"You're back again today? Didn't you just take down one of those Wingweaver ships not long ago?"
Just as the Herrscher of Sentience nodded in agreement, a gentle and soft, yet slightly teasing and dismissive voice came from the doorway.
"Even though these pills of yours aren't much use, I've got to admit, this Celestial here is quite fond of the taste. Just scored a big victory, so I figured I'd come by for a couple to celebrate."
The Herrscher of Sentience stood up nonchalantly and brushed off some nonexistent dust from her clothes.
"Ordinary people, even those with the constitution of Xianzhou natives, shouldn't take this medicine so frequently."
"All medicine carries some degree of toxicity, let alone these half-finished products I concocted in a failed attempt. I was planning to toss them out eventually."
The newcomer had long, dark brown hair that gradually turned crimson toward the ends.
Her smiling face wasn't stunning at first glance, but it held a captivating, timeless beauty that drew you in the more you looked.
Her red eyes swept across the medicine room before settling back on the Herrscher of Sentience. "Good thing I arrived early, or you really would've eaten yourself sick before stopping."
"Pfft, as if! I'm a Celestial—how could I possibly get sick from taking some pills?"
The Herrscher of Sentience scoffed, curling her lip.
"By the way, Dan Zhu, I might be tied up with something soon. Once things get busy, I probably won't have the chance to visit for a while. How about you hook me up with some more pills to speed up my inner qi circulation?"
"...Fine, for this time. But next time, when we're outside, you must address me as 'Lingsha.'"
A faint glimmer flashed in Lingsha's eyes.
She decided to drop what she had originally intended to say and asked instead, "Don't tell me the IPC is giving you trouble again?"
"As if! Ever since I taught that Diamond a lesson last time, the IPC hasn't dared to mess with me casually. Even Diamond himself had to call what happened between us a 'misunderstanding.'"
The Herrscher of Sentience snorted dismissively, though she could see the concern in Lingsha's eyes.
"Relax, who could possibly trouble me besides an Aeon? It's just that the place I'm headed is pretty far, and getting back might be a hassle."
"Pretty far?"
That phrase felt somewhat unfamiliar to a Xianzhou native.
Still, Lingsha didn't press further. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, a smile returning to her lips.
"If things aren't certain yet, let's talk about it when they are. Right now, you should be thinking about how to compensate me for my pills."
"Hah? Didn't you say those were meant to be thrown away?"
"Only some of them. The rest are perfectly usable as they are."
--+--
Upon receiving the transmitted notes on puppet techniques, Dark Amber immediately poured all her energy into studying them.
After manually constructing the Selene, she had been feeling somewhat aimless, but now her life was once again filled to the brim with busy study and research, leaving almost no free time.
After all, she now had to act as Itsuka Shiori's bodyguard in the mornings while researching puppet techniques at night.
She hadn't mentioned this to Amber right away, as it was entirely her own speculative experiment.
There was no guarantee of satisfactory results, and if she told Amber she was busy with this, Amber would likely worry and try to dissuade her from continuing the morning bodyguard duties.
How could Dark Amber let her own ideas interfere with Amber's request?
Besides, this kind of non-stop, restless schedule didn't tire Dark Amber out in the slightest. As a non-human, she didn't need sleep and had no habit of resting that way.
After several days of intense, around-the-clock effort, Dark Amber had already achieved some results.
Just as the Herrscher of Sentience had anticipated, Dark Amber possessed a tremendous advantage in learning ability.
Created based on the template of a perfect human, Dark Amber was limited by originating from the consciousness of Amber—a long-term bedridden patient—which meant she lacked divergent thinking and couldn't become an outstanding innovator.
However, as a learner and inheritor, she was exceptionally gifted.
In just a few days, Dark Amber completed the project of 'uploading a separated consciousness into a puppet.'
The wonder of Type-Moon puppet techniques exceeded Dark Amber's initial expectations.
Originally, she had planned to use Fenghuang Down to forcibly insert consciousness into a container and rely on its energy to operate it.
In reality, however, the container itself possessed the function of storing consciousness and could achieve a degree of energy self-sufficiency.
Still, while this unexpected circumstance provided some convenience, the core of Dark Amber's plan wasn't merely storing consciousness—it was splitting her own consciousness. And for that, only Fenghuang Down could achieve it for now.
Ugh, I'm growing more and more envious of Takamiya Mio's power. Tokisaki Kurumi's abilities are just too handy.
Dark Amber's rapid progress wasn't solely due to her learning ability; the more fundamental reason was… she didn't need to worry about the puppet's strength or compatibility at all.
That simply wasn't an issue. As long as the puppet could use Character Cards, it would naturally align with the card's power level—the puppet's own strength was irrelevant.
Looking at the puppet before her, identical to herself—or rather, to the original Amber—Dark Amber took out a feather and inserted it into the puppet's body.
"Phase one of the experiment, successful."
The puppet opened its eyes.
As a part of Dark Amber's past, it was fully aware of the current situation.
Propping itself up on its elbows, it looked at Dark Amber.
"Give me Seele's Character Card."
Without another word, Dark Amber tossed a card that appeared completely transparent to outsiders toward the puppet.
Upon seeing the card, the puppet's brows furrowed slightly. After actually taking the card, its frown deepened.
After a long pause, it handed the card back.
"No use. As far as I can see, the card is still blank. It seems that as a puppet, even with a consciousness acknowledged by the main control as 'Dark Amber,' I still can't use Character Cards."
"So, in the system's judgment, you aren't considered 'Dark Amber.'"
Failing right at the start of the second phase wasn't unexpected for Dark Amber, but it still dealt her a bit of a blow.
"Maybe we could ask the main control for authorization."
The puppet suggested a feasible solution, but then both of them shook their heads.
"Waking the main control once costs 3000 Approval Points. At this stage, our card strength and needs haven't reached a point where we can afford such luxury."
Their current top priority was Hoshimiya Mukuro, but this so-called crisis didn't pose much of a threat to Amber at the moment.
It was less of a crisis and more like the next phase's objective. And if they shifted their focus to Takamiya Mio, there was even less reason to spend 3000 points to summon a bunch of helpers that wouldn't make a difference in battle.
From any angle, it was unnecessary.
Having worked so hard for several days only to see the results stillborn was enough to make even Dark Amber sigh a little. But it didn't matter much—it was just something she'd taken up on a whim.
Once she obtained Tokisaki Kurumi's, or rather, Takamiya Mio's power later, she could always give it another try.
For now, it was time to switch to Seele and get ready for Kotori's gathering.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.