Chapter 240: Hello, Mercury Lamp
Chapter 240: Hello, Mercury Lamp
At 7:30 PM, in the Great Hall of the Rogen family. Liam and the other two had all changed into their formal attire to attend the banquet celebrating Alice's acquisition of supernatural powers.
Before entering, they could already hear the puppet band in one corner of the Great Hall playing a series of lively and cheerful tunes.
"Why didn't you wear the formal attire I prepared for you? You insisted on preparing your own", Rogen asked Liam, looking at him in his Militia General's formal attire. "The formal attire in the manor is far more exquisite than yours."
"In my world, high heels and white stockings are exclusively for women. I really can't accept wearing them. I'm truly sorry", Liam replied, looking rather dejected. He wanted to experience an authentic 18th-century court-style banquet, but some fashion habits were just too hard to accept.
"It's fine. The important thing is that everyone enjoys the party", Rogen said. The door then opened automatically, and the two of them walked into the Great Hall together. Alice entered from another door, wearing a royal blue evening gown.
After everyone was seated, Rogen raised his champagne glass and said, "Today, the door to the Supernatural World has finally opened for my daughter Alice. May Truth always protect her. I also thank Mr. Liam for coming from afar and bringing this hope to my daughter."
Hearing this, Liam also raised his champagne glass and nodded to Rogen and Alice. After a simple toast, the robot Helen floated in, carrying a silk embroidered with intricate patterns. On her mechanical hands, she held the appetizer. The celebration banquet officially began.
The dinner was thoroughly enjoyable. On one hand, the atmosphere was very pleasant, and on the other, Rogen contributed many supernatural species as ingredients, which were far superior in both taste and nutrition to ordinary food.
After the meal, the three of them returned to the lounge. Rogen seemed particularly happy, perhaps because the potential threat to his daughter had been resolved. He was much more relaxed during their conversation.
"My student, you call them robots, correct?" Liam nodded, and Rogen continued. "Your robots are really remarkable, and I can see the potential for a fully developed soul in them. It's a tremendous miracle. The only issue is that she looks like an octopus, which is quite ugly."
"But she can keep me company when you're busy", Alice said, a bit upset. "You shouldn't say that about Helen."
"Of course, of course. She is certainly a part of our family", Rogen said, smiling and comforting his daughter. He then turned to Liam. "Actually, in alchemy, I specialize in alchemic puppets. But I've never been able to create a soul for them. However, after your arrival, the anatomical studies you shared about the Dementor and the internal structure of your robot have given me new inspiration. I believe I can create alchemic puppets with their own souls."
He then turned to Alice. "Daughter, you know how busy I am and may not have enough time to be with you. I also realize that leaving you alone at home is too dangerous. So, I've decided to find you some companions. What do you think?"
"Thank you, Dad", Alice said with a smile. For the rest of the time, under the encouragement of Rogen and Alice, Liam recounted his adventures in multiple worlds, which opened their eyes to the diverse and varied realms.
The next morning, during breakfast, Liam noticed that only Alice was sitting at the other end of the table. As he spread cranberry jam on his bread, he asked, "Where's Teacher Rogen?"
"Don't ask. This morning, he left me a note saying he's going to make a Puppet with its own soul. He told me to temporarily learn the basics of Alchemy from you." She then took out a piece of paper and had Robot Helen hand it to Liam. "This is the note he left for you."
Liam took the note and saw that it was written in cursive. It read: My dear student, I may need to spend a week in the Laboratory. Please take care of my daughter during this time and teach her the basics of Alchemy from my notebook.
"Alright, I can teach you after breakfast. By the way, why do you want to learn Alchemy? According to your father, as long as you have a bit of supernatural power, he can help you learn any supernatural knowledge."
"Because my father specializes in Alchemy", Alice said, swallowing a bite of bread. "I want to learn Alchemy so I can keep up with his footsteps."
"Alright, you'll need to work hard. After all, Teacher Rogen is an Alchemist who can access the World's Essence, something I've never encountered before. It might take a lot of effort to catch up with him."
Alice nodded vigorously. Over the next few days, Liam spent a lot of time teaching Alice about Alchemy, and she studied diligently.
Perhaps due to her talent, Alice often asked questions that even Liam found challenging. This pushed Liam to spend more time understanding these concepts, which in turn improved his own mastery of Alchemy. As the ancients said, teaching and learning grow together.
In any case, after a week of fruitful teaching and learning, Teacher Rogen finished his work and emerged from the Laboratory. That evening, during dinner, Rogen appeared at the table, and next to him was a large, intricately patterned box.
"What's that?" Alice asked first, and Liam also turned his curious gaze to the box.
"This is the first Puppet I created with its own soul. From now on, she will be your sister", Rogen said to Alice, smiling as he tapped the box. "Come on, don't be shy. Come out and meet your sister."
He then turned to Liam and said, "This is all thanks to your Dementor autopsy report. The soul inside the box is an artificial soul created from my various emotions, so she is also my daughter in a way."
As he spoke, a small crack appeared in the box. A Puppet, less than a meter tall, pushed the box open and sat up. "Sister? Where's my sister?"
This Puppet had hair as smooth as mercury, a small face with large, translucent purple-red eyes, pale skin, and delicate, cold features that formed a beautiful yet somewhat aloof face. She wore a black headband and a black Gothic velvet dress with inverted cross embroidery and rose and bow decorations on the hem.
The small Puppet jumped out of the box, walked up to Alice, and extended her hand, saying, "Pleased to meet you, Alice sister. You can call me Mercury Lamp."
Alice seemed a bit nervous, as she had never seen a Puppet that looked so much like a human before. However, she quickly recovered and shook Mercury Lamp's hand, saying, "Hello, Mercury Lamp. Welcome to the family."
Finally, she walked to Liam and extended her hand, "Hello, Liam brother."
"Hello, Mercury Lamp."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
