novelraw Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Dreamt ‘Blue Rose’
After speaking, Lina lightly took a sip of coffee and looked out at the bright sky beyond the window.
The midday sunlight was bright and warm, dispelling the last trace of chill from the streets. A row of magic-guided walking machines strode past downstairs with precise, heavy steps, their mechanical joints producing a low, rhythmic hydraulic hum as they moved. Their thick mechanical arms steadily carried a batch of newly manufactured water pipe materials, turning toward the newly expanding district.
Rows of tightly packed houses stretched toward the end of the road, many rooftops fitted with small wind-powered magic conversion devices. In the northern part of the town, within the industrial park, towering cylindrical alchemical blast furnaces emitted plumes of white steam, forming a peculiar skyline together with the ring-shaped leyline magic extraction towers.
At the tops of the extraction towers, a steady blue glow flickered, as if leyline magic flowed through them like blood. Pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, and scattered magic vehicles gradually increased along the streets. Shops lining the road removed their shutters and began business, as the clanging of forging hammers, the cries of vendors, and the hum of magic machinery intertwined into a lively chorus.
Everything seemed so busy, so full of hope. Every glint of a copper nail, every wisp of rising steam, seemed to tell a story—one that would go on forever, a story named wealth and opportunity.
Yet a black storm that would soon sweep across the world had already begun to brew in silence.
“Well then, after talking so much, let’s switch to a lighter topic~” Ms. Hepburn’s pleasant voice pulled Lina’s thoughts back to reality. She shifted into a more relaxed posture, her long legs crossing as she leaned back against the chair. “The real purpose of my visit to this scenic little town is actually to gather material for my next film.”
“Is it ‘Blue Rose’?” Lina recalled a piece of news she had seen in the newspaper some time ago and asked instinctively.
“Yes,” Ms. Hepburn nodded gently. “It’s an adaptation of a novel, originally titled ‘Dreamt Blue Rose’.”
“I’ve read that book!” Annie’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve read almost all of Teacher Crimson Moon’s works!”
“Yes,” Ms. Hepburn gave Annie an approving smile. “I’m also a fan of Teacher Crimson Moon. The protagonist I’ll be playing, ‘Alesha,’ is also a character I like very much.”
“Mm, I finished it recently as well.” Sibyl nodded. “Teacher Crimson Moon’s works are indeed quite impressive.”
“So what kind of story does this book tell?” Lina leaned forward slightly, curiosity evident. “Feel free to spoil it for me—I really don’t have time to read novels myself...”
“It’s essentially a tragic love story,” Sibyl said, taking a sip of coffee. “The story takes place in a border town of a fictional country called the ‘Iris Empire,’ roughly during the early period of the magic-guided revolution.”
“At that time, there were two major families in the town—one called Orleans, the other Lorraine. Both were border nobles once enfeoffed by the royal family.”
“When the magic-guided revolution arrived, the Orleans family seized the pulse of the era, investing most of their assets into building factories. But the Lorraine family refused to change, clinging to their outdated traditions.”
“As a result, the Lorraine family declined day by day. By the time of the final head of the house, Charles Lorraine, all that remained were two servants, mounting debts caused by futile social obligations, and an old mansion.”
“Although Mr. Charles was a member of the old nobility, he still wanted to bring about change. He dismissed the remaining servants and began studying magic-guided technology, hoping to combine it with his family’s inherited puppet magic to create a new generation of humanoid machines entirely different from magic-guided walking machines. He wanted to create puppets with a ‘heart.’”
“After suffering a series of setbacks, Charles still refused to give up. His only weekly form of entertainment was watching dance performances at the town’s theater.”
“During one such performance, he met Alesha Patti, a beautiful dancer. He became captivated by her graceful and lively movements, as well as her mesmerizing blue eyes.”
“Alesha also noticed this young man with a melancholic temperament and refined manners. Soon, they grew familiar with each other and fell in love.”
“But... the ending of the story is not a happy one,” Sibyl shook her head regretfully. “Just as Charles was about to successfully develop a new type of magic-guided puppet, his rival, the Orleans family, falsely accused him, which led to his imprisonment. They wanted to obtain his research results.”
“And Alesha, in trying to rescue him, was implicated as well. Her eyes were gouged out, and she was thrown into prison,” Annie’s voice choked slightly. “In the end, for Alesha’s sake, Charles still handed over his research results to the Orleans family. Not wanting to implicate Alesha any further, he quietly left the town after being released.”
“But those research results were incomplete. Although the puppets could move freely and imitate humans, their eyes were lifeless, and their behavior remained stiff. The Orleans family’s ‘new-type puppets’ not only failed to sell, but became a huge laughingstock, suffering tremendous losses,” Sibyl continued.
“At the end of the story, after Alesha was released from prison, she suddenly received a gift,” Ms. Hepburn said calmly. “It was a redwood box, and inside were a pair of blue prosthetic eyes. When Alesha put them on, she unexpectedly regained her sight. She understood that this was Charles’s final gift.”
Lina nodded thoughtfully. At a glance, the story seemed like nothing more than an ordinary tragic romance...
But after thinking it through carefully, Lina suddenly realized something. “Prosthetic eyes cannot replace real human eyes. Even the most advanced magic cannot achieve that...”
“So... Alesha was actually a puppet created by Charles,” Lina’s eyes widened. “He had already created a puppet with a ‘heart’?!”
“Wow!” Annie’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Sister Lina figured it out so quickly! I only learned the truth from newspaper reviews!”
“Your insight is truly admirable, Miss Lina,” Ms. Hepburn smiled faintly. “It took me quite a while to reach that conclusion as well. However... my producers still encountered some difficulties when casting the film.”
“What kind of difficulties?” Lina blinked. “Was it hard to find an actor for Charles?”
“Heh, yes,” Ms. Hepburn gave a bitter smile. “My fans don’t seem to want me playing a romantic role with an unfamiliar male actor. The outcry has been quite strong—some extremists have even threatened to ‘teach the male lead a lesson’...”
“Oh... now that I think about it, that’s true!” Lina suddenly realized. “In your previous works, there really weren’t any romantic scenes with male leads!”
“So the producers decided to adapt the story into one between two girls,” Ms. Hepburn shrugged. “But even so, casting has still been difficult... they even approached that Witch of the Moon.”
“Wouldn’t that be great?” Lina immediately imagined the scene of two stunning beauties together, lively and charming.
An absolute masterpiece!
“But the Witch of the Moon didn’t seem willing,” Ms. Hepburn smiled. “She said her expressions weren’t rich enough, and that she couldn’t handle acting.”
Ah, right, that girl had a poker face... Lina shook her head slightly in regret.
“Oh, right—Miss Hepburn, don’t you have a regular acting partner?” Annie suddenly asked.
“No,” a subtle change flickered in Ms. Hepburn’s gaze, and then she shook her head with a hint of regret. “I’ve always acted alone.”
At that moment, Lina suddenly noticed Ms. Hepburn’s gaze lingering over her for a while, making her feel a bit uneasy.
“I-Is something the matter?” Lina asked, stammering slightly.
“I was thinking... perhaps I may have already found a candidate for the lead role?” Ms. Hepburn smiled radiantly. “The loveliest flowers are often hidden in the most unnoticed corners~”
Lina lowered her head, not daring to meet those emerald eyes filled with rippling charm.
An autumn breeze passed through the window lattice, carrying a faint chill as it brushed against the girl’s slightly heated cheeks.