Helpers

Upon hearing Ma'am Hermit's words, Lumian's eyes suddenly lit up.

The corners of his mouth gradually turned upward, his smile becoming quite bright. "What can I do to help?"

…

Trier, cathedral district.

At the entrance of the Church of Steam and Machinery's patriarchal cathedral, with its towering iron-black chimneys, Lumian, wearing a lady's soft hat and face covered by a black veil, looked up for two seconds before walking through the open doors into the interior.

The first thing that caught his eye were thick grayish-white pipes crisscrossing everywhere—some attached to walls, some supported by pillars, some winding across the dome.

They were components of a giant steam engine, or rather, this cathedral was made up of a giant steam engine and several other large mechanical devices.