Images appeared on the surface of the Crystal Ball that only Hilxi could see.
This time, it was the same scene as before, but the perspective shifted to in front of Annelie.
She saw Annelie seemingly picking items off the shelves, and at that moment, the floor in front of her was completely empty.
Just as Hilxi was lost in confusion, suddenly, a small puppet about the length of a forearm appeared on the floor where there had been nothing before!
It materialized out of thin air, without any warning or sign, looking incredibly strange and eerie.
What followed was the same as her previous divination: Annelie bent down to pick up the puppet, whose exact appearance was unclear, then placed it back on the shelf.
Seeing the puppet suddenly appear, Hilxi’s heart, which had barely calmed down, started to race again.
Is this some kind of ghost? How could it just appear out of nowhere?
At the same time, her mind was easily shaken, and she fell into a state of inner turmoil and hesitation.
This matter looked troublesome and, most likely, very dangerous. If this were any normal person, seeing such a bizarre scene, they would probably run as far away as possible.
Nobody wanted to get involved in something threatening to their own safety without any benefit.
Clutching the Crystal Ball tightly, Hilxi pressed her lips together slightly. If she told everyone the divination had failed now, she could still save herself and avoid danger…
“What did you divinate? How did my daughter end up like this?”
Wotait, dressed in a brown shirt, pressed both hands against his knees and leaned forward anxiously, his face full of worry as he looked at Hilxi.
“Surely you didn’t find nothing at all?” The green-haired girl Aoli, sitting on a chair, spoke with a cool, indifferent tone.
Hilxi wanted to simply agree, “Yes, yes, that’s it,” but when she saw the puppet in Wotait’s hands, when she saw Miss Annelie, and those wooden eyes, she couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly in her heart.
I’m still just as cowardly as ever, thinking of giving up before even trying. Hilxi, you scaredy-cat…
Mocking herself silently, she lifted her head and met Wotait’s gaze directly:
“A puppet. I saw Miss Annelie pick up a puppet. I’m afraid the reason she changed like this is because of that puppet.”
A puppet… a puppet that turned a living person into a puppet… Wotait’s body stiffened, fear flashing through him before his body began to tremble with anger.
The cause of the illness was just a puppet that turned my precious daughter into this state! Unforgivable. I must smash it!!
“Really? This sounds like something out of a horror novel,” Noffy muttered.
“Don’t you think the fact that Miss Annelie turned into a puppet is absurd enough on its own?” Hilxi shot her a glance and said flatly.
“Hmm… that’s true.”
“The puppet’s exact appearance I didn’t see clearly, but it had black hair and was about thirty to forty centimeters tall standing up,” Hilxi first described the puppet’s features, then glanced around at everyone:
“We need to find that puppet. But the bad news is, it might be heavily cursed or possess strong magic, so it’s very dangerous.”
Very dangerous…
As a father, Wotait spoke decisively:
“I’ll go look for it!”
“Me too!” The two reckless girls quickly chimed in.
Before Hilxi could say anything, Wotait-san sternly addressed them:
“No! Aoli, Noffy, you two stay here and protect Annelie. Leave the puppet search to me.”
“But… we want to help too.”
“That’s why you have to protect Annelie.”
“Fine.” Aoli and Noffy exchanged a glance and reluctantly agreed.
“That puppet should be in some shop nearby. Let’s start searching around here.”
As for why not use divination… Hilxi felt her magical energy was almost depleted from the two divinations already done.
If she did another one to locate the puppet, what if they found it? The puppet was no harmless thing, and without magic herself, she might be utterly useless.
“Miss, are you coming too?” Wotait asked curiously.
“Ah, I’m coming too. After all, it might be too much for you alone.”
Damn conscience.
Wotait was momentarily stunned by her words. He hadn’t expected a person he just met would risk so much for him… no, for Annelie!
Just moments ago he said it was very dangerous, and now she was willing to take that risk without hesitation. Such noble character…
Wotait stood up and bowed deeply: “Thank you, kind Miss!”
…
Residential district, afternoon.
The somewhat quiet street had few passersby, perhaps because it was naptime.
“Wotait-san went to that shop. I’ll go check the one ahead. The shop Miss Annelie bought from can’t be too far.”
Hilxi murmured softly, standing beside a bare tree while running a hand through her hair.
At that moment, she suddenly thought of something and yanked a strand of her blonde hair! The pain made her hiss.
This dangerous matter could easily be reported! The Magic Unification Association would definitely not stand idly by. After all, it was their duty to handle such incidents!
Ah, how did I not think of this sooner? Am I an idiot?
Just as she was about to pat her head twice, Hilxi stopped herself.
Better not, or I might really become foolish.
Having come to this conclusion, she found a direction and decided not to search for the puppet in the shops just yet, but first to report it to the Association and let these experts handle it.
That way, no risk needed, and the problem would be solved. Ah, perfect.
Tossing aside the plucked hair, Hilxi turned to Monica, who was watching the wildflowers on the roadside, and tilted her head:
“Monica-san, are you going to help?”
“Hmm.”
“Well, actually, it’s not necessary. Uh… I plan to report this situation to the Association and let them handle it. It’s safer this way.”
“Hmm.”
“By the way, Monica-san, what do you think that puppet is? Some evil magic creation or a monster? I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Uh, should we call Wotait-san back first? It’s too dangerous for him alone.”
“Hmm.”
“Can you stop saying ‘Hmm’ all the time?” Hilxi couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Please say something else, like answering my question.
“Hmm… okay.” Monica nodded and changed it to “Okay.”
“Then Monica-san, you tell the Association. I’ll go call Wotait-san back.”
“Good.”
“Thank you!”
With that, Monica calmly summoned her broom, sat on it, and flew off toward the Association without any hesitation.
As she gradually faded from view, Hilxi withdrew her gaze and muttered:
“If only there was a Potion of Cheerfulness.”
She didn’t linger, summoning her broom as well and mounting it, speeding off toward Wotait-san’s location.
…
A shop not far from Wotait’s residence.
The shop was lit by a white Magic Lamp overhead. Wotait pushed open the transparent glass door and entered.
“Welcome…!”
A burgundy-haired girl lowered her head and spoke haltingly. She wore a white shirt with a padded jacket and black gloves.
“Hello, do you sell puppets or dolls here?”
Because her head was bowed, Wotait couldn’t see her face, only the softly curled hair.
Creak.
The girl suddenly pointed to one side, saying nothing.
Hmm? I think I just heard a sound… and this person feels weird? Why isn’t she speaking—is she too lazy to talk? The direction she pointed was where the puppets were.
Anxious to save his daughter, Wotait didn’t think much and headed toward the direction the girl indicated.
Passing one shelf after another, he saw many household goods like pots and pans.
Finally, in a corner shelf, he found rows of neatly arranged dolls.
There were plastic models, cloth dolls, and of course, wooden puppets.
Standing outside the shelves and unable to see all the dolls clearly, Wotait approached the wooden puppets with a mixture of tension and hope.
“Black hair… black hair…”
He whispered, his slightly reddened eyes scanning each doll that didn’t match the description.
Half a minute later, he felt somewhat disappointed yet relieved to find that none matched. That meant the cursed puppet wasn’t in this shop.
“Such bad luck…”
There were only a few shops nearby, and Annelie wouldn’t have gone far to buy something… soon, very soon, they would find it…
Composing himself, Wotait left the doll section and moved to the glass door. As he pulled it open, a cool breeze ruffled his hair.
“Sir…” the clerk spoke, her voice noticeably hoarse, more gender-neutral than feminine.
“Anything I can help you with?” Wotait politely turned to look, releasing his hand from the door.
The clerk didn’t respond immediately. She lowered her head further, hair falling onto the counter.
Her hands reached beneath the counter out of Wotait’s sight, then she produced something.
It was a puppet with smooth black hair, wooden-toned skin, and eyes that emitted a strange, chilling light.
“Is this… what you’re looking for?”
“Yes…” Wotait nodded instinctively, but two seconds later, a chill ran down his back, and he gasped sharply.
At that moment, the burgundy-haired girl also raised her head.
Her skin was the same brown tone, but her face wore a stiff smile, with two distinct grooves running from her mouth corners to her chin, emitting a weird aura.
Her voice sounded like the scraping of wood, causing an unsettling irritation deep in the chest.
“Please… pay… one… life.”
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