As she was thinking, Miss Wolf saw Ansel sit next to Ravenna’s puppet body and start to fiddle with it.

“…”

“Hmm, structurally, it has indeed improved a lot compared to three years ago. The circulation and flow of ether have become more efficient and concise… but you still haven’t completed the upgrade, Ravenna. You haven’t devoted more energy to the research of alchemical puppets.”

Ansel’s hand stroked Ravenna’s body. Although it sounded somewhat emotional, in reality, his fingertips had already cut open the puppet’s skin, revealing the puppet’s body that glowed with a faint silver light.

Ravenna’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and seeing her expression change, Ansel smiled and smoothed her eyebrows, “Sorry, it’s been three years, I forgot you’re afraid of pain.”

Even though her neck was twisted like this, the puppet body could still speak normally, just with a slightly off-key voice:

“Hydral, what did you get in exchange for giving the mechanical armor design to the Lost Eye?”

For Ansel, almost everything in this world was within his reach. Ravenna couldn’t understand… what benefits could Ansel gain by giving such an important design as the mechanical armor to Soren.

“Well…”

Ansel gently stroked Ravenna’s chin — the metal chin that had its skin worn away due to Seraphina’s brutal attack.

Ravenna’s appearance, or rather, the appearance of this puppet, was more mature compared to Seraphina. In the words of that transmigrator friend, it was a sharp tongue super-sister. If Seraphina’s beauty was the sweetness and charm of a young girl, then Ravenna carried the unique charm and allure of a mature woman, adding a contrasting temptation to that indifferent face like a silent iceberg.

Stroking the adorable Seraphina could bring joy to one’s body and mind; stroking Ravenna, on the other hand, would likely stir one’s body and mind.

“What if I say, it was to get the current fragile you.”

Ansel’s hand slid down Ravenna’s iron-glowing face to her twisted and broken neck. He leaned slightly forward, gazing at Ravenna’s puppet body, and softly said, “Would you believe it?”

Ravenna sneered, “I remember Mr. Hydral saying that he didn’t need me anymore.”

“In terms of etheric studies and alchemy, indeed.”

Ansel’s fingertips traced over the broken parts of the neck, then paused at a certain spot and suddenly plunged in.

“Guh!”

The icy beauty couldn’t help but frown due to the pain, letting out a stifled groan.

“Hmm… this part is stuck here, disrupting the natural flow of ether.”

Ansel’s index finger gently stirred in Ravenna’s shattered throat, gently pulling out a sharp fragment.

He turned to look at Seraphina, who had her arms crossed and a strange look on her face, “Seraphina, you were a bit too forceful back then.”

“Hmm… I was a bit angry then, that is, Ansel…”

Seraphina watched Ansel fiddling with the puppet, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Facing Ansel’s puzzled gaze, the young girl shook her head and muttered, “…Never mind, it’s nothing.”

If you insist that she’s a person, but this is really just a puppet covered in a layer of skin. Underneath is pure magic gold. If you peel off the skin on Ravenna’s face, then this body is just a human-shaped iron lump.

But why…

Why does it feel like, especially when Ansel is there, stirring the broken neck of this puppet with his fingers, and Ravenna occasionally lets out a low moan, that I feel offended?

The strange thought made Seraphina couldn’t help but reflect on herself: Am I so petty? Am I so jealous of others? That shouldn’t be the case!

Ansel, oblivious to the endearing thoughts harbored in Seraphina’s heart, was engrossed in extracting the fragments lodged in the neck of the puppet.

Ravenna remained silent, the foreign sensation in her throat was indeed discomforting, but as Ansel had pointed out, it was primarily due to the obstructed etheric flow caused by the damaged structure and components that made the puppet feel “uncomfortable”.

Even with the sensitivity of pain dialed down, Ansel’s method of directly inserting his fingers into her throat was somewhat brutal, but it was only slightly painful and within Ravenna’s tolerance.

On the contrary, it was that tangible sensation and… the feeling of fullness that left her somewhat at a loss.

In Ravenna’s life, only Ansel dared to violate her body in this way — even though it was just a puppet, when Ravenna used it to move, she completely regarded it as her own body.

Or rather, it seemed that she only allowed Ansel to behave in this way.

“Done.”

Ansel withdrew his hand, gathered the components, and looked at Ravenna’s neck.

The fragments originally crushed by Seraphina were all cleaned out by Ansel, and the twisted neck was also corrected by him. Now, the originally delicate and long neck had lost all its skin, revealing a pale silver metallic luster. The resilient magi-metal that could support Ravenna’s neck movement was tattered, but to say it was terrifying…

its specific shape was largely restored under Ansel’s exquisite craftsmanship, only becoming like a finely carved model with multiple hollows.

If one were to describe it, it was like a hollow lace tube, like a silver holy tree eroded by holes, supporting the skull with a cold and radiant expression.

It was eerie and mysterious, yet carried an indescribable charm.

“Without tools and components, let’s make do with this for now.” Ansel stared at the work of art born in his hands, nodding in satisfaction.

Ravenna touched her neck and looked at Ansel expressionlessly: “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Didn’t I answer? Oh… right, I just said that in terms of etheric studies and alchemy, you indeed have no value to me.”

Ansel said with a light laugh: “But your value is not limited to this.”

“My value is limited to this.”

Ravenna responded without thinking, her voice was cold and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

“That’s all there is to me.”

A comfortable life, daily joys, these things had no value to Ravenna, she focused all her energy and time on learning and research —

No need to eat, just need to replenish nutrient solution every three days, the time to replenish nutrient solution can also be used; no need to sleep, because a short mental relaxation after each research is enough rest time; no need for entertainment, because for her, being able to expand one step forward in the field of knowledge is the best entertainment.

This is Ravenna Ziegler, a despairing genius, a terrifying madwoman.

For this obsessively genius lady, Ansel just put his hand on her neck with a metallic luster and said softly:

“Ravenna, you need to know one thing. The value of a person, most of the time… is often determined.”

“Your subjective will, doesn’t play much of a role.”

–>