Chapter 14: The Supreme Puppet Contract

Page (1/3)

“Mr. Mo Wen, look at these trees—they’re so strange. All the leaves have fallen, and their trunks are covered in fuzz.”
“Maybe they’ve mutated.”
“Mr. Mo Wen, look, look! That crow staring at us, its eyes seem to be glowing red!”
“...Uh, maybe it’s just hungry?”
“Mr. Mo Wen...”
“Stop!” Mo Wen suddenly raised his hand sharply, halting the words on the girl’s lips as they walked along the gravel path.

A flicker of regret crossed his mind. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t interacted with anyone for a long time, but Freya had been talking nonstop all the way. Chirping away. After a while, it really started to give him a headache.

“...Hmm.” Freya took a small step back and pointed to the ground not far ahead. “I just wanted to say, it looks like there’s a piece of paper over there.”

Ever since Mo Wen learned why he was heading to the small chapel of Saint Steal, and that this secret story was obtained from a hidden note, the girl had scoured their path like a curious squirrel, her sharp eyes scanning everywhere, afraid to miss anything related to the “note.”

She dashed over, picked up the paper, and after examining it for a moment, blinked and handed it to Mo Wen.

Mo Wen, who hadn’t paid much attention at first, suddenly focused sharply as his gaze landed on the note.

“Highest Doll Contract?”

He was especially sensitive to the word “doll” now.

Ignoring everything else, Mo Wen quickly read the contract’s contents recorded on the paper.

[Contract No. 1: All dolls must obey the commands of their creator.]
[Contract No. 2: Dolls must never harm humans under any circumstances.]
[Contract No. 3: Dolls must protect and serve humans and the Kingdom of Maine.]
[Contract No. 4: Dolls must not lie.]

After reading the contract, Mo Wen narrowed his eyes.

If the contents of the “Highest Doll Contract” were perfectly enforced, then dolls truly would be invaluable helpers to humanity.

They could even alter the course of civilization.

After all, technological innovation brings change in every aspect.

If dolls replaced cheap labor, people could devote more time to other pursuits.

But if everything had gone smoothly, the Kingdom of Maine wouldn’t have ended up in its current state.

What exactly happened during this time?

Burying his doubts deep within, Mo Wen looked ahead.

They had arrived at the backyard of the small chapel of Saint Steal.

Page (2/3)

The entire structure of the small chapel of Saint Steal could be divided into two parts: front and back.

At the front were naturally the courtyard and the main chapel, while behind lay the backyard and the confessional room.

The confessional room’s exterior was also a pointed chapel, but considerably smaller than the main chapel.

A rusted bronze bell sat atop the confessional, with several crows perched side by side beside it. Their blood-red eyes fixed on Mo Wen as he approached, as if eager to feast.

A chill ran through Mo Wen’s heart.

The empty backyard was scattered with dark red bloodstains.

Crows are scavengers; their gathering here meant that, in their understanding, this place likely held carrion.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Freya, who had been chirping nonstop, suddenly quieted down and whispered nervously, “What do we do? Should we keep going?”

Mo Wen nodded. “There aren’t many places we can go. Other places might be even more dangerous. Besides, now that we’re here, can you really leave without seeing what’s going on?”

“Now that we’re here...”

Those four words seemed to carry infinite power, and Freya’s eyes grew determined. Filled with courage, she said, “I’ll scout ahead first.”

Knowing the girl possessed an unreasonable “invisibility” ability and that scouting ahead wasn’t too dangerous, Mo Wen nodded.

With his watchful eyes upon her, Freya dashed forward, circled around the backyard and confessional room, and finally returned to the confessional’s door, summoning all her strength to try to push it open.

Unfortunately, her little face flushed red, but the door only trembled slightly.

With no other choice, Freya had to return first.

“There’s nothing special around here, just this door. I can’t push it open—it’s so heavy.”

The girl complained.

“It’s fine. I’ll give it a try.”

Mo Wen stretched his limbs and stepped forward.

Ensuring there was no danger nearby was enough; at least they wouldn’t be caught in a pincer attack.

The profession of [Black Beast Crew Member], though lacking much intelligence, did grant considerable physical strength.

Even at level 1, his physique rating reached 1.7.

This was after his original body had lost the “Divine Spirit” blessing, rendering it weaker than average.

A healthy young man’s basic physique rating ranged from 0.8 to 1.0, and with professional bonuses, it could easily exceed 2.0.

Standing before the heavy door, Mo Wen took a deep breath and pressed his hands against either side.

With his steady force,

“Hum…”

The nearly three-meter-high door trembled softly and slowly swung inward.

Dust settled in the crevice danced in the draft, glowing like blood-colored motes in the fading sunset.

A strange scent of decay mixed with rust wafted out.

Page (3/3)

Lowering his hands, Mo Wen immediately gripped the metal rod.

The slight weight in his hand brought a sense of reassurance.

He raised his gaze toward the confessional’s interior.

The first impression was emptiness.

Four thick, intricately carved stone pillars supported this small chapel. On the polished floor stood a statue of a half-winged angel.

In the shadows beneath the statue knelt a lone figure.

Due to the lighting, Mo Wen couldn’t discern the person’s exact features.

The figure bent over, seemingly enduring some kind of pain. The tiles around him faintly glowed red.

Sensing the sound of the door opening, the figure twitched briefly as if convulsing, then after a few seconds, his movements became fluid, like an old machine lubricated and restored.

He stepped out from the statue’s shadow, bathed in the sunset’s afterglow.

Only then did Mo Wen see his full form.

No, it should be said, its full form.

Standing about two meters tall, clad in a deep crimson coat and a top hat, the exposed skin bore wooden grain patterns.

Most striking was the massive steel greatsword it held—not so much gripped as dragged along the ground.

The sword was one and a half meters long, broad and heavy, radiating a chilling aura. As it dragged, it left a long white mark on the floor.

A doll?!

Mo Wen’s heart skipped a beat as he quickly glanced at the information provided by his “Reconnaissance Technique.”

——

[Military Standard Doll Model One: The first generation military doll produced by Veroni Doll Factory, powered by the fifth-generation Doll’s Heart. It features an external alloy skeleton and boasts combat abilities far superior to household dolls.

Extended standby time has depleted the Doll’s Heart energy. Coupled with the loss of its exoskeleton in prior fierce battles and aging of the mechanism, its combat power has significantly diminished.

Assessment: Dangerous! — Destroying the Doll’s Heart will paralyze and shut it down.]

——

Having swiftly absorbed the data, before Mo Wen could analyze tactics carefully,

“Thud!”

The military doll leapt several meters high, raising its steel greatsword above its head, then swung it down in a parabolic arc.

The blade rapidly filled Mo Wen’s vision.

“Boom!”