[City of Steam, Rust Iron Hell, Sector 5, Abandoned Factory]
"M-Mr. Tendo... can we really just walk out like this, so brazenly?"
Danica timidly trailed behind Tendo, shrinking into herself like a frightened kitten.
She held a lollipop in one hand and clutched Tendo's pant leg with the other.
Her amber eyes flickered with clear unease.
She nervously watched the Grey Rat Gang guards outside the cell.
She clearly had lingering fears of these guys who had captured her from the 'Gear Church Prayer Room.'
Seeing little Danica like this, Tendo smiled and gently patted her small head.
"Don't worry, those guys can't see us."
"Huh? Why not?"
"You'll find out soon."
"Oh, okay."
Danica nodded obediently, then instinctively rubbed her head against Tendo's palm, behaving very compliantly.
This made Tendo inexplicably recall seven or eight years ago.
Back then, shortly after he first arrived at the Ashes Base, he often "petted" a certain someone's head like this.
Only that person was different from Danica.
Because every time he dared to do so, that person would immediately glare at him with a cold face and "hiss" at him.
But Tendo was stubborn.
The more you told him not to do something, the more he insisted on doing it.
He specialized in being rebellious.
To the point that eventually, a certain someone developed a conditioned reflex.
As soon as they saw Tendo raise his hand, they would immediately start "hissing" with a cold face, glaring to warn Tendo not to mess around.
But Tendo never listened.
He constantly enjoyed the endless loop of "petting the cat, getting hissed at, petting the cat, getting hissed at."
Thinking of this, Tendo couldn't help but smile, then shook his head helplessly.
Then he looked at the small figure cautiously following him from behind.
In his mind, he subconsciously recalled Danica's tragic background as a 'Living Bible' from the original novel, Prequel of the Stars: Glimmer.
As a part of 'The Word,' one of the three foundational elements—'The Book,' 'The Word,' and 'The Seal'—of the 'Miracle Stone: Law,' Danica's very existence was a miracle that defied the doctrines of the Gear Church, and even the entire Mechanic Theocracy.
The core doctrine of the Mechanic Theocracy was 'Humanity's Flesh, Mechanical Ascension.'
This meant abandoning foolish humanity and embracing the divinity of automatons.
This was a strict Automaton Code that every follower of the Mechanic Theocracy, who embarked on the path of automatons, had to adhere to.
However, Danica's appearance completely overturned this code.
Unlike other 'Words' recorded in various 'Mechanical Bibles,' Danica, a 'Word' that should have been recorded in the 'Mechanical Bible: Gear,' not only escaped from the 'Mechanical Bible' but also actively transformed into a 'human.'
This was undoubtedly a heretical act of 'abandoning automaton divinity and embracing humanity.'
It was a typical existence that went against their doctrine.
It was fortunate that her current situation had not yet been discovered by the Mechanic Theocracy and the Iron Dome Family.
But once they did, they would undoubtedly try every means to eliminate Danica, this 'BUG.'
Because if her situation were known to other congregants, it would undoubtedly be like a gear, moving one after another, thereby bringing revolutionary change to the great ship that was the 'Mechanic Theocracy.'
The root of Danica's tragic childhood stemmed from this.
As a part of the 'Miracle Stone: Law,' Danica was born with a very special ability.
That is, she could construct unique 'rules' out of thin air through language or writing.
And bestow the blessings of the God of Mechanics upon believers.
This ability was originally a special authority that only sacred texts engraved on the 'Mechanical Bible' should possess.
But now, this girl had obtained it in human form.
For example, Danica could perform 'prayers' for other Gear Church clergy.
Thereby unconsciously imposing the 'tenets' from the 'Mechanical Bible: Gear' upon those clergy she personally 'prayed' for.
After that, as long as these clergy could abide by the church's 'tenets,' they would receive various miraculous 'mechanical blessings.'
The strength of these 'blessings' depended not only on Danica's own power but also on their own strength and their degree of adherence to the 'Law.'
And the size of their 'brain computational power' as 'The Book.'
The so-called 'The Book' was what the Gear Church called 'faith in the God of Mechanics.'
But Tendo knew very well that the essence of that thing was never faith.
It was merely their permission level within the 'Quantum Space: Iron Dome Quantum Fortress.'
The higher the permission level of the automaton, the higher their permission level within the 'Iron Dome Quantum Fortress' in the quantum space.
The more 'laws' they could bear within their bodies, the stronger the effect of the mechanical blessing.
As for faith?
That was merely a narrative used by the Mechanic Theocracy to control its followers.
Therefore, the Gear Church, the Mechanic Theocracy, and even their true wielders of power, the Iron Dome Family, were hailed as a divine race because:
They had mastered the 'Miracle Stone: Law.'
Using it as a foundation, they built a unique belief system of 'Automaton Supremacy.'
Among them, 'The Book' of the 'Miracle Stone: Law' was forged by the Iron Dome Family into a unique 'Iron Dome Hub' within the quantum space.
This was the true core of what was known to the world as the 'Iron Dome Quantum Fortress.'
'The Word' of the 'Miracle Stone: Law' was crafted by the Iron Dome Family into various 'Mechanical Bibles' and distributed to major 'Mechanical Churches.'
As for the last, 'The Seal' of the 'Miracle Stone: Law,' it was not mentioned in the second season of Prequel of the Stars: Glimmer.
So Tendo himself wasn't quite sure what this thing was.
But he figured it wasn't simple.
And this was why Tendo would say that the Grey Rat Gang members, who were currently strictly guarding the 'Mechanical Bible: Gear,' were a bunch of ignorant fools.
Because the most important part of the 'Mechanical Bible' was never the book that carried the words.
It was the words recorded within it.
These guys, however, not only failed to realize this, but foolishly treated a 'fake' as a true 'deity.'
And carefully revered it.
However, although Danica was a very important 'Word' in the 'Miracle Stone: Law,' there were actually many other 'Words' like Danica within the Mechanic Theocracy.
But a 'Word' like Danica, who transformed into a human, was unique within the Mechanic Theocracy.
Because the other 'Words' were different from Danica.
They were truly cold, written words within the 'Mechanical Bibles.'