Chapter 106: Research and Testing

Old Yu could only take so much.

Especially after Erin flopped onto the ground again—although Yu Sheng didn't actually have an 'old man,' he couldn't shake the feeling that if that little puppet kept making noise, he'd end up conjuring an 'old man' out of thin air, only to have Erin take him out...

Fortunately, though, the little puppet's temper flared and faded fast. More importantly, after the initial chaos and floundering, she and Yu Sheng suddenly realized a detail they'd both overlooked a moment ago—

"This new body... when we were in the attic earlier, the distance between it and this painting was more than five meters, right?" Erin (the primary) stared blankly as she lifted her head, belatedly looking at the other body Yu Sheng had already placed on the bed. At the same time, that new body looked down at itself, and both bodies spoke in unison, giving an almost echoing effect.

The next second, Yu Sheng reacted: "...Oh, damn! Right! This one woke up in the attic... It broke the painting's limit!"

Then they just looked at each other (or rather, 'each other' in triplicate). After a long pause, Yu Sheng hesitantly spoke up: "So maybe this isn't such a bad thing...?"

"Having an extra body was never the bad thing—the biggest problem was me fainting!" Erin immediately bulged her eyes, but then shifted her tone. "But then again, maybe fainting is something I can overcome. Maybe I just need to get used to it. The fact that this body can leave the painting's distance limit is the real game-changer... Yu Sheng, how did you even manage this?!"

"How should I know? If you ask me how I made it, I can explain, but if you ask about the principle behind it, my knowledge of alchemy is even worse than yours," Yu Sheng said, scratching his head. "I was just thinking I'd practice before you switch to a new body in a few months, so you wouldn't keep complaining about how ugly my dolls are. And I also went through the alchemical process you taught me. Who knew it would actually come to life, becoming a usable 'vessel' even without your cooperation? Right when I was thinking of calling you up to take a look, the moment I called your name, it started growing hair..."

"Wait!" Erin interrupted Yu Sheng, both dolls lifting their heads to look at him, four eyes full of suspicion. "You said... the situation suddenly changed after you called my name?"

"Yeah," Yu Sheng nodded immediately, then realized something. "...You're saying that's why you ended up slipping into the second vessel?"

"Just a possibility. Because 'names' have power. When you create a blank doll vessel, it's just an 'object.' But if you, as the 'creator,' call my name during the ritual process, it's like 'imbuing' that item with significance..."

Erin spoke thoughtfully, but then couldn't help shaking her head.

"But that's all very advanced alchemy, requiring specific rituals and even specific times and places, and the alchemical item can't be a clay doll made during novice practice... With just the tea powder and rose oil you used as mediums, how could it have such a big effect? Not to mention, at the price you paid, I suspect that rose oil doesn't contain any rose at all..."

"...Maybe it's because of my blood?" Yu Sheng cautiously reminded her. "I bled quite a lot this time."

"...?"

For a moment, Erin was stunned.

Then she reacted: "THIS IS POSSIBLE?!"

"I don't know," Yu Sheng said helplessly, waving his hands. "Originally, I just wanted to study what's up with my blood, but after all that study, I have even more questions now. Though I did discover a new property."

They continued staring at each other with wide eyes, then simultaneously began analyzing Erin's 'No. 2 body.'

After all, this body had broken the five-meter restriction of the painting's seal, which was incredibly important for Erin.

"Is there any difference between this new body and your current 'primary vessel'?" Yu Sheng asked curiously, looking at the two puppets sitting on the bed (honestly, it felt strange, especially knowing that both puppets were controlled by a single consciousness of Erin). "I mean, in terms of 'feel.'"

"Hmm... This vessel feels more rigid, slower?" Erin thought for a moment, carefully sensing as she spoke. "Especially the senses—very dull and numb. Touch is only about half, hearing and vision are fine, hot and cold... I can barely feel hot or cold, and pain is very weak."

As she spoke, her No. 2 body reached up and pinched its own cheek.

"Also, when I control this body to move, there's always this sense of... unreality, a lack of 'immersion.' It's like using a very realistic device to control a virtual character. Even if the realism is high, I can always tell I'm 'controlling' it, not that I am it."

Yu Sheng frowned slightly.

The two Erins on the bed looked at him pleadingly.

The two puppets looked almost identical, but they were easy to tell apart because one Erin always carried the painting on her back, while the other, upon closer inspection, had noticeably duller eyes and less lively facial expressions than the primary vessel.

Looking at the two Erins, especially the one carrying the painting, Yu Sheng suddenly thought of something.

He stepped forward and removed the painting from Erin's back.

"Hey, what are you—"

"Just a thought. Let me verify it."

Yu Sheng said seriously to the little puppet, who was a bit startled. Though still puzzled, she nodded and quieted down.

Yu Sheng hung the painting directly onto Erin's new vessel.

"Now? How does it feel?" he asked nervously, looking at the two puppets.

Erin was visibly stunned—both of them were stunned.

Then both bodies spoke in unison: "Oh damn! That feeling switched!"

The puppet carrying the painting pointed at the other one across from it: "This body has now become the rigid, slow one."

"Just as I thought," Yu Sheng let out a soft breath, then concluded solemnly, "Whichever carries the painting is the main body. So, essentially, the painting itself is still the main body."

Erin's expression immediately turned pained, as if she had escaped from jail but hadn't fully escaped, and the damn prison was still chasing her, seeping resentfully out of her.

Meanwhile, Yu Sheng quickly thought of more.

"Next, we need a series of tests—like what happens when both bodies leave the painting, how far the 'secondary body' can move freely when the 'primary body' carries the painting, and most importantly, how to help you adapt to having two vessels as soon as possible. If you really can't adapt, we'll need to figure out how to temporarily 'disconnect' one vessel," he said, rubbing his chin as he pondered. "It's best to call Hulithe for help."

"Hey, I'll go wake her up!" Both puppets immediately stood up at the same time, ready to jump off the bed. "With all this noise in the house, how could she still be... Oh, mom!"

Erin forgot she was now controlling two bodies with insufficient thread capacity. As soon as she stood up and took two steps, she lost balance, and both bodies tumbled headfirst off the edge of the bed.

Luckily, Yu Sheng was quick. He grabbed both by the ankles and lifted them up.

Both puppets simultaneously pressed down on their skirts, looking extremely awkward as they hung upside down, staring at Yu Sheng. "You better go call her. I need to faint for a bit..."

Yu Sheng sighed helplessly, placed the Erins on the bed, then turned and left the room. He knocked on the door across the hall: "Hulithe! Are you awake? Come help!"

He knocked three times before he heard the fox girl's somewhat flustered reply from inside. After a moment, still in her nightgown, with her hair unkempt, Hulithe pushed the door open and appeared before him. She still looked a bit groggy.

"I overslept..." she said sheepishly, lowering her head as if she had done something wrong. "I slept too late last night."

"No problem, no problem. It's my fault," Yu Sheng waved his hand quickly. He knew that yesterday in the museum, Hulithe had done the most work, so it was normal for her to need more sleep. "Something's come up. Come take a look."

Without understanding why, Hulithe followed Yu Sheng into the master bedroom across the hall.

Then she saw two Erins sitting side by side on the bed, staring straight at the door like P1 and P2 in a game.

Hulithe froze at the doorstep. She stared dumbly for a long time, then reached up and rubbed her eyes vigorously. After rubbing, it was still double vision.

"Oh no! Master! I'm hallucinating!" She immediately looked at Yu Sheng in panic. "Erin has become two!"

"Stop rubbing—rub it twice more and you'll see four," Yu Sheng said, reaching out to stop Hulithe from continuing. He coughed awkwardly. "A little accident happened. Right now, Erin really does have two bodies. You're not seeing things."

Hulithe stared dumbfounded at the two Erins. After a moment, she seemed to understand something, and admiration appeared on her face: "So you're practicing the art of external incarnation! I didn't expect you, Erin, to be an immortal too..."

"Immortal my ass! Stop spouting nonsense! It was Yu Sheng who made me an extra body!" Erin immediately started yelling. "I was just taking a nap, and when I woke up, I almost fainted from shock!"

"Let's not talk about that now, not about that," Yu Sheng quickly interrupted the puppet's yelling, stepped forward, took the painting off Erin's back, and turned to hand it to Hulithe. "You, take this painting to the attic."

(End of chapter)