A journey of Shadowverse and Honkai Impact 3rd

Doubt appeared in the blue eyes, and Sera, who immediately guessed a worse situation, felt a sinking feeling in her heart, and became even more sad about the cruel reality of the situation.

It hurts so much, this so-called reality.

Whether it was a temporary loss of hearing or complete deafness, Sera no longer wanted to speculate or confirm these things.

Now she just wants to get through the painful trial first, and at the same time recover enough mobility to live in this world as a healthy person.

"I can't hear you, Father."

The girl with bandages wrapped around her body began to speak. Although she was unaware of the pain others were suffering, the pure will in her clear blue eyes was enough to move the kind priest.

Capton nodded, and then switched to using abstract sign language that he was not very proficient in to communicate. While communication itself became a torture, the two finally understood a lot after more than ten minutes.

Afterwards, the kind-hearted person had left, leaving only a little bit of medicine dripping down the needle into Sera's body.

Next, let’s go take a look at the deck. The cold reality is really painful.

9. The Beginning of the Puppet Master

"How are you feeling?"

Before heading to the deck, Sera passed by her own spiritual space. The magnificent grassland scenery composed of the blue sky and lush grass was like a breeze responding to beautiful memories, filling the hearts of those who were blown by it with peace.

Sitting quietly on a straw mat woven from fragrant grass, Xilin, who had changed into a skirt at some point, had soft eyes and her tone when she asked Sera about it still carried the concern of an older sister for her younger sister.

Xilin, who has had the same experience as an experimental subject, always has a sincere heart towards Sera.

"Probably, it's okay."

The conscious body doesn't need to worry about the body full of holes, but the state of constant pain will not change at all. Sera wanted to say that she was fine, but even as a conscious body, the slow movements were not enough to give her enough confidence.

"Well, be careful along the way."

After saying that, the quiet and graceful Xilin lay down on her straw mat, bathing in the sunshine in her spiritual space peacefully. Although the care, like floating catkins, was light, it still brought warmth to people's hearts.

The motivation of will is inexhaustible. Even in the torture of suffering, she still maintains the goal of moving forward. Sera breathed a sigh of relief and stepped into the familiar world with the blessings of others.

The third exploration of the deck begins.

The difficult feeling of drifting consciousness disappeared as soon as it appeared, as if it was anchored. When Sera opened her eyes, the smell of decay that filled the dark earth gave her a great surprise.

Hey, it’s the previous laboratory?

The bright mana glow began to rise. Although it flickered a few times due to the pain that plagued it, the mana bulb still operated smoothly with the dedicated operation.

Now, the girl with the blue halo on her head can independently explore the deeper secrets of the experimental facility.

However, before that, she had to pass on the good news of her arrival to Mr. Orange (the name Sera gave to the Mud Colossus) who should be nearby.

The unique mana is different from the magic factor flowing in the world. It originates from Sera's spirituality and the technological mana gifted by Mother Earth. It has magical effects on organization and dominance. After a while, Sera vaguely sensed her first good friend here.

The giant's strides shook the ground, and its cheerful mood made the settled dust fly all over the sky. Sera, with a subtle expression, was buried in the dust before Mr. Orange arrived.

So, when the kind-hearted Mr. Orange arrived, he saw the disheveled white-haired ball that made the giant happy.

The scattered mana barely blocked the dust from covering her, allowing Sera to maintain some dignity. Her originally slightly annoyed mood disappeared without a trace when she saw the mud and dust colossus. The girl coughed a few times, then walked forward, spread her arms, and gently leaned against the chubby Mr. Orange.

You are really fat, Mr. Orange.

"Oh. (Fat? I don't think so.)"

Patting his muddy chest, Mr. Orange uttered a few "oh" sounds. His powerful voice revealed his natural confidence and a strange aesthetic that was very different from that of humans.

"Hey, your belly is so big, but you're not considered fat?"

Blinking, Sera looked up and down at the strange body illuminated by the mana glow, especially the big belly engraved with mysterious patterns. After paying close attention, she still felt that Mr. Orange's BMI (body mass index) was seriously over the limit.

"Nga! (Impossible!)"

With an angry roar, two eyes, one big and one small, followed by a round mouth, showed an angry look. The pretentious mud and dust giant tried to stop the girl's inappropriate remarks by intimidation.

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding, don't take it seriously."

Waving her hands and coaxing the angry-looking Mr. Orange with a smile, Sera then gave herself to him.

"Mr. Orange, please help me. You hold the line and I'll lead the way. If we encounter any danger, we'll run away. I can run very fast now!"

It is hard to say whether it is the innate talent of the experimental subject or the spatial potential brought about by the decomposition of [Teleportation]. Although Sera is not very good at spatial manipulation now, she can indeed flash and run away.

"Gah?"

The mud and dust giant, a little confused, looked at the girl's familiar face. It didn't quite understand what the soft-looking girl was thinking. However, it was still happy to protect such a lovely human.

The chat channel began to continue exploring after a certain frequency. The deeper they went into the facilities buried by time and history, the more strange events they encountered.

It seems like the mechanisms are only causing troubles. To open a door, you have to run around to collect badges and tokens. There are also confusing puzzles hidden in the beautiful paintings. The strong sense of déjà vu made Sera utter a frantic sound.

"Wow, who designed this place? Wouldn't he/she find it troublesome to walk around in there?"

The white-haired girl with a mana halo on her head cursed angrily, but her hands moved honestly according to the decryption steps. Then, the stone door that had blocked them for more than an hour was opened, and a strong cold wind immediately rushed out, making people feel cold.

Besides feeling cold, Sera had an uneasy feeling of being watched, which made her have a worse impression of the things inside the stone gate. She saw a few faint white rays suddenly light up in the darkness that was dispelled by the light of mana, and then, it was just like in a horror movie.

The white object was moving at high speed and approached immediately. The sudden humanoid creature appeared in front of Sera with a shock that made her thoughts stop.

Surrounded by panic and fear, the mental blank stagnated the flow of mana for a moment, and a single beat slower was enough to push a person into the abyss.

But fortunately, Sera is not alone, she has the reliable Mr. Orange to support her.

The dust giant, which had detected the existence of the ghost, struck out with its huge hand. The blue magic power wrapped around it to restrain the wind pressure, and instantly smashed the attacking ghost into pieces. Dense white light spots floated in the sky like snowflakes.

(Get the card [Ghost], bronze card, description: Be careful of the cool breeze blowing on your pillow at night, because it may be a greeting from the ghost.)

goo...

Taking deep breaths with lingering fear, Sera, who had recovered from the shock, didn't even have the energy to curse. At the moment, she felt dizzy and just wanted to rest quietly to soothe her fragile spirit.

"Thanks, Mr. Orange."

After finally coming to her senses and seeing that no more vengeful spirits appeared behind the stone gate, Sera mustered up the courage to walk in. But as soon as she walked in, she felt the fear brought by the human-like creatures gathered together.

This is a workshop-like room. Various tools are neatly stacked on a long workbench. Above his head and to his right are dark-colored dolls with limbs and faces.

It imitates the structure of the human body, has a human-like body shape, and lifeless eyes. Even if they are just materials placed on it, the lifeless gaze gathered together is enough to make Sera feel an unnecessary fear.

Just as she imagined the existence of evil spirits in the darkness, Sera was now imagining what kind of tragedy would happen if the puppets suddenly attacked.

With this thought, the mana in his body was closely connected with the surrounding space, and the short-distance space transfer was ready.

However, the horrific scenes that Sera imagined were always just imaginations, and she gained a lot from her exploration of the workshop.

(Obtain the card [Craftsman's Flash], a bronze card. Description: Repeated revisions from understanding, verification, and results. When this cycle is mixed with inspiration, development will turn into progress.)

(Get the card [Puppet], bronze card, description: What makes us human? This is something created specifically to find the answer.)

(Get the card [Thread of Domination], Bronze Card, Description: Allows you to see the threads that control the puppet, indicating that the puppeteer no longer hides his intentions.)

……

Is this a systematic puppet tutorial packaged in bundles?

For the first time, Sera was troubled by the excessive harvest. She was still puzzled by the number of things, but when she thought that even Ochis's design drawings could be found here, she felt it was natural.

Great, now I can be a puppeteer or something like that.

Perhaps, creating your own Ochis is not a dream!

10. Beginners of Puppetry

She decomposed all the puppet system cards she had obtained, and for a short period of time, her mind was completely immersed in the knowledge she had gained effortlessly. When the girl opened her eyes again, the mana glow used for lighting seemed even brighter.

呲la.

The sound of a foreign object rapidly cutting through the air was crisp and concise. Suddenly, a hanging puppet broke free from its restraints and stood on the floor like a ghost. Although lifeless, an unusual pressure was already emerging.

The dust giant tilted its head towards the fallen wooden puppet, stretched out a big hand and wanted to weigh the puppet's condition. However, under the control of the puppet, the puppet would naturally not surrender.

Bang, snap.

The collision sound came from the close contact between the puppet and the ceiling, and the creaking sound came from both the twisting of the puppet's own joints and the collision with other puppets. Frankly speaking, when the puppet fell to the ground, Sera realized the shame of her own operating skills.

Perhaps he was a giant in theory, but a beginner in practice.

Although I can't achieve very high precision, it's because I'm challenging the [Trial of Unkilling].

The thin, invisible thread of domination dissipated. Looking at the tattered doll on the floor, Sera coughed a few times on purpose. After alleviating the embarrassment of her own trial, she attracted Mr. Orange's attention.

The girl pointed to the small door deep in the workshop and gestured to the puppets around her. The simple and easy-to-understand communication immediately made the Mud and Dust Colossus understand the next action plan.

The giant statue, which was at least two meters tall, carefully inspected the hanging figures, and after neatly pulling off a few more completed figures, handed them to Sera.

This time, Sera used more mana to form the thread of control to improve the accuracy of the operation. As soon as the sky-blue thread touched the puppet, a more comfortable touch than before came back from the thread. In a trance, Sera could sense that the puppet being manipulated had become her second nerve.

A wonderful vision is unfolding in his mind. There is no doubt that this is the world in the eyes of the puppet.

So that's how it is. A skilled puppet can also transmit perceptions. Now, it will be more useful to be a vanguard.

creak creak.

Just like an old tool being used again, the wooden puppet moved its joints and adapted to the body. It took Sera only about half a minute to go from swaying at first to walking steadily.

The blade hidden in the arm popped open, and under the control of the control line, the fully armed puppet entered the deeper part of the workshop and stepped into the area behind the small door.

The flowing mana illuminated the way ahead, and in the shared vision, Sera understood what was going to happen next.

Unlike the workshop with terrifying human figures hanging everywhere, the area behind the door is also a workshop, but it stores golems made of various minerals. Once the light of mana shines, the golems made of stone, gemstone, or glass bloom like flowers with their unique charm.

Tall, mysterious, and gorgeous, their lines carved by knives and axes are like the wonders of nature, and their majestic presence is as hard to ignore as a mountain. Even if they just stand there silently, Sera can imagine what kind of power they will have when they regain their mobility.

"Mr. Orange, your brothers and sisters should be inside."

After making a light-hearted joke, Sera told Mr. Orange what was going on inside after the Mud and Dust Colossus pointed at her in confusion.

"There are many golems, each one an outstanding work of art."

"Oh? (What about me?)"

He didn't care much about the other golems, but Mr. Orange, who thought he was a good friend of Sera, still cared about his position in Sera's heart. His childish question made Sera stunned for a moment.

"Ah, Mr. Orange is of course special. After all, the golems inside don't have hearts..."

Blinking her eyes and showing a trusting smile, as if coaxing someone, Sera's tone was gentle and kind. Her innocent look was the best treasure in the world in the eyes of the Mud and Dust Colossus.

"Uh-huh……"

As if scratching his head shyly, the happy giant even made the green grass on his head sway happily.

But this warm moment did not last long. A shocking sense of power came from the depths of the workshop, followed by Sera's muffled groan.

"Cough cough."

"Mr. Orange!"

Without much explanation, the Mud Colossus understood Sera's meaning through silent tacit understanding. The tall statue immediately picked up the petite girl and started to return along the original path with its legs spread out.

Not long after, the wall connecting the Puppet Workshop and the Golem Workshop also suffered an unparalleled heavy blow. The mysterious characters containing mysteries were destroyed along with the wall after exhausting the last bit of magic power. In the dusty darkness, a golem emitting an ominous green light was searching for its prey.

But as early as the moment the puppet was broken, Sera had already quickly left here with the mud and dust colossus. From beginning to end, the brutal golem did not find any trace of living people.

The frenzied atmosphere was stirred up by the golem's rage, and the foul green color spread to all parts of the underground facility, tinging this area, which was originally filled with a more scholarly atmosphere, with a deep and strange glow.

It was unknown how long it took before the [Giant Mad Spirit] possessing the golem stopped its struggle and fell into a deep sleep. However, if the breath of a living person appeared again, it would wake up again and begin its undead hunt for the living.

Above the lush green grass, the misty morning light was appearing from afar. Under the rising sun, Sera, who was standing with the mud and dust colossus, exhaled a breath, smiled and hugged Mr. Orange, who was still chubby in her eyes.

The colossus's belly was not soft, but it gave people a sense of security. It seemed to have a unique and rare smell of earth with a natural fragrance. As the colossus smiled and patted her head, Sera said goodbye.

"See you next time, Mr. Orange."

"Ah."