After tea time, Ice Rain seemed to remember her original purpose and requested to use the sanctuary here to recharge her motorcycle.
The Elder readily agreed, immediately rising to lead the way. Yvette, who had long been curious about the mysterious sanctuary, naturally followed along as they arrived at another part of the mechanical puppet town.
This time, it wasn’t a container apartment but a grand cathedral left over from the era of the origin civilization.
The rough stone walls had accumulated a dark red rust-like patina over the long years, but the overall structure remained remarkably sturdy thanks to the meticulous maintenance of the mechanical puppets. The surrounding grass and trees were neatly trimmed; even the iconic obsidian flagstones at the entrance were polished to a deep black that gracefully reflected the light from above.
Entering the cathedral, the spacious main hall was exceptionally serene, with light filtering through the shattered stained glass windows, illuminating particles of dust that shimmered in the air.
At the center of the circular altar stood a massive, pixelated cubic statue. Recognizing this highly distinctive emblem, Yvette instantly understood to which ancient religious order this cathedral belonged.
The Mental Sanctuary!
This was a well-known faith from the origin civilization, originating from the Silver Mirror Continent, one of whose tenets was “Flesh is weak; Mechanical Ascendance.” After the apocalypse, it had become the sanctuary where mechanical puppets worshipped the Mechanical God, fitting perfectly with its style.
However, Yvette knew little about the religions of the origin civilization; she only understood that the Mental Sanctuary had some obscure connection to “Heavenscape Technology”, with suspicions suggesting that the former was secretly funded by the latter. If she had the chance to dream again, she might search for relevant information.
In addition to the cubic statue of the Mental Sanctuary, there was also a female mechanical puppet dressed in black nun garb. She exhibited a high degree of anthropomorphism, and compared to Ice Rain’s youthful demeanor, this nun bore a more mature aura, with the contours of her chest beneath her robe more pronounced.Though Yvette suspected that beneath those contours were likely white basic forms or metal breastplates, she couldn’t help but glance at her with curiosity, wondering how such a highly anthropomorphic and seemingly intact puppet could have been created; she doubted she was merely found in a garbage heap like the Elder.
Could it be that the Mechanical God had control over some old production line for puppets, allowing her to create such advanced new models?
“Ladies, this is our nun, ‘Sunflower.’ Sunflower, these are illustrious guests, Miss Yvette and Miss Ice Rain, who wish to use the sanctuary to ask the god for energy to recharge their vehicle,” the Elder announced.
“No problem; may the Mechanical God guide us, I will provide you with assistance,” Sunflower said with a perfectly measured smile, turning to retrieve a box from a corner room.
Yvette observed the box, noting it was a portable metal case radiating with a ghostly glow and equipped with multiple interfaces—definitely a large power bank.
She thought, no wonder Ice Rain mentioned every kingdom having a sanctuary; aside from praying to the Mechanical God, the sanctuaries’ primary function must be to provide energy—akin to a dining hall for mechanical puppets. Otherwise, given the scale and development of these puppet towns, they couldn’t sustain energy independently.
But where did the energy for the sanctuaries come from? Was there an elemental reactor? Underground magic wires? Or some other method?
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, the idea solidified within her.
She wanted to stay here for a while to observe more closely and understand the operations of this puppet town, as well as the nature of the mysterious Mechanical God.
…
After Yvette requested to stay here for a time, the Elder happily agreed but mentioned that he couldn’t decide alone and needed to call a meeting of the other kingdom members.
Ice Rain also took the opportunity to make the same request, explaining that she needed a secure and stable mechanical kingdom as a base to explore the nearby ruins of Agash. Furthermore, she had already informed the god of her intentions prior to coming to the Black Tide Continent.
Thus, after the kingdom meeting approved their stay, both Yvette and Ice Rain received permission to reside there long-term. However, as outsiders, they could not live in the container apartments but would have to find suitable rooms from the town’s ruins themselves.
Yvette had no objections, as she could comfortably stay in her vehicle. Ice Rain, a bit bashful, inquired if they could share the vehicle, but was unkindly rejected and had to leave dejectedly.
…
By evening, the sky transitioned into a deep teal, still not fully sinking into dark blue.
Yvette was wandering around the ruins of the town when suddenly she heard the approaching distant, low-toned roar of an engine accompanied by a swirling sound.
She looked up to see a large flying vehicle soaring through the fragmented sky, slicing past the ruined buildings and dense foliage. It descended onto a relatively flat area near the sanctuary.
Immediately, she walked over and saw the nun, Sunflower, swiftly unloading several energy boxes glowing with a ghostly blue light from the interior of the ship, neatly stacking them on the ground. Simultaneously, a few dim, seemingly drained boxes of the same type were carefully returned.
It looked like a delivery service… Yvette approached, saying, “Let me help you.”
“Thank you, Miss Yvette, but it’s not necessary. This is my duty as a nun,” Sunflower graciously declined.
It not only solved the source of the soul but also addressed the issue that a Mind Core could hardly serve as a vessel for a soul?
For all she knew, upon examining these mechanical puppets’ brains, she could find a normal human brain inside… that was a bit too horrifying, but not impossible. Yet, she could observe here for a while, and there would ultimately be opportunities to verify this… Yvette began to entertain bold guesses.
At that moment, Sunflower had finished moving all the energy boxes, and the transport vessel turned out to be a non-human mechanical entity capable of speech. After exchanging pleasantries and praising the great Mechanical God, the transport flew away, disappearing over the horizon, while Sunflower wiped away nonexistent sweat from her brow and wore a satisfied smile.
Observing her smile, Yvette found it differed from the earlier commercial-like grin; this time it seemed more sincere, as if she genuinely enjoyed her responsibilities as a nun.
“Miss Sunflower, you look like you really enjoy your work as a nun?” Yvette quietly asked.
“Yes, serving the divine is something no one would refuse,” Sunflower nodded with a smile.
“Can you answer me one question?” Yvette inquired again.
“What question?”
“Why do the mechanical race desire to become human?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Yvette was somewhat taken aback; she had expected the nun to say that it was because human civilization was so magnificent, resulting in worship, or that humans were the creators—thus it was natural to aspire to emulate them.
“It seems to be an innate instinct for us. If you want an answer, perhaps you would only know by asking the great Mechanical God,” Sunflower replied.
“Can you ask the god?” Yvette pressed.
“Well…” Sunflower displayed a conflicted expression. “The god doesn’t answer every question. If someone is in difficulty, they can seek the deity’s guidance, but this kind of question is better left unasked; it may not guarantee a reply… If you truly want to know, Miss Yvette, you should try praying to the god yourself.”
“Alright,” Yvette sighed softly within.
She certainly wouldn’t reach out to the Mechanical God; who knew how the deity would view human survivors… What if she faced a fierce assault upon revealing her presence?
Moreover, she strongly suspected that the Mechanical God might possess the capability to resurrect humanity, considering that before the apocalypse, even organizations like the “Civilization Continuation Society” existed, there must have been other private or public means for surviving the catastrophe—perhaps human gene banks hidden underground. Yet, it chose to do nothing; the situation itself might indicate its stance.