Chapter 270: Mechanicals, Dolls, and the Secrets Buried Deep

There was a girl who looked strikingly similar to another, almost like they were cast from the same mold.

They all wore form-fitting outfits made from some special material, facilitating movement, and their short black hair was particularly neat and crisp, making them appear as members of a well-trained organization.

Many of them were hauling heavy stone blocks that looked like they weighed more than they did, or unusual metal pieces, yet their movements showed no sign of slowing down; they could be described as swift as the wind.

These girls were definitely not ordinary people.

…It’s easy to imagine, right? Even if their outfits were acceptable, how could there possibly exist dozens, or even hundreds, of perfectly identical living beings in the world?

Although Ella had lived for nearly two hundred years, she’d only heard of a situation like this with mass-produced war golems in the Ost Empire.

But this group of girls walking through the underground passage, looking almost indistinguishable from ordinary humans, was clearly not that kind of thing.

Finding a suitable angle, Ella carefully observed a few of them close by and quickly noticed a crucial fact.

These girls, though classified as living beings, felt more like autonomous, moving dolls; their faces bore no signs of emotional change, seemingly always frozen in an expressionless demeanor.

Given the place where these girls appeared, alongside their remarkable physical strength and astonishing similarities, Ella quickly made some conclusions based on her scholarly insights and knowledge.

These… were probably a kind of mass-produced magical doll, something more advanced than those mechanical spheres.

Fascinating, truly fascinating…

Despite her immense interest in these bizarre beings she had never seen before, Ella knew well that she didn’t have the luxury of taking the time to research them slowly. If these fellows noticed her, it might very well be herself who ended up captured and subjected to unspeakable treatment.

Remaining cautious and avoiding any unnecessary proximity or contact with any of the dolls, Miss Ella continued along the main path.

She wasn’t sure if this main route would lead her to her anticipated target, but it was undoubtedly more prudent than recklessly charging down other passages.

Time passed, little by little, as she explored.

While moving, Ella mentally calculated the approximate number of flying spheres and doll-like girls in this underground space.

However, she soon discovered that such an endeavor proved largely pointless.

The differences between the mechanical spheres were so minuscule that it was hard to tell whether the one flying past you was the same one as before; it was even more challenging to differentiate them than the doll-like girls who resembled identical twins.

After carefully observing the latter, Ella noted yet another fact.

These doll-like girls had identification numbers.

Ranging from the lowest units to the highest in the thousands, each bore clear black markings inscribed on the back of their necks; it was easy to spot if one paid a little attention.

“Such a number of individuals actually exists… at least in the thousands?”

Thanks to the protective barrier imposed by the Light Element Spirit, her murmurs didn’t transmit to the outside world, allowing Ella to express her surprise without restraint.

These girls were strong.

Though Ella was a scholar, she had also been a mercenary and experienced many battles; judging from the details, this group of doll-like girls in the underground passage likely each possessed physical attributes approaching or reaching those of a fourth-tier ordinary human.

While physical attributes don’t equate to absolute strength, even just that was already most impressive.

If they were all to form a combat squad, not even the famed Holy Empire’s thousand-man Temple Knights could match them in numbers under equal conditions.

Yet, here they were, seemingly wasting their talents, moving mundane goods in this sunless underground, performing tasks that, while secretive, were ultimately inconsequential.

…Where exactly did the Holy Empire and the Church of the Goddess acquire these things?

While pondering this, Ella heard a sound.

It was entirely distinct from the silent footsteps of the doll-like girls or the humming of the flying spheres; it was a conversation, spoken in standard sacred language.

“Is it irreparable? What does that mean? I can’t comprehend this thing, but it should be a crucial component for the ritual, right? How can we reconstruct the ritual without this? Aren’t you supposed to be the expert on these matters?”

The low voice of a middle-aged man, laced with a subtle authority, wafted through the air; just hearing that one line, Ella immediately concluded that the speaker was undoubtedly someone who held a high position in some organization.

After all, Ella had heard similar phrases from some old-timers in Theological Hall more than once. While it seemed like a query, the actual intent was a thinly veiled demand, implying, “I don’t care; this is your responsibility, so figure out a way to resolve it!”

It made one’s blood boil.

Recalling some negative memories, the scholarly Miss quietly turned the corner and focused her gaze on the hall at the end of the main path.

It was starkly different from when she first entered the underground—broader and filled with many instruments that even Ella, as a scholar, found difficult to comprehend.

However, it was apparent that these instruments had yet to be activated, as numerous doll-like girls and flying spheres were still hauling materials or making adjustments, while in the center of the hall stood two figures that clearly contrasted with them.

One was dressed in a bright red bishop’s robe, holding a holy emblem, with a six-winged holy emblem hanging around his neck, the typical attire of a high-ranking priest of the Church of the Goddess, a middle-aged man appearing to be in his forties.

The other figure lacked any particularly striking features, wearing a light blue one-piece dress common in the Holy Kingdom without any extra adornments, but with a tall stature and beautiful appearance, a young girl with long black hair casually spilling down her back.

Clearly, the earlier remarks that had irked Miss Ella came from the mouth of the former.

As Ella observed silently, the black-haired girl, target of the middle-aged priest’s inquiry, quickly responded to his questions; her voice was calm and clear, showing no irritation at the oppressive tone of the former, sounding almost like business as usual.

“Bishop Rudolf, the core power converter VX model 0071 was made by my ‘Father’ himself; I can only perform a limited repair on it. I cannot restore it once it’s been deemed a waste after surpassing a 70% damage rate. Even the Unit 0 here won’t change that judgment.”

Following the gaze of the speaking girl, hiding near the entrance, Ella noticed a square metallic device the size of a suitcase lying beneath them, already cut into several pieces by some external force, battered and bruised.

Clearly, the “core power converter VX model 0071” the black-haired girl referred to was likely this thing.

Upon hearing this statement, the man called Rudolf seemed to grow a bit anxious.

“So what do we do? Although we’ve temporarily allocated computational power from other regions, that’s not a long-term solution!”

“The computational power supply in the New Ast region must be restored as soon as possible; His Holiness the Pope has inquired and urged several times. Do you understand how much pressure I’m under here?!”

   

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