"Um...Is this what you want to tell us?" Lily glared at him, "We don't care what happens to him!"
Feist raised the corner of his mouth, as if he had already guessed her reaction, "Okay, there is another thing that you may be more concerned about. Fanka - the wizard who made Alphonse, happened to be here.
, do you want to see him?"
A mixture of nervousness and excitement suddenly seized her. The female mercenary covered her chest with her palms, feeling the warmth coming from there.
"Idiot, of course!"
She followed Feist through the crowd and climbed up the steps made of rocks to the upper level of the fortress. The interior of the volcano fort was still brightly lit at night, and some kind of crystal replaced the lighting torch made by magic, embedded in the
The metal lampposts on both sides of the road emitted a soft red light.
There are many shops that are still open on both sides of the road. The Belon people are far more enthusiastic about night life than the Elna people, and even a little more than the Kamal people. The drinkers are noisy and loud, and the vendors are walking along the street.
The loud shouts of people selling baked goods and the clang of blacksmiths striking metal merged into a symphony belonging to this fortress.
The two continued to move forward, gradually leaving the surrounding noise behind them. The top floor of the fortress was an open-air platform. Because of the higher altitude and thinner mist, the stars seemed brighter than on the plain. An old man in a gray robe was standing there.
Standing in the center of the platform, he looked up at the countless stars in the sky. The biting mountain wind blew up his robe and white hair, bringing a biting chill, but he seemed completely unaware of it.
Lily approached and saw the legendary wizard for the first time. The old man was taller than she imagined, and his body under the robe was much stronger than Lily thought. He didn't look like a wizard, but closer to a warrior.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Lily's face. The old man's face was peaceful, neither as kind as in fairy tales nor as serious as in some rumors. From those indifferent pupils, there was no trace of the past.
The legendary, "madman" look.
"Lily." The old wizard spoke slowly, "Alphonse...should have helped you a little, right."
"Of course!" Lily replied immediately, "He is one of my best companions... No, it's okay to remove one of them! So you... can you restore it to its original state?"
Fanka half-closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking about something. Lily felt that the old wizard seemed to want to ask her something, but in the end he did not say it.
"Of course." After a moment, Fanka replied in a low voice, "For you now, Alphonse's original strength may not be enough. I can help you create a more powerful body. Of course...he
The original memory will still be retained.”
A more powerful protector? It sounds good, but in a sense, this doesn't seem to be what she wants. Lily was silent for a few seconds and asked the questions she had always had.
"Mr. Fanka, do you think the agency man has a human heart? When he protects us, is it out of compliance with orders, or... is he really concerned about us?"
"If you want to say... maybe there is, maybe there is not. In my opinion, machine people also have thoughts, wisdom and emotions, but the mode is different from humans." Fanka slowly stroked his chin, looking thoughtful, "
Everything depends on everyone’s own judgment, and that’s how it should be.”
"Hmm... I understand." The female mercenary nodded and made up her mind, "Then Mr. Fanka, please, please make him look closer to a human being?"
"A more human-like machine, rather than a more powerful guardian - this is your choice, isn't it." The old wizard raised his eyelids, stared into her eyes, and asked slowly and lowly.
"Of course. We don't need to let others protect us and risk their lives for us!" The female mercenary patted her chest and repeated her promise again, "We will become very, very strong.
It’s enough to protect everyone around us from harm – after all, we are nature’s sages, Lord September!”
"Then it's as you wish, Lord Jiuyue." The old wizard replied in a low voice. There was no ridicule in his voice, but a little bit of relief, "Maybe... this is what I can do at the moment."
He turned around, slowly left the platform, and walked down the stone steps. Lily wanted to ask something more, but she looked at the old man's lonely back and gave up the idea.
Now is not the time, she told herself, but there will be a day.
…
One week later, on the sixty-fifth day of the winter month.
Lily was sitting in the hotel room, flipping through several history books and biographies of the Beron people with some boredom. She planned to find out some records of interactions between humans and her own race. What she could find, except for fabricating it, could be easily seen at a glance.
The story you see through is a completely unclear legend.
Bell was not with her. He finally returned to his so-called hometown and had long been immersed in barbecue and ale. The enthusiastic Beron people treated their compatriots who grew up outside their hometown equally. Bell's strong body was different from his half-real and half-hearted people.
Fake - well, now most of them are real adventure experiences, and they have also attracted the admiration of many young men and women. Bell is quite satisfied with this situation, and plans to return here to settle down after the adventure is over.
"This is... hiccup, the feeling of home." In the words of the Belon people themselves, this is probably what it looks like.
Feist crossed the Iron Spine Mountains and continued to guide the people of Elders to move westward. The volcanic fortress obviously could not accommodate millions of people for long-term settlement. The final settlement place for the Erna people was the vast western side of the mountain.
As for the fertile plains, the Belon people used to grow some barley on it to make scones or brew ale, but they didn't mind the Ailna people sharing this land. After all, most people know that Ailna
Humans have a full understanding of nature and can coexist harmoniously with most animals and plants.
In fact, when it comes to farming alone, she is better than the Elna people. She can shorten the growth cycle of crops by half without causing damage to the land. However, she is not in the mood to do these "extra" things before Alphonse returns.
things.
There was a gentle knock on the door, and a familiar yet unfamiliar voice passed through the door panel with a hint of hesitation.
"Can I come in, Lilinono."
Lily suddenly jumped up from the bed and opened the door to the room. Standing outside the door was a young man who didn't look like much and had a slightly confused expression, but he made her feel inexplicably familiar and friendly. He raised his hand and scratched her
Scratching his head, he seemed not used to the short brown hair.
"Well, uh..." He hesitated, "You may not recognize me, Lilinono, I just..."
"Al - you are such a big idiot!" Lily interrupted him, pulled him into the house by his arm, and closed the door behind him, "How could we not recognize you? You know, even if you are burned to ashes
, grind it into powder and make it into sauce, and we can taste your taste in one bite!"