The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 23: The Origin of the Puppeteer

After stepping out of the carriage, Sylutia felt a sense of dazzling disorientation. Everything before her eyes was unfamiliar, fresh, and delivered a special kind of impact.

After all, in the technologically advanced society of her previous life, robotics technology was not mature and had not yet become widespread. Yet here, those moving mechanical puppets were already a common sight everywhere, assisting the college staff with numerous tasks.

"Please come this way." Considering Sylutia's exceptionally young age, a server specially guided her across the long red carpet towards the grand building ahead.

"This is the Gilt Hall, built fifty years ago. The massive golden stage within is composed of seven ritual circles with concentric centers, allowing it to rotate and adjust freely."

"Because a large portion of the structure uses metal, the mechanical puppets can also move unconstrained by magnetism. For example, they can walk flush against walls, or even upside down."

The server beside the young girl gave a detailed introduction. Sylutia then asked a few questions she was very interested in.

"Do these puppets possess the ability to think? Or rather, what do they rely on to gain autonomous movement?"

"Ah, this involves the high-tier application of the 'Secret Word' Aspect," the other party answered with a smile.

"You should have learned that 'Secret Word' represents memory, history, reproduction, and so on. When you reach a high tier of the 'Secret Word' Aspect, you can inscribe your own memories or feelings, store them in special containers, and then convey them to others."

"This is the origin of many inheritance gems, stone tablets, and holy scriptures.""Since memories and feelings can be inscribed, naturally, some pre-set behavioral habits and response patterns can also be inscribed into special containers, which are then installed within mechanical puppets. The puppet will then act according to the content of the memory stored in the gem."

"Among them, the higher the tier of the mechanical puppet, the more actions it can remember and perform, and the more complex tasks it can accomplish."

"As for why they are mechanical puppets and not other mechanical forms, that's because the ones storing the memories are all humans. Those behavioral patterns are all designed to be operated according to human instinctive methods. Switching to other forms or structures would be completely incompatible."

"I see."

Several minutes later, Sylutia arrived inside this magnificent building. She ascended the metal stairs built in the air and arrived at the edge of the massive golden stage.

Beneath her feet now was a giant ring about six hundred meters in diameter, also the outermost circle of the stage's seven concentric rings. The ring was currently slowly rotating and gradually tilting, yet she stood upon it as if on flat ground. It seemed some kind of special gravity generation device was employed here, ensuring that the tables, chairs, and people on the ring would not fall off, even when upside down, as if standing on solid ground.

As the ring rotated, Sylutia, sitting in place, felt like she was experiencing a giant Ferris wheel, watching the distant square grow farther and lower, while her own position slowly entered the sky.

An ordinary person who had never experienced this would probably be scared stiff or fall over from fright. Fortunately, the guests invited to the Silver Bell Festival were basically all above the Third Tier. Sylutia was almost the one with the lowest Aspect tier here, giving her the feeling of a kindergarten child entering an adult banquet.

Sitting at a table on the giant ring, Sylutia looked at the snacks and meals provided. They were almost all delicacies of the 'Second Tier' or above. Any single portion would cost over ten gold coins in the outside world, but here they were just ordinary fare.

Her gaze turned to the center of this golden stage. A performance was still ongoing there, but it seemed this was just some kind of warm-up act, not the official program yet.

Within the seven concentric rings, the inner three were reserved for performance activities. The fourth ring was left empty as a buffer zone. The fifth ring was for free movement and socializing. The sixth and seventh rings were set with hundreds of round tables of varying sizes and thousands of chairs.

There was still half an hour until six o'clock. Sylutia sat by the table, taking small bites of the snacks and flipping through the program list and tonight's schedule placed on the table.

The festival program would start at six and last until past eleven at night. Then came the bell-striking moment at midnight. The entire Mage Alliance could hear the bell tolled by the 'Mithril Clock' school, used to calibrate time.

After the bell striking concluded, it would be time for free activities. During this period, one could freely tour Rorik College, visit the various works on display, and even study secret arts of personal interest, and so on. Finally, when leaving in the morning, each guest could receive a special gift prepared by the college for all attendees.

Time slowly passed. As the appointed hour arrived, more and more guests filled the Gilt Hall. Now Sylutia also saw several boys and girls who appeared to be around her age, but had come with adults.

"Are you alone, little girl?" A kindly old grandmother holding her granddaughter's hand walked over.

"Hello, yes." Sylutia put down the ice cream dessert in her hand and stood up to answer.

Behind this old lady dressed in a black formal gown was a girl who looked a few years younger than Sylutia. She had pale golden twin-tails, one hand gripping her grandmother's arm, and peeked out to look at Sylutia.

"Hehe, this is my granddaughter, Tiqisi. She's a bit curious about you, and also a bit shy." She smiled, patting the head of the girl beside her as she introduced.

"Hello." Sylutia looked at this girl who was probably around 14. She was also a Transcendent of the Secret Word Aspect, but only at the First Tier. The old grandmother before her was likely around the Fifth Tier in strength.

"Hello." After saying this, Tiqisi hid behind her grandmother again. Sylutia had no choice but to continue conversing with the old lady in front of her.

Upon learning that Sylutia had obtained the invitation letter entirely on her own, the old woman praised her repeatedly. Then, as expected, she uttered the words many parents love to say.

"Tiqisi, you should learn from this big sister. See how amazing she is." These words instantly stirred a rebellious feeling in the little girl who initially held some goodwill towards Sylutia. She sat on the chair, puffed up her cheeks and turned her head away.

Seeing this, Sylutia offered a few words of comfort and caution, saying she had just been lucky, and so on. Afterwards, as the time arrived, the stage rings of the entire Gilt Hall began to reset and align. That is, all seven concentric rings were now on the same horizontal plane.

A melodious violin sound rang out. The volume of conversation within the entire Gilt Hall gradually diminished. Many people stopped talking and began focusing their attention on the central stage.

By now, nearly six hundred mechanical puppets dressed in black short-skirt formal gowns had taken to the center of the stage. They were like real young maidens, their postures elegant, immersed in the violin music being played.

Then, the outer lights gradually dimmed and went out, while the lights converged on the central stage inside the hall.

After the melodious and beautiful violin performance ended, two hosts took the stage, beginning their congratulatory speeches and introducing the long history and traditions of Rorik College.

According to the official account, the 'Puppet Shadow School' originated from a puppeteer who performed in the countryside. He could skillfully manipulate marionettes with his fingers, making those simple cloth and straw-stuffed figures perform vivid, lifelike movements.

In his early years, he lived in hardship. Even performing in various places didn't earn him much money. But he had a puppeteer's passion. Despite this, he tirelessly sought methods of improvement to make his performances more perfect and his puppets more exquisite and beautiful.

Year after year passed like this. His puppet performances finally slowly gained fame, becoming a legend of that era, and thus condensed the 'Secret Word' Aspect.

In his old age, he returned to his hometown town and began teaching the local youth the experience and skills he had accumulated over many years. He gradually organized his various insights, becoming the origin of the 'Puppetry School'. The name of that town was 'Rorik', which is also the origin of the present college.

Clue to the 「Holy Scripture · The Town Puppeteer」 obtained. If the original scripture can be found, the path to becoming the Seventh Tier profession 'Weaver Dream Puppeteer' can be learned.

A Seventh Tier profession, Sylutia recalled. Back then, the 「Holy Scripture · Meleranke Praying in the Lake」 she obtained only contained clues to the Sixth Tier profession 【Lake Saintess】.

After the opening speeches concluded, what followed was a grand performance. At this time, it wasn't just the mechanical puppets performing on stage; hundreds of golden Griffins also flew through the air. Upon closer inspection, they were all metallic constructs, their complex internal structures visible within their abdomens.

These Griffins formed squadrons, passed through the stage, and swept over Sylutia's head. The air currents they stirred up made many guests exclaim in surprise. Some children also screamed with excitement.

After two programs featuring mechanical puppets, it was finally time for real people to take the stage. This time, it was the official students of Rorik College, all above the Third Tier. They divided into two sides, standing opposite each other in uniforms of different colors.

Then, the first ring in the center between them sank down. Afterwards, one hundred neatly arranged scarecrows were placed on each side. Unlike the ordinary type found in fields, these scarecrows had articulated joints and each held a wooden sword.

Subsequently, the students from both sides stood on the upper ring, each extending their hands. Invisible threads connected to the selected scarecrows, and those lifeless wooden and straw figures immediately sprang to vivid action.

This was Rorik College's annual traditional program, said to be inherited from the early days of the school. Back then, before metal mechanical puppets had been developed, the school members in the town used scarecrows as training props.

Under the control of the college's elite puppeteers one by one, these scarecrows erupted with astonishing combat power. They dashed and ran, leaped and flew through the air. The seemingly fragile wooden swords, also empowered by secret arts, erupted with crimson light and flames, clashing back and forth on the stage, causing opponents to explode and burn.

In Sylutia's view, these scarecrows made from ordinary materials, in the hands of these puppeteers, were as if reborn. Ordinary Second Tier warriors would be utterly unable to withstand them. Their limbs were incredibly agile. The wooden swords in their hands, empowered by special secret arts, occasionally flashed with crimson arcs of light capable of even slicing through steel. The scarecrows controlled by the leaders of both sides were even more masterful in swordsmanship, swift and fierce. The wooden swords they wielded emitted a suffocating wave of heat that ordinary Third Tier knights would be unable to withstand.

Truly worthy of being the seventh-ranked college in the Mage Alliance. There were indeed many secret art legacies unimaginable to the outside world.

After several minutes of battle, only the scarecrows controlled by the leaders of both sides remained standing in the center of the stage. They intermittently crossed paths, their scorched yellow bodies filled with flames, almost on the verge of burning to ash, yet their imposing presence remained formidable.

Finally, the scarecrows from both sides leaped into the air, launching their final strike. Like two flaming meteors colliding, they blossomed into a beautiful and magnificent fireworks display in the sky.

After it ended, a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted. And this was only the beginning of tonight's grand feast.

....

One astonishing and novel program after another took the stage. Sylutia also unconsciously became immersed, watching intently, amazed by the various ingenious ideas and miraculous secret art abilities.

By the time she snapped back to reality, the time had already reached 11 o'clock. This was also the finale of the program.

The performers and puppets took to the stage together to give their thanks. Finally, a white-haired old man took the stage to give the closing speech. He was the current headmaster of Rorik College, already over three hundred years old.

After all the programs took their bows, there were only about ten minutes left until midnight.

Slowly emerging from the lingering atmosphere of the grand program, the crowd discussed various details revealed in tonight's performances. Some praised the technology involved, some marveled at the strength of the new generation of students, and others talked about recent current events.

At this time, Tiqisi also started talking with her grandmother and Sylutia. Probably because they had watched the programs together for several hours, the sense of unfamiliarity between the two had lessened considerably, and she was no longer so shy.

"Big Sister Hedra, can you also use threads to control puppets?"

"I can use threads, but I haven't learned to control puppets yet," Sylutia answered with a smile. Then, after thinking for a moment, she manifested the flying bird woven from threads.

Curiously examining the flying bird circling beside her, Tiqisi wanted to reach out and touch it. In the end, she lightly made contact, feeling a strange coolness.

Watching the three flying birds circle in the air, perform various acrobatic moves, and even weave the trailing threads into beautiful paper-cut window patterns in the air, Tiqisi couldn't help but clap her hands.

"Big Sister Hedra, you're so amazing~"

In a place further away, the scene of Sylutia and Tiqisi interacting was seen by two professors from the college. They glanced at each other and smiled, seemingly both having an idea.

"This time, you can't snatch her from me." The older man with neatly combed hair spoke first.

"That won't do, Senior Kantena." The one speaking was a woman beside him. She covered her mouth with a light laugh, also wearing a proper black professor's uniform.

"That's a girl. It's more suitable for me to teach her."

"You already have several students. Why are you still competing with me?"

"Ah, no one has stipulated that having students means you can't take on new apprentices, right? I think she's very suitable for inheriting my skills."

"Besides, you haven't taken on an apprentice for decades. Now, suddenly taking on such a young and adorable girl, are you sure you can teach her properly? I'm still the more suitable one."

"It seems we need to make an agreement, then." This phrase within the school meant that both parties would compete through fair means to see who would prevail.

"Sure. But for now, let's go over and talk to her. Otherwise, if some other old fellow snatches her away midway, it would be quite the joke."

"No, going directly is too conspicuous. Many people are secretly watching the two of us." The old man shook his head, thought for another moment, then whispered and discussed with the woman beside him.

"Giggle, you're more experienced after all, Senior. Let's do it that way, then." After saying this, the two glanced once more at the young girl in the distance, then turned and left.

At this time, the interim rest period passed. The hands of the clock tower outside the Gilt Hall slowly aligned with the twelve o'clock position.

A clear, bright bell toll sounded from the center of the Mage Alliance. Starting with this sound, clock towers everywhere joined in unison, their chimes echoing and reflecting in the great sky, like ripples sweeping across the Fourth Continent.

The silver bell tolled, ordering time.