Chapter One Hundred Thirteen: Can I Gather Materials from You?

Was that just Iriush speaking? No, it was clearly not. That feeling was more akin to when a complex device like a computer malfunctions, delivering automatic prompts and reports, just voiced instead of textual.

Speaking of which, didn’t Iment and the others mention something about “error reports” before…?

Thanks to memories from the Blue Star, Vilyric easily understood this point and generally guessed what would happen next.

As expected, just as the Puppeteer Girl had automatically reported a moment ago, after a full fifteen seconds, the blinking red light concealed beneath Iriush’s dress finally extinguished. The other party’s body froze for a moment, and those originally dull, lifeless eyes quickly regained their spark, transforming from a cold, inanimate object into a vibrant life like Iwen and the others.

“Reboot successful! Huh? Why am I suddenly here? Who are you…?”

“Iriush, right? You don’t remember what happened?”

Vilyric’s retort momentarily stunned the awakening Puppeteer Girl. She instinctively tilted her head, seeming to sense that the two girls before her held no ill intent. She looked around and gestured for them to wait a moment.

“I remember I was supposed to be waiting by the Spirit Spring for Iment… Just a sec, let me check the core’s information log.”

Iriush closed her eyes, and soon the girl’s chest began to blink with that enigmatic red light again.

But this time, combining previous experiences and Iriush’s description, Vilyric could roughly guess that this was the Puppeteer Clan’s so-called “Mental Core” activating some kind of special mode, a signaling representation.

Before long, Iriush opened her eyes once more, her expression turning slightly strange.

“Virus infiltrated the core database and even seized control of the body? No wonder the Mental Core urgently shut down to repair and scan for the deletion… Seems like that was the case… Looking at the data logs, you helped clear the virus, right? Although I could’ve managed it myself with a bit more time, thanks anyway!”

The Puppeteer Girl laughed heartily, patting her cute little chest with confidence, creating a splash of ripples.

“My name is Iriush! I’m third in line in the Puppeteer Clan. What do you two call yourselves?”

“Ah? Oh… Just call me Vilyric.”

Still pondering over something that concerned her, the Priestess was momentarily caught off guard by the Puppeteer Girl’s overly familiar attitude. Afterward, she quickly introduced herself and the Little Dragon Daughter beside her.

After exchanging names, it seemed the other party was about to say something, but Vilyric spoke first.

“Iriush, can I ask who taught you about those viruses and databases you mentioned?”

“Who taught me… what do you mean?”

It looked like Iriush couldn’t quite grasp the Priestess’s question. Realizing her own abruptness, Vilyric thought for a moment and reframed her explanation as skillfully as possible.

“What I mean is, those terms you mentioned are rather obscure, and I was curious since I couldn’t understand them.”

“Oh~ I see.”

It was likely not the first time Iriush encountered a similar situation, so she didn’t doubt the Black-Haired Girl’s words. Instead, she smiled cheerfully and waved her hands.

“Explaining that can be quite a hassle, you see, it relates to some aspects of our Puppeteer Clan’s body structure. If we put it into concepts understandable by normal beings, viruses are like poisons, and databases are like memories, and personas and such things. Does that make sense?”

“As for why they’re called that way, I can’t say… It’s something that old man who created us decided from the start and engraved it directly into the Mental Core.”

“I see…”

Even while responding as calmly as possible, Vilyric was already deducing certain things in her mind.

Although they were merely scattered clues, the series of events that unfolded after arriving at the Puppeteer Forest, combined with what the Priestess knew, could explain many problems.

That “old man” referred to by Iwen, who created the Puppeteer Clan to resurrect his beloved, was likely not a native of this world.

Having witnessed the existence of the Aibus World, Vilyric couldn’t directly conclude that he was a traveler or a traveler’s descendant just from this. However, the terms like virus, database, and scanning were indeed not something that could normally appear in a magical world, which generally experienced a medieval civilization.

Vilyric had already used her skills to detect the Puppeteer Clan’s body structure, and its intricacy was astonishing. Moreover, many design concepts resembled robots from the Blue Star, only here, they utilized “magic power” as their energy source, and were even more flexible and lifelike.

It was hard to say it was mere coincidence.

Looks like this unexpected detour was truly worth it.

Delving deeper into the information about that “Father” was necessary.

But for now, it was best to take Iriush back to Iwen. Her sudden loss of control and inexplicable “virus invasion” was already strange enough. Although she had eliminated the strange consciousness energy that had occupied the core, Vilyric still couldn’t understand what it truly was.

Perhaps it was merely a lizard’s use of tail detachment as a tactic; the original body might have already escaped.

“Hey, Vilyric, can I ask you something?”

As she regained her focus, the Priestess noticed Iriush, for some reason, had her gaze fixed on the wings behind her that had been hastily tucked away. She seemed a bit eager to touch them but didn’t dare due to the cold, warning glare from the Giant Dragon nearby, creating a somewhat comical scene.

“Ah? What is it?”

The former suddenly leaned in excitedly, circling around the Black-Haired Girl, or rather, Vilyric’s long, pure white wings, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure, completely oblivious to the cautious mood amidst the sudden events.

“Those wings… They look like they’re naturally born! Are you perhaps from some special Winged People tribe in the south? They’re absolutely perfect!”

“Look, the curvature here allows the wind to flow smoothly along the surface, greatly reducing air resistance while flying. Although they seem broad and a bit heavy, from a multi-dimensional perspective, they appear remarkably agile! And this part…”

“…?”

Is this girl still malfunctioning?

What kind of brain circuit lets her suddenly shift her focus to something so odd?

“Iriush, what exactly are you trying to express?”

The Puppeteer Girl held the Priestess’s hands with excitement, as if she had finally found a kindred spirit after a long search.

“It’s ——— amazing! It’s the wing model I’ve always dreamed of! Miss Vilyric, no, Lady Vilyric! May I have your permission to gather materials from you?! If I could replicate the design of the same model, my ‘Artificial Flight Wing No. 1786’ will definitely succeed this time!!!”

“…Huh?”

   

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