In the Deep Valley Quarry in the hill district, the gatekeeper "fell asleep" once more, carried away by two members of the Machinery Hivemind.
Clad in a white priest's robe and a clergyman's bonnet, Horamick Haydn gazed at the open mine entrance, his benevolent and gentle face veiled in shadows.
After the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery lost all its dioceses in the Loen Kingdom, the former Archbishop of Backlund, a member of the Divine Council, returned to the headquarters in Intis. Over the past few years, he had traveled to various places like a firefighter, handling various serious Beyonder incidents.
He understood better than most clergymen of the God of Steam and Machinery Church that, despite the outward appearance of peace, the world was riddled with festering wounds. Problems abounded, and hidden dangers lurked in the darkness. The orthodox Churches and government organizations could only strive to maintain stability.
Horamick collected his thoughts and sighed silently. He turned to the Machinery Hivemind deacon beside him and declared, "Let's take action. God will protect us. By steam!"
As he spoke, he drew a Triangular Sacred Emblem on his chest.
The burly Machinery Hivemind deacon issued the command for purification, and the members of the Hivemind sprang into action. Some raised iron-black barrel-shaped objects, while others shouldered weapons resembling steam firearms, devoid of backpacks or golden ammunition belts. Still, others produced leather scrolls, charms crafted from various metals, and some pointed rings, canes, and other objects forward.
Rumble!
The miniature sun-like golden fireball was the first to blast out of a cannon barrel, landing at the heart of the quarry cave.
Behind it followed a cascade of colorful "cannonballs" and bullets of varying shapes. The light and dispersed waves purged the entire Deep Valley Quarry repeatedly, maintaining the cave's structural integrity, resulting in only a slight collapse.
After a few rounds of purification, the concealed cave within the quarry was breached, unveiling its interior.
Horamick's eyes gleamed with an inhuman, dark-red light. He could clearly discern that the white mist within the secret cave had nearly dissipated entirely. Human arms and legs were embedded in the rock walls on either side.
The archbishop advanced, leading two squads of Machinery Hivemind members through the quarry and into the concealed cave.
Before entering, he cast a glance back at the nearby Deep Valley Cloister, closely monitored by Trier's archbishop with Sealed Artifacts.
Horamick studied the human arms and legs attached to gears, crankshafts, and other mechanical components, resembling experimental subjects.
Under the deacon's orders, the Machinery Hivemind members initiated another round of purification. They persisted until the arms, legs, and machinery had turned to ashes or fragments, allowing them to proceed further into the secret cave and descend the tunnel.
After several iterations, Horamick and the Machinery Hivemind members, their pale-white hair concealed by clergyman bonnets, reached a vast, laboratory-like chamber.
Here, human arms intertwined with machinery, following ceiling tracks, perpetually gripping cabinets, sinks, long tables, and iron boxes, moving them toward the blazing fire at the deepest part of the hall.
A few human corpses were piled in the chamber, and a humanoid figure made entirely of machinery stood among them.
This mechanical being stood at a towering height of over three meters. One of his cybernetic eyes resembled an emerald, while the other resembled a ruby, supported by numerous components. His temples were encased in a transparent special material, revealing the squirming grayish-white brain within.
The mechanical giant cast a glance at Horamick and the others, who were scattered at the entrance of the chamber, and emitted a metallic chuckle.
"Surprised, are you? I don't require steam to power myself or a human body to control me. I can perform any task just like a normal person, including combat. Unfortunately, my Sequence isn't high enough to replace the human brain.
"Seeing this, you have no reason to doubt, right? We are the chosen children of God. We follow the true teachings of God, while your spirits and flesh have been tainted by the pleasures and indulgence of the mortal world, causing you to abandon the throne of God!"
Horamick surveyed the surroundings and noticed that the Machinery Hivemind members present remained extraordinarily vigilant and resolute. He nodded in approval.
Turning his attention to the mechanical giant, his benevolent expression remained undisturbed.
"You used a spirituality gem, didn't you?
"Using humans to refine spirituality gems is even more ruthless and wasteful than employing steam to drive them.
"Claude, I thought you were momentarily lost and would gradually return to your senses within the Deep Valley Cloister. I didn't anticipate that you would become a heretic!"
"Heretic?" The mechanical giant laughed. "You are the heretics! When was the last time any of you received a revelation?"
"All the time," Horamick responded with composure. "Claude, tell me, where is the Hostel? Are you in league with those evil gods to set your sights on Fourth Epoch Trier?"
In his mechanical giant form, Claude's eyes emitted red and green lights as he spoke with solemnity,
"You have strayed from the teachings of God. You no longer possess the spirit of sacrifice.
"The future of this world and the chance for a deity to ascend to the pinnacle lies within Fourth Epoch Trier. The sooner we unlock it, the greater our hope!"
Without waiting for Horamick's reply, the mechanical giant declared coldly, "I will show you who the heretics are and who the true followers of God are!"
As soon as Claude finished speaking, the light in his cybernetic eyes flared, and the entire chamber trembled. The sounds of machinery in operation resonated with an enigmatic aura.
In an instant, the Machinery Hivemind members, who had been on the verge of unleashing their firepower, witnessed projected paintings depicting the evolution of humans emerging from obscurity, advancing step by step, and building civilizations at various stages.
These paintings were ethereal, weighty, delicate, and magnificent. Horamick and his companions seemed to transform into the people within the paintings, experiencing the gravity and splendor of civilization.
At that moment, a face appeared "outside the painting."
This figure wore a towering crown, with his nostrils decayed to the point where only two black holes remained. His eyes were filled with countless overlapping star charts, and they stared greedily at Horamick and the others, as well as their civilization.
Silently, more faces pressed against the surface of the painting. Some had their heads bisected by a ruler, while others were adorned with yellow paper covered in strange symbols. Some were covered in ears of wheat and rice, while others barely took on human forms, their bodies adorned with various symbols.
These faces were larger than Horamick and his companions combined. They stared fixedly at the scene through the painting.
The Machinery Hivemind members who beheld these faces experienced a profound fear from the depths of their hearts, as though their entire civilization would be obliterated.
Just as they were on the verge of losing control, the faces vanished mysteriously, just as they had appeared.
The scene before Horamick's eyes reverted to its normal state. The mechanical giant Claude and the frenziedly operating chamber reentered his field of vision.
The archbishop remained unruffled, though his voice resonated with anger.
"Heretics!"
As his voice reverberated, he flexed his left wrist with his right hand, unveiling a black, cold, and weighty metal tube.
The sound of gears clicking filled the chamber, illuminating it as brightly as daylight.
The Machinery Hivemind members launched their attacks in succession.
Rumble!
The Deep Valley Quarry experienced a distinct tremor, as though a brief, violent earthquake had struck.
…
In Underground Trier, just outside the stone door through which the Carbonari had disappeared, crimson fireballs hovered in the air, casting a warm glow in the dark tunnel.
Blazing Danitz, dressed in a linen shirt, a brown jacket, dark pants, and black leather boots, had one hand in his pocket as he fixed his gaze on the nearby stone door.
His burnt-yellow hair and eyebrows framed his face, and he casually held a weed in his mouth, surveying the surroundings with his dark-blue yet bright eyes.
Nearly 20 men, all dressed as sailors, silently fanned out in the vicinity. Some twirled daggers, others wiped the barrels of their revolvers, and a few stretched their necks in anticipation.
A grinning, brown-haired sailor finally broke the silence and questioned Blazing Danitz, "Captain, why are we aiding the Intis government in pursuing the Carbonari? And why are we doing it for free?"
Danitz glanced at him, spat out the weed from his mouth, and muttered under his breath, "Damn fools, do you want to see Trier in ruins? Are you lads not still Intisian?"
As he spoke, he swung his fist at the stone door.
Doesn't this group of assholes not know that their captain owns numerous properties in Trier?
Upon the surface of Danitz's clenched fist, blazing white flames gathered as he thrust forward. Eventually, they coalesced into a fireball emitting a destructive aura.
Boom!
The ground shook, and the stone door shattered.
…
Jenna descended gracefully in the seemingly endless darkness, occasionally brushing against gravel but escaping physical harm.
After what felt like an eternity of descent, her feet finally touched solid ground.
Her beautiful blue eyes reflected a building.
It was a slightly crooked beige house. The lower three floors bore the architectural marks of Roselle's era, featuring pillar walls, arches, and large windows. The top two floors, in stark contrast, seemed crudely appended as an afterthought.
This is… Jenna was visibly taken aback.
The building before her was one she recognized all too well.
It was Auberge du Coq Doré!
At that moment, light streamed from numerous rooms within Auberge du Coq Doré. Jenna spotted a man and a woman, standing on the third-floor balcony, wrapped in each other's embrace.
The man sported black-framed glasses, his neatly combed brown hair adding to his refined appearance. As for the woman, she wore a lake-blue dress, her plump face and ethereal brown eyes creating a curious juxtaposition.
Thud, thud. Jenna's heart raced.
She had never actually met the woman, but she was familiar with the man.
It was the missing playwright, Gabriel!
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