These are the last steel rails you need to work on today,
Leaf said as her head peeked out from the treetops.
Thank you.
No problem!
Molly cheerfully replied. She patted her flat chest and blew a whistle,
Come out, my servant Momota!
A blue ball instantly appeared in midair and gradually grew bigger until it reached the height of the treetops. It stretched out its two arms, scooped up the rails on the ground and gulped them down. However, the rails were too long so the two ends of the rails stuck out of the ball. It looked as if the blue ball was punctured by the rails.
Momo…ta? But I remember that last time you called it Momoka.
Really?
Molly said with her head lopsided.
That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I pronounce her name out loud. Isn’t that how you demonstrate your power?
Um…
Leaf pondered for a while and asked,
Did Mystery Moon tell you to do that?
How did you know?
Molly asked in surprise.
She also asked me to join the Detective Group.
After the release of the magical movie
The Wolf Princess
, many viewers were impressed with the scene where Lorgar transformed into a wolf and bravely lunged at her enemy to save her sister. Further encouraged by the Detective Group, young witches in Neverwinter started to shout their slogans out loud whenever they applied their abilities, and this had gradually become a new trend. Molly was surprised that Leaf also knew about the latest trend in the city consdiering that she usually confined her activities within the Misty Forest. The last time she had seen her in Neverwinter was at the king’s coronation ceremony.
I… No, nothing,
Leaf evaded the question with a cough. She turned in the direction of Neverwinter and said,
They have delivered new supplies. I’ve got to go.
Although Molly really wanted to know how Leaf kept herself up to date, she suppressed her curiosity and waved goodbye to her.
In the next second, Leaf transformed into a spirit and disappeared into the thick forest.
Molly learned that Leaf could cross the Misty Forest within a blink of an eye. Leaf practically knew everything about the forest. As Leaf drew magic power out of thousands of trees, she could manipulate plants and thus continuously supply construction materials to the front. Compared to her, Molly’s Magic Servant worked much more slowly.
Now Molly had a vague understanding of the power of evolution.
Molly wondered when she would become as powerful as Leaf. She had been living in Neverwinter for four to five months and had learned the basics of reading and writing. She thought her ability might evolve after she finished reading
Principles of Nature
.
Molly clambered up the Magic Servant and directed Momota to leave the forest.
As soon as she walked out of the forest, she saw a busy construction site.
One, two, three, go!
A little to the left!
Take it easy, take it easy!
Thousands of workers were busy repairing Tower Station No.0 which was located near the railway that stretched away to the northeast. The station was the first stop on the way to the Taquila ruins and also the terminus station of the route to the forest. A blockhouse stood at each corner of the station. The four blockhouses were connected by trenches and parapets as one unit. The workers were wearing various clothes, some of them were even half-naked. It was hard to associate such a scene with the upcoming battle had Molly not known about the king’s plan beforehand.
Hey, isn’t it Miss Molly? Thanks for coming to help us.
We’re going to bother you again today. The train unit is swamped.
Miss Molly, we tipped over a steam engine. Could you make it stand upright?
Many people stopped to greet Molly or asked for her help as she pushed through the crowd and slowly walked down the railway. She was remembered by many workers even though she had been here for only a week.
Although Molly’s main task was to make sure nothing happened to the
Seagull
, she was ready to help others, just like what she was used to be doing back on the Sleeping Island.
Molly felt really happy when her help was appreciated.
When she had been on the Sleeping Island, only the witches and a small number of people from the Fjords would show gratitude for her work. There had been little she could do other than loading and unloading ships back then. But now, she could help with many things here and was treated as a celebrity. Her heart was constantly filled with pride and happiness. As long as the
Seagull
remained on the ground, she was free to wander around the railway construction site.
The scenery beyond Tower Station No.0 was slightly different.
Wisps of smoke came into Molly’s sight.
They billowed from trains.
In fact, these steel monsters were the main transportation tool. They supplied materials to the front nonstop, as if they would never become tired. Molly had transferred only a very small portion of the materials.
Unfortunately, according to Princess Tilly, it was not easy to build these trains. They needed the
Seagull
to facilitate the transportation between Neverwinter and the front because there was only two to three trains in the entirety of Neverwinter. Regardless of how the battle on the Fertile Plains would unfold, they had to make sure that the logistics and production at the rear were not interrupted.
As Molly approached the end of the railway, she saw more uniformed soldiers.
After a week of observation, Molly could now distinguish the new recruits from the veterans. Those who stole a glance at her every now and then during a class were usually newbies, whereas those who bowed their heads or were too focused on polishing their weapons to pay attention to her were normally seasoned soldiers.
Look carefully. There are different types of demons!
said an instructor as he tapped a picture on the blackboard.
The most common type is the Mad Demon. They have large bodies, thick arms and are good at throwing bone spears. They don’t throw spears in rapid succession unless it’s of an utmost emergency.
Hahaha…
The crowd erupted into laughter.
Silence!
The instructor barked.
I hope they won’t scare the hell out of you when you come across them. The only way to save your lives is to pull the trigger and finish them before they kill you. Neither fleeing nor yielding would work in this situation. Do you understand?
Yes!
the class shouted in unison.
Now, next one,
the instructor said as he pointed to another picture.
This one, with its eyes on its forehead, is called the Fearsome Demon. There are not many of them, but they’re far more powerful than ordinary Mad Demons. They can paralyze your movements when they see you. You bascially can’t do anything except to wait for your death. However, you can protect yourself with a God’s Stone of Retaliation. Everybody at the front will receive a God’s Stone, although there is a chance that you may encounter them when you are not wearing a God’s Stone.
What should we do then?
Pray to your grandmother or picture someone or something you adore in your head. Use every possible means to overcome your fear!
At these words, someone turned around and glanced at Molly.
Molly smiled back, winking at the soldier.
Hey, where are you looking?
The instructor snarled at the soldier.
Get out of here and go back to the construction site if you don’t want to be in my class!
The man immediately ducked away.
Molly felt she preferred the new recruits over the veterans.
She twitched her lips and urged the Magic Servant to move forward.
After another few hundred meters, she reached the very end of the railway where some laborers, soldiers and witches were working together.
She immediately caught sight of a girl with flaxen hair in a work suit.
It was the Queen of Graycastle, Queen Anna Wimbledon.
