Yaleriga pulled up her skirt and joined the crowd in the square. She did not participate in the ancient genuflections, or look at the ancient trophy placed in the middle of the band of bronze statues. She walked around the edge of the square and admired the decorative design of each soundproof house. There are not many people like her, because in addition to worshiping, the square is also a public area protected by law. Here, the humblest people are allowed to talk to the nobles, and even enjoy themselves in the same room.
Many people made gestures to her, or offered her fragrant sticks of artificial mushrooms—there were not many plants in this world, and even fewer beautiful or fragrant flowers. People have never pinned their beauty on plants with leaves and roots. They believed that the sediments and flora were beautiful, and they covered the branches of particularly delicate red willow trees with spores and pasted them with burnt sequins that were cut to look like wafers. In addition, the colors and sounds of insects are also beautiful, and they are another source of light in dark times.
A red mushroom branch was handed to Yaleriga. The top of it was hung with a knot made of red ribbons, cleverly divided into five petals, just like her headdress at the moment. Yaleriga looked up and found that it was a man older than Yi.
This man's body was wrapped with a long piece of blue-black cloth, which went around his waist and armpits, and was finally fixed on his back with a metal belt and buckles. His left shoulder was exposed as a result, and there was a complex tattoo carved there, like some kind of honeycomb-like structure. A black round lens hung around his neck, and the metal frame was set with granular amethysts. Yaleriga glanced at his bushy head and realized that among the ruling races in this world, the man in front of her was considered very handsome.
The flowers are beautiful. he said, gesturing. There was no word to indicate whether he was talking about the one in his hand or the one on Yaleriga's head. But his eyes were fixed on her face. Yaleriga saw a dim light in the depths of her pupils. She knew that the other party was not a coincidence.
She took the mushroom branch and asked the other person what the lens on his neck was.
I am a person who studies the upper environment. The man expressed to her. Through these ground lenses, they were able to observe other fragments of the sky. He points out that Yareliga herself carries a similar tool.
Yaleriga told him that what she hung was just a decoration. The other party was very interested in asking her what kind of giver it was. Yaleriga turned and left.
He stopped her and began to apologize, explaining that he was just curious. When he saw Yaleriga for the first time, he knew that she was not from this city. Otherwise, as someone who lived in a high house in this square, he would have noticed her long ago. However, as a beautiful and distinguished woman, it is not common for her to travel long distances across the city. He couldn't think of a reason for Yaleriga to be here.
While they were talking, Yi, who was waiting in the corner, walked up silently. He looked at Yaleriga with his eyes, as if asking if he needed to get rid of this man. Yaleriga shook her arm at him. Yi stepped away, still staring here.
The man noticed the protector. He seemed to find it interesting, but made no unnecessary gestures about it. Instead, he pointed to the soundproof house closest to them and invited Yaleriga to go in and sit for a while. When Yaleriga seemed less enthusiastic, he said that the top of his house had the best view of the entire square, and he also installed a very good viewing mirror. If Yaleriga was very interested in those ancient trophies, she would not miss such an opportunity to observe the details.
The conditions proposed by this man indeed attracted Yaleriga. She handed her hand to him, and led him to the soundproof room at the back. The house is one of the tallest buildings in the square, and there are many statues of monsters with shining eyes on top. As soon as they entered the brightly lit room, Yaleriga smelled the rich fragrance. She knew that the locals were good at extracting spices from animals and insects, often with thick and creamy aromas. The walls are covered with sound-absorbing woven paintings, and the wainscoting and clay wells are planted with colorful bacterial colonies that spray out spores as thick as an iridescent mist.
Yaleriga did not take off her boots. She stepped on the flower rock floor with the hard soles of her boots, making a clicking sound. The owner of the house noticed this scene. He smiled and gestured, telling Yaleriga that her walking posture was very unique. Yaleriga fiddled with the chain on her headscarf.
They came to the top floor. Behind the statue monster patrolling the road, the owner of the house turned this place into a beautiful terrace. Colorful flora and transparent tape set up a pavilion with three or four leather cushions. A stream of circulating water rotates along the pavilion. A mini bronze statue beside the water waves a hoe and taps on the metal rock.
There is a machine installed on the edge of the pavilion. It has three thin legs, and the cylinder at the top looks like an enlarged version of the ornament hanging on a man's neck. Yaleriga put her palm on the tube and rubbed it in a circle. She felt a delicate, slightly movable ring embedded among the amethyst fragments. As she pushed it slightly outward, a spring-like pressure spread to her fingertips.
She blinked and sat down on the cushion next to the machine with her legs bent. The man slowly took off his shoes, stepped onto the colorful flora, and sat down directly opposite her.
It's so quiet here. She gestured to the owner of the house. It's open air, but much quieter than down there.
Well designed. replied the owner of the house.
Yaleriga bit her lip and looked around the entire terrace. She thought briefly for a moment, then stuck the fungi in her hand near the water.
"So this is your trick," she said. "These ornaments with glittering eyes are so cute. Who would have thought that they are actually sound wave cancellers? And these psychedelic plants you grow, they look fascinating too. But look in the mirror on my chest and the person inside tells me everything."
She stared closely at the owner of the house. This handsome local man did not understand the Alliance language she spoke, so he did not move his eyes to her chest. However, when Yaleriga uttered such a strange phrase, he did not show any surprise, but looked at her with a smile.
Yaleriga stood up and used her toes to knock down the three-legged instrument. She quickly stepped on the lens, and the cylinder shattered, revealing the spring and stinger inside. The tip of the needle shone like a colorful mist.
The man laughed and let out a cry. It was not any statement, but an interjection of appreciation. When Yaleriga's scimitar hooked around his neck, he became a little more restrained, but his back was still relaxed and curved.
When Yaleriga put her hands on his eyes, the owner's expression changed. He rolled his eyes cautiously, interfering with Yaleriga's judgment. But she tapped the eyeballs that once shone brightly under infrared rays, and felt the hard touch of the cryolite shell from her fingertips. A pair of mechanical electronic eyes hidden behind the prosthetic eyepiece, just like the spy she found when she arrived, who was always sitting on the street.
The owner of the house is no longer relaxed. He slowly straightened his back, and the unusually protruding joints protruded from the back of his neck. Beneath the cloth, his exposed skin was as hard as steel. Relying on the skin soaked in strengthening agent and the metal body that replaced most of the original bones, Yaleriga knew that he could easily grind a sandy cow into meat paste. But she remained scornful and pulled the scimitar away from the other man's neck. She sat on the back of the monster statue, her tail hidden around her waist stretched out, waving lightly in the colorful spore smoke. The owner of the house was startled.
Are you one of them? she asked, gesturing.
"No," the man replied. Those are one of the few words that can be expressed vocally.
What is your relationship with the Immortal?
Servants.
Why are you staying here?
Beware of spies from House of Frost.
The man responded quickly with gestures. His eyes were still fixed on her tail in wonder. Yaleriga sat there and slowly kicked off one of her boots. That gave the plaza guards a new shock. She opened her arms to him.
"I'm tired of your gestures," she said. "I'm going to meet with your immortals and talk to them about that car on the stage."
The owner of the house was still staring at her feet. Yaleriga leaned over with her arms open, and the other party cautiously but decisively probed the tip of her hoof. That is of course true. Non-metallic and silicone. He looked up at her, frozen in place with uncertainty, until Yaleriga's arms folded up and wrapped around his neck with hidden metal vertebrae.
