Wandering paths, Teda’s Alchemy Workshop.
Aimou sat on a strangely designed lounge chair, surrounded by several chanical arms, with various pipes crisscrossing around, and different tools hanging on the wall behind, easily within reach.
"Are they going to be stationed here permanently?"
Aimou pulled down the overhead mirror so it could perfectly reflect her body, then she laid back, rolling up her shirt to near her armpits, where there was a socket, and connected the lines lying beside into the socket. A bluish glow swept across Aimou’s body.
"Pretty much, it’s a deal. They need a foothold, and I need Bologue’s Alchemy Matrix."
Teda walked by, frowning as he looked at the docunts in his hand, holding a cup of coffee in the other hand, he sat on a chair beside.
"Is this okay?"
Aimou’s voice lowered.
As the lines connected, Ether was released from her body, transmitted to the chanical arms. She laid completely flat, the chanical arms starting up as if to embrace her tightly on the lounge chair. Thin, pointed ends erged from disjointed chanical structures, gently prying open her seemingly gel-like shell.
She looked through the mirror above at herself on the repair table, using Ether to control the chanical arms, performing maintenance on her own body.
As an Alchemy Puppet, Aimou still had many shortcomings. Every so often, maintenance was required. Fortunately, she had learned all of this and could complete these tasks independently without troubling Teda.
Learning, and improving, upgrading herself.
"There’s nothing wrong with it. They won’t affect my research. Moreover, with Bologue’s cooperation, I might uncover the mystery of Overlord Xilin’s power."
Teda held an intense purpose, and it was this purpose that kept him alive and drove him into a feverish pursuit of truth.
"Even possibly, we could utilize them, let them deal with those rchants," Teda contemplated, "I’m not suitable to directly acquire those things, and you lack self-defense ability. If handed over to Bologue and them..."
Soon, Teda finalized his idea.
"You understand the importance of all this, don’t you, Aimou?"
He said as he raised his head to look at Aimou on the repair table, conducting maintenance on herself.
"I understand, it’s all for her..."
Perhaps because of the ongoing repair, Aimou’s voice was low and devoid of any emotion.
She slowly raised her hand, covering her chest, feeling beneath the tal and composite materials, the beating, powerful heart of steel and Ether, and the crimson shadow hidden within.
"As long as you know." Teda’s gaze was somber.
"I will strive for it," Aimou looked at her dismantled self in the mirror, hesitated for a few seconds, and tentatively said, "I will do it, father."
Aimou seed to utter a taboo phrase, instantly pressing the atmosphere down. For the rare occasion, there was a flicker of anger in Teda’s eyes. He put down the file and coffee, his voice heated.
"Aimou, I’ve said many tis!"
"Sorry, it was just subconscious..."
Aimou expressed her apology, but she knew clearly, it was not subconscious but a preditated probe. Unfortunately, no matter how many tis she tested it, the result was always the sa.
"I hope there won’t be a next ti, Aimou," Teda said sternly.
"I understand, teacher."
Clearly, Teda preferred "teacher" over "father." If Bologue were here, he’d know that Teda resists recognizing Aimou as a human individual, avoiding the emotional involvent that intimate relationships bring, yet he declines the kin-based title while accepting the master-apprentice bond.
Perhaps, in Teda’s eyes, he can manage the boundaries of a teacher-student relationship, or perhaps for other reasons, but only Teda himself understood all this.
"I’m going to sleep."
Teda picked up the file and coffee, walked into the shadows, ascended the stairs, turned into the corner, and opened a door.
This was Teda’s room. Usually during the day, he’s busy in front of the workshop, resting only minimally on the chair. Outside of sleeping, he almost never ca here; sotis, he even just slept outside, propped on the table for a night.
As if avoiding sothing, things Teda was unwilling to face.
Indoor dimness and warm décor, the small table filled with photos. Teda walked to the table, picked up a photo showing Teda under the sunlight, raising a girl high up by her hands.
The girl looked much like Aimou, with similar age, stature, hair color—perhaps even Aimou was created based on the girl in the photo.
Teda’s face was shrouded in shadow. He gazed at the photograph for a long ti, and finally, he put it down, collapsing back onto the bed without a word, like a dead corpse.
The space of the Alchemy Workshop was large. To support Teda’s various research and the setting of the Void Realm, when it was built, Teda hollowed out the cliff’s interior, crafting it into a small fortress.
There were several laboratories, various large pieces of equipnt, and warehouses. The space was imnse, but however imnse it was, Teda did not prepare a room for Aimou. More precisely, Aimou did have a room—her room was her maintenance chamber, and the repair table was her bed.
Aimou finished her routine maintenance and lay flat on the bench, staring at herself in the mirror, the halo in her eyes constantly shifting shapes.
Due to technical limitations, Aimou couldn’t make complex facial expressions. As a result, when she spoke, it was as if she donned a cold mask. But expressions are an important part of communication among humans, so to be more akin to them and to communicate, Aimou let the halo in her eyes express her emotions.
Just as Bologue had speculated back then, the different forms of the halo represented different emotions inside Aimou... if such things could be considered emotions.
Aimou didn’t need to sleep. What was called sleep for her was more like entering a low-power state, slowing down the operation of her "Mind Projection."
Usually, before entering hibernation, Aimou liked to stare at herself in the mirror this way, like so sort of sleeping ritual.
She had read in a book that people could determine if animals had self-awareness by whether they could recognize the existence of the mirror and realize the reflection was themselves.
Every ti she saw herself in the mirror and recognized it as herself, Aimou was happy. She knew it was herself, that she was alive and possessed self-awareness.
Like a spell, you whisper it repeatedly, and one day it might co true.
Then... cos dreaming.
Aimou wasn’t sure if an existence like hers could dream like humans, nor did she know what human dreams were truly like. No matter how depicted in books, it was still ethereal theory, and her own limitations made it difficult for Aimou to practice any of it.
But... Aimou felt that this must be a dream, a bit different from the dreams described in books, but she thought perhaps it was her very own dream.
The sound of tinkling silvery laughter rang out, and Aimou knew she was here.
Every night she descended like a specter. Aimou did not resist this; on the contrary, she was delighted, for she knew each ti she would bring surprises.
Slowly closing her eyes, when Aimou opened them again, everything was as usual. She still lay on the repair table, only this ti, in her gaze, her reflection in the mirror was no longer alone.
"Alice..."
Aimou whispered, slowly turning her head, and saw the girl leaning beside her. She had the sa face, the sa posture.
She smiled at herself, reaching out to gently caress her icy cheek, and said warmly.
"Good evening, Aimou."
Alice’s voice was ethereal and sacred. She wore a white dress, and though they were indoors, an invisible breeze lifted her clothing.
She took Aimou’s hand, motioning for her to follow, and Aimou willingly followed Alice’s steps, holding absolute trust in her.
The two pushed open the Alchemy Workshop’s grand doors. This should have triggered the Void Realm’s alarms, yet the Void Realm remained silent, as if this truly was Aimou’s dreamscape.
Alice led Aimou to the aerial corridor. Leaning over, they looked down as blurry ghostly lights wandered in the Sea of Mist, and from the depths, the winds roared as if a colossal entity was deeply breathing in and out.
"Aimou, I know what you’re thinking."
Alice sat on the railing, her white legs swinging.
Aimou wasn’t surprised Alice could guess. She said, "Then what do you think of this?"
This was a peculiar scene. No matter how many books Aimou had read, she could not find precise answers, nor did she dare tell Teda. She feared Teda discovering the little thoughts she harbored.
An Alchemy Puppet wasn’t supposed to have such thoughts.
"? I don’t have any opinions. As long as it’s what you want," Alice smiled as she looked at Aimou, "after all, I’m already dead. Dead is dead, and there’s nothing left."
Aimou placed her hands on the railing, standing beside Alice. The two stood above the mist as if they were sprites erging from a dense forest.
The halo in her eyes slowly rotated. No one knew what Aimou was pondering, and at this mont, Alice exhorted once more.
"If I really had anything to say..."
She lowered her head and earnestly pleaded with Aimou.
"Please, take good care of him for ."
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