This special nation, composed of a union of 12 states, is separate, with its laws and regulations, and great autonomy, yet subject to the rule and mediation of the Central Council - the Federation of Lorraine
"Achoo~"
After seven days, stepping down from the airship behind him, which had been struck by lightning with a few black marks, Eleazar sneezed first.
His sensitive sense of smell allowed him to smell the industrial emission gases that permeated the air everywhere.
It also seems to be laced with some toxins from transcendental herbs.
Perception was then turned on, and the vision seen was a shocking one.
Only to see the entire industrialized city in front of them, as if covered by a layer of hazy miasma, the manhole covers on the ground, the river in the distance, those dense chimneys, all of them curling up and emitting colored gases.
A mixture of transcendental and industrial pollution...
Even without superhuman vision, one could see the city in the early morning as if it were shrouded in a great haze.
The people here seem to be used to it, covering their mouths and noses with collars or scarves, walking in the fog like an elongated phantom.
"Cough cough..."
Qishi takes out his handkerchief and holds it tightly over his mouth and nose, seemingly choking on the air.
Eleazar squinted at her, "Haven't you been here before."
"Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!"
The words in the handkerchief were so slurred that it was impossible to hear what was being said, except that the eyes rolled up at him.
It does seem that this angel is in an odd state.
Eleazar casually tugs on his collar to feign concealment, then picks up the other man's heavy suitcase.
"Come on, Ms. Raphael."
They are now, as the noble lady and housekeeper of Celine, intending to come to Loran to settle a family business.
Seemingly stepping into the place for the first time as a commoner, Qishi was filled with excitement despite the exhaust fumes.
She looked around expectantly.
"Is it true that I have heard that beautiful women who go out on the streets are always harassed by hooligans and lechers?"
Eleazar was speechless for a moment.
"Even if this place is full of those kinds of people, it's still not active until it's dark..."
"Someone can't have an attack in the middle of the day, is it?"
Don't understand what to expect from something like this.
Eleazar walks beside her in no uncertain terms, constantly observing the style of the streets in the haze.
This industry is so highly developed that it's as if factories have been moved into the city, and every home relies on unknown sewage equipment, without environmental awareness, it's as if the naturalists have died out.
The Church had developed power over here before. Still, unfortunately, it didn't last long before being hammered by a coalition of others, and it seemed like there was only a little bit of local power left to remain. With so much time passed, it was unclear how many people were still trustworthy.
Qishi had no intention of taking him to the transcendental families to test their loyalty.
After a long walk, they stopped at a wide intersection.
She said, pointing to a tall vintage building to her left:
"Look, that's a branch church we used to set up."
Eleazar looked at the walls that had been painted gray, the stained glass roofs all over, and several gargoyles standing on them.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "Want to grab it back?"
Qishi looked back at him with a smirk.
"It's not hard to snatch it back, what's hard is how to keep stationing it, and in a world that's already dark by default, a beam of light is thrown in, and then it's sin."
Eleazar also tries to take a look to see what Sequencers are inside but finds that the entire building has been enchanted with a defense spell that isolates it from probing.
"What organization has taken over this place?"
Qishi shook his head regretfully, "I don't know what gang is occupying it now."
"Mob?"
Eleazar repeated with some confusion.
"Well, yes, the Mob, even in this dark land, the Transcendence isn't known to everyone, it's just not kept as secret as it is to us, and a lot of the sequential rituals require people to retain that reverence for the mysterious, so most of the people here are still cognizant of Transcendence events in terms of the Mob's evil doings."
Well, it's indeed a good excuse to explain, but would that make it obvious that the political court is incompetent?
Eleazar thought thoughtfully, then saw Qishi parked in front of a bank again.
She raised her chin inside.
"You go in and change your money."
Eleazar followed quickly, asking casually, "How much do you want to change?"
Qishi was full of indifference, "Change as many as you can."
So bossy?
Eleazar glanced at her in surprise but realized that she hadn't moved since she'd finished posting.
A somewhat frightening suspicion slowly surfaced. Did she have no intention of spending her own money, and that's why she was so gung-ho?
"I don't have any money!!!" Eleazar blacked out.
"How could you not have money~" Qishi looked at him with a smile.
"When you built the Titan Temple, didn't you wield gold like dirt, scattering gold beans in sheets, spurring those villagers into a frenzy, and back there, too, messing things up and using gold to smooth things over?"
Eleazar did his best to explain, "So that's why the gold can't afford to be spent like this, I ran out a long time ago."
Qishi cocked his head, "You know what..."
"On this side of Loran, the Golden Shield Bank is the true form of the Fortune Theocracy, they retain transcendental staff and all sorts of metaphysical equipment that not only protects against fraud and psychic hoodwinking abilities, but also senses a client's financial resources, see the pillar by the door, all you have to do is stand next to it, and the assets you have on your person will appear in the color of light, it's a secret few people know. "
Eleazar slowly craned his head around, glancing at the pillars on either side of the gate rich in unknown mystical auras, and couldn't help but quirk his throat after realizing that it seemed to be some sort of occult thing.
"I've got two gold pieces left, no more ...."
Qishi nodded with a wide smile, "Go change your money, and remember to change the gold masks you took from the relics as well, splurging is our current persona."
Eleazar walked into the bank with a secret hatred and then realized that it was just as she had said, the pillars on either side lit up with a very subtle light.
Several bank employees then swarmed in with extremely wide smiles.
"Dear sir, please come this way~"
Just as Witcher went in to check in, the sky brightened up the city and the haze finally subsided a lot, or maybe it was hidden in the glow.
Qishi, who was standing outside waiting in boredom, suddenly saw two teenage girls running out screaming in the alley next to him.
"Mutiny, somebody!"
She cocked her head, thought for a moment, then came to a realization, then looked back inside the bank at Witcher, who wouldn't be coming out for a while and headed for the alleyway with anticipation on her face.
The alley was dim and lightless, the towering walls on either side completely blocked out the morning light outside, and stepping in was like stepping into another world.
"Hello, ma'am."
A guttural voice suddenly came from the shadows, followed by a man in a black uniform with a hefty grin.
"It must be curious for an untutored young lady like you to dare walk into a place like this, want to see a little something nice?"
Qishi asked, cocking his head, full of innocence:
"What's looking good?"
"Hey, hey, you'll find out soon enough."
The man took a step closer with a lewd face, then straightened his back and raised his hands.
"Look, my hand didn't move, but the zipper of my pants unzipped on its own."
"Squeak~"
"Look ---- you see - awesome, isn't it awesome!"
Qishi slowly widened his eyes and couldn't help but cover his mouth.
"Change... change your attitude!!!"
"Hahahahaha, isn't it, isn't it mind-blowing!"
The man smiled with a smug smile on his face, but in his heart, he was growing suspicious.
Huh, that's strange, why hadn't one's magic potion been digested?