Pavela stared at herself in the mirror.
Two little pigtails.
Deep red ribbons.
And Dr. Lovelace's face, which was almost identical to Victoria's, full of expectation.
"A cha?"
She repeated.
"Yes."
Dr. Lovelace nodded.
"A brand new Flying cha that has never appeared on the battlefield, equipped with my latest research results."
"A Flying cha?"
Pavela repeated again.
Her brain was rapidly processing this information.
A Flying cha.
It wasn't that she hadn't heard of this concept before.
Back in Victoriana, she had heard so rumors.
Rumors that the Victorian Empire's Royal Research Institute was developing a cha capable of flight.
But those were just rumors.
No one had ever actually seen one.
Because all the tests were highly classified.
And it was said that the failure rate was extrely high.
The previous generations of prototypes either exploded during takeoff, lost control and crashed in mid-air, or directly burned through the pilot's spine.
In short, none of them had a good ending.
"What are you thinking about?"
Dr. Lovelace's voice pulled her back to reality.
"I was thinking,"
Pavela said,
"Why ?"
"Ah, that question."
Dr. Lovelace walked over to Pavela's side, also looking at her in the mirror.
"Because you et all the criteria."
"Criteria?"
"Yes."
Dr. Lovelace reached out and began counting on her fingers.
"First, Return Power."
"I need a Wayfarer."
"Ideally from the Path of the Fool, or failing that, the Path of the Chariot."
She looked at Pavela.
"And you, as it happens, follow the Path of the Fool."
Pavela's eyebrow twitched.
"Why must it be a Wayfarer?"
"Because the Spinal Probe used by this cha is very special,"
Dr. Lovelace said.
"It's not an ordinary Spinal Probe."
"It needs to establish a connection with the pilot's Return Power."
"If the pilot isn't a Wayfarer—or rather, if their soul hasn't established a resonance with the primordial sea—"
She paused.
"The mortality rate would be even higher than the first version of the Spinal Probe."
"Probably over ninety-five percent."
Pavela's throat constricted.
"...Ninety-five percent?"
"Yes."
Dr. Lovelace's expression remained unchanged.
As if she were speaking of a perfectly normal number.
"So it must be a Wayfarer."
"And preferably one from the Path of the Fool."
"Because Ferryn of the Path of the Fool have the highest soul adaptability."
"They can step onto any Way Back, which ans their souls themselves possess extrely high plasticity."
"For a cha that requires deep integration with Return Power, the Path of the Fool provides the most ideal pilot."
Pavela was silent for a few seconds.
"Then what about the Path of the Chariot?"
"The Path of the Chariot..."
Dr. Lovelace rubbed her chin.
"The core ability of the Path of the Chariot is the control over vehicles."
"They can use spiritual power to establish a connection with a vehicle, making it an extension of their body."
"This is actually the sa effect the Spinal Probe aims to achieve—human-machine unity."
She paused.
"Do you know how current Spinal Probes work?"
Pavela shook her head.
"The principle is to simulate the Return Power of the Path of the Chariot,"
Dr. Lovelace said.
"Using brute force to tear open a passage that should have been opened gently by spiritual power."
"tal probes pierce directly into the spine, forcibly establishing a neural connection, binding the pilot's consciousness to the cha's control system."
"Though this process is crude, dangerous, and painful,"
"It is effective."
"It could even be called efficient."
"Therefore, Ferryn of the Path of the Chariot have a natural adaptability to my experints."
"While not as versatile as the Path of the Fool, they are still an acceptable choice."
"However,"
She smiled.
"Now I have you."
"So the Path of the Chariot no longer needs to be considered."
Pavela looked at herself in the mirror again.
The two little pigtails were still swaying gently on top of her head.
"You said just now there were other criteria?"
"Yes."
Dr. Lovelace continued counting on her fingers.
"The second criterion is the person themselves."
"All of ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) my projects are highly classified."
"Especially those related to chas."
"So this candidate must be soone approved by both myself and the military."
"It must be a trustworthy person."
"Soone who won't leak secrets."
She looked at Pavela.
"And you."
"Are Eleanor von Schwartz's sister."
"The student personally recomnded by General Margaret."
"A friend recognized by little Victoria."
"These identities are enough to put both and the military at ease."
Dr. Lovelace walked up to Pavela, leaned down, and rested both hands on the armrests of the chair.
Her erald green eyes looked directly into Pavela's eyes.
"Furthermore,"
"You follow the Path of the Fool."
"This ans I can add so special modifications to this experintal cha."
"Features that only a pilot of the Path of the Fool can use."
"So... interesting things that will make this cha even more... unique."
Pavela could feel that light in Dr. Lovelace's eyes.
It was a pure curiosity and excitent for the unknown.
Just like Victoria.
Pavela took a deep breath.
"If I agree,"
She said,
"What do I get?"
"The most advanced cha in the world."
Dr. Lovelace laughed.
"A cha that belongs only to you."
"A cha that will allow you to crush all opponents on the battlefield."
"A cha that will let you fly."
Her smile beca even more brilliant.
"Also,"
"I will personally train you."
"Teach you how to pilot it."
"Teach you how to bring out its full performance."
"Teach you how to fight in the air."
"This knowledge, in the entire Victorian Empire—no, in the entire world—only I can teach you."
Pavela looked into Dr. Lovelace's eyes.
She had just said she would give her a cha.
The most advanced cha in the world.
This was sothing Pavela hadn't even dared to dream of when she was in the Punishnt Camp.
Back then, she piloted a 'thug-iv'.
A piece of junk cha cobbled together, covered in weld marks, and liable to fall apart at any mont.
She had survived using that cha.
She had killed many people using that cha.
She had fought her way out during the Night of Calderburg using that cha.
But she knew.
It wasn't because that little piece of junk was strong.
It was because she was desperate enough.
Insidious enough.
Reckless enough.
If she had a truly advanced, high-performance cha—
She would be able to do so much more.
She might truly possess the ability to change things.
Pavela took a deep breath.
"Fine,"
She said.
"I agree."
Dr. Lovelace nodded.
"Very good."
She held out her hand.
"Then we have an agreent."
Pavela also reached out her hand.
The two hands clasped together.
Dr. Lovelace's hand was very warm.
Her grip was also quite strong.
It was the hand of a craftsman.
"Welco to my project,"
Dr. Lovelace said.
"I will show you what a real cha is."
Pavela nodded.
Then—
Pavela began to feel that sothing was slightly off.
Because she saw Dr. Lovelace already rubbing her hands together in excitent.
"Then let's get started right now!"
"Started with what?"
"asuring data!"
Dr. Lovelace said.
"Height, weight, arm span, leg length, reaction speed, nerve conduction speed—"
"I need to know all your data to design the cha that fits you best."
"And then—"
Her eyes lit up again.
"I also need to test your Return Power."
"To see exactly how many Ways Back you can use simultaneously."
"This is vital for the cha's design."
"This ntal Space is the most suitable place for initial testing."
"There will be no external interference."
"No safety hazards."
"Even if sothing goes wrong, it's only ntal damage and won't affect your physical body."
The more Pavela listened, the more she felt an ominous premonition.
"Doctor."
"Hmm?"
"This test..."
"Will it hurt?"
Dr. Lovelace tilted her head.
She thought for a mont.
Then she revealed a very brilliant smile.
Warm.
Sincere.
Full of goodwill.
"Yes, it will."
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