"My name is Lazar, I live in Cloudtop District 4, Building 13, Unit 2… Today is the 73,901st day since the fall of the Morning Star.
"The name 'Lazar' was personally given to me when I was still an infant by His Majesty the great Mechanical Emperor Evans. It was said that this name once belonged to the Emperor's closest friend, and within it was his hope for me—that I too would become a great alchemist… Unfortunately, I disappointed him.
"The reason I was granted such an honor was because my parents sacrificed themselves during a scouting mission to cover the retreat of their companions.
"Heh, always the same beginning… If one day someone comes across this diary of mine, please don't mind my rambling. For someone who has lived more than 250 years, with a soul already verging on decay, if I don't write these things down constantly, it's far too easy to forget who I am."
Inside a house filled with mechanical devices, the man named Lazar twisted his somewhat rusted wrist and set aside the pen plugged into the socket of his palm.
The main part of his torso was entirely made of brass. His limbs and head were pieced together with various metals… Even the damaged areas of the brass torso had been patched with rough iron, barely keeping the internal sealed system from exposure to the air.
From afar, he looked like nothing more than a ragged robot covered in patches.
But this ragged robot was in truth entirely governed by a human soul. All those metal parts were the result of mechanical modification.
At that moment, accompanied by creaking sounds, Lazar struggled to his feet. His right leg stepped forward, pulling along his left leg, which had four wheels attached at the bottom, and slowly made his way to the cabinet on the other side of the room.
Decades earlier, about thirty years ago, the modifications below his left calf had been destroyed during an exploration of Afternoon Town. Both the sensory system and the drive system had collapsed completely and could not be repaired. Thus he had no choice but to attach wheels, moving only with the assistance of his still-functional right leg.
At first Lazar found it hard to adapt, but after so many years, he had already become used to the wheels—he could even go up and down stairs with ease. Still, it meant he could never again join the exploration squads.
That was also the reason why, although he lived in the most expensive Cloudtop District, his financial situation was poor.
Because resources were tight, his pension was just enough to cover the yearly property insurance and maintenance fees for his home… Fortunately, he had long since completed his full-body mechanical transformation. As long as he didn't engage in energy-draining projects, his energy needs were not too great… Moreover, Morning Star City provided every Cloudtop District resident with a minimum supply of energy every month.
"This month, I've managed to save up to fourteen energy units. That's more than enough to fire up a reactor once and repair a batch of equipment for the exploration squad… I can also earn some energy points from that, and use them for a session of emotional therapy.
"The last time I went through therapy was ten years ago. Though writing my diary has helped keep my state of mind fairly stable, the emotions accumulated over the years are already considerable. I may still be far from the critical threshold, and if I approach it, I can undergo free compulsory therapy… but the process is unbearable, and the mental damage caused is irreversible…"
Muttering to himself in a rambling tone, Lazar had reached the cabinet. He took out a small bottle of machine oil, poured a little into the slots of his hand, then rotated the bearings inside a few times until he was sure they were running smoothly. Only then did he put the oil back, return to his desk, and once more slot the charcoal pen into his connector, continuing to write:
"The price of a stack of paper has gone up by two energy points recently… Not surprising. Just last week, a newborn emerged from the Reproduction Hall.
"That meant the crop structure in the plantation had to be adjusted, shifting to more edible produce to provide organic food for the newborn.
"And the gray dwarf grass used for paper-making, already unimportant, was naturally stripped of its right to grow.
"Ever since the Mechanical Emperor fell into slumber, and the rebellion of the Four Pontiffs caused Morning Star City to crash into this strange town, only one of the floating city's four major systems remained operational—the Night Barrier. That was the Emperor's final blessing, protecting the ten thousand survivors inside the city from the monsters lurking in the darkness of this bizarre Afternoon Town.
"Unfortunately, because of resource shortages, every few years Morning Star City must send people to explore the town, searching for minerals and any other usable materials… And whenever that happens, the Night Barrier has to be temporarily shut down… Sigh, each expedition is always the most dangerous time for Morning Star City…
"I digress… I don't know if I've written this in earlier entries, but aside from the Night Barrier, the other three systems—Storm Engine, Solar Furnace, and Cocoon of Purification—are all on the brink of collapse.
"The Storm Engine is in the worst state. Once the power source for the city's flight and partial energy supply, now it can only run at its lowest output to keep the city's balance stable, preventing it from toppling.
"The Cocoon of Purification already had problems even before the Fall. Back then, when faith in the True Creator began spreading within the city, many with only mild mental pollution went in for treatment, but came out worse—some turned into monsters, others became cultists of evil gods.
"After the city fell into this nightmare-like town, the system deteriorated even further. Now it can only be used to clean away residual contamination in food… But that is reserved for newborns. For someone like me, who has completed full-body transformation, it isn't necessary.
"Finally, the Solar Furnace—the main energy source of Morning Star City—provides less than a ten-thousandth of its original output since the fall. The three surviving Alchemy Grandmasters had no choice but to manufacture numerous auxiliary power sources to keep our modifications functional, and to maintain the operation of vital facilities such as the Reproduction Hall and the Greenhouse.
"Even so, the Greenhouse cannot expand. Every time a newborn arrives, they have to cut into the area used for tool crops, and replant food crops.
"Heh, two centuries ago, under the Emperor's protection, every newborn in the Reproduction Hall was greeted with a celebration. It was seen as a miracle and hope in this dark world.
"But now… that can never happen again. With limited resources, the total number of residents—or rather, the total energy distribution—is fixed!
"A newborn's arrival means that an old fellow like me must perish completely…
"Sigh, if only the Mechanical Emperor were still here!
"The rulers of the upper levels keep telling us commoners that the Emperor prophesied he would return in several centuries…
"That when he returns, the Morning Star will shine, and calamity will be driven away…
"That when he returns, he will lead Morning Star out of this dark domain, into a world of light…
"But I know… those are probably lies!
"When cybernetic transformation technology was first maturing, the Emperor was already too old. And during his modification, an accident occurred—a power furnace short-circuited, causing a massive explosion.
"The Emperor died because of that… His students and followers all believed it was an assassination by the cultists of the True Creator.
"Thus the long-hostile factions erupted into all-out war!
"Although the Four Pontiffs and the cultists were eventually exterminated, the war brought the downfall of Morning Star. The floating city not only fell into this bizarre town and became trapped here, but also lost the Mechanical Canon in the fighting.
"That loss deprived Morning Star City of the formula for saints. From then on, no new Alchemists were ever born.
"Sigh, I really am old… I just flipped through earlier entries and realized much of what I've written now repeats them… I don't know how much longer I can hold on…
"Great Emperor… will you truly return?"
Here Lazar wanted to sigh, but then remembered that his head's implants lacked that function. He had no choice but to expend half a unit of energy, compressing air to simulate the effect.
After doing so, Lazar—who believed that life required rituals, even after centuries—stood up once more. He put on an utterly useless coat made from Karls grass, donned a top hat refined from Bloodthorn, and left his home. He strolled to the statue of the Mechanical Emperor in front of the central tower and prayed silently.
It was something he repeated every single day.
But at that moment, the world before Lazar suddenly grew bright. Startled, he rotated one of his cameras a full 360 degrees, only to see that the entire Morning Star City had lit up, bathing this dark world in a glow as bright as day!
This scene, both familiar and strange, left Lazar feeling disoriented in time, as though he had returned to two centuries ago, when the Mechanical Emperor still lived and Morning Star City still thrived.
"This is… Morning Star shining, calamity driven away?
"Great Emperor… have you truly returned?"
(End of Chapter)