Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Later, Loloria directed the relatively intact Mechanical Combat Units that could still be activated to clear the interior of the ruins and transport supplies to the surface.

"The sky is so blue, it seems the environment here has recovered well." During the day, Loloria sat on a high stone, gazing at the distant sky.

"When I arrived, I was fighting almost every day and hardly stopped." Loloria said, cheerfully leaping up as streams of air burst from her soles and palms, allowing her to fly freely in the air, spinning several circles.

"Do mechanical lifeforms need rest?" Tilan was very interested in Loloria because the residents of the Federation had only learned about the existence of such mechanical lifeforms from data records.

"Of course, but to be specific, it's about organizing memories and conducting reviews and summaries." Loloria descended in front of Hexia, her emerald eyes flashing with symbols.

"Hexia is quite special, especially your body." Her pure, innocent tone said easily misunderstood things.

"How special?" Tilan slightly covered her chest, feeling that this person was scanning her body data, not knowing if this black dress could block such data collection.

"Probably special concepts are attached, meaning your body is not purely flesh, but a combination of concept and tangible matter. This situation often appears in those who are favored with authority by the Solar Crowns." Loloria tilted her head analytically.

"I see..." Tilan bowed her head in thought, recalling that the previous Saintess of the Water had mentioned something similar, although the current description was closer to the essence.

It seemed that the person before her had truly seen the Black Sun and the Sequence 9 Favored from that time, while the Saintess of the Water was modern and hadn't experienced that era.

It seemed her ancestry was inevitably related to the Solar Crowns or Angelic container concepts, Tilan shook her head slightly.

"Alright, stop looking, come down Loloria."

"Okay~" Loloria lightly landed on the ground, touching down with her toes first, then standing firm with her whole body, her hands naturally resting on her sides, slightly resembling a duck, the action being somewhat cute.

Were these little movements of the Artificial Angels intentionally designed, Tilan couldn't help but wonder watching this scene.

Perhaps the earliest programmers and creators of the Mechanical Council were those among humans who loved little girls.

"Are all Artificial Angels female in appearance?" the young girl couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, they are all girls." Loloria raised a peace sign.

"Girls look prettier, and you humans like them a lot, don't you?" she said frankly about the reasons.

"We were initially created by you, naturally continuing this style and habit."

"Additionally, girls have benefits, because the frontal armor can be made thicker, housing more component systems inside, more suitable for industrial aesthetics compared to the male appearance without frontal armor."

"Strong muscular fibers of males are not very useful for machinery, using a female appearance allows the limbs to be made thinner, saving weight, making them more agile and fast, with stronger combat capabilities."

Is there actually a scientific basis for this? The young girl blinked, subconsciously guessing if the earliest programmers inputted this as an excuse.

However, according to Loloria's explanation, it sure made sense.

...

While Tilan and others were thinking about how to transfer the numerous useful materials excavated from the ruins, Shilin Mountain Castle dozens of kilometers away was already engulfed in flames.

Amid the sprawling firelight and cries, countless black insects swarmed among them, like an endless black tide, sweeping through every building, penetrating every crevice, searching for any possible surviving life, their sharp whining continuous, covering struggling live bodies, like a black shroud descending, leaving only residual flesh and bones.

"Burn! Burn! Burn those bugs——"

Wrapped in thick gauze clothing, the guards stubbornly resisting in the city screamed with torn voices, igniting anything burnable within sight.

Flames and black smoke spread everywhere, filled with running footsteps, cries, whining sounds, wood crackling as it burned, all blending into one.

Within the fortress inside the Mountain Castle, tightly sealed windows and doors were covered with black insects constantly gnawing and searching for entry crevices.

As night fell, smoke and firelight filled the valley, incessant bug whining, the fortress that had been steadfastly held exploded in the middle of the night, the Grey Feather Species Transcendent emerged cloaked in high-temperature flames, swinging a burning longsword to open a path for the rear team.

"Go! Leave here!"

Desperate chimes echoed in the Mountain Castle, informing those still holding out that the final moment had arrived, if they wanted to live, follow the roaring voices on the streets.

"These are not naturally occurring bugs! They are one of the ancient disasters that wiped out the planet millennia ago, abandon any hope of resistance, flee to places where they can't pursue, flee to sparsely-populated areas, this is the 'Gray Cloak Scholar's' announcement!"