely written on her face. Hesitation and worry made her eyebrows droop. Although she herself was not completely accustomed to the feeling of sleeping with others, she was even more worried about letting Ella sleep alone next door. Her intuition told her that this was not a wise choice, but she really couldn't think of how to refute Ella's statement.

"Then, let Ash accompany Luna tonight."

It was Ashlee who took over the conversation.

Her expression remained unchanged. That face looked like Lunicia stripped of her emotions, only a little more delicate than Lunicia. She stared at Ella. This did not mean that she really wanted to see through Ella Hepper's thoughts, but she was used to staring at the object of her attention.

Perhaps she also subconsciously felt that this was not a good idea - could a mechanical puppet have such a thing as "intuition"? We don't know - unlike Lunicia, she felt that it would be better to let the more experienced Ella Hepper figure it out herself rather than comfort her. No matter what problem she encountered, since she took the initiative to sleep alone in another room, it should mean that she was not without a solution. "I will give you the memory of a yellow rose that I saw in the evening many years before you were born." As for how to interpret it, Ashlee decided to give this power to Ella.

"Ashe?"

"…Let Ella be alone tonight. She may not be used to it."

This was a rare thoughtfulness for Ashlee. She was definitely not good at speaking for others like this. Lunisia came to this conclusion based on Ashlee's previous statement, and when she really wanted to do so, she spoke without any obstacles. In this case, Lunisia could not think of a way to refuse, and could only nod helplessly.

The night was getting darker and darker, and even though it wasn't time to go to bed yet, it wasn't far away. Looking out the window, the border of Muirand was clearly visible. Even at night, the city was still shrouded in lights that never seemed to go out. Or perhaps, all cities of this size in the world would give people this illusion at night: light bulbs infused with prayer letters, magic lamps driven by dragon crystals, or the most ordinary oil lamps and torches, they would also quietly emit light like today, dispel the darkness, and enclose a safe zone that was too small for this world.

Is that so? She would not have felt this way in the brightly lit church, but after actually seeing this scene, Lunisia realized that it was different from what she had imagined. In her eyes, these lamps that would go out during the day seemed to become fewer and fewer, darker and darker as time passed, like the white sand on the top of an hourglass, until finally, there was not a single lamp left.

Muirand was built on the top of a mountain. The long lights that never went out surrounded the edge of the cliff in circles, as if forming some kind of arc. Lunicia felt like she saw something, but she couldn't understand what she saw. Only Ella stared at the flickering lights quietly. The familiar feeling made her thoughtful. Ashethelin had a different attitude. She seemed to know very well what the arrangement of these lights meant, but since no one asked, she didn't say anything.

For a moment, in this bright room, there was only a quiet silence, a sound called peace.

Perhaps, below this city, the mountain road network centered on the Geisenburg Fortress is also a brightly lit scene, with travelers and patrolling soldiers strolling in the night. There is a visible difference between there and the city, but it can be included in the category of civilization. It is the same in Mariai. The last remaining lights are lit on the ruins of the city. There are still people in the temporary command center who stay up all night. Even on the streets close at hand, hollow cries and howls can be heard from time to time.

And what about further away?

Beyond the dim lights and the mountaintops, that was a territory far away from Muirand. To the south of Muirand was a plain valley, and to the north was a plateau, a flat area that seemed to have been dug out by some external force in the distant past. These places were now developed by the residents of Muirand and became part of the border of Muirand, but in the farther distance - looking west, what could be seen were no longer houses and lights, but only pitch-black peaks.

Judging from the map, the west of Muirand is not empty. Between the Canserer Peaks and the Anda-Brun Mountains, there are mountainous countries that have become isolated over time. Only the airships that pass through there regularly can bring out some news. There is no clear road leading there from Muirand. From such a high altitude, you can't see any man-made roads or street lights that stay on at night. In places connected by civilization, as long as there is a road to reach it, no matter how remote it is, that road will be filled with street lights to protect pedestrians, but the same thing cannot be seen in the mountains to the west of Muirand.

All that could be seen were the shadows of the towering mountains in the thick and impenetrable darkness.

Mountains don't walk, shake, make sounds, or speak. People who can't step into the mountains can only imagine the plants and animals that belong to them. It is said that the landscape in the mountains is very different from that outside, and even the climate is very different. This is the impression people have of the mountains during the day. What about at night? Are those who are lingering under the night sky made of ore and soil? Are they covered by plants and animals, not something else? In the dark without stars or moon, those distorted shadows that are not clear and make people feel unreal, are they really motionless and unchanging? Those outlines look like mountains, or something else - do they look like some huge existence lingering in dreams, their trunks, their backs, their limbs and heads, will they tremble, crawl slowly, and open pairs of huge eyes in the dead of night when no one is watching?

Listen, listen carefully, put your ear to the window - do you hear it? Don't speak, restrain your breathing, suppress your heartbeat, do you hear it? Even if you don't open the window, you should be able to hear the breathing coming from the mountains.

The sleeping being is breathing in and out mist, and perhaps, even now, through dreams, it is looking at the person who is gazing at the mountains in the darkness.

Lunicia couldn't help but shudder.

Who is the god of mountains and earth? Some say it is Nazar, the god of architecture and craftsmen, others say it is Hedi, the goddess of farming and prosperity, and still others say it is Alexander, the god of judgment and time. Lunisia has communicated with each of them and asked the same question, and the answer she got was that the earth, like the wind and dreams, did not have a god that encompassed it. Each of them had obtained a sufficiently broad portfolio and had no spare energy to expand it.

She still remembered clearly that Hetty's gentle voice had answered like this: There are no gods in the earth, but perhaps there are terrors.

From time to time, I chatted with Ashlee and Ella. The content of the conversation was very fragmented and it was difficult to form a complete topic. However, the desserts on the dessert tower were reduced one by one, and Lunisia, the red wine, was not polite and consumed it as a small offering. It seemed that the fatigue suppressed by the excitement and novelty during the day emerged at night, and together with the night, it eroded the remaining energy, making people feel mentally distracted and their bodies longed for rest.

In any case, this guest room that cost Lunisia a lot of money was definitely more suitable for rest than the wild.

Taking a bath is undoubtedly a difficult thing for adventurers in the wilderness - readers must have already known that open-air water sources are unreliable. Adventurers who have not prepared reliable magic props will find it difficult to come up with a portable water source for bathing. In addition, it is inconvenient to put on and take off armor, and they are almost completely defenseless when taking a bath. It is also easy to contract diseases in such weather. Unless it is necessary, ordinary adventurers generally do not consider using such a luxurious way as bathing to clean their bodies.

Here, Lunicia and Ella enjoyed the bathtub without any scruples - of course, Lunicia took a bath first, and then it was Ella's turn. As for Ashethelin, she could clean her body at any time even if she didn't take a bath. Ordinary dust and dirt could not stain her mechanical body at all, so of course she didn't need to take a bath.

After taking off their armor and putting on bathrobes, Lunicia and Ella suddenly looked at each other in tacit understanding, and then laughed softly together.

Lunicia was not wearing her newly bought plate armor, and Ella also took off the leather armor she had been wearing. The "Avenger" and the pair of long swords were hung on the sword rack on the wall. Asheselyn was the same as always, but she also removed the thin and transparent white gauze, showing the cold mechanisms connected to her body. They all took off their physical defenses at this moment. Perhaps in their opinion, at least for the three of them, defenses were unnecessary.

Even Ella and Ashlee, who had spent the shortest time together, seemed to have accepted this fact unconsciously, although they still seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

Click——

The hour hand engraved with oleander pointed to twelve o'clock, and the holy emblem of the goddess Levina emitted a faint golden light.

"Goodnight, Ella."

"Good night, Lady Luna."

"'I give you the moon of the wilderness' - good night, Miss Ella."

"…You too, Ashetherin."

Click, click.