To be honest, Duanmu Huai wasn't particularly eager to get involved in this crap. After all, any Inquisitor who heard the words "Mechanicus" would more or less feel a certain... well, you know.
But since the Archbishop had asked, he figured... might as well give it a shot.
After Duanmu Huai gave his consent, Lelia clapped her hands. Then Duanmu Huai saw a priest walk in from outside. He came to think of it and recognized the priest. He was the same guy they'd met when they visited the Mechanicus before, the one whose entire body had been modified to look like a Terminator. Only now, the priest's stern and composed demeanor was completely gone. Instead, he looked like he hadn't slept in days, haggard and worn out — like someone who'd been gaming for several nights straight.
"Greetings, Sir Knight." The priest stepped up in front of Duanmu Huai, bowed his head and saluted.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Duanmu Huai looked at the priest with curiosity. Personally, he didn't believe in any sort of religion, and he knew absolutely nothing about the teachings of the Mechanicus. If this priest wanted to have a theological discussion with him... yeah, count him out.
"I only want to ask you one question, Sir Knight." The Steel Priest raised his head and stared at Duanmu Huai, his eyes locked on the Power Armor Duanmu wore. "Why did you choose to wear this armor of steel? What is your goal?"
"I think you've misunderstood something, Father," Duanmu Huai replied directly, not bothering to hide anything — after all, he didn't really know what else to say. "First of all, I'm not attached to this thing. I don't understand your beliefs, nor do I get your doctrines. To me, this Power Armor is simply a tool — a means to an end. I need strength to uphold order and destroy Chaos. It gives me strength. That's it. Simple as that... Sorry, if you were hoping I'd say something more profound... I can't help you there."
At first, hearing Duanmu Huai's blunt response, the priest showed a hint of disappointment. But as Duanmu continued speaking, the priest's expression began to change. He stared fixedly at the Power Armor, murmuring softly under his breath.
"...Purpose... means..."
Muttering to himself, the Steel Priest lowered his head, while Duanmu Huai shared a confused glance with the Archbishop. Neither of them knew what to say.
Then suddenly—
"I understand now, Sir Knight!!"
The Steel Priest suddenly looked up, and his face no longer showed any trace of despair or fatigue. Instead, it was filled with excitement and fanaticism.
Uh... what do you understand?
Duanmu Huai stared at the priest in complete confusion. He really didn't get how these religious types thought. Their imagination was always on overdrive, constantly filling in the blanks — MAX level. Who knew what this guy had just figured out? The Steel Priest turned to the Archbishop, his eyes burning with fervor.
"I understand now! We've strayed from the correct path all along. We are servants of the gods — our duty is to serve them and protect the people! Not waste our time obsessed with trivial things! Just like Sir Knight said, whether it's physical training or mechanical augmentation, they are only means to an end. The true goal is to serve the gods more faithfully! But we've lost sight of that and fixated only on pushing the limits of modification... that is wrong!"
Then he turned again to Duanmu Huai.
"Sir Knight, thank you for your wisdom. The most profound truths are always hidden in the simplest words... Thank you for enlightening me and giving me a new direction!"
"Ah... uh... good for you... that's... great, I guess..."
Duanmu Huai looked completely bewildered. This guy's imagination really was MAX level. All he said was one line, and the guy had an entire religious epiphany?
You'd ace a reading comprehension test for sure...
The Steel Priest didn't care what Duanmu Huai was thinking. As far as he was concerned, he'd found the light. He turned and left with a spring in his step, and since Duanmu's part was apparently over, he casually nodded to the Archbishop and made his exit too.
Later, Duanmu Huai found out that after the priest explained things to the other Mechanicus believers (no one knew exactly how he phrased it), they all suddenly had a change of heart. One by one, they pledged themselves to using their steel bodies to serve the Holy City and its people. They even formed a new organization called the "Holy Church Guard" to patrol the city, maintain order, and help the citizens. Moreover, they invited Duanmu Huai to serve as their Honorary Commander... but that was another story for another time.
Walking out of the cathedral, Duanmu Huai took in the sight of the other clergy. He had to admit, for a religious organization, the Holy Church was absolutely overflowing with martial prowess. Every priest and cleric, regardless of gender, was combat-ready. The male priests were all towering, ripped powerhouses who wore their priestly robes like skintight workout gear. And the women — while petite and cute on the surface — were all armed to the teeth with longswords, maces, warhammers, and more. They were clearly nothing like the gentle, serene image people usually associated with clergy.
In fact, even the followers of the Mechanicus hadn't strayed that far from their doctrine. According to their beliefs, the human body had physical limits no matter how much you trained it. But machines could easily surpass the limits of flesh and, through self-sacrifice and modification, their faith in the gods could be strengthened. Humans had limits, therefore... I reject my humanity!!
Yeah... these believers were just a pain to deal with.
"Sir Knight."
Just as Duanmu Huai was stepping out of the church, a voice called to him. He turned to see Melody standing quietly at the entrance, posture as straight as a soldier on duty.
"Yo, Melody. What's up?"
Compared to Lorena, Duanmu Huai wasn't all that familiar with Melody. He only knew that she seemed to be ex-military — her movements and mannerisms were all strictly disciplined. She didn't talk much either, usually just staying quietly behind the group like a bodyguard.
Someone like that wouldn't call out to him just for a casual chat.
"Yes, I have something I wish to discuss with you. It's about the Doll District..."
Melody didn't waste time and quickly explained the situation. Only then did Duanmu Huai understand why she was here.
It was about the Doll District.
As mentioned before, the Doll District only existed because of the Mechanicus. Now that the Mechanicus was gone, the Doll District had lost its foundation. On top of that, the puppet that had caused the killings in the Holy City had been created by a dollmaker from that very district. So now, many people there were feeling uneasy, unsure if they'd be punished or driven out of the city entirely...
They had heard that Duanmu Huai was in charge of the Mechanicus remnants, so Kukulu had specifically asked Melody to help ask what would happen to the Doll District.
"The Doll District, huh..."
After hearing Melody out, Duanmu Huai paused in thought. He had to admit, the tech specialists in the Doll District were insanely good. When he had followed Melody there last time, even though it was a quick tour, the place had left a deep impression on him.
From Duanmu Huai's perspective, he definitely wanted the Doll District to stay. Their tech was just too useful. The Soul Fragment worlds were projections of the main world — the people within couldn't grow any further themselves. But they could still create things. Just like how [Sky City] produced (Mechanical Soldiers) and (Constructs), and how the [Dollhouse] produced Dolls.
Duanmu hoped the Doll District could continue to exist, and perhaps even create some new Soul Cards for him... you never knew when those would come in handy.
But before that, he had a few things to confirm.
"Melody, you're familiar with the Doll District, right?"
"Yes."
"Then could you take me to a dollmaker's shop? I want to ask a few questions."
"Understood."
She didn't know what Duanmu Huai had in mind, but Melody agreed without hesitation and led him to a shop in the center of the Doll District. It was a fairly large place, with all sorts of wooden dolls displayed in its front window. Duanmu Huai followed her inside, and Melody walked up to the front counter and gently pressed the bell.
A voice rang out from behind the counter.
"Welcome!"
Duanmu Huai peeked around and saw what looked like a ten-year-old boy standing behind the counter. He was wearing work overalls and was struggling to climb onto a chair. Once seated, the boy spotted Melody and greeted her.
"Yo, Melody. What brings you here today?"
"I brought someone. Sir Knight has a few questions for you."
As she spoke, Melody turned to Duanmu Huai.
"Sir Knight, this is Bardi. He's one of the top dollmakers in the district."
"One of the top?"
Duanmu Huai looked at the kid in front of him with doubt.
"But he looks like just a child."
"What did you say?!"
At that, Bardi leapt off his stool in fury... only to keep looking up at Duanmu Huai from below.
"I'm no child, you little brat! I'm older than you! Much older!"
"Oh?"
"Bardi is a dwarf."
Melody helpfully explained.
"...A dwarf?"
Looking at the ten-year-old-sized guy in front of him, then remembering the walking, long-bearded beer barrels he'd seen before... Duanmu Huai thought — the difference is a bit much, no?
"...That's right, brat. So what do you want with me?"
Clearly annoyed at being mistaken for a kid, Bardi plopped back into his seat with a huff. Duanmu Huai considered for a moment, then spoke.
"I want to... see how dolls are made."
"...Huh???"
(To be continued)