Ery spent two weeks inside his domain before he finally stepped out, wearing a deeply satisfied grin.
He strolled past the warehouse and imdiately noticed that Vic was nowhere in sight. The golems and puppets lay scattered across the floor, unattended.
"Hmm... did he finally give up?" Ery muttered.
Before he could think further, a familiar voice called out.
"Father... you finally ca out.
Ery turned and saw Shinta standing at the entrance. "You're back..."
But his smile faded the mont he saw the look on her face-distressed, tense, almost trembling beneath a forced calm.
"What is it?" Ery asked, his voice sharpening.
Shinta forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Are you looking for Vic...? I'll bring you to him."
She didn't wait for his answer. Ery was pulled along through the estate until they reached a guest room. Inside, Vic lay on the bed-face pale, body limp, sweat glistening across his brow.
"What happened...?" Ery asked.
Shinta's forced smile finally cracked, breaking into raw irritation. "Father... what did you do? Look what he's beco!"
It took Ery a mont to realize what he was seeing-Vic's spirit pool was completely drained, and his mind looked dangerously overexerted. The boy had pushed himself far beyond his limits.
Ery gave him a recovery pill and cast a healing spell. A few seconds later, Vic's eyes fluttered open.
"Ah... Sir, you've returned... I am sorry.. I haven't finished yet... Give a few minutes.. i'll get right to it.."
Ery noticed Shinta's murderous glare, interrupted quickly. "Don't worry about those things. Just continue when you're ready. No rush."
Vic's expression dimd into pure dejection. "I'm sorry, sir. Unlike the golems... those Vashka puppets- they're designed to be controlled using the Puppeteer's Thousand Strings technique. Unless I master it, I can't repair or refine them."
Ery nodded slowly. Unfortunately, he understood. He had seen Vashka's techniques before-delicate, intricate, and requiring a deep comprehension of the puppet laws.
It seed Ery would need to find a real puppetry expert if he wanted to make use of the legacy. Otherwise... he might ultimately have to sell it to the highest bidder.
What followed next was Shinta forcing the young man to lie down and rest before she dragged Ery out of the room. She was still visibly emotional, her steps sharp, her expression tense.
"I travel back and forth for you... and look at what you've done!" she snapped. "Well, I didn't force him," Ery defended himself, "It's not my fault-"
"Huh?! Can't you see how much he's been trying to please you? That makes it your fault!"
Ery scratched the back of his head helplessly before offering her a small, amused smile. "You really care about this boy, don't you?"
Hearing that, Shinta froze. A faint blush rose to her cheeks before she abruptly turned her head away.
"H-huh? Not really... That idiot just makes worry sotis."
"Mm-hm." Ery crossed his arms.
"Anyway!" She turned sharply. "Just... just be nicer to him!"
Ery raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright... I'm sorry ok..
Shinta then shot him a sideways look, her irritation fading into sothing softer-curiosity mixed with nervousness.
"So, Father... what do you think about him?"
Her eyes were wide, bright with expectation, clearly hoping for approval.
Ery let out a long sigh. "I... guess he is... okay."
The answer was enough to make Shinta's expression light up with a barely contained smile. "I'm glad you like him. Grandmother didn't."
"Wait-I didn't say I liked-"
But Shinta was no longer listening. She launched into a story about her grandmother's reaction, waving her hands animatedly while Ery trailed beside her. He simply stayed quiet and listened. There was a certain warmth in the mont-sothing simple and pleasant that he hadn't felt in a long while. Eventually, when she paused for breath, Ery gently steered the conversation back.
"So... how was your trip?"
Shinta finally cald herself enough to speak properly. With a long exhale, she began describing everything that had happened during her trip.
She had gone back to Ouroboros to persuade the gene-research team to relocate to Utopia. As she expected, she was t with heavy resistance. The project was no longer in the hands of a single faction; it had grown into a coalition of several half-blood alliances. Even researchers from the dragon and turtle clans had joined the effort, turning it into a massive cross-species undertaking.
"But fortunately," Shinta said, lifting her chin proudly, "this daughter of yours is very smart."
Despite the political layers and complicated interests, she managed to convince them that Ery - the project's previous leader still had invaluable contributions to offer, especially after his return from distant realm. Her argunt sparked internal discussion, and in the end, they agreed to
compromise.
They would not move the entire institution, but they would send several specialists to Utopia's research center, along with the latest updates of the
serum.
"Two labs are better than one," Shinta said with a satisfied smile. "We can share results and accelerate the breakthroughs."
Ery nodded appreciatively, genuinely impressed by her efforts. All he needed now was to wait a few days for those specialists to arrive.
But Shinta wasn't finished.
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. "Now that I've completed my assignnt... I want to join the real exciting project. You know-the one about
taking over a planet!"
Ery was surprised. "You heard about that already?"
Shinta crossed her arms. "Of course I did. i have spies everywhere.. So, can I
join?"
He considered her words for a long mont, but ultimately he shook his head. "No. I have sothing else I want you to help with"
Shinta stared at him suspiciously, her lips tightening. "What is it? It better not be boring."
The very next morning, Ery brought Shinta to the Magus Academy. Two
powerful grand magus accompanied them: Feyanor - the deer-bloodline expert and the elderly Soltz.
Both grand magus looked around the enormous institution with awe.
Shinta, however, was more focused on Ery. "What you want to do here?"
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