Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 231: Section 172: Another You (Part One)

Chapter 231: Section 172: Another You (Part One)

Opening his eyes, Malin stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before turning his head to look beside him; there was no sign of Clovis, and the soft large bed was also gone.

Sitting up, he found himself sleeping on the floor, in the small room he first laid eyes on when he came to this world.

It was a basement in the Southern District.

At this moment, dust ruled the room, and Malin saw a tiny skeleton in the corner, clutching its knees; he fell silent for a while—how had he entered the crevice again?

Was this the timeline where he couldn’t escape this room and ultimately starved to death?

Glancing at his own hands, the World Tree Sapling hadn’t followed him, so Malin subconsciously initiated the Sacred Dwelling; no wails of souls being delivered as expected, nor were there any screams of Spirits at death’s door; finally, Malin walked to the room’s door, stretched out his hand to push it, and then kicked the door open with one foot.

There were no noisy sounds as he’d imagined; the city was shrouded in fog, with the roar of machinery coming from afar, and Malin could smell the stench of burning and rust in the air... That was indeed the smell of pollution.

Recalling his current location, Malin headed north along the street, beginning his search for the girls.

First stop, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest. Malin stood in front of the abandoned building for quite a while before finally deciding to head to Jessica’s house; unsurprisingly, it was still in a state of complete abandonment.

Undeterred, Malin continued his search only to find every residence empty; the city seemed as if it had been abandoned, with only the humming of machines occasionally accompanied by wild animals dashing past in front of Malin, utterly unafraid of people. Curiously enough, he encountered a bear Spirit, which only glanced at him before turning its clearly well-fed body away without any intent of attacking.

The other garden outside the city was a bit too far, and with the current situation, Malin really didn’t have the confidence to make it there—only God knew what the situation outside the city would be like, better to be safe when unfamiliar.

So Malin eventually followed the road in his memory to the Mage district—along the way, he noticed changes in the roads and streets and that there were traces of human activity. Driven by curiosity, he followed the traces all the way to the Mage Tower, eventually stopping outside Clovis’s house, at her Mage Tower.

He saw the windows of the Mage Tower were lit.

Approaching, Malin pressed the doorbell on the door.

The small window in the door was quickly opened, a double-barreled Shotgun poking out first, followed by a voice inside that exclaimed—raspy as it was, it was unmistakably Clovis’s voice, no mistake.

Malin stretched out his hand somewhat awkwardly, "Clovis, it’s me, Malin."

The person inside was silent for a while, and finally, the door opened, revealing a Clovis that far exceeded Malin’s imagination—a Bunny Girl so old she was losing fur, and if not for the patch of white on her chest, Malin would have had a hard time recognizing her as Clovis.

"I’ve never known a kid like you; where do you hail from, Carterburg doesn’t have living people anymore," the old woman frowned, but looking at Malin, she eventually stepped aside, "Come in, it’s been about fifty years since I’ve had guests."

"Clovis..." Looking at the old woman before him, Malin felt a pang of pain—if this was the crevice, then this world’s Clovis must never have met him; she must have lived so many years in solitude.

"Who exactly are you?" Closing the door, Clovis looked at Malin, "Are you... alive?"

"Of course, you can touch me, feel my heartbeat, my origins... do you know about the crevice?" Malin got straight to the point.

"I know, but I never... no, it should be I’ve never seen it before today, you’re really... really real..." The Bunny Girl put down the shotgun, stretched out her hand to touch Malin’s face, and then placed her balding hand on Malin’s chest. Even through the robe, she could still feel the heartbeat.

"Welcome to Carterburg of this world, young traveler from the Otherworld." Clovis withdrew her hand, went to a table, took out a can from a row of cans, pried one open with a dagger, and then brought it to Malin, "Sorry, this is all we have."

"A can?" Malin took the can, realizing it was different from the ones produced at his factory—though both contained vegetables, it definitely wouldn’t have this intense preservative taste.

"Yes, ever since the Machine Soul awoke, Carterburg was abandoned, I’ve lived by eating this stuff."

Handing Malin the can, Clovis took a glance at him and then walked over to a calendar hanging on the wall, "This year, it should be 1879."

"Did you say you haven’t seen a living person in fifty years?" Malin held the can because he was still full, and also because the taste was too strange.

"Yes, fifty years, in 1819, the Mechanical Spirit of the food processing plant awoke; they adulterated the cans with twisted machinery, turning many people in Carterburg into the ’different kind.’ After the people eradicated the ’different kind,’ the Spirits had already altered the streets, and to avoid further casualties, people abandoned the city." Clovis sat in the chair opposite Malin, looking at him, "Aren’t you eating?"

"It doesn’t smell appetizing, thank you for your kindness." Malin placed the can on the table and pushed it back toward her.

"The food must be nice across the crevice." Clovis took the can back, grabbed a spoon, and began to eat.

Watching her wolf down the food from the can, Malin didn’t know why, but he felt like crying, "It’s lonely, being alone, isn’t it?"

As she was drinking the soup, Clovis paused for a moment, then tipped her head back to finish the soup, and placed the can back on the table, "Yes, at first, people would come to check in, but as the Spirits started mass-producing mechanical bodies, fewer dared to enter. Based on messages from carrier pigeons, the Spirits seemed content with occupying the North City District. There is a Patrol Team here, but they don’t attack me..." At that, the Bunny Girl began to laugh, revealing a gapped-tooth smile, "Perhaps because I am also a twisted monster."

"You are not a monster, in that world, you were my lover," Malin extended his hand, trying to grasp the bunny girl’s hand, but she withdrew her arm, staring at Malin with a mix of shock and uncertainty.

"Really...?" she asked.

"Really," Malin said with a smile.

"...I don’t believe it." Clovis shook her head, "Since I was little, I’ve been seen as a monster by everyone. Even the clever Spirits who like hunting humans think I’m not human. How could you, such a lovely child, possibly fall for a monster like me? Even if the me in your era was still young... a monster is still a monster."

The old bunny girl stood up, took a can, and walked towards the door, tossing it into a small bucket, then turned to look at Malin, "You can find yourself a room, but do not go upstairs, it can be very dangerous."

"Faye, is it?" Malin asked.

"...It seems you really are," the bunny girl cracked a genuine smile for the first time, lifting her head, "Faye, come out and meet your guest, remember, do not hurt it."

Malin lifted his head and saw a giant scorpion with compound eyes peeking out from above the steps, it clacked its pincers, then moved away from the door.

"Even Faye you know, it seems you really are him, you indeed are the boyfriend from that world of mine... The me in that world is truly lucky," said the old lady with a sigh, "I don’t know how you managed to come here safely, but I must advise you not to go outside. Next time I go out, I will bring back some canned meat for you and Faye."

"Don’t you want to know the story of you in that world?" Malin asked.

"... What does the happiness of that version of me have to do with me?" After answering, Clovis walked over to the workbench, "I am eighty-six years old, Mr. Malin, an old lady who doesn’t know if she’ll see tomorrow. Death for me is no longer a philosophical concept but an urgently pressing issue. Let me complete the journey of life peacefully."

"... Okay, but what are you doing, making bullets?"

"Yes, for self-defense, though sometimes I also go hunting to get some fresh meat for Faye." Having said that, Clovis turned to look at Malin, "Can you do it?"

"Of course, I can do some other things as well."

Malin smiled and began to help Clovis make bullets. Malin’s spell formation spiritual energy could quickly take care of shaping the bullets and jacketing them.

When they finished all this, the old woman finally sighed, "Thank you, Mr. Malin."

"You’re welcome, the you in that world... wasn’t as cheerful and decisive as you," Malin replied, looking at the Clovis before him, "Though we are from two different worlds, I still want to say that I am very happy to see you because here, you are all I have left."

"Do you have other lovers?" Clovis asked with a smile.

"Yes, Faye, do you know her?"

"Of course, our Queen, how could I not know her. During the calamity of the Spirits, both her brothers and her father died in battle. She had no choice but to become the Queen to stabilize this country," Clovis said with another sigh, as she put away her things and headed upstairs, "I’m going to rest for a bit."

Malin watched her go, indeed, she was an old person at the end of her tether; her tail was shedding severely, and her skin was visible.

Perhaps it was due to a lack of various vitamins, or maybe the long-term use of canned food, but in Malin’s eyes, she needed to lean against the wall while going up the stairs.

She... really was counting down the days left in her life.

With such thoughts, Malin sat down to one side, intending to rest. He soon fell asleep.

.........

Woken by a nudge, Malin opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling and then turned his head to see the familiar Clovis. The bunny girl looked at Malin with a shy smile, "Good morning, Mr. Malin."

Malin reached out and stroked the bunny girl’s ears, "I just had a dream featuring you."

"Really?" Clovis seemed very happy.

"Yes, the you in my dream, although you didn’t recognize me, you were still just as adorable," Malin said with a smile, then sat up, "Get up, let’s go downstairs."

"Okay." The bunny girl hopped off the bed, and started changing her clothes in front of Malin, her beautiful fur completely enveloping her body.

Noticing Malin watching her, Clovis tilted her head, "Is there a problem, Mr. Malin?"

"Nothing, I just simply think you’re very cute," Malin replied with a smile.