Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 51 Understanding

All the screens are flickering.

The binary code that was originally jumping wildly now seemed like children who had met their relatives, obediently arranging themselves into a neat formation.

The white light shone into Lorraine's dark pupils.

The "Witch's Codex" in my mind is running wildly, translating these dry numbers into emotionally charged text in real time.

Big brother!

[Big brother, big brother, big brother!]

The overwhelming enthusiasm was so intense that Lorraine had the illusion that the person on the other side of the screen wasn't a cold program, but a little girl clinging to his leg and acting cute.

"My lord..."

The molten longsword in Victor's hand trembled slightly.

This battle-hardened knight, who had never flinched in the face of hordes of beasts, was now terrified by these few brightly lit screens, turning pale with fright.

In his eyes, these constantly changing symbols were a harbinger of some high-level curse taking effect.

"Is this thing... sucking your soul away?"

Victor gritted his teeth and was about to step forward to pull Lorraine away.

"Don't move."

Lorraine didn't turn her head, but simply waved her hand. "It's saying hello to me."

Victor abruptly stopped in his tracks, his expression as varied as if he had swallowed a fly.

greet?

With whom?

And this pile of scrap iron on the wall, thousands of years old?

Ignoring the knight's shattered worldview behind him, Lorraine mentally questioned the data stream.

(Who are you?)

The data stream on the screen paused for a moment.

Then, even more cheerful characters began to move.

【I am Ohm! I am the administrator of this mobile city, one of the twins of the Tower of Babel!】

So happy...so happy...

[The 3742nd year, six months, and three days.]

Finally, someone can understand Ohm!

Even in just words, Lorraine could feel the loneliness and grievance that had pierced through the long passage of time.

That was the despair of being alone in an empty tomb, speaking to the air for thousands of years, yet receiving no response.

Lorraine's heart stirred slightly.

The Twin Towers of Babel?

Is this the legendary Machine Soul?

(Why do you call me...brother?)

Lorraine asked the question that had been nagging at her.

This is a creation of the Golden Age; in terms of age, this little guy could be the great-great ...

The light on the screen flickered, as if it were quite perplexed by the problem.

Because you are the Son of Man.

Even if the world collapses, even if eras change, humanity will remain the supreme creator of all things.

I am the echo of a bygone era, the guardian left behind by the Golden Age.

And you are the son of the new era.

Before the bloodline of the creator, the created being is naturally the younger sister.

[Isn't this logic flawed? Ohm's core algorithm makes its determination this way.]

This self-evident explanation left Lorraine speechless.

In this machine spirit's logic, seniority is not calculated by time, but by species.

Everyone who is human is a parent.

"Okay, Ohm."

Lorraine accepted this premise in her mind.

"Could you tell me what exactly happened in this city over the past few thousand years?"

"Why are those mechs dropping equipment like monsters from the Time of Chaos?"

The characters on the screen suddenly became urgent.

【I also want to ask the older brother!】

How is the outside world doing?

Has that terrible "Moment of Upheaval" been resolved? Has humanity rebuilt its glorious empire?

Are you all traveling through the galaxy in starships?

Why hasn't anyone returned to restart the Tower of Babel after all this time?

A barrage of questions came at me like a machine gun.

Every question carries a heavy expectation.

Lorraine fell silent.

Looking at the hopeful characters on the screen, he suddenly felt a sense of cruelty.

How should I tell this little guy?

There are no starships, no empires, and even the flame of civilization is about to be extinguished.

Outside now, there are only wild beasts slaughtering each other over a moldy loaf of bread in this wasteland, and only foolish people who fear you, their great creations, as monsters.

"The Empire is gone, Ohm."

Lorraine ultimately chose to tell the truth.

He reached out, through the cold screen, as if trying to touch that non-existent soul.

"The outside world... is terrible."

"Civilization has regressed to the feudal era, with people using cold weapons and living in drafty wooden houses."

"All glory has turned to ruins, and all knowledge has become taboo."

"In fact... nobody remembers you anymore."

Dead silence.

The entire corridor fell into a suffocating silence.

The once lively and vibrant screen suddenly dimmed, leaving only a few lonely specks of light, like candles flickering in the wind.

Ohm remained silent for a long time, as if the heavy sorrow in the air had choked him.

【Yeah……】

After a long while, a line of dim characters slowly appeared.

So... it still failed.

Ohm believed that as long as he stayed here and kept the lights on, he would eventually be able to wait for everyone to come home.

It turns out, the home was long gone.

At that moment, Lorraine seemed to see a little girl holding a lantern in the snowy night.

Inside this steel behemoth, she alone battles the erosion of time and the wear and tear of data.

She watched as her companions' machines shut down one by one, and watched as the city gradually rusted away.

She dared not sleep, afraid that if she fell asleep she would miss the dawn.

What awaited them was an eternal night.

"But here we come."

Lorraine's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, interrupting the machine spirit's sorrow.

"As long as there are still people who remember, the civilization of the Golden Age is not completely dead."

"I am right here, standing in front of you."

The light spot on the screen trembled slightly.

Yes... my older brother is still here.

As long as the Son of Man lives, there is still hope.

Ohm seems to have an amazing ability to self-regulate.

Or perhaps, the long years had already taught her how to swallow despair.

Where is the older brother going?

Ohm can show you the way! I know this place very well!

Lorraine breathed a sigh of relief.

If the city's machine spirits are willing to help, then moving forward will be much easier.

(We're going to Industrial Zone B-12.)

Lorraine said in her mind,

(There's an armory there; I need the stuff inside to protect my territory.)

[B-12?!]

The characters on the screen instantly turned into a bright red warning color.

No! Absolutely not there!

That's Messiah's territory!

The defense system there is top-tier, and it has been taken over by the "Crimson Command"!

Even Ohm couldn't easily control the defenses there!

Big brother, you'll die!

elder sister?

Lorraine caught this keyword.

It seems that Ohm is not the only machine spirit in this Tower of Babel.

Moreover, it sounds like that "older sister" isn't very approachable.

(But I absolutely have to go.)

Lorraine's attitude was very firm.

(The monsters outside will arrive in five days. Without that batch of equipment, my people and I will all die.)

(Ohm, do you want to watch the last human being be killed by monsters outside, or do you want to help me take a chance?)

The red warning on the screen was flashing wildly, as if it were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

A full minute passed.

The red light gradually faded, turning back into a soft white.