In the four hundred and fifty-eighth year of the San Leon calendar, the month of autumn, the fifty-first day.

It had just rained outside the window. It is said that the cold wind from the empire traveled all the way south, dispelling the sweltering heat of the previous days. The silver-haired girl walked down the stairs, pushed open the window pages, let the moist air brush her cheeks, and looked at the two rainbows in the distance.

"My eldest lady." Joyce's gentle voice came from behind, "Thinking about things? Didn't the research go well? ”

Fleihill nodded. In recent weeks, she has confirmed that the puppet's 'soul core' has the ability to learn easily and holds a large amount of information that cannot be parsed. However, she made a total of thirty-three awakening attempts, all of which failed.

"Do me a favor and find Quinta here. I have something I want to ask him. ”

The voice behind him was silent for a moment, and then sounded again with a hint of teasing. "Don't care what he's hiding for?"

"Of course not." Frey turned and looked down at the young man on the couch, "But secrets are just secrets, and questions are two different things. ”

"Okay, yes." Joyce raised her hand and snapped her fingers, stood up leisurely, and walked unhurriedly to the door, "I'll wait a quarter of an hour before I come back." Allow yourself to relax once in a while, there's always time. ”

The door closed. Fleihill exhaled softly, and looked out the empty window once more. She seldom spends herself alone completely, but there are times when she does need a brief period of time.

Everyone has secrets. She has it too.

Hamis Felton had a past with his mother, and he also took in a firefiend; Quinta may be stranded on this continent, but for some reason she is willing to work for the Speaker, and Joyce has always been very sweet and the person she trusts the most, but Frey is vaguely aware that he takes care of her a lot more than just because of her old friendship with her mother.

And for Frey, the biggest secret is not her purpose, but her origin-

She may not be from this era.

Frey remembers her childhood living in a country known as the 'Marland Union'. It was a fairly wealthy country, with many of its residents making a living from handicrafts, manufacturing and performances, making it a well-known tourist destination in the surrounding area. There are a variety of inexpensive mystical items circulating in the market, allowing people who are not wizards to enjoy the convenience of magic. Due to the spread of heavy machinery, the production of food and materials is very abundant, and even if some people are unwilling to work to earn money, they will not lack food and clothing with the help of the Civil Affairs Department.

She, naturally, does not belong to the latter. For as long as she can remember, Frey has been learning the craft of puppets from her 'original' mother. It is a combination of craftsmanship and secret arts, and it is possible to create delicate dolls that are lifelike and can move freely throughout the joints of the body, and look like works of art.

But with the golem that has been sealed into the soul of the inner realm and has an autonomous consciousness; Unlike the puppets that are said to have been reverted to ancient times and have many preset commands, their 'dolls' are just immobile ornaments if they are not controlled by magic.

That's okay. Even though the production cost is much higher than that of ordinary crafts, there is no shortage of nobles and wealthy people who are willing to collect rare objects at high prices. But her mother would never sell them to anyone. Whenever Frey tried to persuade her mother, she received the same answer:

"Don't forget, we are the heirs of Luo Zhen. Frey, we have lost his legacy, and we can't lose his teachings as well. Luo Zhen never sold his daughters, because each puppet has a life and a will of its own. Even what we're seeing in front of us is just not waking up yet—"

It was all nonsense, she had always thought.

The legend of Luo Zhen is a fantasy story, and no one has ever really seen his living 'daughters'. His year of birth is unknown, his real name is unknown, and there are different opinions on how many works he has had. Occasionally, there will be sellers in the bazaars and auctions under the name of 'Luo Zhen', but no matter how shoddy the products are, they are at best treated as a joke rather than a so-called 'fake'.

After all, if the real thing never existed, how could it be a fake?

But Frey had no intention of going against her mother's wishes. She didn't believe that Law really existed, and she didn't think the dolls had life or mind. But perhaps, somewhere in her heart, she is also reluctant to sell her mother and her own efforts to rich families who only see 'them' as collectibles.

In this way, she had to take a few dolls to the streets, squares, and banquets of the rich, and manipulate 'them' to put on a show—acrobatics, opera, dancing, and singing—and then get income from the onlookers, or the host of the banquet, to support her daily expenses and purchase materials.

This life continued until she was fifteen years old. If it hadn't been for that 'accident', maybe it would have lasted longer.

One autumn night that year, my father, whom he hadn't seen for weeks, returned home. Ignoring his mother's resistance, he insisted on taking the two dolls they had made, claiming that he had already found a buyer.

"The money that the two of them can be worth is worth more than your income for a whole year!" After some argument, the man impatiently pushed his mother down on the sofa beside him, picked up the suitcase containing the two dolls, and walked to the door without looking back, "Okay, I'll give you half of the money when I get it, and it's enough for you to live a good life for a while, or make another dozen of these things, right?" ”

He couldn't get out of the door. And to this day, Frey is still unsure of what happened at that moment-

The petite red figure sliced across her field of vision in an instant, and the utility knife in her hand cut the man's throat without hesitation. She recognized it as the "crested ibis", the first doll her mother made, which stood quietly in a corner of the studio for several years. With the gushing blood, Frey instinctively looked at her mother to the side, but saw the same consternation on the other person's countenance—and a fleeting ecstasy.

In the subsequent investigation and trial, her mother insisted that she had never done anything, and that it was the puppets who killed the man who wanted to 'snatch them' by their own will. It is conceivable that no one believes such words, but further confirms her motive for the murder. Eventually, her mother was sentenced to death for intentional homicide, and all the dolls were confiscated and subsequently auctioned off at a low price.

Ironically, the highest price was paid for the "crested ibis", which was identified as the murder weapon.

All of them are no longer connected to Frey. She lost her father, then her mother, and many memories of more than a decade between the two of them in just one month. What she will never forget is the last time she went to visit her mother, she smiled and said to her.

"I don't care if they believe me or not, Frey, if you believe me, that's enough. I didn't do anything that night, it was a "crested ibis...... She did it all herself. The mother's expression was a little haggard, but her eyes seemed to be lit with fire, "In other words, what we believe in is true, and our inheritance is also true!" Knowing this, I'm worth dying! ”

"But ah, I won't see that day anymore." Her mother shook her head slightly, smiling with rare relief, "I don't regret it, Frey. It's just that from now on, I'll entrust the 'Luo Zhen Doll Workshop' to you—"

On the day of her mother's execution, the girl did not go to the scene, but shrunk alone in the bed, sleeping from morning to evening. She had learned almost all of her mother's craft, but she had no idea what the future of the 'puppet workshop' would be. Whether it is to make a living by 'selling art' as before, or to start selling her own works, it seems impossible to live up to her mother's expectations of her.

Needless to say, as the daughter of the 'murderer', her future life will only be more difficult than before. The father's relatives came to the door a few days ago, believing that the house should be used as compensation for the mother's crimes, and ordered her to move out of the house within this month. They also used the excuse of avoiding rumors to 'kindly' persuade her to leave her hometown where she had lived for more than ten years - but no one cared where she should go in the world when she was alone.

Outside the window, the sky was getting darker. Hunger finally caused Frey to get up from her bed and staggered to the living room, intending to find some bread or something to cushion her stomach. When she pushed open the bedroom door, she saw that the light had turned on in the living room at some point, and a woman she had never seen sitting at the table.

She wore a plain woolen dress and had long, silky brown hair, and looked a few years older than Frey. She raised her head slightly, and looked at the girl across from her gently, as if she had known her a long time ago.

"Frey." The woman whispered her name, "Do you want to see Luo Zhen?" ”

The girl frowned, not knowing how to react for a moment. Because their mother has always talked about Luo Zhen, there are not a few people around them who know this name, but they all have an attitude like watching a joke. However, just now, Frey felt for no reason that the women were not looking for any pleasure in her.

"You...... Who is it? She tried to ask, "It's me...... Or someone she knows? ”

"You don't know me yet, and neither does your mother." The woman held up a finger and shook it slightly, "But I know where Luo Zhen is." Don't you want to meet? ”

She wasn't sure, Frey thought. The legendary "Luo Zhen" has a erratic personality, sometimes amiable, sometimes stubborn and unkind. Either way, it was more like a mother's wish than hers," he ...... Is it really my 'ancestor'? ”

"That's right." The woman replied in the affirmative, "Although there is a long time apart, you are connected by blood." ”

That was an option, but she had nowhere to go now, the girl thought. "What do I have to pay?"

"You don't need anything but to live well." The woman's smile was more pronounced, as if to indicate that she was somewhat satisfied, "Of course, if you have a bad time, I can send you back here." ”

"Then you don't have to." There's nothing to be nostalgic for her here, it's better to leave, "as long as you don't lie to me." ”

The woman stood up gracefully, approached almost silently, and held out her right hand to the girl.

"The deal is open?"

"Let's forget about it." Frey gently grabbed the other's hand, "Speaking of which, what should I call you?" ”

"It's a secret at the moment." The woman smiled, "Until we meet again, I wish you all the best." ”

……

Those things now seem more like a dream that is a little too old.

When Fleisil awoke from her sleep, she had a new name, albeit the same as her 'was' real name, and a new identity, the Elna of the Forest of Tranquility; New relationships – mother Islamafil, father Alminas, and friends of the same age, Ranrol, Erwin, Modillora, and Amberly; And I don't know if it's new, or if it's all the memories of living in this world for decades that belong to her.

She hadn't studied much history, and it wasn't clear how far back she had been in her original era. There are no magical machines in her memory, but there is no inconvenience in daily life. She had seen the silver-haired traveler more than once when she was 'selling' in the square, and in retrospect, it was probably her current kindred.

She then asked people around her, and consulted many books, but no one had even heard of the name 'Luo Zhen'. According to the records of the Elna people, the technology of occult dolls originated in the First Age, and the inventor has long since been verified. Moreover, their primary use is war weapons, which seem to be fundamentally different from those made by her and her former 'mother'.

On the other hand, what she had learned in that 'dream' could be applied to this world with certainty. The secret techniques used to manipulate the puppet's movements are similar to the rituals used to 'awaken' the puppets recorded in books.

It was thanks to her help that Israfir was able to speed up her research on artificial souls, which led to them being accused of being in contact with the 'forbidden arts' and fleeing from the Forest of Tranquility. That being said, it also allowed her to avoid the Empire's invasion of the forest and the brutal war that lasted for nearly a month.

Perhaps, as the proverb goes, bad luck always brings good luck.

Fleihill shook his head slightly, letting go of the memories of the past. She was no longer the maiden of Marland, nor was she a member of the kingdom. Now she just wants to 'resurrect' her mother, find the whereabouts of "Luo Zhen", and more simply-

As the woman said, live well in this world.

That's not necessarily an easy thing to do. In her 'last life', the Marland Union had never experienced war, and even in the current continent, the Phillips Federation was rarely robbed by war, even during the Grey War a hundred years ago. However, Frey understands that peace is the product of many trade-offs and efforts, not the result of taking things for granted.

What the Oren Empire had done a year ago had upset the balance that had been maintained to this day; Rogman's recent death, the situation within the Empire, and the movements of the rest of the kingdoms also prove that Hameis Felton's 'precautions' are not unfounded.

The girl turned back to look at the puppet that carried the soul of the 'mother', and suddenly laughed a little self-deprecatingly. She accepted the woman's offer, and somehow had the idea that everything would be better if she escaped from her environment. Now it seems that he has been cheated by her?

And probably as long as she is alive, there is never a smooth journey, Frey thought to herself. It's the same everywhere.

She used to be weak and powerless, but now at least there are people who need her strength. For her now, the Federation is only a temporary harbor - even after leaving Hamis, she has the confidence to go on her own.

It's almost time. Fleihill glanced at the wall clock on the wall, collected the useless thoughts, and turned his attention back to the door.

A moment later, the door was pushed open with a slight roughness, and the stout 'man' strode across the room, raising an eyebrow at her. Joyce then entered, throwing herself back onto the soft couch with her hands behind her head and her eyes closed.

"I heard you're looking for me." Quinta clasped her hands to her chest and looked at her condescendingly, "Tell me, our 'Miss Staff'?" ”

Even up close, Quinta Tu'ou couldn't see any demonic qualities. Her instincts still sent her a warning, but Frey was confident that since the other party had chosen to be a 'human', she wouldn't do anything too out of the ordinary.

"I want to know something about the soul." She replied blandly, "Have you ever heard of artificial souls? ”

The man pushed her away from his shoulder, walked over to the quietly standing figure, leaned down and looked at it for a moment, then sneered.

"All souls are 'artificial'. You don't know anything about that, miss? ”

Fleihill shook his head. Since she decided to ask the other party for advice, she did not intend to hide her ignorance, "I would like to hear about it." ”

Quinta grabbed a chair and sat down, stilting one leg, seemingly satisfied with her attitude.

"When humans die, the soul will be drawn to the outer realms that are in keeping with their qualities. In most cases, they cannot return to the material realm, but can only gradually become part of the outer realm, in whatever form. The man patted his stomach and narrowed his eyes, "Okay, in that case, where do you think those newborn human souls come from?" ”

She had read the previous statement not long ago. After death, souls are first transformed into invokers, and the lowest otherworldly creatures—inferior demons, cowardly demons, or oracles of the Light—are transformed from these souls who have 'experienced death'. However, how the soul was created in the first place goes beyond what is mentioned in the books.

"Probably...... In the process of the development of the body from nothing, it was born together? She tried to guess.

"Almost. There are a few changes in the physical realm that can disturb the spiritual realm, and 'Creation' happens to be one of them. Quinta licked her lips, "Then do you think there is a body first, or a soul first?" ”

Frey frowned, the question confusing her. According to the man, if 'creation' must mean the birth of a substance, then it is clear that the body takes precedence over the soul, if we think of it another way, then conceptual 'creation' can also produce a soul, and the body can then be given, and even more extremely, if the whole spiritual world is seen as a large 'spirit', the newborn soul is only a separate 'fragment' -

"I don't know." She finally shook her head and replied honestly, "I think for humans, it should be ...... Let's put the body first. ”

"That's what you think." Instead of commenting on her answer, Quinta raised her hand and placed her index finger on the puppet's chest, "Souls based on existing bodies naturally only apply to the same bodies. As long as the soul in it still belongs to the 'Elna people', you will not be able to revive her. ”

This sentence made Frey's heart sink slightly, "According to you, what about the lich?" ”

"Fatebox." Quinta Tu'o shrugged as if it were a trivial question, "The lifebox contains a portion of the Lich's original body, and it's also the item they use to fit their souls. Even then, most lichs are still limited to their tattered undead bodies, and nothing else. ”

"If you want her to wake up, do you have what you can do, Quintah?"

"Of course. Clean up the contents and summon a more suitable soul to stuff it into. Quinta nodded to herself with a thumbs up, "I can help you with this, of course it's not free." ”

Frey shook her head. That would not satisfy Hamis's request, let alone her original purpose.

"No, I can't. I wanted to resurrect her, not make a golem. ”

"That's another one. Kill an Elna and let her soul take over that body. The man glanced at her, smiling rather than smiling, "I'm not sure how complete her soul is." Maybe even if she woke up, she would only be a cripple. ”

"I don't agree." Without hesitation, she shook her head again, "I'm not a murderer. ”

"There's always someone who deserves to die." Quinta Tu'ou raised the corners of her mouth and sneered, "Those who caused your mother to become like this, you can let it go like this?" ”

He knew more than he thought he could—was Hamis telling him? Frey was a little vigilant in her heart, but her expression remained the same, "Mother didn't say let me take revenge, so why should I?" ”

"You're such a nice guy." The man chuckled, "Don't forget, the wrong storage will continue to drain her soul, and she doesn't have much time. ”

"I don't need you to remind you." Frey also whispered back, "We all know that. ”

"So we're not all the way." The man stood up and moved his shoulders, "For your sake of inviting me, I take my leave, miss." ”

"Wait a minute, I have another question."

Frey watched as the man walked to the door in two steps, and suddenly spoke from behind.

"Huh?"

"If you just make a puppet and don't use the methods you mentioned, you can create a ...... New souls? ”

Quinta turned her head, looked at her for two or three seconds, and snorted.

"A lot of people want to do that." "As far as I know, no one has ever done it," he said. ”

The man left. Frey retracted her gaze and looked at the young man leaning on the sofa, "Have you heard enough?" ”

"It's a little more fun than I thought it would be." The young man opened his eyes, his eyebrows and eyes were crooked, and he seemed to be in a good mood, "What do you want to do after that?" ”

"I can only try to find Luo Zhen." The girl bowed her head and groaned, "You've really never heard of him?" ”

"Absolutely." The young man moved his neck, "But since you know that there is such a person, then this person must exist." ”

"You kind of believe me." Frey gave him a blank look, "Then what do I do now?" ”

The young man of the Elna stood up and walked to the window, his back to her, his left hand running from the top of his head down to his lower abdomen, then over his chest.

"The turnaround will come soon, my eldest lady. Wait in peace. ”