Cornflower Witch

Chapter 377 The Origin of the Puppeteer
Stepping out of the carriage, Hiltiya felt dazzled; everything before her was unfamiliar and new, giving her a unique and striking impression.

After all, in the technologically advanced society of the previous life, robot technology was not mature and had not yet become widespread, but here, those moving mechanical dolls can be seen everywhere, assisting the academy staff in doing many tasks.

“Please come this way.” Considering that Hilti was very young, a waiter specially guided her through the long red carpet and towards the magnificent building ahead.

"This is the gilded hall, built fifty years ago. The huge golden stage inside is composed of seven ceremonial rings with overlapping centers, which can be rotated and adjusted at will."

"Because a large amount of the structure uses metal, the mechanical puppets can move freely by relying on magnetism, such as walking parallel to the wall or upside down."

A waiter gave the girl a detailed introduction, and then Hilti asked a few questions that she found very interesting.

Do these puppets possess the ability to think, or rather, how do they gain the ability to act autonomously?

"Well, that involves the higher-level application of the 'secret language' aspect," the other person explained with a smile.

“You should have learned that ‘secret language’ represents memory, history, reenactment, and so on. When you reach a higher level of ‘secret language’, you can inscribe your memories or feelings, store them in a special container, and then convey them to others.”

"This is the origin of many heirloom gems, stone tablets, and sacred texts."

"Since memories and feelings can be engraved, it is natural that some pre-set behavioral habits and coping mechanisms can also be engraved into a special container and then placed inside a mechanical doll, which will then act according to the contents of the memory in the gem."

"The higher the level of the mechanical puppet, the more actions it can remember and perform, and the more complex things it can do."

"As for why it's a mechanical doll and not some other mechanical shape, it's because the memories stored are all stored in humans, and those behavioral patterns are manipulated according to human instincts. If it were any other shape or structure, it would be completely unsuitable."

"I see."

A few minutes later, Hilti arrived inside the magnificent building, climbed the metal steps built in the air, and then came to the edge of the huge golden stage.

Now beneath her feet is a giant ring about 600 meters in diameter, the outermost of the seven rings on the stage. The ring is slowly rotating and gradually tilting, but she stands on it as if on the ground. It seems that some kind of special gravity generating device is used here, so that the tables, chairs and people on the ring, even if they are upside down, are as if they are standing on the ground and will not fall.

As the ring rotated, Hilti sat in place, as if experiencing a giant Ferris wheel, watching the distant plaza grow farther and farther away, and her own position slowly rise into the sky.

If it were an ordinary person who had never experienced this before, they would probably be so frightened by the scene that their legs would go weak or they would fall down. Fortunately, the guests invited to the Silver Bell Festival were mostly of the third rank or above. Hilti was almost the lowest rank in terms of gender here, which felt like a kindergarten child entering an adult banquet.

Sitting at the giant circular table, Hilti looked at the snacks and meals offered. Almost all of them were 'Tier 2' or higher delicacies. Any one of them would cost more than ten gold coins outside, but here they were just ordinary food.

Her gaze fell on the center of the golden stage, where a performance was still taking place, but it seemed to be just a warm-up show, not the main program yet.

Within the seven concentric rings, the inner three are reserved for performances, the fourth is empty and isolated, the fifth is for free movement and socializing, and the sixth and seventh rings contain hundreds of round tables of varying sizes and thousands of chairs.

With half an hour to go before six o'clock, Hiltiya sat at the table, sipping her snacks and flipping through the program list and evening's schedule.

The celebration began at 6:00 PM and lasted until after 11:00 PM, followed by the midnight bell-ringing ceremony. The entire Mage Alliance could hear the 'Mithril Clock' school's bell ringing to calibrate the time.

After the bell is rung, it's free time. You can freely explore the Rolik Academy, visit the various exhibits, learn any secret arts that interest you, and so on. When you leave in the morning, you'll receive a special gift prepared by the academy for all guests.

Time passed slowly, and as the appointed time arrived, more and more guests filled the gilded hall. At this moment, Hilti also saw several boys and girls who looked the same age as her, but who had come with adults.

"Are you alone, little girl?" A kind old lady, arm in arm with her granddaughter, walked over.

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

Behind the elderly woman in the black dress was a girl who looked a few years younger than Siltia. She had light golden pigtails, was holding her grandmother's arm, and was looking up at Siltia.

"Hehe, this is my granddaughter, Tiqisi. She's a little curious about you, but also a little shy." She smiled and patted the girl's head as she introduced her.

"Hello." Hilti looked at the girl, who was about 14 years old. The girl was also a superhuman with the Secret Language aspect, but only at the first level. The old lady in front of her was probably at the fifth level.

"Hello." After saying this, Tikis hid behind her grandmother again, while Hiltia had no choice but to continue communicating with the old lady in front of her.

Upon learning that Hilti had obtained the invitation entirely on her own merits, the old man praised her repeatedly, and then, as expected, uttered the words that many parents love to say.

"Tikiss should learn from this older sister, look how amazing she is." These words stirred up a rebellious feeling in the little girl who originally had some affection for Hiltia, and she sat in her chair, pouting and turning her head away.

Seeing this, Hilti offered some words of comfort and advice, saying that it was just a coincidence, etc. Then, as time went by, the stage rings of the entire gilded hall began to align, meaning that all seven rings were on the same horizontal plane.

A melodious violin tune filled the air, and the voices in the gilded hall gradually subsided. Many people stopped talking and began to focus their attention on the central stage.

At the center of the stage, nearly six hundred mechanical dolls dressed in black short dresses have walked onto the stage. They are as elegant as real young girls, immersed in the music.

Then the lights on the outside gradually dimmed and went out, while the lights converged on the stage in the center of the hall.

After the melodious violin performance, the two hosts took the stage to give congratulatory speeches and introduce the long history and traditions of Rohrwick College.

According to official accounts, the 'Puppet School' originated from a rural puppeteer who could skillfully manipulate wire puppets with his fingers, making those simple cloth and straw puppets perform lifelike movements.

In his early years, he lived a difficult life and did not earn much money even when performing in various places. However, he had a passion for being a puppeteer and tirelessly sought ways to improve the performances and make the puppets more exquisite and beautiful.

As the years went by, his puppet shows gradually gained fame and became a legend of that era, thus solidifying the 'secret language' image.

In his old age, he returned to his hometown town and began to pass on the experience and skills he had accumulated over the years to the local youths. He gradually organized his various insights, which became the origin of the 'Phantom School'. The town was named 'Rolick', which is also the origin of the current academy.

"Having obtained clues about the 'Sacred Scripture: Town Puppet Master,' if we can find that original text, we can learn the path to becoming the seventh-tier profession, 'Dream Weaver Puppet Master.'" A seventh-tier profession, Hilti recalled. The 'Sacred Scripture: Lake Prayer Meleranco' that she had obtained only contained clues about the sixth-tier profession, 'Lake Saintess.'

After the opening remarks, the grand performance began. At this time, not only were there mechanical puppets performing on the stage, but also hundreds of golden griffins flying in the air. Upon closer inspection, they were all made of metal, and the complex internal structure could be seen on their bellies.

These griffins formed a formation, flew across the stage, and soared over Hilti's head, creating a gust of air that surprised many guests, while some children let out excited screams.

After the two performances by the mechanical puppets, the real people finally took the stage. This time, the students who came up were all formal students of Rolik Academy, all of whom were at least at the third level. They were divided into two groups and stood facing each other, wearing uniforms of different colors.

Then, the first ring in the center sank down, and then one hundred neat scarecrows were placed on each side. Unlike the ordinary scarecrows in the fields, these scarecrows had joints and each held a wooden sword.

Then the students from both sides stood on the upper circle, each extending their hands. Invisible threads connected them to the chosen scarecrows, and those inanimate wooden scarecrows immediately came to life.

This is an annual event at Rolik Academy, said to have originated from the school's early days, before the development of metal mechanical dolls. Back then, school members in the town used scarecrows as props for training.

Under the control of elite puppeteers within the academy, these scarecrows unleashed astonishing combat power. They ran swiftly, soared through the air, and their seemingly fragile wooden swords, enhanced by secret techniques, erupted with crimson flames, clashing back and forth on the stage, causing their opponents to explode and burn.

In Hilti's view, these ordinary scarecrows, made of ordinary materials, were transformed in the hands of these puppeteers. Ordinary second-tier warriors could not withstand them at all. They were incredibly agile, and the wooden swords in their hands, enhanced by special secret techniques, would occasionally flash with crimson arcs of light, capable of cutting through even steel. The scarecrows controlled by the two chief warriors were even more skilled in swordsmanship, incredibly fast, and the wooden swords they wielded emitted suffocating heat waves that ordinary third-tier knights could not withstand.

As expected of the seventh-ranked academy in the Mage Alliance, it indeed possesses many secret techniques that are hard for outsiders to imagine.

After several minutes of fighting, only the scarecrows controlled by the two chief fighters remained standing in the center of the stage. They occasionally crossed paths, their charred bodies filled with flames, almost burning to ashes, yet still exuding an imposing aura.

Finally, the two scarecrows leaped into the air and launched their final attack, like two fiery meteors colliding, bursting into a beautiful and magnificent display of fireworks in the sky.

After the event concluded, a round of enthusiastic applause erupted, and this was only the beginning of tonight's grand feast.

……

One amazing and novel program after another was staged, and Hiltiya unknowingly became immersed in it, watching intently, amazed by the various ingenious ideas and magical abilities.

By the time she came to her senses, it was already 11 o'clock, which was also the end of the program.

One by one, the performers and puppets went up on stage to express their gratitude. Finally, an elderly man with white hair went up to give a speech. He was the current principal of Roelic College and was over three hundred years old.

When all the shows came to an end, there were only a dozen minutes left until midnight.

As the atmosphere of the grand performance gradually faded, people discussed the various details revealed in tonight's show. Some praised the technical aspects, some marveled at the talent of the new generation of students, and others talked about recent current events.

At this moment, Tikkis also started talking to her grandmother and Hilti. They had probably watched the program together for several hours, and the awkwardness between them had lessened considerably. She was no longer so shy.

"Sister Hedra, can you also manipulate puppets with threads?"

“I can use silk threads, but I haven’t learned how to manipulate puppets yet,” Hilti replied with a smile, then thought for a moment and showed the bird woven from the silk threads.

Curiously observing the birds circling around her, Tiqisi reached out to touch them, but only touched them lightly, feeling a strange coolness.

Watching the three birds twirl in the air, performing various acrobatic feats and weaving the silk threads behind them into beautiful paper-cut window decorations, Tiqi couldn't help but applaud.

"Sister Hedra, you're amazing!"

From a distance, the interaction between Hilti and Tikis was witnessed by two professors from the academy. They exchanged a knowing smile, seemingly having come up with a plan.

“You can’t take it from me this time,” said the elderly man with neatly combed hair first.

“That won’t do, Senior Condner.” The woman who spoke was covering her mouth and chuckling. She was also wearing a proper black professor’s uniform.

“But she’s a girl, it’s more appropriate for me to teach her.”

"You already have several students, why are you still competing with me for them?"

"Ah, there's no rule that says you can't take on new apprentices if you have students. I think she's perfect for passing on my skills."

"Besides, you haven't taken on any apprentices for decades. Now you're taking on such a young and lovely girl. Are you sure you can teach her well? Or would I be more suitable?"

"It seems we need to make an agreement." In school, this means that the two sides will compete fairly to see who wins.

"Sure, but let's go talk to her first, otherwise we'll be a laughing stock if some other old guys kidnap her on the way."

“No, going directly would be too conspicuous. Many people are secretly watching us.” The old man shook his head, thought for a while, and then whispered to the woman beside him.

"Hehe, you're so experienced, senior. Let's do it that way then." After saying that, the two glanced at the girl in the distance again, then turned and left.

At this moment, the break time in between was over, and the hands of the clock tower outside the gilded hall slowly aligned with the 12 o'clock position.

A clear bell rang out in the center of the Mage Alliance. Starting with this sound, bell towers all over the world also rang out in unison, echoing and reflecting in the sky, sweeping across the Fourth Continent like ripples.

The silver bell tolls, and time is set in order.

(End of this chapter)