The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

“No, her last name is Hearn, Charlotte Hearn. Are you sure you don’t have such a person among your distant relatives?” Pandora Reinhardt pointed out with a smile as well.

“…Miss Reinhardt.” The believer Hearn was silent for a moment. After confirming that Miss Lion’s expression was genuine, he covered his face with sadness and sighed, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had fallen in love with a stranger like me so quickly, that my name even appears in your dreams.”

“…Mr. Hearn, please forgive my sincerity and unruliness—sometimes you’re like an idiot.”

……

I'm all set, remember to vote!

Chapter 84 Visitors from the Far East

He punched people in a nursing home and kicked down a widow's door at night.

Of the many infamous acts of depravity throughout history, Hearn, a devout woman, has personally committed at least one to the extreme. As for the rest, please forgive her for declining to comment.

sincerity.

So when he spent most of the hour getting out of the Cloud Pavilion proprietress's boudoir unscathed, and hummed a little tune as he briskly descended the steps, the subtle look in the eyes of the mechanical clan lady who had been waiting downstairs was exactly what he expected.

After confirming that Mr. Hearn had returned to the ground unsteadily and seemed unharmed, Miss Reinhardt turned and left without saying anything more.

As for Mr. Hearn, since the other party had no intention of investigating further, he naturally didn't bother to prove his innocence, lest he be made to look worse by trying to explain himself.

Initial understanding begins with a minimum level of trust.

“We’re going to the port,” he said succinctly, quickly catching up with the other man.

“Reason,” Pandora replied just as briefly.

The evening breeze under the frosty moon was slightly harsh, even in the southern continent.

After a moment's thought, the believer Hearn slowly uttered the words she had carefully considered before going downstairs.

"The kind and shrewd proprietress of Yunzhong, Miss Jiang Xue, has agreed to act as guarantor for a fallen nobleman of Rosetta, and we will pay the advance portion of the 'brokerage fee' she will receive."

"us."

The mechanical lady seemed to have some reservations about this.

"You've already learned the whole story during the day, so you should understand that I care even less about the background and life or death of that little fox cub named Yagokoro Eirin than you do."

"So, the kind-heartedness of carbon-based life forms is having a final, fleeting moment of brilliance in you?"

“You must understand that the one walking behind you is an intuitive animal that has been fighting against his incurable luck since birth—there are some things I cannot give you the right answer for, but I can only say that I have a premonition that the existence of a being named Yagokoro Eirin is temporarily alive and is of slight benefit to us, or rather to me.”

"I see." Pandora glanced back with little interest, her expression clearly conveying a sense of disbelief, and then followed up with the question, "So, what are we going to the port for?"

"To receive them." The believer smiled slightly. "A group of guests from the Far East who are destined to be unwelcome at this critical juncture."

……

The cold wind howled at midnight, bringing a strong smell of the sea. The deep-water harbor was brightly lit under the night sky, but there were few sailors to be seen.

What made Xin Nu feel slightly amused was that this strange world, which had absolutely nothing to do with the planet he used to live on, actually shared a striking resemblance to a festival at the end of December. Although the names were quite different, the core spirit was basically the same.

It was almost the end of the year, and he thought optimistically that the sailors who weren't on ocean-going ships had all gone home to be with their wives and children.

Hearn, the devout woman, considered herself a person who preferred comedy to tragedy. She was generous with her blessings for most of the ordinary or beautiful things in the world that were irrelevant to her, but as for those things that were related to her, she could only hope that the other party would have good fortune.

A simple, unpretentious, yet positive outlook on life was thus established.

Pandora leaned against the corner of the wall in the shadows, arms crossed, her gaze drifting over the believer's shoulder to the boundless ocean under the night sky, where all she could see was darkness.

The moonlight tonight is very thin; thick clouds have hidden the white moon from the sky, and even the moonlight and starlight that fall on the sea have become scarce.

"It's not going to be a good day tomorrow," she muttered unconsciously.

Hearing this, the believer Hearn turned around, giving her a look of surprise and uncertainty. However, this surprise and uncertainty quickly transformed into a kind of unspeakable feeling in the other person's puzzled gaze. Finally, before turning away, he subtly waved his hand, indicating, "It's nothing, I was just being too sensitive."

"?"

Pandora Reinhardt's doubts were destined to remain unresolved for a considerable period of time.

"Miss Lion, in the databases you know, how is the history of the Third Age recorded from the perspective of the Machine Race?" The believer gazed at the dark ocean in the evening breeze and suddenly asked softly.

"If my answer is 'no,' should I apologize for it, according to your carbon-based life values?"

"Hehehe, I don't mind. Besides, I've always felt that you don't need to force yourself to live like a carbon-based life form, or a human being. At least in my past understanding, setting aside all the emotional, irrelevant, and uncertain factors—in my opinion, humans are not such a noble, high-class, or pure species. Rather, your 'title' is more suitable for them. It's worth mentioning that in some religious doctrines in my hometown, their title is exactly the same."

"Son of the Soil."

“Yes.” Hearn nodded. “Also, are you sure your database doesn’t contain any records of Tertiary history?”

“Strictly speaking, not entirely. Before my defection, every unit in the hive was linked to the central hive consciousness, Omnesia. All the information we had was transmitted to us by the central hive. If its mainframe did not contain records about the Third Age, then we would naturally not know anything about it. If its mainframe contained records but it selectively filtered out most of the data, then we would still have no way of knowing the history of the Third Age.”

"Hmm, I think I understand why you would defect."

"Ok?"

"If you have this kind of thinking, in our local dialect, it can only be explained as a bug."

"I think I understand what you mean by that word."

"Yes, that's it." The believer nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "Besides that, is there really nothing at all?"

"of course not."

"I knew it." The believer chuckled and pretended to listen attentively.

"In the unified database of the Hive, the earliest record of the Third Age, or rather, of the Hive, begins on the day the human empire called Yale ended. The last dynasty that ruled Yale gathered all members of royal blood and subjects who were still loyal to the royal family together, splitting into twenty-seven brigades. They set off from the capital city, which is now buried under the sea of ​​sand, on a journey called revival but in reality exile, just to find the land of eternal life prophesied in the last divine revelation before the Dawn Saint fell into silence."

"Did those Dawn Saints, whom the Sons of Earth worship—or, in other places, the Lords of Radiance—tell the Sons of Earth royal family the exact location of that so-called Land of Immortality?"

"I don't think anyone but the last bloodline of the Rhine dynasty would know the truth."

"And then?" Hern's tone became slightly cheerful for some reason, as if he wanted more.

“I don’t think they found it, because the first and most crucial command that the swarm’s consciousness unsealed after awakening was to annihilate the twenty-seven brigades left behind by the Rhine Dynasty, and only then to exterminate the remaining divinely created species of the Thranheim world. At that time, they had just returned to the surface from underground. After entering the Fourth Epoch, at least before my defection, the swarm’s initial command was 99% complete.”

"Hmm? The remaining one percent?"

“Deep in the permafrost of the far north, there is a group of descendants who were trapped in a storm by accident and have continued for nearly two hundred years under an ice cave.”

"Well, I regret to inform you, and this is also a heads-up to prevent you from triggering some deep-seated commands and causing us both to get into an awkward situation—the last rulers of Yale did not fully trust their seemingly incapable and glorious leader. They left another contingency plan before the twenty-seven brigades were ultimately forced to embark on a centuries-long exile."

"What do you mean?" Pandora asked, slightly puzzled.

“That proprietress in the clouds is no ordinary innkeeper. It’s not without reason that the dragons of Gozan would cross the ocean to stay on a distant continent for generations.” The corners of the believer Hearn’s mouth turned up. Something that made him feel happy was quietly unfolding. He noticed this in time, but did not confront it. Instead, he watched quietly.

"The Rhine Dynasty entrusted the twenty-eighth bloodline to the Gozan Empire in the Far East, and now, at this very moment, they have received some kind of revelation. Perhaps the glorious lord who has been silent for thousands of years has climbed back to his divine position. In any case, the last children of the earth are about to return."

As if echoing his dramatic speech, at the same moment that Hearn's voice fell, a beam of light, which could not be easily explained by natural phenomena, suddenly fell across the ocean with a distorted trajectory. Night fell, and the dark ocean was gilded with an absurd paleness.

After the light disappeared again, a thunderous roar resounded throughout the northern coastal waters of the entire southern continent.

……

Chapter 85 Past Glory

At midnight, a gentle breeze blew across the nearshore waters, and the salty smell of the sea permeated everything the wind blew through, whether it was the cabin, the deck, or the lookout tower atop the mast.

On the watchtower stood a young man, and as he looked out, he saw a scene of bright lights.

This was a massive fleet, with over a hundred ships at a glance. Surrounded by these ships at the center were two parallel main battleships, their superstructures tens of meters high, with dragon sculptures carved on their prows. The black dragon flags fluttered in the evening wind, and the deep, resonant horns sounded like whale songs, rising and falling in waves.

Every night, when the boy stood on the ship's lookout tower and gazed at the entire fleet, he would have a dreamlike illusion, as if he were just a bird perched on a giant whale, and the true identity of this behemoth from the Far East was revealed—the westward fleet of the Gozan Empire.

Yes, they came from the Far East, from that mysterious kingdom established by the Dragon People, to fulfill an unparalleled alliance made hundreds of years ago.

It was this heavy yet epic sense of mission that supported this massive fleet as it traversed the vast ocean, enabling it to complete this historic westward voyage on an unprecedented scale.

And now, this unprecedented voyage is coming to an end.

The boy skillfully slid down from the mast. He was wearing the uniform of a second-class wind rider. The black and white fabric was durable but not very stain-resistant. The two-year ocean voyage had not made this boy, who was about sixteen or seventeen years old, look pale and thin. On the contrary, his skin was even whiter. Excluding some innate unfair factors, the rest was probably due to the job.

Large fleets sailing the open ocean are unafraid of raging storms, but they fear calm, still waters most. If a large fleet is adrift at sea for an extended period without being able to dock for supplies, morale will plummet, and mutiny among the soldiers is a common occurrence. In extreme cases, cannibalism is not uncommon. Therefore, every ocean-going fleet recruits and supports a group of specialized wind-manipulating sorcerers. These sorcerers perform basic tasks such as maintaining ship operations, but when passing through calm waters, they rely on these dedicated sorcerers to help the fleet navigate the waves.

In general, they were specialized tools who were well-fed and cared for. Compared to the boatmen who were purely engaged in physical labor, they were just front-line technicians with a little bit of status.

Half a catty.

Alan had a fully rational understanding of himself.

He was far from being a privileged class in this fleet; at best, he was just a minor figure straddling the line between the muddy pond and the water. As for the pure lotus on the water's surface, he could only admire it from afar.

That prince was like a pure lotus that could only be admired from afar and not touched.

That princess named Salome Reinhardt.

Before leaving the watchtower, Alan spotted the prince. She and her entourage boarded the power ship located at the rear of the fleet. There were about eight power ships like the [Bifang] that were dedicated to carrying wind riders in the entire fleet. The wind riders on board usually cultivated their bodies and minds, only to help the fleet when passing through the calm zone.

The prince was very courteous and respectful to his subordinates. He often led his entourage to visit various ships. In addition, he was a beautiful young woman of sixteen, which made people feel sorry for him. Even the Gozan nobles, who had many folk traditions such as "men do not marry outside the country and women do not marry outside the country", were not without admirers and had many suitors.

"It's a pity that before the princes of the empire performed the coming-of-age ceremony, His Highness publicly announced that he would serve the Supreme God forever, which completely extinguished the princes' thoughts of taking concubines outside the palace."

"Taiyi God..."

"That's the Dawn Saint, the Lord of Radiance, whom you barbarians worship. In our Gozan dialect, he's called the Great God. You're a native of Gozan, how could you forget that?"

Countless Windrider colleagues went to see the princess and catch a glimpse of her beauty. Knowing that they were from different worlds and that his small body couldn't compete with those big guys, Alan quickly suppressed some of his inappropriate thoughts. He stood at the bow of the ship near the side of the ship, chatting casually with another maverick pure-blooded Gozan dragonman, occasionally glancing into the distance, acting as a dedicated bystander.

“No, Old Chen, I just…” Yalan hesitated.

"Just what?"

"I don't know how to say it. It's probably just my personal feeling, and it doesn't really count."

"Hey, you sissy, why are you babbling on like a real woman?" The dragon guy surnamed Chen slapped Yalan hard on the shoulder, the slap almost breaking him. "If you keep this up, believe me, I'll let the guys on the ship have their fun with you tonight. Look at your delicate, tender skin, where is the ruggedness of ordinary Western men? Look at your hair, the color is exactly the same as that princess's, as smooth as gold. The guys on the ship have been wanting to get their hands on you for ages, it's all thanks to me keeping you in check."

It is worth mentioning that Old Chen is not a Wind Rider of the same rank as Ya Lan, but a first-class military officer guarding the Bi Fang, who has the authority to act first and report later. Therefore, what he says at this moment is highly credible.

"Is that true?! No wonder those bastards keep pinching my butt all the time!"

“Of course it’s true. You have to understand how hard I’ve worked to protect you these past two years. Now that the fleet is about to dock, you barbarians who crossed the sea to the east will also be returning to your ancestral lands to live. Naturally, you won’t have the problem of homosexuality anymore, so…” Old Chen coughed lightly, “Can you stop being so long-winded?”

“Well… I just feel that the Taiyi you believe in is subtly different from the Radiant Lord that our ancestors believed in.”

"What's the difference?" Old Chen chatted with him casually, occasionally glancing at a tooth. Ya Lan recalled that the food on the ship that night was quite good, with lemongrass roasted chicken.

"They are different in many ways, and in my view, they have absolutely nothing in common. For example, the image of the Radiant Lord we worship is often that of a supreme sage. He said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light in the world. He created everything in Thranheim in six days and chose to rest on the seventh day. In a corner of Thranheim, he drew a boundary and created the Garden of Eden, the immortal paradise in our doctrine. Inexhaustible fruits and vegetables grew from the land of Eden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil also took root there. The first perfect man, our ancestor, was born there. The Radiant Lord created the first Son of Earth, Adam, from clay and a breath, and then created his companion, Eve, from one of his ribs. They are the progenitors of all Sons of Earth... But the One God you worship is..."

“The Black Bird,” Old Chen replied calmly.

“Yes.” Alan nodded.

"Legend has it that the Taiyi God was a celestial bird with twelve wings, born in the primordial chaos before the creation of heaven and earth. From the primordial chaos came Taiyi, from Taiyi came Yin and Yang, from Yin and Yang came the Four Symbols, from the Four Symbols came the Eight Trigrams... One begets two, two begets three, three begets all things. Taiyi is the 'one' born from the primordial chaos. It was He who divided heaven and earth into day and night, which gave rise to Yin and Yang, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches... and finally, all things in the world... In a sense, the Taiyi God worshipped by our entire nation of Gezan is not much different from your Radiant Lord in terms of the power of creation. The myth of creating humans from clay has also been passed down to this day, only not in as much detail as your account, which even records the name of the first clay figure clearly. You really have too much free time... However, judging from your description alone, I am not so inclined to agree that your Radiant Lord and our Taiyi God are the same deity." Old Chen explained his views as a traditional dragon person.

"Why?" Old Chen's unexpected turn of events aroused Ya Lan's curiosity, and he asked subconsciously.

"Your glorious Lord is too glorious, just as your piety is too pious. Our faith is integrated into tradition, so when we talk about it, it is far less sacred and inviolable than yours. Your God seems too radiant and empty, as if no shadow can exist under his radiance."

"Does your god tolerate the existence of shadows and sins? Or do you tolerate heretics speaking ill of your god?"

"The slanderous words of heretics are certainly unforgivable, but the sins of the shadows... Aran, it seems you didn't understand what I just said..."

"Old Chen! Get down—!"

"This is YoRHa Omega Type 18. According to the observation results, the first wave of collapse bomb bombing has successfully destroyed 8 backup power sources of the Gozan westward fleet. Gozan's [White Emperor Barrier] has been activated. Nearly one-third of the drones are trapped within the White Emperor Force Field and cannot return. Please grant permission to execute the self-destruct procedure."

"This is the 777th Division node communication support type 60 on the Southern United Front. Your aircraft's intelligence has been uploaded to the Hive Central Command. Please climb back to the division node immediately. The Central Command has approved the deployment of Tiamat-class mecha-dragon equipment."

"Communication-type 6O, deployed with Tiamat-class mecha dragon armament? This means the situation has escalated completely."

"Yes, at the same time as the collapse ended, a blue high-energy reaction erupted in the target sea area. [Sea Siren] has reached the designated position. YoRHa Omega Type 27 is about to leave the Hive and enter near-Earth orbit. Please return to base immediately!"

"Received. This unit is returning to base. Also, Communications Support Type 6O, please report to the Central Hive. This unit requests the deactivation of the latest generation long-range support unit [Narukami] serving in the Southern United Front. Before confirming the target's [Heavenly Rank], this unit judges that the probability of taking down the unknown target with only the Tiamat-class Dragon and Hydra-class Siren is no more than 57%."

"Your application for this machine has been submitted, all for the sake of Omnisia."

"Understood, all for Omnisiah, for the glory of the past."

……

Chapter 86 My Lord is Here!

It was midnight. In a corner of the cabin in the clouds, the candlelight on the candlestick was dim. Two gazes with similar meanings were locked in a stalemate.

One was young and stubborn, while the other was weathered and obstinate; neither showed any intention of yielding.

Until a sudden and shocking change broke the silence, a thunderclap resounded, and "Tiger Eyes" widened. Black Panther, who had failed to persuade his juniors with his actions over the past few days, seemed to sense something. With an incredulous expression, he leaped up from his seat, rushed to the balcony, and gazed at the distant sea.

"Mr. Joshua, what happened?" The naive white fox followed closely behind. Yonglin's words came to an abrupt halt when his gaze fell upon the shooting star descending from the night sky, and when he noticed the brand burning silently on the back of the black panther, like a streak of fire in the night sky.

That is an unforgettable mark on all the dark species that were unable to board the Ark. It belongs to the arrogant earthly kingdom of the Third Age, and is a holy mark that only the most devout believers of the Radiant Lord worshipped by the Sons of Earth could possess.

In the blood-soaked and fire-stained records of the Rosetta people, they used a word to refer to the sharp blades that opened up new territories for the sons of the earth—the saints.

And now, the glory belonging to the Son of Earth has inexplicably appeared on a Rosetta person who shows signs of atavism.