Endless Silver Machine

When they were children, Aika and Luoluo lived in a remote village that could truly be called a border suburb. The village is surrounded by steep mountains to the southwest and north, and is as isolated as the end of the world.

Although the place is not big, it has everything you need. After generations of hard work, the border villages surrounded by mountains have been developed into a thriving paradise by continuously expanding fields and grazing lands.

It is said that this place was originally just a small settlement, composed of several different families. When Aika and Luoluo were born, they had integrated various communities in the surrounding areas and developed to the current scale.

Therefore, Aika and Luoluo did not lack playmates of the same age during their childhood. But the best friend is the child who came to this village from the "outside world" and took root.

It is said that Shun's family was a traveling family that traveled around the world for a long time. When they passed through this village on the way, they stayed here for various reasons, and finally became one of the families that make up the village. If you put it this way, Shun is actually no longer a foreigner.

And this gray seaweed-headed boy who came here from the "outside world" brought many new things to Aika and the others who had never left the village since birth. Naturally, they were still ignorant. As a child, Aika looked up to him and was even called "big brother" by him.

He became close friends with the brother and sister Aika and Luoluo about half a year after Shun's family took root in the village. From that time on, the three of them were always inseparable.

Shun is a boy with strong mobility, and he often takes the village chief's precious children to wander around mountains and rivers. As a younger sister who thinks she must take care of her brother, Luoluo also has to follow the two boys around.

"Brother, Brother Shun...you guys walk slower..."

There was nothing interesting about the border villages. Apart from the continuous mountains, the golden wheat fields and the grazing lands full of excrement, the two boys had no interest in those places at all.

It is said that there is the sea far away from the border villages. The prerequisite is that you have to climb several mountains and climb to the top of the highest mountain to see it from a distance.

——Every day I look for a place where I can see the sea, but I have to climb up those mountains and then know that they are not suitable and then have to climb down again, which is very troublesome. Why don't we just prepare some things for a long trip and just go climb the mountain we saw?

This is Shun and Aika's daily goal. Climb the highest mountain and see the most beautiful sea.

The mountain trails they climbed were all unexplored animal trails. Luoluo, who was not used to walking on mountain trails, naturally couldn't keep up with the two boys' excited steps.

"Lolo, you're falling behind again!"

Aika, who was walking in front, stopped and turned around, shouting loudly to Luo Luo, who was lagging far behind. Shun also stopped after them.

"It's not because you two are always moving forward..."

Half a minute passed waiting for Luoluo to return to them.

The necessities needed for mountain climbing, including flares used in times of distress and baskets containing water and food, were all carried on Shun and Aika's backs. Lolo was not carrying any heavy objects that would consume extra energy.

In order to cooperate with the two boys on the mountain climbing trail, Luoluo took off the refreshing dress she usually wears and put on a long-sleeved top and trousers suitable for mountain climbing. The delicate strappy sandals were replaced by thick-soled medium-sized shoes that were rarely worn. boots, and the big bow-tie straw hat used to protect from the sun in summer is still worn on the head.

However, such sufficient equipment still seems unable to make up for Luoluo's weaknesses.

"Brother, where are we now?"

"Aika, please remember the path we took. If you go to a forest alone, you will definitely get lost and die."

"It doesn't matter, there's still Luoluo!"

"I don't want to accompany my brother to that boring ending..."

"You bastard are talking about heartless things. If Luoluo suffers with you, let me know that you are the one who will make it easier."

"Brother, why do you sound like my bastard father?"

"You two... don't talk about that kind of thing anymore..."

Lolo panted, interrupting the argument between Aika and Shun.

Although the two of them are indeed close friends, they always have different opinions on topics involving Luo Luo. If they don't intervene in time to stop them, sometimes they will even fight.

The three of them were now walking on a mountain path with sparse trees, and the gray and uneven rocky road sloped up toward the top of the mountain.

Shun looked up at the cloudless sky. The sunshine today was not as dazzling as the previous few days. Having said that, with this unpredictable weather, it would not be surprising if a severe thunderstorm unique to midsummer could occur at any time.

Therefore, Luoluo also carefully prepared rainproof tools for everyone. The things in the luggage carried by Aika and Shun were all prepared by Luo Luo himself. Because they were meticulous, they had everything they needed, so much that she couldn't even carry them.

Seeing the tired look on Luoluo's face, Aika's enthusiasm was diluted by distress.

"Brother, let's rest here for a while. Anyway, it's still early and the weather is just right."

They specially summarized their past experiences yesterday, and today they took only a short time to reach the top of the mountain far away from home.

The further away from the village, the greater the potential for danger. After all, this is an uncultivated wilderness area. If you encounter wild animals, you are lucky. The portable weapons such as daggers, bows, crossbows, and torches in your luggage can drive them away, but if you encounter a monster, you will be in trouble.

"But I think there may be a heavy rain at any time. If you want to rest peacefully, it's better to find a place to hide from the rain. In short, try to go to higher places." Shun mentioned the experience and iron rules of mountaineering, "Otherwise, turn back now , it’s dangerous to rest here.”

"Want to turn back?"

Aika asked Lolo for his opinion with some regret, and it was obvious that he didn't like either option.

Luoluo shook his head gently.

"Let's continue walking forward. It's hard for everyone to get here. Brother and Shun are both looking forward to the place where they can see the sea, aren't they?"

"Lolo actually also wants to see what the legendary sea looks like, right?"

"Ah ha ha……"

Living in a village surrounded by mountains, Aika and Luoluo had only heard descriptions of the sea, and that kind of place seemed to never reach them. So when Shun, who came here from the "outside world", heard that the sea was actually right in front of them, they had been looking forward to seeing the boundless sea level and the vast beauty of the water and sky with their own eyes.

Aika worried about herself for a few seconds, then took off the luggage on her back and handed it to Shun.

"Brother, you should still be able to carry it, right?" After Shun took over his luggage without knowing why, he squatted down in front of Luo Luo, "We're not far from the top of the mountain. I'll carry you up."

Luoluo hesitated for a moment, then carefully climbed onto Aika's back.

Luoluo originally didn't mind this kind of intimacy between family members, but since when he realized the deep feelings, he has been hesitant like this. But this subtle inner change was not noticed by Aika.

"Hey!"

This is not the first time he has carried Luo Luo on his back. Feeling her relaxing and leaning on his back, Aika will also relax unconsciously. Although the mountain road was still rugged, Aika walked at a gentle pace with steady and strong steps, because at this moment he shouldered the warmth and happiness between the two of them.

…………

Finally, we found a high ground that we were instantly satisfied with, and a mountain stream that became quite narrow flowed into a naturally formed rock cave. This is an excellent resting place. The stream flowing here is a tributary of the river, and it is surrounded by dense jungle. This location can be relatively safe from mudslides even in heavy rains.

"Brother, you are so good. You actually found this place..."

"You bastard, didn't you ever believe me in the first place?!"

"At that time, I just wanted to comfort Luo Luo. I was also prepared to just find a place to stay if I couldn't find a suitable place to rest."

"Lolo was comforted, but my heart was seriously hurt again."

"Don't worry about me so much... This isn't the first time you and I have been to a place like this..."

Aika has long regarded Luoluo as a companion who is no different from herself. Although he does accommodate her in some aspects, most of the time he does not treat her differently just because she is a girl. This is also the relationship that Luoluo hopes for.

But for Shun, who is not a family member, Luo Luo is someone who should be cared for in every possible way, so when Ai Ka is not gentle enough to Luo Luo, he will punish Ai Ka with a hammer.

"Now that we've found a safe place, there's no need to worry. Let's finish lunch during the break."

"But didn't we just have breakfast before we set off?"

There are at least two hours left before lunch time, and Luo Luo, who doesn't eat much, doesn't have an appetite yet.

"There won't be any time left for us to have a leisurely lunch later. My uncle and aunt have repeatedly reminded us that we have to go back before dark, so we have to include the return time."

"Brother, we have marked the way along the way here. We don't have to take so many detours on the way back. The speed should be much faster than when we just came here, right?"

"Even then, we have to start walking back around three or four o'clock."

"If we don't find a place where we can see the sea today, there's nothing we can do, brother. We can only come back next time when we are better prepared."

"Aika, let's think about it from another perspective. Haven't we already explored all the mountain roads here this time? There is no need to hesitate next time we come here, we can go straight to the destination."

"Although it's a good thing to have such optimistic thoughts... Since eldest brother and Luoluo have said so, I have no objection."

Shun is the leader and Luoluo is the sister. Aika must listen carefully to what they both say.

Since the rest of the trip was no longer controversial, Lolo sat down and took off the big straw hat with a bow on his head and placed it next to him.

"It might be really about to rain heavily. It's been very hot and muggy today..."

Lolo unbuttons the neckline of her long-sleeved top naturally with her movements, and the design of the mountaineering outfit that can adjust the tightness at any time is very subtle.

Underneath the clothes is a pure white tulle lining. The sweat flowing from the neck to the collarbone dyes the white tulle lining almost transparent, and the outline of the close-fitting sports bra is looming.

Luoluo whirred and fanned the inside of her collar with her hands, exposing her delicate skin that was slightly reddened by the sultry heat to the air.

The narrow cave is filled with the fragrance of moist soil and unknown wild flowers. This fragrance is very close to the atmosphere of Loluo.

"..."

Shun quickly looked away from Luo Luo with some embarrassment. Although he is the reliable eldest brother of the two siblings, he is still only a child who is four years older than them and will celebrate his sixteenth birthday in two months.

Being ignorant and yearning for certain things, he didn't know where to look at this moment, but Luo Luo didn't seem to notice the trouble she caused Shun.

Only Aika noticed Shun's embarrassed look and secretly covered his mouth and laughed. He would not panic just because he saw Luoluo's skin. For Aika at that time, Luoluo was just a sister, a simple and beautiful relationship.

Then, Aika took out the folded towel in her luggage, stood up and walked softly to Luoluo, let go of her hand, and the loose towel fell like some kind of indescribable caterpillar. On her head.

"Ah——" The towel hanging down from the corner just blocked Luoluo's sight. Mistaking it for a caterpillar, she hurriedly got the thing off her head, "What, it turned out to be just a towel... Brother, don't be scared. Me, it’s true!”

"You screamed out before you could see clearly, right? Wipe off your sweat. You'll catch a cold easily if you're dressed like this."

"That's something that fell from the head! What if it's something strange..." Loluo grumbled unwillingly and hung the towel around his neck, holding tightly the corners of the towel hanging on his chest with both hands. , "Thank you, brother."

"Hey, Aika, you actually took the opportunity to increase Luoluo's favorability!"

"Brother, why are you saying weird things again?"

"Luoluo is the girl I want to marry into my family in the future!"

"Yes, yes, but first brother, what you have to do is to ask her brother for permission, but I won't agree. It's gratifying that the dream has been shattered."

"It has nothing to do with you, as long as your uncle and aunt agree to the marriage, it's enough."

"Brother, how can you be so confident when you haven't even taken the first step..."

This kind of dispute without any practical significance has appeared for the second time today, and Luoluo has long been used to it. She calmly stayed out of the situation, wiped the sweat off her neck and chest with the towel Aika gave her, and then walked between them and pulled the two people apart.

"Don't always fight over such meaningless things, really..."

Before Luoluo finished speaking, there was a roar that sounded like a beast from the distance. Although the distance of the sound seemed to be some distance away, the shock that penetrated the air shook the top of the cave where they were resting several times. gravel.

"What is that sound..."

Aika and Shun, who were originally blushing due to the argument, stopped at the same time and looked in the direction outside the cave.

"That kind of cry can't be that of a wild animal..."

"...We may have had the worst luck we've had in years."

Aika and Shun flew to the entrance of the cave and looked around. Birds and beasts scattered in the dense forest in the distance, as if there was some unspeakable ferocious beast hidden in that place.

The sky turned from sunny to overcast at a speed that could be seen by the naked eye, and dark cumulonimbus clouds rolled over and covered the sky above them.

"Luoluo, pack your things and get ready to leave!"

Aika immediately turned back to the cave and said to Luoluo, while starting to pack the unpacked luggage.

"Is there something outside..."

"I don't know. Anyway, it's not something we want to encounter."

"Anyway, let's get out of here as soon as possible. It's going to rain heavily outside soon. We need to go down the mountain now." Shunya hurriedly started stuffing things into his luggage and carried them on his back. "How could there be any third party in a place like this? The fourth level of monsters..."

Shun muttered to himself in disbelief. It's not that they didn't do enough research before setting off. This mountain forest area has never been artificially developed, so it's not surprising that there are any weird and rare birds and animals hidden there.

The same beast roar as before was heard again in the distance.

"It seems to be getting closer this time..."

"They probably didn't come for us! Anyway, don't think too much. Follow the markers on our road and go down the mountain as soon as possible. After leaving the mountainous forest area, go to a place with a wide view. As long as you return to the village, you will be safe!"

Monsters are easily attracted to things filled with magical power. Neither Shun nor Aika are good at magic, and Luoluo only knows a little bit about it. None of the three of them has the kind of special physique that attracts the attention of monsters.

Luoluo hurriedly tied the collar of her long-sleeved coat, picked up the big straw hat with a bow and hung it behind her, and started to help the two boys, who were getting more and more messy, to check their luggage.

After Shun carried the luggage for both of them, Luo Luo obediently leaned close to Aika's back and hugged his shoulders tightly with her arms.

When we walked out of the cave, the sky was already as dark as dusk, and it didn't look like it was actually close to noon.

…………