Early the next morning, Duanmu Huai left the church with Okegis and, under Lorena's guidance, headed for the Mechanicus Sect located on the other side of the river. According to Lorena, the bishop had allowed her to accompany them as the church's representative, partly to avoid any further conflict.
Originally, Duanmu Huai had expected to see a Cyberpunk-like scene on the other side, with modified people everywhere. However, to his surprise, everything before him seemed no different from the places he had seen earlier: lively streets filled with people coming and going, noisy crowds, and busy vendors.
What was more, unlike the areas controlled by the church, the people here seemed quite enthusiastic toward Duanmu Huai and Okegis.
"Hey, Steel Bro, want to take a look at my fruit?"
"Miss, I've got some accessories here that would suit you perfectly!"
Duanmu Huai's appearance would make people avoid him like the plague almost anywhere else, which was only natural. A two-and-a-half-meter-tall Steel Knight, combined with the skull and cross symbols on his Power Armor, gave off an icy, keep-your-distance aura. But here, people seemed accustomed to such steel creations and did not appear to care much.
Duanmu Huai walked over to a fruit stall. When the owner saw him approach, he hurried forward to greet him with great enthusiasm.
"Welcome, Steel Knight. What can I get you?"
"I'm just looking around... By the way, you don't seem very afraid of me."
Duanmu Huai looked at the owner and asked curiously. Of course, to be safe, he did not remove his helmet.
"Ah, Steel Knight, you may not know this, but things are different here. We don't consider it taboo. Besides, the Saintess of the church here is a great Steel Angel. Everyone was somewhat uneasy at first, but we've gotten used