The white light faded, and the first thing that hit Yanaki's senses was sound.
Clang... thud... clank... hiss...
It was a chaotic symphony of countless turning gears, pounding pistons, and steam hissing from a web of brass pipes. Yanaki found herself standing on a vast balcony, suspended in a sky with no sun, only a strange, diffused glow. Surrounding her, hundreds of flying islands of all sizes were connected by giant chain bridges and winding rails in the air. Towers of brass and glass soared high, topped with giant clocks running with perfect precision.
This was Floor 2, the Flying City - Aethelgard. A world of machines.
Yanaki felt the discomfort from her two companions. Sylva, a creature of earth and trees, looked restless and weak without soil beneath its feet or natural moonlight. Its passive regeneration seemed to have been significantly reduced. Elara, a spirit of memory and history, also felt out of place amidst a soulless world of metal, a place with no past for her to connect with.
Just then, a two-meter-tall automaton, humanoid in shape and made entirely of brass, approached them. It moved with a stiff yet precise gait. "Identification papers," it said, its voice emanating from a speaker grille on its chest, completely devoid of emotion.
Yanaki, a newcomer, of course had none.
"New arrival detected. As per Procedure 7B, please proceed to the Immigration Office for registration," the automaton said, then pointed a brass arm towards a large building with a sign shaped like a gear.
They had no other choice. On the way, Yanaki listened to the conversations of other players. They weren't talking about hunting monsters or exploring dungeons. They were talking about "the Gear Guild's new blueprint" and "the Steam Guild's improved steam engine." Clearly, these two factions were the main powers here.
At the Immigration Office, a smaller automaton wearing a monocle processed her paperwork.
"Welcome to Aethelgard, Temporary Citizen #8,451,992," it said mechanically. "The currency here is Copper Cogs. All high-end items must be crafted. Materials can be found in scrap zones or hunted from the Mechanical Leviathans in the Abyss below. Note, in Lawless Zones, the theft of blueprints and components is permitted. Have an efficient day."
The information was brief but painted a completely different picture of Floor 2. This was a world of industrial competition, where crafting skills and cunning were paramount.
Yanaki began to feel anxious. Her [Covenant Summoner] skill was based on connecting with souls. In a place made entirely of machines, where would she find a spirit to form a covenant with? Could it be that on this floor, she could only fight with her two current companions?
As she was thinking, she passed by a small alley where a guard automaton, identical to the first one but damaged, was leaning against a wall. A small electric spark continuously arced from its neck joint. Curious, she used [Appraisal].
[Model 7 Guard Automaton - Damaged]
Level: 12 (Inactive)
Description: A standard Aethelgard security automaton, disabled due to a power core short-circuit.
System Error: Cognitive matrix conflict. Can be repaired with an [Auxiliary Power Core].
Artificer's Note: Some radical scholars theorize that the most complex automatons, after long periods of operation, can develop a form of "Machine Spirit"...
The last line made Yanaki's heart pound. A Machine Spirit!
Could it be...
She looked at the broken automaton. Could it be that her path on this floor wasn't about soothing sorrow, but repairing broken machines? Not forming covenants with souls, but "rebooting" dormant artificial intelligences?
After completing the registration and receiving a temporary citizen ID along with a few starter Copper Cogs, Yanaki stepped out onto a main thoroughfare. Steam-powered flying vehicles zipped overhead. Players in strange steampunk attire haggled at stalls selling mechanical parts. The chaos and mechanical vitality of Aethelgard enveloped her.
She was a B-Rank, Level 8 player. But here, in this flying city, she felt like she was back at square one, a completely lost novice.
Her quest was to find 3 [Ancient Energy Cores]. But first, she needed to learn how to survive. And perhaps, the first step was figuring out how to repair a broken automaton in that small alley.