Charles, Herald, and the eccentric scientist are currently wandering through the mountains. They had stumbled upon a kind of gravel road that was, in fact, just a lucky flat area in the vast mountainous landscape. We probably didn't have time to investigate, but what really happened with that train, and even more importantly, why? - Herald also approached Elizabeth, hoping she would join the conversation.
"Stop!" - Elizabeth shouted, ignoring her friend's words. "This is a good place where we could spend the upcoming night." She crouched down in a small half-flat area and once again, as usual, commanded both friends to bring wood. And since there were only a few dried bushes around, it would be difficult.
"Does she think she's hiding something?" - Herald whispered to Charles. Charles just shrugged. Zeke was tired, so he stayed at the makeshift camp. Meanwhile, Bridgton went off to find some meager firewood. While he was breaking a dried bush, the thought came to him that this journey was becoming increasingly harsh. First, the invasion of Luxembourg, then temporarily parting ways with his friend, and now - a train accident, which was also the first one Charles had experienced in his life.
Lost in thought, he didn't even notice how he already had his hands full of old, dry twigs. The darkness was beginning to creep over the horizon. Charles figured he should hurry back to the camp. As he started walking, he realized he didn't know where he was. He went one way, then another, and tried to call out to the others, but to no avail. It was already pretty dark outside, but instead of starting a fire and waiting for the day, as a normal person would have done, he began to run towards the direction he thought Herald's voice was coming from.
When he got there – nothing. The voice suddenly seemed to come from the other direction, and he followed it. Again, nothing. He ran back and forth, with each time growing more anxious and confused.
"Where is that voice coming from!?" - Charles sighed in confusion to himself.
Everything became so strange and intoxicating that he could say he entered a kind of trance. He just noticed he was following something, and perhaps something was following him, but he couldn't control himself.
But then, finally, there appeared a small campsite at the foot of the mountain. It was a campfire! Bridgton was a little stunned because there had been no campfire at their camp before, but upon noticing who was sitting by it, he regained his composure and ran over and collapsed by the fire.
"Where have you been!?" - Herald's eyes looked shocked like buttons (his eyes were also buttons).
"Yes, we were looking for you!" - Elizabeth chimed in.
"I brought branches, here, but while collecting them, I got a little lost... that's all I remember." - Charles spilled the words out like peas. After a few more words, Charles was already asleep. All that running had tired him out.
***
An unknown amount of time had passed, and now Charles was awake. The campfire had died out, and it was pitch black outside. He wanted to get up and stretch his legs, as is usual in such sleepless situations.
Here's the English translation of the provided text:
The thing is - he couldn't move. And even worse was that he felt shadowy figures lurking around him. They crept closer and then vanished. Charles immediately understood what was happening - sleep paralysis. This was the first time, in all his years, that he experienced sleep paralysis. It was uncomfortable because some of the shadowy figures crept so close that they almost climbed into his mouth. Once it was all over, he could fall asleep again. Charles felt that recently, something or someone was playing with his mind.
***
The morning was bright, radiant, and cheerful. There was no trace of the evening's chill. Charles, Harold, and Elizabeth all packed up quickly, as there wasn't much to pack. Then they continued their journey across the mountains, always heading south, so that the slide would be visible at least far on the horizon. The day was unbearably hot, even in the mountains. From time to time, it was only relieved by a feeble cold breeze.
***
They could hardly believe their eyes when they saw a settlement on the horizon.
Madrid? - Elizabeth asked the other two.
Unlikely, then along the way, there would have been a state border sign, and we've been traveling for too short a time to already be in Madrid, - Charles concluded.
I noticed a state border sign on the way, just can't remember which country it was, - Harold explained.
Yeah… was there perhaps another country before Spain… hmm, well, I guess I don't remember for now, - Bridgton admitted.
Let's just go, and we'll figure it out, - Elizabeth objected, as they had stopped without realizing it to chat.
They walked through hills and valleys until they reached a populated area. Surprisingly, there was no sign indicating the name of the settlement anywhere. Where they were remained a question mark.
It looked like they had wandered into a castle park, as royal flowers bloomed all around, and a magnificent castle with several towers loomed behind the garden. It rose more vertically than horizontally.
Strange town, - Elizabeth muttered to herself.
I'm sure there are other buildings around the corner, as this appears to be a castle complex, - Charles said uncertainly.
Brutal survival in the mountains had just transformed into a peaceful stroll in the castle park. This positively affected everyone. They all inhaled the fragrant scents of various flowers that were so enchanting they almost made them dizzy.
Everything was going smoothly until suddenly footsteps could be heard. The trio just turned their heads. Then it sounded like metal clanging. The friends turned their heads again. This time they saw the source of the noise. It was nothing that belonged in this castle park. It was, of course, a robot!
All three friends froze and fixed their gazes on the robot, as robots were a rare phenomenon due to their cost.
Intruders, intruders! You are trespassing on the master's land, and I will have to eliminate you now, - the robot said, starting to warm up its laser gun, which was in its left hand.
Charles, Harold, and Elizabeth dove behind the flowers, each going in their direction. They barely managed to avoid the plasma blast. The metal man began to approach their positions, but since each of them fled in their own direction, the robot had to choose one target.
The metallic object moved slowly, so there was plenty of time to craft the next move. Somewhere, someone had left a watering can next to a wonderfully fragrant garden. Elizabete took note of it. She picked it up; it turned out to be full of water. Then, running slowly enough not to spill the water, the scientist maneuvered between the garden until she reached behind the robot. It was already clear what she was going to do next. She tipped the watering can upside down right above the metallic head. The robot, as intended, emitted crackling sounds and collapsed to the ground. It no longer functioned.
"Hey, friends, I've neutralized it!" – Elizabete called to her friends, and they quickly flew over. "Look!" – Elizabete pointed to the back of the metal scrap, where it was labeled "Neo-Leo Corp." along with an intimidating large "R" letter.
"I think I understand what we are dealing with here," – Charles announced.
Everyone nodded in agreement. And so they continued on towards the castle. Hopefully, that was indeed the castle side.
It was hard to study the castle from afar because the sun was shining directly in their eyes. But as they got closer and looked up, they all turned pale. Flags were fluttering atop the castle towers. They were not ordinary flags, but rather flags that the friends did not wish and did not expect to see. They bore the cursed "R" letter.
"What is really going on here? First that mind-boggled robot, and now these flags!" – Herold stammered.
"Let's take a closer look; we can't jump to conclusions right away," – Charles reassured him.
Elizabete nodded in agreement, and they proceeded alongside the castle and through the gates. Finally, they emerged into the actual city, where two-story houses were symmetrically lined up. The streets were empty, and the trees were withered. A sense of discomfort overtook the friends that everything in this city was not as it should be.
The roads here were unlike anything they had ever seen before. They were dark, almost pitch gray. It looked like they might be made of stone, but perhaps they weren't. Next to the main roads were narrower paths, which they recognized.
"Why are there so many roads here!?" – Herold wondered.
An even more important question is the material they are made of. I've never seen anything like this in my life… I'll call it asphalt," – Charles declared.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the friends heard the rumble of wheels. They quickly scurried between two houses. After a few breaths, a carriage rushed past, and it was nothing out of the ordinary, except that it was driven by robots, and even the horses were robots! As the noise from the wheels subsided, Elizabete could not keep her mouth shut and exclaimed:
"Seriously, what is happening here!?" – Before anyone could respond, a firm hand suddenly pulled all three of them deeper into the alley.
"What are you doing? You could get caught!" – a shadowy voice announced.
"Who are you?" – Charles shot back and didn't hesitate to demand an answer.
"Alizandro from Andorra, and you would be?"
"I am Charles, that's Herold, and this is Elizabete."
"You are clearly outsiders; your names, the fact that you didn't say where you're from, and also that you are freely wandering around the sealed part of the city," – Alizandro said somewhat discontentedly.
"Excuse me, but did you mention something about the forbidden section?" Charles inquired.
"Eh… yes, since that scientist arrived here and took control of Andorra, he has forbidden anyone from going within a kilometer of his castle," Alizandro explained.
"Then what are you doing here?" Elizabeth joined the conversation.
"That's too confidential," he just mumbled.
After exchanging words, Alizandro helped them get to the part of the city that was permitted.
***
"So this is the real Andorra," Elizabeth exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.
Everywhere around them were houses scattered chaotically and beautifully decorated. The city streets were lively. There were blooming trees, lush bushes, and charming flowers in between, along with convenient benches. Of course, there were also plenty of various shops and overcrowded cafes and restaurants.
"I haven't seen so many people in one place since I left London!" Elizabeth remarked, while Charles and Harold both gaped at buildings they had never seen before.
"Well, I am probably the last English-speaking person you'll meet here, so I hope you know Catalan," Alizandro explained. "Okay, see you, oh and you should change your clothes so you don't stand out so much, otherwise the robots will catch you one, two!" Alizandro waved goodbye and left without looking back.
"Well then, Harold, do you know Catalan?" Charles asked his friend.
"No, I just know it's similar to Spanish," the sock replied.
"Hey, guys, you heard what that guy said about the clothing, right? That means we need to find a clothing store," Elizabeth suggested.
"Hmm, well that's interesting, how are we going to pay for all of this?" Harold said, seemingly in disbelief.
"Universal Bank!" Elizabeth replied, looking at a building.
"What's that?" Harold sounded puzzled.
You'll see!
Once Elizabeth had said what she had to say, she dragged both her friends to the unassuming building next to a clothing store. A bell rang as they entered. The bank space was filled with artificial plants, and local radio could be heard. By the terminal sat an old-looking uncle. When the friends approached, he asked them something. Elizabeth quickly began to communicate using sign language.
"Wait, how do you say United Kingdom?" Elizabeth whispered to her friends.
"At least in Spanish it's Reino Unido," Harold explained, and Elizabeth repeated that word at the terminal.
After a few small misunderstandings with the sign language, the old uncle finally handed them a heavy bundle of cash that was tied together.
"Wow, my thousand British pounds have turned into two thousand Andorran francs!" Elizabeth exclaimed excitedly.
"But wait, wait, wait, HOW did your money suddenly appear here?!" Charles wondered.
"Oh, it's something to do with radio signals and other crazy technologies; I don't even really know, but right now that's not the most important thing, let's go!" Elizabeth decided.
And they, having walked out of the cozy bank, headed straight towards the nearby clothing store. The shop turned out to be much bigger inside, with three full floors! They spent a long, long while there. Before going inside, they had split the money into three, we could say, equal parts. Upon entering, each had wandered off on their own. It took at least two hours for them to try on clothes, but then finally…
They hadn't seen each other's uniforms yet, so when they met outside the store, they were all surprised by one another. Elizabete was dressed like a real beauty. She wore a purple dress that stretched almost to the ground, and she had on a sort of jacket colored in the colors of the Andorran flag, and even on her chest, she had the Andorran coat of arms.
Herolds and Čārls were dressed more simply, but no less traditionally. Both of them wore dark jackets with white sleeves, as well as knee-length shorts. They both also had a hat on their heads, but not the kind you might imagine; it was flat and bright red. Herolds had somehow gotten his hands on a small Andorran flag on a little pole.
The friends complimented each other.
"Where did you get the flag?" Elizabete asked, pulling on her sleeve.
"Oh, while you were still shopping, I had nothing to do, so I quickly dashed to the souvenir shop around the corner," Herolds explained.
Now they truly blended in with the crowd, like water with sugar. It looked as though they had lived in Andorra all their lives, if not longer!
"We'll never get caught," Čārls thought as he turned a corner.
"So, what next?" Elizabete confidently asked; it seemed this new outfit had given her a new sense of confidence.
"I don't have a concrete answer, but we should probably try to get into that castle; I think that could be the source of all the city's troubles," Čārls expressed his idea.
"I agree, we should also collect those robots, so these people don't have to follow some robot orders and be afraid of them; that's not right," Herolds added.
The sun was halfway through the sky when they, having eaten at a simple restaurant, continued on their way, looking for ways to get into the castle. The city was no longer as dense further from the center, and walking became quicker. The temperature rose, yet the friends' energy was dwindling. They had been walking almost nonstop for at least two days.
Čārls had taken note of the castle's surroundings and was now urging the others to follow him through a weedy, overgrown alley of old houses. The friends couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Are you sure no one is going to kidnap us here?" Elizabete asked with a serious glance at Čārls's enthusiastic face.
"Absolutely sure. We will definitely be at the castle gates faster than you can say 'counterclockwise,'" Čārls reassured the others, and himself.
They then headed into the alley. There were no signs of life in the alley except for scurrying rats and sparkling flies. It was also quite quiet, not counting the rare chirping of birds. The path, with buildings on both sides, seemed to stretch on forever, and the strangest thing was that there were no usual side streets or exits in sight. Suddenly, out of the blue, something happened...