Chapter 89: The Uninvited Guest

“I’m sorry, but we don’t welcome guests like you here.” Lika’s expression stiffened for a moment as she moved to block Dan Marina’s path. However, her expression soon turned puzzled. She realized the two people in front of her had somehow moved behind her without her noticing… and she had positioned herself in the wrong spot to block them. The girl accompanying Dan Marina looked at her with confusion.

Dan Marina, having entered the tavern, walked straight toward the inner room without hesitation.

“It’s been a long time, Qin.”

“You know you’re not welcome here,” the woman behind the curtain said. After she spoke, Petty immediately felt an urge to leave. She thought following Dan Marina in like this was a serious mistake. Having done something wrong, she naturally felt she had no face to stay… but that feeling quickly faded away.

“Not many people welcome me,” Dan Marina shrugged and laughed lightly. “You don’t mind if I stay here for a while, do you?”

“What are you looking for?” Qin asked, her tone neither warm nor cold. Witches had their own network for communication. Even though most witches, due to their identity and power, tended to be homebodies, they were not completely ignorant of the outside world. Dan Marina was an exception among witches—someone who was both excluded by witches and reluctantly accepted.

“Hmm, a very special little guy. I want to find him,” Dan Marina said. In front of a witch, many secrets could not be hidden, and she had no intention of hiding anyway. Among witches, there were some factions. The witch she was facing belonged to the orderly faction.

“Don’t do anything unnecessary, and don’t bring trouble here.”

“You know as well as I do, it’s easy for me not to cause trouble for others,” Dan Marina replied with a light laugh. After that, Qin said nothing more. Lika, who had been waiting outside the door, walked in. She looked at Dan Marina with reluctance, then glanced at Petty, curious about her… Why would an ordinary-looking girl be with someone like this?

“Please, come with me,” Lika said softly, using the same tone she used with the tavern’s guests. Since her boss had already agreed to let them stay, she wouldn’t say anything more.

Behind the curtain, a woman with golden hair and heterochromatic eyes silently examined the box in front of her. Dan Marina’s uninvited visit was just one thing. After receiving her promise, Qin set it aside. Just as Dan Marina had said, if she didn’t want to cause trouble for others, even if she were being pursued, she could keep those around her from being affected—unless her pursuers were extremely special and could even ignore her abilities!

Such beings were rare, if they existed at all.

So, after receiving her promise, Qin didn’t pay much attention to Dan Marina’s affairs. Compared to Dan Marina, she was more interested in the box in front of her. Matters among witches were few and far between. Having lived for so long, they had already learned almost everything about each other, and their curiosity had slowly faded over the long years. Ordinary things truly couldn’t catch their attention, unless it involved life and death.

The box was sent by Zheng Yichen. He had a reason for packing it up: “Opening a box is always something to look forward to, especially when you open it yourself.” Well, Qin admitted that, facing the box, she did feel a sense of anticipation. This anticipation made her give up using magic to observe the inside directly and instead prepare to open it with her own hands.

Never underestimate the physical strength of a witch. Even though they might look like young girls, their strength could easily put Warriors Reaching the Tier to shame. So, even though the box was tightly sealed, under her strength, it was like tearing thick paper. She easily ripped it open…

Inside the box was a blue-haired, twin-tailed girl sitting with her legs hugged to her chest. She wore a set of… clothing that looked quite creative and something Qin had never seen before. As for the so-called “exposure,” from a normal person’s perspective, it was indeed a bit revealing, but to her, it was nothing. The style of the clothing intrigued her much more.

After a careful look, Qin admitted that every detail of this Alchemical Puppet’s body was finely crafted. All the materials she provided had been used, with no shortage in quantity or compromise in quality. Overall, it was an excellent piece of work. As for the control mechanism inside, the box came with an Instruction Manual.

There were several control methods to choose from, as per her request. It even had a protective switch. When turned off, the control nodes were covered with anti-magic metal, preventing others from exploiting weaknesses or indirectly affecting the puppet. This was Zheng Yichen’s design, an added touch. To her, it was unnecessary but appreciated.

Moreover, this Alchemical Puppet even had a name.

Qin didn’t mind this either. After all, from an overall perspective, the Alchemical Puppet before her was already a master-level creation. It was only natural for the Creator to name it. As for the name… it was Miku, and it came with a unique weapon. The shape was a bit strange, but according to the description, it was… a scallion?

It was made from leftover materials after the creation. Though the shape was odd, it could still be used as a blunt weapon to smash someone’s head.

Zheng Yichen didn’t explain the meaning behind the name; it definitely wasn’t something chosen randomly. As for the appearance, there was nothing to criticize. Without any specific requirements for the looks, Zheng Yichen had still achieved this level. There was nothing more to say. Below the name, there was an additional note: “Please take good care of her. She is one of a kind.”

Qin reached out a finger and pressed it against the forehead of the Alchemical Puppet named Miku. The puppet, with its eyes closed, slowly opened them. Even though it was made as realistic as possible, its eyes, lifeless and stiff due to the lack of life, became lively and active under the influence of a certain power.

“Hmm… not bad,” the Alchemical Puppet named Miku spoke in Qin’s voice. Then, the voice changed—no longer mature like hers, but young and vibrant, like a girl’s. Qin felt it wasn’t quite right, so she changed the voice several more times. Although they were all girl’s voices, the tones were completely different. Only after trying a voice that fit the image did she decide on the voice for “Miku.”

As for the clothes it wore, Qin changed them immediately. She didn’t mind the outfit, but others might see it as strange. Finding suitable clothes was easy. She just asked Lika for a set.

“…Huh?!” Lika, who was busy with the tavern’s work, saw a green-haired, twin-tailed girl walk out of the inner room. Her expression couldn’t hold for the second time that day… Was her boss trying to tease her for fun again!?