NOVEL WEB chapter 131
Chapter 56, Rainy Night
In the roar of countless machines and gears in operation.
In Meira’s fervent shout.
Mu En fell into a daze.
What kind of person, what kind of creation, what kind of power, what kind of authority?
Is this kind of power something that can be created by humans?
And what on earth is this terrifying thing that is filled with the feeling of a grand finale, pulled out for the protagonist to bear and fight desperately against the ultimate villain?
According to the original storyline, we haven’t even passed the academy arc yet!
“Originally, according to my calculations, I should have awakened five years later to implement this plan again.”
A hint of regret suddenly appeared in Meira’s amber eyes:
“But since I woke up early, and the course of fate has become so chaotic that even I cannot predict it, I can only proceed with this step ahead of time.”
So this thing was really supposed to be revealed much later in the story?!
“Then… why did Teacher Meira call me here?”
Mu En couldn’t help but feel a bit weak in the knees, his speech becoming disjointed.
“I don’t think I can be of any help.”
Originally, Mu En thought that Teacher Meira wanted to use him to research some terrifying forbidden magic or something, and he had already mentally prepared himself for failure.
But unexpectedly, she would directly pull out something like this?
How am I supposed to help? I can’t even understand the principle of how those gears can float in the air and move on their own; aside from hiding while waving a little flag shouting ‘Big Boss, awesome!’, what else can I do?
“About this…”
Teacher Meira suddenly turned around, revealing a meaningful smile towards Mu En.
Mu En felt a shiver from that gaze, slowly retreating while clutching his collar:
“W-what do you want to do?”
“Well, although I shouted quite loudly just now, this is actually just a prototype of power, far from being a real authority.”
Teacher Meira said with an innocent expression:
“After all, how could inanimate objects created through alchemy and magic possibly become true authorities on par with the gods?”
“Is… is that so? So what?”
“So…”
Meira waved her small hand, as if encompassing everything around her within her palm.
“They need a vessel, a… living vessel.”
“A vessel?”
Mu En felt a moment of confusion.
Then, as if a large Ivan had been thrown into his mind, he was stunned into a daze by this news.
“A vessel? Who?”
“Who else could it be?”
Teacher Meila asked curiously:
“Is there a third person here?”
“Me?”
Mu En glanced at the enormous mechanical creation, still unclear in its entirety, then looked down at her small arms and legs, shaking her head frantically:
“No way, no way, it’s too big, it can’t fit.”
“It can!”
“Definitely can’t, I’ll be crushed!”
“I say it can, so it can!”
Meila spoke with absolute certainty:
“And of course, it’s impossible to just shove something that big into your body; I will definitely make some modifications.”
“Modifications?”
Mu En gestured, “You mean making this thing small enough to fit in my pocket?”
“No, it’s about modifying you so that anything can be stuffed inside.” Meila said earnestly.
“…”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Mu En seemed to finally understand, raising her head with a serious expression:
“So, is it too late for me to get off now?”
“Want to leave?”
Meila sneered.
Then she snapped her fingers.
Accompanied by the sound of machinery whirring, the massive door slammed shut.
Immediately after, a series of locking sounds echoed from the door, the sound of countless locks engaging.
“Thinking of leaving after taking my knife? The door is welded shut.”
From behind Meila emerged various drills, electric saws, axes, screwdrivers, and mechanical arms, glinting like a peacock spreading its feathers, casting a pale light on Mu En’s face.
“Are you ready to accept your teacher’s affection? My dear disciple.” Meila said with a warm smile.
……
……
That night.
In the lower district of Berland.
Rainwater washed over the muddy ground, leaving behind twisted patterns like an abstract painting.
Under the dim sky, a girl with a bun struggled to hold up a large umbrella, shielding the silver-white figure in front of her from the rain.
However, the silver-white figure seemed to find it bothersome, pushing aside the large umbrella and stepping into the pouring rain, disregarding how the uniform was instantly drenched.
In front of her, an area marked off by bright yellow caution tape was brightly lit.
Many figures in black raincoats were busy on the flat ground near the riverbank, meticulously collecting something, occasionally inserting small markers with numbers into the ground.
And at the center of their circle, faintly visible white lines outlined the silhouette of a deceased person.
It was clear at a glance that this was a crime scene.
Celicia lifted the caution tape and walked into the center, gazing at the body clad in a familiar uniform on the ground. Her cold face showed no emotion, but her hands had unconsciously clenched tight, the joints turning pale.
“Your Highness.”
A balding middle-aged man had somehow arrived beside Celicia, constantly wiping his face with a handkerchief, unsure if he was wiping away sweat or rain.
“The identity of the deceased has been confirmed.”
“Speak.”
“Tyke Rod, indeed a student of St. Maria Academy, in the second year.”
“Rod?”
“He is the fourth son of Count Rod. Although he has three older brothers, he is favored by Count Rod due to his considerable talent.”
Before he finished speaking, the edge of the caution tape suddenly erupted in noise.
Horses neighed.
A stern-faced man stepped out from a carriage engraved with the Rod family crest, shouting at the guards blocking his way:
“Let me through! Do you know who I am? I am Count Rod! I want to see my son!”
The scene became chaotic.
The guards brought by Count Rod clashed with the police, creating a mess where even the sound of the rain became hard to hear.
“Let him get lost first!”
Celicia suddenly said coldly.
“Huh?”
The balding middle-aged man paused for a moment: “Word for word?”
“Word for word.”
Celicia paused,
“And tell him I will give him an explanation.”
Thus, with Celicia’s assurance, Count Rod was furious but had no choice but to leave, and the scene quieted down once more. The black-clad guards continued to silently gather information, only the sound of the rain filling the world could be heard.
Celicia lowered her head, looking at the body.
The bloodstains around the corpse had been washed away by the heavy rain, but the chest of the body was still stained a deep red with blood.
Through the tattered uniform over the left chest, it was faintly visible that this corpse seemed to be missing some important part.
“What was the cause of death?”
Celesia silently withdrew her gaze.
“Just… just as Your Highness observed.”
The balding middle-aged man rubbed his forehead vigorously, which could never seem to dry, and said:
“The deceased died from having their heart extracted.”