Yvette immediately turned her head. She had prepared herself for disappointment, but she was surprised to hear Ice Rain’s words hinting at a possible twist.
However, given Ice Rain’s demeanor, which lacked the depth and weathered experience of the Elder, Yvette decided to temper her expectations and not anticipate too much.
“Um, this happened about thirty years ago. I was just a few years old at the time, still trying to find my path in human cultivation.” Ice Rain hesitated before saying, “One day, I heard about a traveler who looked very powerful passing through, so I went to take a look and thought she resembled the person in your photo…”
Thirty years ago? Calculating from Rosalyn’s age of 22 when she left, she must be nearing two hundred now—had her appearance not changed at all?
However, living that long surely couldn’t be measured by ordinary means. It wouldn’t be unusual for her to look somewhat younger or even rejuvenated. Black Tower Pharmaceuticals had developed youth-preserving runic elixirs; perhaps similar methods existed in the Glowing Continent…
Yvette contemplated while asking, “What happened next?”
“I don’t know… um, I remember seeing her outside the sanctuary. I just stuck around for a bit before leaving, not knowing what happened… I even thought she might be a messenger of the god.” Ice Rain covered her forehead with one hand, seriously trying to recall the memory.
“Was there any conflict or anything like that?”
“No, I don’t think so. From what I remember, nothing significant happened during that time; with the god’s protection, life in the kingdom was always peaceful,” Ice Rain replied.
“Okay, I understand. Thank you for the information,” Yvette nodded, her expression softening. Although she wasn’t entirely sure about the authenticity of Ice Rain’s words—she could just as easily be misremembering or mistaking someone—it nonetheless gave her a glimmer of hope.Then, she turned to the Elder and said, “Sir, could you please keep an eye out for the girl in the picture? If she ever visits, please inform her that her teacher is traveling across the continent and would like her to review the letter left for her.”
“Consider it done.” The Elder smiled in agreement.
…
That night, Yvette had a long-awaited good dream. Although she couldn’t recall the details upon waking, when she saw her reflection in the vehicle’s mirror, she noticed her lips were slightly upturned, giving her a sweet, charming appearance.
Yvette’s fist clenched instinctively, and taking a deep breath, she heard Ice Rain call out from outside, “Kind lady! Kind lady! You’ve been asleep for so long! I’ve been waiting for you!”
“What do you want?” Yvette asked, leaning over to look out at her, her expression emotionless.
“We’re going to explore the ruins of the ‘Agash’ city! Mr. Gunslinger from the kingdom guard is joining us to ensure our safety. Would you like to come along?”
“No, thanks.”
“Hey, don’t be such a bore! It’s not every day you get a chance to travel with a skilled protector. Opportunities like this are rare during a journey!” Ice Rain persistently continued to plead.
After mulling it over, Yvette suddenly thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Being new to Agash, she was unfamiliar with the ecology of aberrations in the area, and having a local act as a “guide” could help with her hunting plans.
Moreover, she could always save the actual hunting for the nighttime, which was fraught with danger—the townsfolk typically slept during those hours. By then, she could venture into the ruined city to consume aberrations without raising suspicion.
Plus, she could disguise herself with a cloak and mask; even if she accidentally ran into some insomniac mechanical beings, she would only be perceived as an odd human-shaped aberration.
Oh, and from tonight onwards, she would have to keep the curtains down in the vehicle…
…
At around five in the morning, the summer light spilled over the horizon, casting a cool, pale glow. Following Ice Rain, Yvette arrived at the simple encampment of the “Kingdom Guard,” a dilapidated compound made up of low huts covered with metal plating.
“Hello, I’m ‘Gunslinger,’” the wonderfully named mechanical puppet introduced itself, its voice deep and gravelly, like a seasoned, reliable middle-aged man who had weathered many storms.
Its appearance resembled that of a pre-apocalyptic magical machine soldier, towering over two meters tall. Although its rusty body bore numerous metallic scars from repairs, the runic firearm it wielded and the concealed combat knife on its arm retained an air of intimidation.
—This was likely military-grade weaponry on par with alloy blades. No wonder it could guard this small town of less than a hundred mechanical puppets, standing firm through about 30 years of turmoil against aberrations.
“Good morning, Mr. Gunslinger,” Ice Rain greeted politely. “Are we going as a group of just the three of us?”
“Film will be joining us shortly, making four. And don’t forget, you’ll need to pay a ‘fee’ for this venture.” Gunslinger stated plainly.
“Oh, a fee? Um, what… what do you require?” Ice Rain asked, seemingly realizing this point for the first time, her tone becoming awkward and quieter. “I don’t think I have anything to offer…”
“Anything will do, but it needs to have ‘value,’” Gunslinger emphasized the word “value” slightly.
That meant they couldn’t just throw anything into the mix. But how would they even determine the worth of items when the mechanical puppets evidently lacked a currency system…?
Realizing this, Yvette suddenly spoke up, “Is this part of the cultivation process?”
“Precisely,” Gunslinger replied, his tone revealing a hint of surprise.
“So, if I wanted to owe you, would you accept that?” Yvette inquired.
“Of course.” Gunslinger’s voice had an unexpectedly pleasant ring to it. In fact, it had always anticipated the somewhat “legendary human behavior” of owing debts, but few had ever hired it, making this its first experience with accepting debt.
As for when the debt would be repaid? That was obviously unnecessary, as mechanical puppets didn’t possess desires for money, and the so-called transactions were merely mimicking humans without the capacity to remember debts owed.
Soon, Ice Rain caught on to this ‘debt’ tactic as well. After a brief wait, when Film finally arrived, the four of them set off toward a certain area on the outskirts of Agash, embarking on a full-day exploration.
This area belonged to what used to be referred to as the “Colorful Zone,” a suburban region on the periphery of Agash.
According to Gunslinger, the strongest aberration in this zone was a phase three monster. It was unclear what prototype it had mutated from, but it resembled a strange amalgamation of human, bird, and dog parts.
Additionally, this phase three aberration possessed a newly established small hive. If no one stopped it, a powerful hive influence would emerge in the ruins of the Colorful Zone before too long.
However, Gunslinger himself didn’t appear overly concerned. On the one hand, as a damaged magical machine soldier, it was still a formidable presence. On the other hand, mechanical puppets weren’t typically on aberrations’ diets, so the likelihood of being attacked was significantly lower.
Besides, if a new hive were to be born, it was much more likely to engage in conflict with other hives lurking in Agash rather than with a small puppet town.
…
Since Ice Rain was relatively new to this exploration, she didn’t aim to delve too deeply, so the first day’s adventure only took them about six or seven kilometers in before they wrapped things up.
Nonetheless, they still made quite a few discoveries.
For example, they found numerous books from before the apocalypse, relatively intact artifacts, and even clearly legible food packaging, all of which Ice Rain and Film treated like treasures, carefully placing them into large bags they brought along.
Yvette, on the other hand, didn’t collect anything herself; she spent the time continuously grilling Gunslinger for intelligence about the known distribution of aberrations and hives in the Colorful Zone, appearing to be a peculiar aberration researcher.
After resting for a night, the next day, boosted by Ice Rain’s enthusiasm, the four-person exploration team immediately regrouped for another outing.
This day’s objective was to venture about ten kilometers deeper—this would bring them close to the most prosperous commercial area of the Colorful Zone, significantly raising the danger level. But perhaps precisely because of this, the curiosity of explorers would only grow.
“This area is quite close to that high-level aberration and the hive. You must observe carefully and try not to make too much noise. I’m confident I can engage that hive lord in combat, but I won’t be able to protect you if too many aberrations swarm,” Gunslinger stated seriously along the way.
“Don’t worry!” Ice Rain patted her chest. Unlike Film, she was equipped with self-defense weapons, including a military-grade pistol. Moreover, her prior experiences as a solo traveler on the Silver Mirror Continent had made her less fragile.
From Yvette’s perspective, however, the girl was fresh from the assembly line and inherently much more agile than the older, weaker mechanical puppets of the town. In a pinch, all she had to do was run faster than Film to remain safe.
Having received this reassurance, Gunslinger said no more and continued to lead them with a steady, seasoned demeanor.
But soon, as they re-entered the Colorful Zone, an eerie sight unfolded before their eyes.
It was a hellish scene. In the deafening silence, countless dried husks of aberrant creatures lay sprawled among crumbling walls and remnants, resembling a mountain of corpses.
From their state of death, it appeared they had been completely drained of moisture, their skin clinging tightly to their gaunt skeletal frames. It was an exceptionally grotesque sight, sending chills down the spine.
In an instant, an icy, hollow breeze carried a faint metallic scent, permeating through the area.
“Wha… what happened here…?”
“My goodness, what the hell… oh, gods of machinery, oh, gods of machinery…”
Both Ice Rain and Film were stunned. They had only been away for one night; how had this place transformed into such a ghastly sight?
A collective death incident?
Had the aberrant creatures undergone a mass die-off overnight?
Was there any record of similar bizarre events in the history of the mechanical race’s kingdoms?
Meanwhile, Gunslinger, who had remained calm and experienced throughout, was also rendered speechless for a while. Finally, he raised his voice, expressing regret as he surveyed the surroundings, “Everyone, it seems today’s exploration can’t continue…”
Then, growing serious, he declared, “This is a mysterious and unprecedented incident in the history of our kingdom. I must report this promptly to the council!”