Chapter 238 Chapter 238: The Witch ?
The mural of the second story was noticeably longer than the first, composed of several panels. The first panel depicted a backdrop of... a junkyard? This wasn't an ordinary junkyard, but one specifically for discarding outdated or broken androids.
Amidst the mountain-like pile of steel rubbish, one could see the figure of a discarded, scrapped domestic maid android. Her synthetic skin was mostly torn, revealing the old circuit boards and wires inside. This made her appear half-human, half-mechanical, devoid of any aesthetic appeal, even ugly. The only thing identifying her model, the maid's uniform, was already stained with mud, dirty and tattered.
Worse, the mural depicted a faint acidic rain, suggesting the junkyard's area often experienced continuous rainy and humid weather, deadly to these unprotected machines. The rust on the exposed parts of the maid android in the mural was clear evidence of severe corrosion.
Being discarded here meant the androids were deemed worthless, with no one willing to recycle them. Their fate was either to have their few uncorroded parts stolen by scavengers or to hope someone would pay to dispose of them.
Disposal didn't mean repair, but rather melting them in a scorching, high-temperature furnace, freeing them from the torment of corrosion in molten lava.
In the next mural, Renji saw mechanical beings being hauled away by trucks, thrown into the rolling magma like trash, melting into iron.
If nothing unexpected occurred, this might have been the end of the story. However, like the popular human tales of Cinderella and the Prince Charming, the mural evolved.
With the progression of the murals, the next scene depicted a rainy night at the junkyard, welcoming a young scientist shrouded in a cloak.
As if guided by fate, the young scientist rummaged through the sea of machines in the junkyard and found the household Mechanoid maid, buried under newly discarded machines at the bottom, mixed with mud.
Drenched in the cold rain, the young scientist brought the maid home to a warm, dry shipping container laboratory. With his unparalleled intelligence, he successfully repaired the maid and appointed her as his assistant, his only lab assistant.
The boy nearby also explained, "It's impossible for the maid to take on four enemies alone. To snatch a corner of the world from the other four Miasma Master as an unpolluted sanctuary is already her limit."
"Because of the maid's existence, the Miasma didn't shrink, but it also stopped expanding. The world's situation was thus set. Although 80% of the world is still a disastrous apocalypse, at least 20% is livable. All beings have migrated there, protected by the maid and her master. If no accidents happen, civilization can continue."
As Renji listened, the voice of the boy beside him became lower, his fists clenched. It seemed that, as expected, an accident had occurred.
After all, as mentioned at the beginning, there are three stories.
What has led to the current state of despair and the prediction of the machine servants, which did not seem to play a significant role in the first two stories, are likely all part of the third story.
In the cellar, under the light of the young man's torch, Renji arrived in front of the final mural.
Under the illumination of the firelight, what appeared before Renji was a witch.
The witch depicted in the mural had pink hair, a pair of bat-like mini wings on her back, and a fleshy tail protruding from her buttocks, like an old hag.
Her skin was wrinkled, and she was draped in a very damp black cloak, with a large witch's hat covering half of her face, revealing only a long, eagle-like nose.
Clearly, from her appearance, one could deduce her identity: one of the four Miasma Master, the Witch of the Ancient Tower.
"The balance between the living and the Miasma has been achieved, and the world has stabilized, but such peaceful times are not what the witch desires."
"The witch aims to let this world continue to deteriorate until its destruction, but the existence of the maid is a hurdle she cannot bypass. To destroy the world, the witch must defeat the maid. However, they are both Miasma Master, evenly matched in strength. Direct confrontation is not an option. Therefore, the witch has devised a wicked plan."
"She has stolen the maid's lover."