Evolution of a Girl

Tianyin can leave because her body is free.

But she just sat there silently, motionless. Her acting wasn't for others to see, but rather a form of self-cultivation. So even though she could move, she still maintained the posture of a puppet.

Luo Zhen's friends had already passed away, so the place was still deserted. Even Luo Zhen, who possessed extraordinary abilities, hadn't decayed, but lay quietly on the bed, as if he were asleep.

Layers of dust gradually accumulated in the room, and the originally exquisite house was now covered with dust.

The dust also fell on Tianyin, covering her.

About a year later, someone opened the door again. They were businessmen who had business dealings with Luo Zhen.

After discovering that Luo Zhen had not been contacted for a long time, a wealthy businessman found this place and inherited Luo Zhen's wealth.

——Luo Zhen had already written his will. The first person to discover his death will get his wealth.

The wealthy businessman inherited Luo Zhen's property and hired someone to clean the room. All the precious props in the house were sealed up.

Tianyin was also carefully wiped by the maid and then placed in a box that was just big enough to accommodate her.

I could no longer see any images in front of my eyes, and there was no sound in my ears.

Everything seems to have returned to nothingness.

Tianyin had been treated like this before, placed in a suitcase like a real doll.

But it was just one night.

However, now, even Tianyin doesn't know how long he will be left there.

On the way, the box seemed to be pressed down by something, as if it was placed in the deepest part of the warehouse.

At first, the surroundings were warm.

But gradually, Tianyin seemed to feel that the surroundings became cold and empty.

In this darkness, time itself seemed to have lost its meaning, and she couldn't even fall asleep in her dream - because this was just a dream.

Gradually, Tianyin seemed to have forgotten the fact that she was once a human being. She began to give up thinking and gradually became a real object.

"What is this?" Until one day, Tianyin suddenly heard a voice coming from her ear.

Then, there was a sound around, and a ray of light began to appear.

Tianyin was taken out of the box by a girl.

"So cute..." The little girl looked at Tianyin in surprise.

"How amazing." This was another voice, that of a little boy.

Tianyin was taken out by two people.

"Is this a doll?" The little boy looked around Tianyin and observed her.

"It looks like grandpa's stuff." said the girl.

"So cute. Your grandpa is so awesome." The boy exclaimed.

"Of course!" the girl was happy.

The two children surrounded Tianyin, seeming very curious.

"What are you doing?!"

At this time, an old maid walked in. The two children were startled and Tianyin fell to the ground.

The maid hurried over, picked up Tianyin and wiped her clean.

"This is Master Luo Zhen's final work. How dare you?!"

Tianyin was put back into the box, and the two children were scolded.

Later, the boy and the girl got married and had a child, a lovely girl. Perhaps thinking of Master Luo Zhen's works, they also named their daughter Alice.

Then, the boy and the girl also became a thing of the past, and their descendants prepared to migrate to the New World. They wanted to auction off some things left in old Europe that were inconvenient to take away.

Tianyin, known as "Master Luo Zhen's last work", became the finale of the auction.

It is said that this doll named "Alice" can move like a living person, which is why it is very precious. However, the only one who can do this is the maker Luo Zhen himself, so this matter has been passed down as a miraculous thing.

Because of this, when she was auctioned, many people gathered at the scene.

She was bought by Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI.

Tianyin was dressed in court attire and placed in the Palace of Versailles.

Every day countless ladies come to admire it.

Then, something unexpected happened again.

The French Revolution broke out, and Louis XVI and his wife were forced to move out of the Palace of Versailles and return to Paris.

And Tianyin was also left in the corner of time.

"Found it, Mr. Sakurada!"

Until one day, Tianyin was dug out again, and the person who found her was a modern artist named Jun Sakurada.

"Sure enough... this is Master Luo Zhen's work."

Jun Sakurada carefully took out Tianyin, repaired it, and donated it to the Louvre.

Jun Sakurada named this artwork "Mercury Doll".

From then on, the mercury doll became the treasure of the Louvre.

It is said that this doll wakes up every night and wanders around the Louvre, but some people jokingly say that this is just an urban legend.

How could a puppet be alive?

"Well……"

Tianyin's eyes gradually became clear.

When I came to my senses, the petals in my hand had withered.

"It withered in an instant. Could it be a failure..." Zhenhong's voice sounded.

"Hmm..." This dream-within-a-dream experience made Tianyin feel as if hundreds of years had passed in the dream.

But from what Zhenhong said, it seemed like she had just received the petals now?

She was confused in the dream, but Tianyin remembered everything: "Sister Zhenhong, you succeeded. I really became Rozen Maiden just now."

Tianyin gave a brief account of the incident.

"So there's this kind of storyline... Um, Father was so obsessed with making dolls that he didn't get married... And then, because he finished Alice, he didn't create Rozen Maiden... Um... My head hurts..."

Although she is a doll, Shinku rarely shows a distressed look.

"No, I don't believe that kind of otaku can be my father..."

Tianyin was also very surprised that the doll could show such an expression.

"And that Sakurada Jun, who has the right to name father's doll? Don't let me find you, you bastard..."

Obviously, this "Jun Sakurada" has been put on Sister Zhenhong's "blacklist"...

"Xiao Tianyin. Does this kind of musket capable of continuous fire really exist?"

Shinku kept mumbling, as if she didn't want to accept the fact that the "father" in her dream had turned into a doll otaku. At that moment, Ashina Isshin walked over to Amane's side.

He had been reading a comic book, and at this moment, his eyes noticed something subtle in the comic book.

Grandpa Sword Saint seems to be very interested in it...

Chapter 27 The Beginning of the Sacrifice

"Aren't you a sword master?" Lelouch couldn't help but complain, "Why are you still interested in this kind of thing?"

"Sword? Swords are useless on the battlefield. I always use muskets and spears on the battlefield." Ashina Isshin looked at Lelouch with a look of idiocy. "Using a sword on the battlefield, are you tired of living?"

Swords might be useful in a one-on-one duel, but on the battlefield, swordsmen would usually be stabbed to death by enemy spears.

"The battlefields of our world have long since moved beyond this kind of low-level, hand-to-hand combat," Lelouch said proudly. "Our world uses a type of humanoid combat armor called the Knightmare Frame."

"...For that kind of stuff, in front of Sister Zhenhong, basically she gives as much as you want." Tianyin's voice came out suddenly.

The fifth doll of Rozen Maiden is Shinku, who can awaken and control dolls. Humanoid combat weapons can also be considered as "dolls".

In other words, no matter how many Knightmare_Frames come, they are all useless in front of Shinku.

"A cross-world battle power competition is just bullshit!" Lelouch's mouth twitched. "There are no superpowers in our world. If Miss Shinku was in our world, she would probably just be an ordinary puppet!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." the old swordsman stroked his beard, "but I understand what you mean. So, this kind of rapid-fire musket really does exist... This UMP45... I really like it."

The old sword master thought for a moment.

In that final decisive battle, if I had suddenly pulled out this UMP45 and fired at the front... Ahhhh, what a refreshing feeling, worthy of being a weapon from hundreds of years later.

"let me try."

Tianyin was just about to materialize the UMP45 that Ashina had always wanted, but at this moment, the surrounding scenery began to slowly change.

"Ah... I'm about to wake up." Tianyin felt a little regretful.

She bowed to everyone: "I'm about to wake up. Sister Shinku, Brother Lelouch, Grandpa Isshin, I'm leaving first. Bye~"

"Well, see you next time." Lelouch also greeted Amane.

After saying goodbye, the scene before my eyes became increasingly dim, and when I woke up again, everything around me was dark again.

But Tianyin knew that she had returned to reality.

Today's training has begun.

The scenes in the dream become increasingly blurred after waking up, but the knowledge and experience recorded in the dream will not leave.

After experiencing the real life of a puppet, Tianyin was no longer bound by the puppet shell. On the contrary, the puppet shell became a part of Tianyin.

"what?"

Even Yikui was very surprised when he saw Tianyin's appearance.

If Yikui didn't know that the puppet in front of him was Tianyin, he might really think that the existence in front of him was just a puppet.

Humans exert their power from within, but puppets are driven by external forces.

Tianyin, who is practicing dancing with the help of Otonashi 002, seems to have really become the puppet in a puppet show.

It was as if there was a hand in the sky, controlling Tianyin's actions.

“…Is it a god?”

Yikui murmured.

It was just one night.

Such God-given talent is definitely not something that humans can possess.

But this is just right.

At this time, Yikui stood up.

"Are you ready? Tonight is the first night of the sacrifice."

Today is July 15th. From today on, Tianyin will serve as the shrine maiden of the Puppet Festival, hold the opening ceremony, and accept worship from visitors.

"Yes."

No words are needed, just a thought and the sound is conveyed.

"Ah That's good."

In the evening, a crowd had gradually gathered at Tokina Shrine.

Local residents arrived early, and a small number of tourists also gathered.

After all, it was the opening of the Puppet Festival which had been suspended for a long time.

Grandpa Tanaka had arrived a long time ago.

Diagnosed with cancer, he doesn't have many years left to live. For him, being able to see the Puppet Festival reopen now is enough.

"Tanaka." Another old man came over.