'This feeling... is quite strange...'
After briefly imagining the scene of Beverly carving herself and gradually messing it up, Dorothy slightly shook her head, deciding not to think too much about it, and then continued to ask Beverly.
"Because you messed up carving yourself, did you abandon your original stone body?"
"Yes, I originally wanted to ask the old man for help, but he saw what I did and was half-dead with anger, unwilling to help me. So I researched myself, and after decades of research, I finally understood myself thoroughly. I discovered my core, so I thought of replacing the stone body that I had carved into a mess with other materials while preserving the core."
Beverly continued her response, her skin nearly finished repairing by this point.
"To differentiate myself from the old man, I began to study mechanics. Fortunately, I found some ways into the 'Light' domain, which allowed me to process metal conveniently. So I used metal mechanisms to create a body and put the core inside."
"The reason I carved myself poorly before was that I hadn't practiced, but this time I had endless time to hone my skills and create a satisfactory body. In the end, I got the way I am now. You saw it just now, the bodies I made were pretty good, right? Paired with this bionic outer layer I spent another ten years researching, I'm even prettier than typical human girls~"
After speaking, Beverly closed her "makeup box," which came with a screwdriver, hammer, and tool kit, then turned her face and smiled at Dorothy. Her face, which was now fully repaired, was indeed as beautiful as she claimed, surpassing most human girls. In particular, her two large yellow eyes were very big, and at first glance, they even had a sort of "anime" feel, but they were handled very naturally, making her look very comfortable and without any awkwardness.
'Good heavens, to be able to self-modify to this extent, is this the top-tier magic puppet created by Aldrich? She herself must be a very excellent craftsman, but that old fellow never expected that the work he carved wouldn't like his own aesthetic...'
Dorothy thought this, also finding it strange how Aldrich, a craftsman with a grandfatherly classical hard-boiled aesthetic, carved an anime girl, one who actively wanted to turn herself into a beautiful girl.
If creations could be considered the children of a craftsman, then Aldrich's situation could be described as "having children." He carved a son but raised a daughter.
However, this analogy isn't entirely appropriate. Beverly is not a biological being but a construct created by Extraordinary means; she is essentially genderless. Whatever appearance she prefers is her own freedom.
"Repair complete~ Thank you for helping me today. Otherwise, I'd probably have to stay bored in that corner for a few more hours."
As she packed up the things on the table, Beverly said to Dorothy, who also asked curiously.
"How did you lose your head there?"
"Nothing much, just accidentally blew it up during an experiment, causing the original body to fall apart. Small accidents happen all the time."
Having put everything away, Beverly clapped her hands and said, then she sat down solemnly in front of Dorothy.
"Alright, now let's talk about your matter, Miss Meisihuos. The old man has already told me your general situation. Your main purpose in coming to Tivian is to find the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruin, right?"
"Yes, Aldrich said that the contact person here would tell me the specific location of the ruin. So where is it?" Dorothy asked doubtfully. Obtaining the method of advancement from the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruin was her main purpose for coming to Tivian.
"Oh, about that, I can tell you that the ruin is far away yet close at hand~ It's right under the school next to this town."
Beverly said, wiggling her finger slightly. Dorothy was slightly stunned upon hearing this.
"Under the school? Are you saying that the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruin is beneath the King's Campus of Saint Crown University?"
"Yes, this school was originally built on the ruins of the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society). That's why the old man recommended you come here to study."
As she spoke, Beverly poured herself a small cup of machine oil from the teapot beside her, then sipped it as she continued.
"The Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) originated in the Second Epoch, flourished in the Third Epoch, and was completely destroyed at the beginning of the Fourth Epoch, leaving behind many ruins all over the world. Because they are rich in 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) storage and many ancient secret transmission, these ruins have always been objects of contention among major forces. Generally, as soon as one is discovered, it is bound to attract a bunch of people to fight over it. For example, the one under the school, since it was discovered hundreds of years ago, countless Extraordinary have died around it, and the organizations controlling this ruin have changed three or four times. This place was once an important stronghold for multiple organizations."
Drinking the machine oil, Beverly said to Dorothy, who was stunned after listening.
"This ruin was once controlled by multiple organizations in rotation... Is there anything left in there?!"
"Of course there's nothing left. After several organizations took turns, the ground here was peeled off several layers. Whether it was Extraordinary items or secret transmission, they were all scraped clean long ago. All the 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) was dug out by them. Fortunately, the old man explored there early and found the key inheritance inside, advancing to become a Master Puppeteer. If he had been later, there probably wouldn't be anything left~"
Beverly said this, and Dorothy blurted out after being stunned for two seconds.
"Nothing left... Then he still recommended me to come here?"
"I don't know about that, but since he recommended you to come, there must be his reasons. I know the old man's personality; he wouldn't do meaningless things, and he wouldn't bother to play tricks on a little girl like you for no reason. Since he told you to go there, then you should find a way to get in and take a look."
Beverly said so, showing that she understood Aldrich very well. After listening to Beverly's words, Dorothy also fell into deep thought.
"Hmm... So where is the entrance to that ruin? How should I get in? Did Aldrich tell you how he got in back then?"
"I don't know that either. This ruin has been occupied by multiple organizations over the past few hundred years, and each organization has made certain modifications to it for use as a stronghold. Now it has been renovated into a school, completely different from when the old man explored it back then. Who knows how to get in."
"To find out how to get in, you probably have to find it yourself inside the school. I think that's why the old man arranged for you to go to school there."
Beverly continued, and Dorothy couldn't help but complain.
'Good heavens, so I'm not here to go to university, I'm here to do archaeology?'
"So, can you help arrange for me to get into this university? I'm only thirteen years old now, far from the age to attend university."
"Hehe, besides your appearance, you're not like a thirteen-year-old in any other way." With a light tease, Beverly put down her cup of machine oil and continued.
"The last controller of that ruin before it was built into a school was the old man. Back then, the old man, perhaps out of nostalgia or wanting to see if he could scrape out anything more from inside, bought the land and built a workshop after the organization inside left because there was no 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) left to dig."
"Later, the King wanted to build a school to cultivate his civil officials and took interest in this place. So he bought the land back from the old man at twenty-five times the original purchase price, and promised to give the old man shares. So the old man is also one of the shareholders of this university."
"Now, Royal Saint Crown University can be said to be the highest educational institution in all of Prit. The shares he holds earn him a lot of money every year. This is one of his quality assets. Now his shares are managed by me, so I can easily arrange for you to enter the school, and even give you some small privileges."
After Beverly finished speaking, Dorothy remained silent with a blank expression. At this moment, she was only thinking one thing.
'I don't think that cunning merchant was doing it out of nostalgia or to squeeze out the ruin's resources; he just wanted to make a business deal and extort the King. This old fellow is clearly so rich and has so many assets outside, yet he still haggles with me over a few pound or dozens of pound. Is he sick?'