Chapter 88: Four, your friend?
It was the name of a God, a synonym for the Church, and the grandest city in the world—not a single one could rival its magnificence.
The Sky Tower, seemingly bridging heaven and earth, was the best proof of that. It didn’t look at all like something that could have been constructed by the human effort of this era… and indeed, it wasn’t man-made; it was crafted by Lyra, or perhaps it would be better to say the entirety of Lyra City was a symbol of that God’s mighty power.
The carriage gradually came to a stop on the edge of the city, where the Guardian Forces—the “Skeleton” squad members—had been waiting. Upon seeing Kude and Chamos on the carriage, they approached with smiles.
“Hey, Kude, you’ve finally come back.”
“Chamos, how was the ride?”
Kude responded with a smile while Chamos grumbled in complaint, “Don’t get me started, I’ve been in that carriage for over a month. The jolts nearly shook my gears loose. Why are there still such backward tools in this world, when will gear car tracks be laid out across the globe?”
“Then there would only be the one city of Lyra in this world,” the Knight shrugged with a laugh.
Since carriages were not allowed inside the city, the “Skeleton” squad had to dispatch members in advance to greet them, and take the horses to a designated area outside the city for feeding.
Clearly, they had a good relationship, as they immediately struck up an enthusiastic conversation, teasing each other jovially.
It wasn’t until someone asked, “Kude, how did your mission go?” that the mood changed.
Before Kude could respond, a metallic screeching noise, mimicking an ancient machine that was well beyond its functional years and covered in rust but still operating, came from behind him.
The once noisy group suddenly fell silent.
They all turned around and stared blankly at the solid, familiar figure that emerged from the back of the group.
He was still carrying the gigantic Chainsaw Sword on his back, his face expressionless, and as he walked, his half-mechanical leg continuously made the “creak” sound that had just been mentioned.
He stopped a few meters away from Kude, glanced at him, and asked, “Can we disperse now?”
With that, Gerard continued forward, walking straight into the city without saying a word to any other members of the “Skeleton” squad.
Only after Gerard’s figure had completely vanished from sight did Kude turn to the Knight who had asked about the success of their mission and said, “If you’re talking about the mission to Rhein, then it was indeed successful.”
The Knight was momentarily stunned, then shrugged, “Heh, you do have a sense of humor.”
The two captains broke the silence and the formerly quiet group immediately grew noisy again, but this time the topic of conversation shifted to Gerard.
“Is he really that troublesome?”
“Indeed, he’s troublesome.”
“Tsk, so why doesn’t he just go die quietly?” a Knight whispered, “After doing what he did, why does he still cling to life?”
“Does he think he’s still the Knight of the Night Star?”
“It seems your reputation among your colleagues isn’t very good,” Bai Wei’s teasing voice echoed in Gerard’s mind, “They don’t just want you out of the job, they want you out of this world.”
Gerard didn’t respond, just silently walked the streets of Lyra.
Bai Wei didn’t mind and, after several days of rest, had fully recovered and was now curiously observing the city he loved most in the game.
If Rhein was still about traditional swords and magic, then Lyra’s style was more medieval, with a steampunk flavor. Here, gear cars traversed the entire city, complementing magical-powered mechanical devices. Most of its residents even had prosthetics which were new and finely made—much more advanced than Gerard’s mechanical leg, which would need oiling after some time of walking, or else it’d start creaking incessantly.
After entering the city, Gerard didn’t wander around aimlessly but went to the nearest Gear Station, bought a ticket, and boarded the gear car.
He then settled down in the most secluded corner.
This was the initial station nearest to the city edge, and since residents of Lyra seldom left the city, few people were at this initial station. But as the gear car started and began to penetrate deeper into this unique metal city, more and more people boarded.
Lyra City was the largest and most populated city in the world.
Because the entire Lyra Church comprised only this one city, all believers of Lyra resided within its walls.
People on the gear car conversed enthusiastically.
“Wow, is that a new prosthetic hand? It looks pretty impressive.”
“Yes, it was just released last month.”
“That’s amazing, I want to get a new one too.”
“Didn’t you just replace yours half a year ago?”
“Isn’t that considered old now?”
In their lively conversation, people hardly noticed Gerard in the corner. Those who did, upon seeing the rusty metal parts on his body, couldn’t help but frown as if they had seen something disgusting and consequently kept their distance from him.
Bai Wei was pleased with this, as it allowed him a better view of the Sky Tower outside the gear car.
Countless energy cords connected to the Sky Tower, spreading like a spider web to every corner of the city, providing it with a special energy.
This was directly why Lyra looked so advanced yet could only maintain its power within this city.
Everything had to revolve around that tower.
It was the heart of the city, as well as its faith.
Bai Wei gazed at the tall tower, his star-like pupils shifting slightly as a different reality came into view.
He saw the tower burning under the dim sky, flames as if to set the world on fire.
Bai Wei said with a light chuckle.
Three hours later, the gear car stopped at the final station. By then, except for Gerard, there were no passengers left.
Gerard stood up and got off.
He had arrived at the outskirts of the city.
The scenery here was completely different: no dazzling array of mechanical tools, no residents loudly discussing prosthetics, only a muddy path that seemed to lead to the ends of the earth.
The stark contrast was like switching to a different map.
But Bai Wei knew this too was a part of Lyra.
Gerard stepped onto the path and walked for about twenty minutes until he stood in front of a simple house.
This was the only house here, his home.
Gerard took out his keys and unlocked the door.
The key halted mid-turn.
Water splashed onto his hand, dripping from the house.
Gerard looked up to see a humanoid monster perched on the eaves, seemingly composed of rotten mud.
It had no eyes or nose, just a mouth, which was currently wide open at Gerard, dripping a liquid that could be blood or water.
Bai Wei asked, “Is that your friend?”
Gerard drew his Chainsaw Sword.