Dimensional Hotel
Chapter 310: Piercing

Yu Sheng collapsed beside a pillar, feeling as though his blood and life force were gradually draining away from his body. The “artificial Saintess” lay heavily on top of him, like a lifeless iron block, motionless.

A deep, chaotic noise emanated from the metallic shell of the figure, resembling the final sputter of a crucial mechanism malfunctioning, spinning aimlessly after a severe breakdown. Thick, viscous fluid, reminiscent of blood plasma, slowly oozed from the cracks in her exterior, exuding warmth and corrosion, with a metallic sheen, tinged with a suspicious dark red.

Yu Sheng pushed with all his might, managing to pull out the two blades that had pierced through him, though he lacked the strength to push the completely inert body off of him.

“Hey, is she really dead?” he gasped, staring at the unmoving iron doll, speaking in disbelief.

This terrifying and troublesome enemy—after so many battles, he had almost come to believe she was indestructible. Yet, now she lay before him, apparently never to move again.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Yu Sheng felt his mind clouded. He couldn’t help but recall some fragmented memories he had briefly tapped into through their blood bond, reading the shattered pieces of the artificial Saintess’s “thoughts,” and the confusion only deepened.

After resting for a moment, Yu Sheng let out a soft sigh.

She was dead, and there was nothing more to be done. He would likely die soon as well, and with this death, it seemed that everything in this place was about to come to an end.

With this thought, he gathered the strength to lift his arm and try to push the artificial Saintess’s “corpse” off of him. His blood-soaked flesh pressed against cold metal, the mixture of blood and “mud” sticky and heavy.

Suddenly, a blurred voice, as if drifting up from the depths of some distant memory, echoed in his mind—

“…You are destined to become someone important, remember to come home and visit when the time comes…”

Yu Sheng froze in place.

As he pondered the strange voice in his mind, he realized that his finger had inadvertently touched the dark red “blood plasma” spilling from the artificial Saintess’s pale face.

…Conversation with the dead?! Does it work on this “artificial Saintess” too?!

Before he could think further, the world before him suddenly shifted. The next moment, a black-and-white world appeared before his eyes.

However, unlike the previous “conversations with the dead,” what he saw was not the current scene of the “holy coffin chamber”—the black-and-white world expanded violently, and a completely unfamiliar scene covered the surrounding reality, intruding into his vision, as if he had fallen into a dream nearly as real as waking life.

He found himself looking out over an endless wheat field.

The vast wilderness stretched out before him, with mountains rising and falling in the distance, a river quietly flowing through the open plains, and peaceful villages dotted throughout the land.

He heard the sound of someone wielding a staff behind him, and it seemed quite close.

Yu Sheng turned around in shock, only to see the scenery ripple like mist, shifting constantly. He noticed a large tree had appeared behind him, and before it stood a wooden post. A young girl, around eight or nine years old, was standing before the post, focused on wielding a staff, using the post as her target to practice her “swordsmanship.”

Several other figures, ranging in size, were gathered around the tree. They looked like slightly older boys and girls, watching the young girl as she practiced with the staff. Some counted in a teasing manner, some cheered her on, and others shouted that it was time to go home for dinner.

Yu Sheng frowned and instinctively stepped forward, but just as quickly, the tree vanished. A thin mist rose, and in the village road, a knight on horseback galloped past, wearing a flowing cloak.

“The frontier battles are fierce! The demons’ attacks have intensified! The Saintess calls upon more brave and righteous warriors to undergo the baptism and receive glory!”

The knight shouted from his horse, his magnificent cloak and shining armor dazzling to behold.

“Messengers” ran between the villages, delivering the teachings of the Saintess and bringing her blessings.

The land was barren, but the Saintess could make the soil yield enough wheat to feed everyone. Knowledge was precious, but the village church would teach every child to read and write for free.

Yu Sheng moved through the shifting illusions.

The young girl, now around eleven or twelve, had replaced her crude practice staff with a wooden sword—though it was still made of wood, it had a proper hilt and guard. Her father had spent hours carving it from an old knife by the oil lamp, and it became the girl’s birthday gift.

Her two older brothers envied her, but they lacked the “chosen” talent, so all they could do was envy her from afar.

One of their neighbors, an eldest son, had been chosen and became a glorious knight. He followed the “messengers” to the capital, and it was said he would be sent to a distant place, not returning for a long time. When he left, he wore armor as golden as the sun, its intricate beauty and majesty dazzling all who saw it.

“Being a knight, you can send back two hundred francs a year, which is the equivalent of five strong laborers,” the mother calculated under the oil lamp. She had once studied at the church but lacked further talent, so now she was only a literate farmwoman. “You not only have the talent of a knight but also that of a Saintess. If you are chosen for the sacred office, you could send back eight hundred francs a year…”

Her father was dissatisfied with the mother’s calculations. They argued, though neither knew what they were really quarreling about.

The twelve-year-old girl diligently practiced her swordsmanship every day. She sparred with the older brothers and sisters from the neighboring houses, or joined them to study the knowledge taught at the church. The wheat ripened season after season, and the messenger came and went several times.

Yu Sheng crossed a thin veil of mist and saw a splendid carriage parked on an open patch of ground. The villagers lowered their heads in reverence, and in the sky not far away, a majestic steel construct floated above them.

Another group of gifted individuals was taken away. Most of them had the potential to become knights, while two young ladies were said to have the potential to become Saintesses.

The messenger came and left. The minstrel also came and went.

The minstrel was even more interesting than the messenger—they brought stories from far-off lands, the kinds that young people loved to hear. Tales of demons beyond the frontier, of the great Holy Church army, and the battles fought to defend the kingdom and uphold justice. The saints led the great armies, fighting off the chaotic creatures from the dark world beyond the civilized realms. They built towering walls that surrounded one kingdom after another, and it was under this protection that the wheat fields could ripen season after season, and the wilderness could remain peaceful.

The wooden sword turned into an iron practice sword, and then into a true steel sword.

By the time she turned sixteen, the girl began to patrol the wilderness with the older brothers and sisters of the village. Together, they hunted down wild beasts that might threaten the village and dealt with the small monsters that would occasionally appear in certain “nests.”

Finally, the messenger came again.

“This batch, this batch, and this one over here—they’ve matured. Come with us—you have been chosen,” the messenger said.

The girl, along with the older brothers and sisters, climbed into the carriage. She carried with her a treasured sword forged at a high price by her father, and two new outfits sewn by her mother’s own hands.

“…You’re going to become someone important, don’t forget to come home and visit when you can…” her mother said, leaning close to the carriage and holding her hand.

“You don’t need to send all the money back. Take care of yourself first. Your father and I have a good harvest at home, and both of your older brothers are pillars of support for us,” she added.

The carriage set off.

After leaving the wilderness, the carriage was replaced with a larger, magically-powered one. It was so comfortable, with soft cushions, and there was an elderly, kindly messenger who told many interesting stories about distant places to the young boys and girls who had just left home.

Yu Sheng stood in the swaying carriage, watching the boys and girls gathered around the lanterns. He watched them eagerly discussing their futures, their glory, and their hometowns. He watched as the mist rose and then dispersed.

“This sword was forged by my father. I’m skilled in swordsmanship!” The girl, now a master of swordsmanship, said proudly, standing in front of a magnificent building that looked like a palace, addressing the messenger waiting at the door. “I also know about herbs, and I’m good at arithmetic!”

“Very good,” the messenger said to her. “Place your sword over here in this chest, along with these two outfits. You can’t bring too many personal belongings to the promotion ceremony. Don’t worry, when you return, everything will be returned to you. Your swordsmanship will come in handy.”

Then the boys and girls walked inside, entering the grand palace. They passed through a long corridor as the messengers gently guided them, urging them to lie down on the ritual platform. In the dim light, they heard the messenger’s instructions.

“This group, to the conversion room.”

“These few, to the regeneration room.”

“These few… take them away.”

“This one, very talented—send them to the extraction room, the success rate is high.”

It felt like many years had passed since then.

The girl became a Saintess, and the older brothers and sisters from her hometown became knights. Together, they formed a team that was the envy of others. Just as the minstrel had said in the stories, during the day, they marched into battle, courageously fighting heretical abominations to defend justice and the people. At night, they returned to the holy sanctuary, where endless glory and grace awaited them.

The days that followed were filled with glory.

The days that followed were filled with glory.

Filled with glory.

Glory…

Glory&%??#!!!

The mist rose like smoke, and everything suddenly fell into darkness. In the black-and-white-gray world, there was a howl, followed by a sharp, almost implanted alarm—

“Mind barrier at critical level! Cognitive shield pierced! Warning, mind barrier critical! Shut down the…”

Yu Sheng felt the alarm was irritating. He waved his hand in the darkness, and the noise abruptly stopped.

He then looked around, finding only deep darkness. There was no exit, just the swirling chaos of mist in his line of sight.

But gradually, a beam of light appeared in the mist.

Standing in the light was a figure. A young lady, graceful and commanding, clad in bright armor, her golden hair cascading down her back. She held a sharp sword— the last gift her father had given her— and stood not far away.

She looked at Yu Sheng in a daze, then lowered her head, gazing at her own body.

Dark metal swiftly covered the gleaming armor, the sword shattered silently, and her fingers transformed into sharp blades.

The cognitive shield had been pierced. The overwhelming tide of memory and logical conflicts threatened to drive her to madness. She raised her head, as if she wished to reach out to him—was it a plea for help, or just an unconscious desire to grasp something before her body collapsed?

Yu Sheng didn’t know.

The darkness shattered, and the final memories of the dead vanished into eternal peace.

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation