The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 89

It was a story from long ago, in the days following the end of the Glorious War. The head of the Stuart family suddenly succumbed to a deadly illness. With no direct heir to inherit his position, the vast family teetered on the brink of being divided and dismantled by various branches. Rumor had it, however, that a descendant of Stuart blood still existed, a child left behind during Ingervig's counterattack on Gaulnaro.

Thus, a mission was issued to find this descendant. Many set out towards Gaulnaro, and among them was Lloyd, just one of the many faces in the crowd. This mission was about securing power, and so the details were known differently to each participant. Lloyd's task was to find Seleu and extract what she knew. He was the first to locate her, huddled in a cold alley, living off charity, which left the girl in a state of malnutrition even to this day.

The two of them walked through desolate streets, nearing the lower town. It was cold, and Seleu instinctively clung to Lloyd's arm as they stepped over frozen ground and past dilapidated buildings. Seleu harbored a peculiar emotion towards Lloyd, much like a newborn beast seeing its first creature as a source of dependence. Lloyd was the one who found her, bringing her back from Gaulnaro to Old Dunling. Her life had transformed dramatically from a street beggar to a figure of immense importance.

But instead of joy, she felt nothing but unease and fear. The grand castle and armed guards brought her no comfort. Beneath her pillow, there was always a sharp knife. She remained that shivering child in the alley, unchanged.

"So why are you interested in something like that?" Lloyd's words came with a puff of frosty breath. The weather in Old Dunling was growing colder by the day, compounded by the steam from the furnace pillars, making it nearly unbearable.

"They say it's unique, something from the Far East." Seleu's answer was indifferent, something Lloyd had grown accustomed to. His thoughts raced.

"Machinery from the Far East? That does sound intriguing." The only place referred to as the Far East was the mysterious Jiu Xia. Besides the fleet that arrived long ago, the Western world's knowledge of them was limited to just a word. Now, something from there had appeared, certainly more interesting than any family banquet.

"But won't they mind if you skip the banquet?" Lloyd was referring to the noble groups led by the Stuarts, honored by their war titles and guarding Seleu like knights. Though she was the last of the direct Stuart line, the family's enterprises flourished under their management despite their dwindling numbers.

To Lloyd, they were like a nanny squad connected by the old butler Weiya, sometimes irritatingly affectionate. He still remembered a rainy night when Weiya knocked on the door of 121A Cork Street, offering a suitcase of money to persuade Lloyd to leave their mistress. This was because under Lloyd's tutelage, Seleu's marksmanship had become eerily precise, when she should have been learning how to be a manager.

"In a month, I'll be of age. I'll become the Duchess of Stuart. This is their last chance to flaunt their authority." A statement of pure rebellion.

Lloyd glanced helplessly at Seleu, but due to his height, all he could see was a bobbing deerstalker hat. Yes, during the hundred years of the Glorious War, the Stuarts rose to ducal status, leading the Southern Front due to their military prowess and the blockade by Michelle Stuart during the landings.

Although Seleu was the only direct heir left, the power and respect due to the family remained intact, honoring and revering their sacrifices.

"An incoming duchess wandering the lower town won't make a good impression." Lloyd pulled up Seleu's collar, hiding her face completely.

"From now on, you're my assistant. Let me handle any questions, understand?" Seleu might not grasp it, but Lloyd was well aware that the ruler of the lower town, Berlaug, was a double agent. He might seem like a gang leader reliant on the nobility, but in truth, he served the enigmatic Purification Bureau, and beyond that, the Queen of Victoria herself.

Every noble who ventured into the lower town ended up in his little black book, a future leverage point when needed.

"Do you know the way?" "I know the lower town better than you." Before becoming a freelance detective, Lloyd was well-acquainted with the lower town.

Through the dilapidated wasteland and clusters of makeshift wooden houses, Lloyd led Seleu to a downward-sloping entrance. The gatekeeper, posing as a sleeping vagrant, secretly observed them, one hand reaching inside his coat, likely gripping a gun.

"Move aside." Lloyd tossed a coin with a bird of prey engraved on its scarred surface. The gatekeeper inspected it, but still blocked their way, pointing at Seleu.

"Does a child's height require a toll?" Lloyd bluffed but obediently threw a second coin, enduring Seleu's pinch at his waist as they stepped into the darkness.

The air grew warmer, and faint firelight appeared ahead. They descended until they reached the deepest part, where soft chants in a foreign tongue began. The people had skin of a reddish-brown hue, bodies covered in white-painted symbols, eyes shut in reverent prayer, seemingly honoring a forgotten deity.

Seleu clung tighter to Lloyd as more of these praying figures emerged, lining their path like a bizarre welcoming ritual, speaking in an ancient, obscure language.

"People from the Far East," Lloyd whispered to Seleu. Jiu Xia ruled the lands beyond the Caucasus Mountains, but not all. Many smaller nations were its vassals, and these peculiar individuals likely hailed from such places.

Seleu couldn't help but stare at these rare beings, exotic as wild beasts in the Western world. Lloyd led her onward, his thoughts rippling with the realization that with the advent of steam technology, the once insurmountable oceans had become traversable, linking the East and West closer together. He recalled Arthur's words: the world is shrinking like a coliseum, and the beasts would eventually clash.

But such grand thoughts were beyond a mere detective. A servant stopped at a door, bowed slightly, and offered them masks. The door opened to reveal a different world.

Countless intricate machines lay behind glass cases, figures made of metal and machinery danced gracefully. People wandered among these displays, marveling at the unfamiliar technology. In a cordoned-off area stood a massive machine, like a fallen giant of steel, its edges sharp as blades.

"Is this the machinery of the East?" Seleu whispered, gently touching the glass, behind which a small bronze figure stood, a tiny fire burning above its raised hand. Lloyd, however, focused on the centerpiece—a towering bronze structure, like a giant sword held aloft.