Chapter 48
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Chapter 48: Kalian
Winter Fortress.
After Leo shared his plans with Skuld using his mind, he put on the robe of the Order Sect and walked west with the mechanical bird towards the camp.
He also wanted to see what the Marquis of Logan’s camp was like to prepare in advance.
Before long, the person and the bird arrived at the entrance of the western camp.
"Hey, silly bird, who is your master?" Leo took the mechanical bird out of his pocket.
"Nono! Nono! My name is not silly bird, it is Nono! My master is Kalian!" The mechanical bird curled up a little, "Kalian from the Mechanical Sect."
Although the guards at the camp were surprised that a believer of the Order would come here at this time, they did not stop him.
Leo walked into the camp, frowning slightly.
Isn’t it wartime? Don’t the guards check the identities of visitors?
With a heart full of questions, Leo headed in the direction indicated by the clumsy bird.
Along the way, he saw patrol soldiers in small groups, wearing ill-fitting uniforms, their faces showing signs of exhaustion and fatigue.
The soldiers gathered in the central square, holding pipes and smoking a trendy herb called Phantom Grass, completely relaxed before the impending war.
They looked like a disorganized bunch.
"What is going on here? Can such soldiers really defend the city? Isn’t the Marquis of Logan here?" Leo’s frown deepened.
……
"Yes, the Marquis is not here."
"Then where is he?"
In the center of the western camp, inside the largest tent, a man and a woman were talking.
The man was wearing armor and kneeling on one knee in front of the woman.
However, the woman’s clothing looked very different from that of the people in the North.
Unlike the thick coats of the Northern residents or the heavy armor of the soldiers, the lady wore a top hat and a fitted trench coat, with several rows of chain clasps on her thighs, tied with many metal objects.
What was most special was that she wore a monocle over her left eye and had a mask below her nose. The combination of the monocle and the mask gave her unusual charm, enhancing her striking yet youthful face.
"Miss Kalian…" The kneeling warrior seemed a bit at a loss in response to the woman’s question.
Kalian did not press the warrior for answers; she simply looked at him quietly, waiting for his reply.
"Nono! Nono!"
Just when the atmosphere became more delicate, an excited shout came from outside the tent. Soon after, a mechanical bird flew into the tent, circled around twice, and landed on Kalian’s shoulder.
The arrival of the mechanical bird interrupted the conversation between the soldier and Kalian.
Kalian gently rubbed the mechanical bird’s chin and said helplessly, "Nono, where have you been?"
"Nono! Nono!" The mechanical bird raised its head, its eyes filled with sorrow, and said, "Kalian, I almost died just now! The people here are so unfriendly. If he hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t have made it back!"
"He?" Kalian was taken aback and followed Nono’s gaze to look outside the tent, locking eyes with Leo who was standing there.
A few minutes later.
"Thank you very much for helping Nono." After understanding the whole situation, Kalian nodded and smiled at Leo, giving him a noble bow.
In front of a believer in order, she couldn’t perform the rituals of the Mechanical Sect, so she could only express her gratitude with a noble bow.
"It’s nothing, I just did it on a whim."
"No, Mr. Believer, even if saving Nono is a small thing for you, I cannot forget your kindness." Kalian shook her head, thought for a moment, then took a dagger from her thigh strap and solemnly presented it to Leo, "Well, I came in a hurry and do not have anything better at the moment, so please accept this weapon."
The dagger was oddly shaped, entirely black, with a red hexagonal crystal on the handle, and fine lines glowing with blue light flowed along the blade, clearly not an ordinary item.
"Kalian, how could you give him that!" Before Leo could speak, Nono the bird spread its wings in surprise, "That dagger has been your treasure for so many years."
"It’s okay, Nono. I believe Mr. Leo can make better use of the dagger’s power than I can." Kalian pushed the dagger forward again.
"Then I thank you, Ms. Kalian." Leo did not refuse and accepted the dagger, activating the True Vision Eye.
At the same time, a faint scent of rose filled his nose.
[Water Shaped Sword (Legend):]
[A weapon adapted by the mechanical believer Kalian using another dagger, capable of changing into any weapon form, such as a knife, sword, or gun, extremely sharp, cutting through iron like mud, and able to hold any attribute energy.]
[This weapon is the mechanical believer Kalian’s personal dagger, which has accompanied her for over ten years.]
Wait, a close-range weapon?
So this pleasant scent of roses, could it be…?
Leo held the dagger, his heart shuddering, and meaningfully said, "This reward seems a bit expensive."
"No, to me, what you have done is much more precious." Kalian, not picking up on Leo’s hint, smiled and said, "Alright, Mr. Leo, could you please wait in the nearby tent? I will thank you once I finish my tasks."
Although her words included "please," every expression she made had an irresistible charm.
This charm is something only a person in power for many years can possess.
Coupled with the noble etiquette from their first meeting, it was clear that this Lady Kalian was a great noble from the North.
Thinking of this, Leo felt a lot of confusion in his heart.
A great noble from the North, yet she belongs to the Mechanical Sect.
A believer of the sect?
This is simply too strange.
By staying close to Miss Skuld these past two days and borrowing her memories as Luna, Leo learned a lot about the Dawn Empire.
Within the empire, while the believers of the Mechanical Sect are not as openly despised as evil believers, they still do not have a respectable status.
The reason is simple—
The believers of the Mechanical Sect do not worship the righteous gods under the rule of the God of Fire, and the sect did not originate within the Dawn Empire.
The Mechanical Sect is the state religion of another human nation called Robut, located on the eastern side of the Dawn Empire.
What they believe in is not a specific god, but rather rules and truths.
To the followers of the Mechanical Sect, both the so-called righteous gods and evil gods are merely life forms that understood rules and truths earlier.
Since humans cannot surpass these lives to gain greater power, let us simply take a new path, using steam and machinery to open the door to truth and achieve our desires.
This is what they call "the flesh is weak, but the machines rise."
This idea is, of course, seen as heresy by the people of the Dawn Empire. For hundreds of years, the two countries have had many conflicts along the eastern border, almost escalating into another "holy war."
But two hundred years ago, the decision of the hereditary duke in the eastern Dawn Empire, along with a painful sacrifice, stopped this brewing war from igniting.
"Mr. Leo? Mr. Leo?" Kalian’s urging voice interrupted Leo’s thoughts.
He blinked and realized that not only Miss Kalian, but also the soldier in the tent was looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
After a moment, Leo looked at the two with a blank expression and calmly said, "It’s nothing, Miss Kalian. You just asked where the Marquis of Logan went, right?"
"Hmm? Mr. Leo…"
"I think I can give you an answer to that question."