Chapter 244: Shilov's New Year's Day

The coal stove was burning fiercely, and the heat waves and the damp cold air offset each other at the window, condensing a layer of mist on the window frame.

Sitting in front of the window, Shilov's fingers holding the feather pen were frozen cold.

The ink flowed from the tip of the pen onto the linen paper, leaving a large stain, but she seemed not to see it and was still staring at the wall in a daze.

It was not until the firewood in the coal stove made a crackling sound that woke Shilov from her distraction.

Looking down at the ink on the paper, Shilov did not make any expression, nor did she know what expression meant.

Her mother never shows any expression, and neither do her relatives and friends, such as Puppet and Afu.

It was only when she got to know Horn and these unexpected guests that she realized humans have so many facial movements that express emotions.

Throwing the used paper aside, Shilov asked Afu to shovel a shovel of peat into the coal stove.

The entire manor villa was empty, with not many people left. Almost all of them went to the small town on the other side of the Para River.

Before she went to the study to write "The Divine Way of Salvation", she had been watching on the terrace for a long time.

When thunderous applause broke out in the theater, she knew that the villagers were performing.

When deafening shouting and cursing broke out afterwards, she knew that it must be the scoring session of the six elders.

Later, after the Octagon cage battle, after the echo of Sachs's defense that "I put it on his nose and didn't hit him", a melodious flute sounded.

Shilov knew that this was the ball described in the book, except that the one in the book was a ball for nobles, but the one here was a ball for common people.

Such a prosperous and lively scene is not hers.

After going downstairs, Shilov wandered aimlessly in the palace, the dark corridors, the stiff puppets, and the curtains blown by the wind.

Everything seemed to have returned to the time before Horn arrived.

"Afu, I'm going to go shopping by myself, don't follow me."

Shilov gave an order to Alfu, and the blindly loyal blood slave let go of the handle of the wheelchair.

We walked through the garden, passed the little angels spinning their birds, went under the aqueduct, and the wheels of the wheelchair ran over the dry grass that was dry in the cold.

Dark clouds covered the night sky, without a single star or moonlight visible in the sky, and Shilov walked aimlessly in the garden alone.

This garden palace is very different from what it was a month ago. For example, a laboratory shed for clockwork guns has been erected on the original open space, and in a corner of the courtyard, there are several piles of messy spare parts.

There were also a few hard-working craftsmen who were busily adjusting a large clock in front of the main hall's door.

According to Horn, there will be one bell in the prayer room, one in the Mechanical Palace, one in the barracks, and one in the workshop area.

The four large clocks adjusted the time with each other. Shilov took a look as she passed by. According to Horn's 12-hour timekeeping method, it was now past 11 o'clock at night.

After walking in the dark for an unknown amount of time, Shilov finally found herself at the palace gate.

The brass rooster outside the gate was still broken, but Shilov didn't dare to touch it or repair it because it was outside the door.

The spacious gate was open and two guards were standing at the door.

Looking outside, you can see some craftsmen carrying something and running back and forth on the small bridge over the Para River.

Turning the wheelchair, Shilov stopped a foot away from the gate, staring quietly at the steps and pillars.

With her stiff fingers gripping the wheel rim of the wheelchair, the wolf girl pushed her forearms mechanically like a puppet.

The wheels turned slowly, actually moving Shilov towards the door little by little.

The cold wind blew the fur on the wolf's ears left and right. She was stretched straight in the wheelchair, with her tail covering her thighs, and the fur on her tail seemed to explode.

One inch, two inches, three inches, the edge of the wooden wheel was getting closer and closer to the line at the door, and finally, there was only an inch of space left.

But the wheel seemed to be locked, and Shilov seemed to have hit a wall of air. The area in front could no longer move forward and just froze in place.

She smelled blood. That night, the red sword had slashed across her knee, and in the pink flesh, she saw her gray leg bones.

The two white calves were bitten completely by Ah Fu under the command of Ah Ma. She could only raise her head so that she could see outside through the doorway without seeing the empty legs.

From then on, she fell in love with reading, because books could take her to places where her legs could not take her.

"Ah - that's some progress." Shilov murmured to herself as if to comfort herself, and began to turn the hand wheel in reverse. "This time next year, I must go out."

After forcefully turning the wheelchair, Shilov turned around and walked towards the palace.

"Afu, Afu!"

Shilov called out Afu's name, but heard hurried footsteps behind her.

She turned her body and head, only to see Jeanne rushing towards her like a bull cart.

"Jeanne, why are you here tonight...ah--" Before Shilov could finish her words, Jeanne suddenly jumped up and put her hands through the wheelchair and raised them above her head.

"There's no time to explain." Jeanna lifted Shilov high up and rushed into the villa with big strides.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Shilov finally understood the feeling of being a small boat in the stormy sea in the book. She held the armrests of the wheelchair tightly, tucked her tail under her buttocks, and pressed her waist and back against the wheelchair, fearing that she would fall from such a high place.

The wheelchair moved forward at high speed and the cold wind blew in my face.

Shilov's nose moved, she barely poked her head out from the edge of the wheelchair and sniffed again: "Jeanne, have you been drinking?!"

"A few small cups of mead mixed with potato root wine." Jeanna's face flushed and she smiled foolishly, "Come on, come on, I'll show you something good."

Shilov sat in a wheelchair in fear, helplessly being carried by the drunk Jeanna.

When Jeanna jumped into the main palace gate, Shilov even felt that for a second her butt left the cushion.

After moving up and down with a clanging sound, Shilov and Jeanna finally arrived at their destination - the terrace.

Due to the height of the middle door, when they reached this point, Jeanna could only put Shilov down and push her to the terrace.

"Jeanne, why on earth did you bring me here?"

"You'll see when you see it." With her hands on her hips, Jeanna confidently pushed Shilov to the edge of the terrace.

Shilov turned her head helplessly and looked forward, then she was stunned.

The Mechanical Palace was located on a small mound, and below the mound, a long dragon of torches and lanterns was slowly coming down the slope.

Thousands of young men and women, still carrying the passion and joy of the dance, had expressions on their faces that Shilov had never seen before.

Walking in the front was Horn, holding a torch high.

Under Horn's guidance, these subjects of the Papal States stepped into the Mechanical Palace for the first time, passed through the gardens and pools, walked past the Ether Spire, and came to the Mechanical Palace.

"Boom!"

希洛芙听到了胡桃木机械钟的响声，那是代表着1444年12月31日晚上11点59分的响声。

Thousands of young men and women gathered in the Mechanical Palace. The originally empty and dark palace was instantly filled with noisy voices and flickering flames.

Many people saw Jeanna and Shilov on the terrace. Some of them knew the two saints, so they raised their hands high and waved at them.

"Your Highness Jeanne, I'm here!"

"Your Highness, come down and count down together."

"Your Highness Shiloh, come play with me. I'll teach you how to dance."

Jeanne stretched her upper body out over the terrace, greeting them cheerfully and answering their questions.

Holding the handrail on the edge of the terrace, Shilov looked at the young people of the Papal States below, her tail and ears falling limply.

"Countdown, countdown." Horn shouted, and under his leadership, all the young men and women present shouted.

"five!"

"Four!"

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"Boom-"

The New Year's bell rang suddenly, and everyone present cheered and hugged each other: "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year! Shiloh!" Jeanna raised her hands and cheered, turned around and hugged Shiloh who was sitting in a wheelchair, and asked drunkenly, "This is a New Year's Day gift from Horn and I. How about it? Do you like it?"

"..."

"Shilov, are you laughing?"

"Is this a smile?" In the fluctuating firelight, a stiff smile appeared on Shilov's face, which was originally like a poker card. She touched the corner of her upturned mouth and said, "Is this a smile?"

Jeanne did not answer Shilov's question, but the subjects below started shouting.

"What was that just now? Was it raining?"

"No, it's snow."

“It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

Everyone raised their heads and looked towards the sky.

Almost at the same time as the bell rang, snowflakes began to slowly fall from the dark clouds in the night sky.

The first snow of 1445 came quietly at the end of 1444.

(End of this chapter)