-52- Mass Mortality Event

Yvette immediately turned her head. Though she had already prepared herself for disappointment, she hadn't expected a plot twist.

Considering the impression Ice Rain had given her—utterly lacking the weathered depth of the Grand Elder—Yvette decided to manage her expectations and not hope for too much regarding what the other was about to say.

"That would be around thirty years ago. I had only been born a few years back then, and hadn't yet figured out my path in human cultivation," Ice Rain said hesitatingly. "Then one day, I heard that a traveler with a very high cultivation realm was passing through, so I went to take a look. I felt she looked a lot like the person in your photograph..."

Thirty years ago? Calculating based on her age of twenty-two when she left, Rosaline should have been close to two hundred years old by then, yet her appearance hadn't changed at all?

However, someone who could live to such an age certainly couldn't be measured by the standards of ordinary people. Looking a bit younger, or even regaining her youth, wasn't particularly strange. The Black Tower's medical division had developed rune-crafted elixirs for eternal youth, and the Glow Continent might possess similar methods...

Yvette made her judgment internally, then asked, "And then?"

"I don't know... Um... I remember seeing her outside the cathedral at the time. I just watched the commotion for a little while and then left. What happened after that, I have no idea... I even thought she might be a divine messenger." Ice Rain covered her forehead with one hand, recalling the memory very earnestly.

"Was there any conflict or anything of the sort?"

"I don't think so. In my memory, nothing happened during those days. With the gods' protection, life in the kingdom has always been very peaceful."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you for the information you've provided." Yvette nodded in gratitude, her expression gentle. Even though it was unclear how much truth there was to Ice Rain's words—she might simply have misremembered or mistaken someone else for her—it still offered her a glimmer of hope.

She then looked toward the Grand Elder and said, "Sir, could I please ask you to keep an eye out for the girl in this portrait as well? If she should ever visit, tell her that her teacher is traveling across the continent, and ask her to check the letter her teacher left behind for her when she returns home."

"Leave it to this old man," the Grand Elder said with a smile.

***

That night, Yvette had a good dream for the first time in a long while. Although she couldn't remember what had happened in it, when she woke up and looked into the mirror inside the camper, she noticed that the corners of her mouth had remained slightly upturned, making her look somewhat sweet and adorable.

This was completely out of character, so she hurriedly pulled the corners of her mouth downward, resuming her usual emotionless, doll-like expression. Only then did she feel much more comfortable.

Then she turned her head and saw Ice Rain's face pressed against the outside of the camper window, lingeringly peering at her like a female ghost. Even after being caught, Ice Rain didn't look the least bit apologetic; instead, she flashed a brilliant smile, revealing two rows of neat, little white teeth.

Yvette's fist clenched instantly. She took a deep breath, and heard Ice Rain shouting from outside, "Miss Kind-hearted~ Miss Kind-hearted~ You've been sleeping for so long! I've been waiting for you forever!"

"What is your business?" Yvette walked over to the window, looked down at her, and said expressionlessly.

"An expedition to the ruined city of 'Akasha'! We've invited the Kingdom Guard's 'Gunner' to accompany us and ensure our safety. Do you want to come along~?"

"No."

"Eh~ Don't be so uninteresting. It's rare to have an expert escorting us; opportunities like this don't come often during travels," Ice Rain persuaded persistently.

Yvette thought for a moment, then suddenly felt that it might not be a bad idea. She was new here and unfamiliar with the ecology of the aberrations in Akasha. Having a local as a "tourist guide" would be beneficial for planning her hunts.

As for the actual hunting moments, she could completely reserve them for the dangerous nighttime hours—in order to imitate humans, the town's residents all slept at night. Venturing into the ruined city to devour aberrations then would allow her to effectively avoid suspicion.

Besides, she could use a cloak and a mask to disguise herself by then. Even if she were to coincidentally encounter a mechanical being that didn't sleep, she would only be mistaken for a strange humanoid aberration.

Oh, and starting tonight, the curtains inside the camper would have to be drawn down every single night...

***

Around five in the morning, the summer daylight had already crept across the horizon, painting a cold, pale fish-belly white. Following Ice Rain, Yvette arrived at the rudimentary outpost of the "Kingdom Guard"—an abandoned courtyard composed of low sheds covered with numerous metal plates.

"Hello, I am 'Gunner'." The mechanical golem claiming to be the Quick Gunner spoke in a hoarse, low voice, resembling a weathered, mature, and reliable middle-aged or elderly man.

Its style resembled a pre-apocalypse magitech combat golem, and its height of over two meters was unexpectedly towering. Although its rusted frame was covered with patched and welded metal scars, the rune firearm it held in its hand and the concealed tactical blade on its arm still looked deeply intimidating.

This was very likely a military-grade weapon of the same specifications as the alloy battle blades. If that were the case, let alone second-stage aberrations, hunting third-stage aberrations might not even be out of the question. No wonder it could serve as a guardian, protecting this puppet town of fewer than a hundred people so that it stood unshaken through some thirty years of turbulent storms.

"Good morning, Mr. Gunner," Ice Rain greeted politely. "Are there just the three of us going together?"

"Film will be arriving in a moment as well; this time there will be four of us. Also, do not forget that you need to pay a 'reward' for this operation," Gunner said flatly.

"Eh, a reward? Uh, what... what do you need?" Ice Rain seemed to have just learned of this requirement. Her tone instantly turned somewhat awkward, and her voice grew softer and softer. "I don't seem to have anything to give..."

"Anything is fine, as long as it has 'value'." Gunner said, placing a slight emphasis on the word "value."

That meant she couldn't just brush it off with random items. But how was the level of value to be judged, especially when mechanical golems didn't even have a monetary system?

Thinking of this, Yvette suddenly realized something and asked, "Is this part of the cultivation?"

"Correct." Gunner's words remained few, but its tone carried a hint of surprise.

"Then if I want to run a tab, do you accept it?" Yvette asked.

"Of course." Gunner's tone sounded unexpectedly somewhat satisfied. In fact, it had always been full of anticipation for this "legendary human behavior" of running a tab, but unfortunately very few people in the kingdom ever hired it, making this the first time it had ever accepted a tab.

As for when the debt would be repaid in the future? Naturally, that wasn't necessary, because the mechanical golems had no desire for money whatsoever. The so-called transaction was merely an imitation of humans; how could they possibly remember someone else's tab?

Soon, Ice Rain followed suit and mastered the technique of running a tab. After waiting a little longer until Film also arrived, the four of them finally set out, heading toward an area on the outskirts of Akasha for a full day of exploration.

This place was a suburban fringe area of Akasha, formerly belonging to a district of Akasha known as the "Iridescent District."

According to Gunner's introduction, the strongest aberration in this district was a third-stage aberrant monster. It didn't even know what original creature this monster had aberrated from; it looked very much like a stitched-together composite of a human, a bird, and a dog, yet filled with bizarre joints—altogether extremely abstract.

Not only that, this third-stage aberration also controlled a newly born minor hive. If no one intervened, before long, a powerful hive faction would emerge within the ruins of Akasha's Iridescent District.

However, Gunner itself didn't feel a strong sense of crisis about this. On one hand, as a battered magitech combat golem, its strength was not to be underestimated; on the other hand, mechanical golems were not on the menu of aberrant creatures, making the probability of them being attacked much lower.

Moreover, if a hive were to be born, this new hive faction would most likely wage war against other hidden hive factions within Akasha, rather than focusing its efforts on the puppet town.

***

Because she was a newcomer, Ice Rain temporarily did not want to delve into too deep of an exploration. Thus, the first day's exploration of Akasha only ventured inward by about six or seven kilometers before stopping at a superficial level.

Even so, there were quite a few harvests.

For instance, many pre-apocalypse books, relatively well-preserved handicrafts, and even food packaging boxes with legible handwriting were treated like treasures by Ice Rain and Film, carefully tucked away into the large hemp sacks they carried.

As for Yvette, she didn't scavenge any junk at all. Instead, she constantly questioned Gunner about all known intelligence within the Iridescent District, learning the distribution density of the aberrations and the locations of the hives, making her look precisely like an aberrant researcher with unique tastes.

After returning to rest for a night, the four-person exploration team eagerly assembled and set out again the next day, fueled by Ice Rain's enthusiasm.

Their operational target for this day was to venture even deeper, to a range of about ten kilometers—this brought them close to the most prosperous commercial district of the Iridescent District, where the danger would increase dramatically. Perhaps precisely because of that, it was all the more capable of stirring up explorers' curiosity.

"This place is very close to the domain of that high-tier aberration and the hive. You must observe carefully and try not to make too much noise. While I am confident in tangling with that hive lord for a while, the number of other aberrations is simply too great, and I won't be able to protect you," Gunner warned sternly halfway there.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Ice Rain patted her chest. Unlike Film, she carried self-defense weapons—specifically a military-grade handgun. Furthermore, as a solitary traveler, she had experience exploring the Silver Mirror Continent alone before setting out, so she wasn't all that fragile.

In Yvette's estimation, however, this girl was simply of a newer "factory batch," and her mobility was far more flexible than that of the old, frail, and disabled folks in the puppet town. Come what may, as long as she could run faster than Film, she would be much safer.

Having received this response, Gunner said nothing more and continued to lead the team with composure and seasoned skill.

Soon, however, as they entered the Iridescent District once more, a bizarre sight appeared before everyone's eyes.

It was a hellish landscape. Amidst a deathly silence, as far as the eye could see, countless emaciated carcasses of aberrant creatures lay scattered haphazardly among broken walls and ruined ramparts, piled up like mountains of corpses.

Judging from how they died, they seemed to have been drained of all moisture. Their skin clung tightly to their craggy skeletons, presenting a nauseatingly ashen and withered appearance that made one's hair stand on end.

In an instant, a cold and hollow chilling wind, carrying a faint fishy stench, pervaded the surroundings.

"How... how could this be..."

"Bloody hell, oh dear lord... May the Machine God be praised, May the Machine God be praised..."

Ice Rain and Film were both dumbfounded. They had only been away for a single night; how had this place suddenly turned into this ungodly state?

A mass mortality event?

A mass death event of aberrant creatures that erupted overnight?

Did the histories of the various mechanical kingdoms contain records of such bizarre occurrences?

Meanwhile, Gunner—normally calm, steady, and experienced—was stunned into speechlessness for a long while at this sight. It abruptly raised its tone, looked around regretfully, and said, "Everyone, today's exploration恐怕 (I'm afraid) cannot continue..."

Then it turned serious and solemnly announced, "This is an unknown mysterious event that has never occurred in the kingdom's history. I must report this matter to the council immediately!"