Chapter Ninety-Four

“Speaking of which, are you sure she disappeared here?” Apari frowned, looking at the wall in front of her. “If it’s true, that’s really incredible. I can’t sense anything about this thing related to alchemy, and it shouldn’t have much to do with sorcery either.”

"Please do me this favor." Ark moved his wheelchair forward a little and then back into an area. There wasn't much else he could do; he was just there to follow along, and there wasn't much he could actually help with.

After all, he currently knows nothing about alchemy, but he can't be completely ignorant of it. It's just that both alchemy and witchcraft are very difficult to learn. And since he's often out in the wild, in chaotic areas, it's almost impossible to practice either of these things.

Alchemy, sorcery, and witchcraft. These are things that humans can learn, unlike magic and divine arts which are only accessible to specific groups. They are powers applicable to all living beings.

The main difference is that sorcery involves application, alchemy involves modification, and witchcraft involves synthesis.

This ability to create something so strange in space clearly belongs to the realm of alchemy. It's a peculiar place created by altering metals and space.

At this point, Ark could only stare helplessly; his understanding of alchemy was only at a beginner level. He could analyze things that involved visible arrays, but in the current situation, it was completely useless.

“I’ll try my best, I’ll try my best, but don’t have any unrealistic expectations of me. I have no clue right now.” Apari paused and said, “Is this woman named Lady the prototype of the plan our armaments team adopted? I should really let these researchers know some bottom lines. It’s really troublesome to have no restrictions at all.”

The people living here have been temporarily moved to other places, and this area has been cordoned off.

He is a highly respected researcher here, but the one enforcing the blockade is the patron of this place.

Moreover, there are many, many battle dolls outside that are supposedly modeled after Lady.

“I was surprised when I saw them too.” Yak frowned as he looked at the girls outside who looked almost exactly the same.

This feeling is awful. The only difference between them and Lady is perhaps that the only difference is that Lady can think like a living person.

“But I didn’t see you do anything unusual out of surprise.” Apari paused, looking at Ark standing there. “It’s been a long time, you’ve really changed a bit.”

“It’s not a matter of changing or not. It’s just that there wasn’t enough time. I had so much to do. There was no time for sadness.” Acton paused, then looked at Apari and said, “I didn’t dare to touch anything back then. Everything here should be exactly as it was back then.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m surprised. Oh, bring that painting over here, it looks like there’s a magic array on it.” Apari glanced at the portrait on the wall: “No need, I can sense what’s depicted on it from here.”

"Could you explain it in a way that I can understand?"

“It should function similarly to a door frame. Only when this thing is placed in the right position, along with other accessories, can the door be opened.” Apari paused and said, “However, we don’t need to find the key, we just need to find the door. We can’t find the key, so brute force is the best option we can do.”

"That sounds really unreasonable."

“If it’s sturdy enough, I’ll have to reason with it, but it’s too sturdy. If I can’t force it through, I’ll have to reason with it. In that case, I’ll consider making a bootleg key.” Aparie paused. “But I still don’t know where the door is.”

“I suspect this is a chaotic space.” Ark hesitated for a moment before saying, “Have I told you?”

"This theory is known because everything here is chaotic, including the spatial aspects. So there will always be some twisted places that are connected to places that should not be known to humans in the first place through very thin channels."

“This phenomenon was quite extreme in the city I was in before, just recently. I discovered a huge side space in that city.” Acton paused and said, “However, while I was still hesitating about whether this place could be transformed into a place for humans to live, the battle outside caused the space to collapse. So it’s possible that the larger the space, the more unstable it is.”

"So you think this is this kind of space? I do know alchemy and magic involving space, but it also requires certain conditions."

"Tell me, let me think if there's anything that fits."

“First of all, the principle of alchemy is to use energy guided by a matrix to transform something.” Apari paused and said, “For spatial things, it’s probably what I just mentioned as barriers.”

"I have a question. Is it possible that two spaces are not connected, but an opening can be created in space using an alchemical array?" Ark hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Well, it’s theoretically possible, but practically impossible,” Apari hesitated for a moment before saying, “For example, we need an alchemical matrix to guide the change. If, as you say, it’s about tearing open space, that means drawing the alchemical matrix where there’s no standing point.”

Must a matrix be an entity?

“Absolutely, otherwise it would become sorcery. My sorcery skills might not be as good as that man's in your team.” Apari looked at the painting, then stood up from her wheelchair.

"Isn't this a bit much for you?" Yak asked hesitantly.

He controls his actions by turning a part of his body into metal.

“You get used to it.” Apari paused, “But you have to stand up and move around occasionally.”

"So you still need... that troublesome guy to find the gap." Ark's expression suddenly turned surprised as he looked out the window, his expression tightening.

"What's wrong?" Although Apari didn't turn her head, she roughly knew that Ark had sensed something troublesome.

"Could you please find it yourself?" Acton paused and said, "Please apologize to Lady for me; I should have been following her around."

“Sure, but what’s wrong?” Apari was stunned, then smiled helplessly: “Really? So he was a disobedient fellow too.”

So now...

“I don’t recommend you go. That guy seems stubborn. He’ll probably be angry because of your interference.” Apari paused and said, “And there’s a girl here waiting for your help.”

After a long silence, Yak sighed helplessly, "That's true."

But honestly, he really wanted to know why that guy turned out like that after waking up.

......

Carl took a deep breath to calm himself down, but his hurried steps and expression were enough to prove his panic.

Connie followed behind, driving a simple steam-powered vehicle towing two carriages filled with highly dangerous weapons.

"Um, are you alright?" Connie hesitated, wanting to invite the man to sit with him to save some energy, but still ignored him.

The reason... is quite simple: when Karl woke up, he found himself sleeping in bed with Lori in his arms. When the light shone on her, her fair skin and slightly smiling face made him want to lean down and kiss her.

As for the clothes, they were all placed at the foot of the bed. He could feel himself holding something soft.

He could recall the events of the previous night without much effort. He hadn't been drinking; being merely a little tired wouldn't have caused him to forget those things. Besides, as a priest, he naturally possessed excellent memory abilities.

Therefore, he was absolutely certain that he had made a mistake, a huge mistake. He had confused his relationship with the child into an impure one, no longer a simple relationship of manager and managed, but a much closer connection... and according to church rules, if such a thing happened, the woman would demand a marriage to take responsibility, and Karl would have to agree if he didn't want to be confined for three years.

This request was made shortly after Lori woke up.

I wonder if Ketchum will kill him when she finds out about this, maybe. Karl is starting to regret it, not because he's a jerk, but because he was absolutely certain that he would use his power to destroy this child without hesitation when he became an enemy.

Now, he is unsure whether he still holds such a firm belief.

His mind was a jumbled mess first thing in the morning, and he needed a way to calm himself down. So he thought of that guy outside who deserved to be punished.

Then I should get down to business.

His heavy armor was lost in the forbidden zone; although it was excellent equipment, he couldn't have kept it while traversing it. Now, his only protective gear was the scarf the little spider had given him, and his only weapon was the enormous Bible.

But he recovered very well... because he slept soundly that night, and all the fatigue was swept away in one night. He hadn't felt this refreshed and invigorated after waking up for more than a decade.

This made him realize even more clearly that he could no longer judge the child with the same firmness as before.

Unlike Carl, who was irritable because of self-blame, Lori sat on the edge of the bed wearing the sweater that Spider-Man had knitted for her as soon as she woke up. Because she needed the least amount of material, Spider-Man had prepared the sweater for her first.

This spider silk doesn't need washing, won't get dirty, and absorbs sweat and water. It always feels dry to the touch. It's very comfortable to the touch, and although it has no decorations, Lolita looks adorable wearing it.

The room had many clothes suitable for girls, and Aparie had hidden away all of her previous clothes except for the sweater. Because her original clothes didn't bring out her cuteness at all. So she chose an outfit for her and placed it where it could be seen.

Therefore, she was in a bit of a dilemma after taking a shower in the morning, just looking at those gorgeous clothes while wearing a sweater.

It was adorned with extravagant decorations, from gold to jewels, and with intricately crafted ornaments. Lori had never imagined that such an outfit existed in the world; even the clothes Karl had given her before weren't this beautiful.

So suddenly possessing these things made her feel unreal, and she put on the clothes with a bit of shame, standing in front of the mirror and looking at herself.

Aside from her freshly washed hair hanging loosely, everything else about her made her look like a noblewoman. Originally, her attire was more like that of a nun or a worker; after arriving here, she resembled a girl who liked to dress up. But now, she looked like a princess.

Perhaps, she was originally like a gemstone stained with dust. Now, the dust has simply been wiped away.

For some inexplicable reason, Lori didn't feel this was a good thing. After turning around in front of the mirror a few times, she silently rummaged through the closet for a very long time before finally finding a reasonably normal nun's habit in a corner.

The only unusual thing was the collar decorated with carved gemstones, and a thorny cross carved from emeralds, adorned with miniature ruby ​​flower carvings.

Although this object could also be called a cross, she had never seen it decorated with such solemnity. Karl's cross was silver, which was the highest rank. In the church, only high-ranking clergy were allowed to wear silver crosses.

This is already considered the most ordinary outfit among them.

Aparil claimed she could create matter, including gold, silver, and precious stones. Of course, the Church forbade her from producing large quantities of gold coins. The gold she created had to be used personally and could not circulate. The gold coins that could circulate were imbued with divine power to prevent her from using this method for her own purposes.

"This makes me look like a nun," Lori thought, a slight blush creeping onto her face. Then she ran her fingers through her hair, which cascaded down her sides.

Perhaps Karl would like it more this way? After all, he's a priest, and she'll be his wife in the future. So, she should dress like this to match.

The priest was accompanied by a nun, so even if they were seen together, it would be a perfectly legitimate pairing.

That's good; everyone will feel comfortable with that.

It's really great to live here. There's plenty of food, nice clothes, no worries about life, and it's very safe.

But Lori had no intention of staying here at all, for no apparent reason.

Ultimately, she's still a child; she can be willful and make herself do illogical things for trivial and inexplicable excuses.

For example, those from last night.

Lori sat on the edge of the bed, then shrank under the covers, her face flushed. Only after her stomach rumbled did she begin to eat the breakfast laid out on the table.

She froze as she was eating her bread.

She looked uneasily out the window at the enormous figure outside.

What have I been doing since just now?

She panicked, jumped out of bed, pushed open the door, and rushed out.