MM Racing Chapter 326 Recruiting the Puppet Master
Chapter 326 Recruiting the Puppet Master
Chapter 326 Recruiting the Puppet Master
"My sister Ilya and I only learned boxing from my brother Broly. My sister Ilya learned it first, and when she threw her fist, it turned out like this."
Sakura, holding the doll's fist, explained it this way.
Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."
It's hard to imagine what kind of profound martial arts technique could have turned his daughter into this, but in the current situation, there's no time to think about it anymore.
"Ilya's body was made by a top doll maker in Guanbuzi City, and now there's a quality problem. I have to take Ilya there to have her fix it."
Kiritsugu Emiya sprang into action, running straight to the warehouse and driving out his old car.
"Let's go together."
Sakura quickly said that, while Rin Tohsaka had already opened the back seat and let the boy put Illya in.
"Driving is too slow, let me fly you there instead."
After placing Ilya down, Broly came out, went straight to the car, and lifted it up.
Kiritsugu Emiya did not refuse, but leaned out of the car window and instructed the boy, "You can take us there by flying, but try to avoid people as much as possible."
That puppeteer has been designated by the Magic Association as the target of a sealing ritual. If we go looking for him too conspicuously, it might expose his whereabouts.
If that guy runs away, it'll be quite troublesome to find him again.
"OK."
Broly responded and quickly lifted the car up.
An energy shield formed by air enveloped the entire vehicle, and it flew towards Guanbuzi City at an acceleration that a normal person could adapt to.
However, he didn't know the way to Garan no Tō, so after arriving near Kanbuko City, he dropped off the vintage car in a deserted place.
Then, Broly entered the car through the open window and sat down on Rin Tohsaka's lap.
For the rest of the journey, Kiritsugu Emiya had to drive.
The man didn't say anything and started the car.
Before long, the car arrived near the unfinished building where the Garan Hall was located.
With a beautiful drift, it came to a stop right in front of the unfinished building.
Jialan Hall welcomed its fastest customer, who needed after-sales service.
"How did they manage to do that?"
Aozaki Touko happened to be at the agency.
The puppeteer was shocked when Kiritsugu Emiya burst in carrying his daughter and checked Illya's condition.
In theory, the lifelike dolls she creates, if they eat and rest like normal people, could be active for no less than ten years.
But what she saw now was that the girl's lifelike doll had almost exhausted most of its magic power in less than three days.
"You didn't actually add a magical circuit to your daughter's doll-like body, did you?"
Aozaki Touko couldn't help but have this suspicion.
Perhaps the man in front of me was too good at playing the role of a father, saying that he didn't care that his daughter didn't have a talent for magic, but in reality he did something like loading a magic loop into a doll.
"I didn't do that. This is clearly your lifelike doll body, and there are quality issues with it."
Kiritsugu Emiya retorted with a dark face, saying that Touko Aozaki had told him about the risks before making a replacement lifelike doll body for his daughter.
A doll body that does not require a magic circuit has a 100% success rate for consciousness transfer. However, if a doll body requires a (non-Minor Grail) magic circuit, there is a possibility that the consciousness transfer may fail.
For Illya's safety, Kiritsugu Emiya would rather his daughter live as an ordinary person than choose a lifelike doll with a 100% success rate in consciousness transfer, but now it seems he has been misunderstood by this doll maker.
"You really dare to say my dolls are defective!"
Feeling that her expertise was being challenged, Aozaki Touko, after taking off her glasses, became somewhat unceremonious.
"This severed arm was clearly blown off by a massive amount of internal magic. How could this happen to a lifelike doll's body without any magic loops?"
"They said it was for practicing boxing."
Kiritsugu Emiya's lips twitched, but he still told the truth.
"Ha, what kind of fist could possibly..."
Before the words were even finished, a terrifying wind pressure swept in, whistling past from the side.
"Boom!"
The wall behind him instantly shattered, revealing twisted steel and concrete.
"Like a fist like this."
Broly slowly withdrew his fist and spoke earnestly to the master of the Hall of Garan.
Aozaki Touko tilted her head at a 45-degree angle, looking back at the large hole behind her that revealed the outside scenery, and felt the fact that the multiple protective barriers originally set up on the unfinished building had been shattered in an instant.
The puppeteer silently took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a puff, and then calmed down, admitting his mistake and saying, "I'm sorry, I was ignorant and made a fuss over nothing."
"But I still don't think there's anything wrong with the quality of my doll. The problem is with the way you use the doll's body so roughly."
She added.
"Of course, I will take responsibility for resolving the after-sales issues this time, but I hope you will not make the dolls I make bear forces that they cannot withstand."
Kiritsugu Emiya had no objection to Aozaki Touko's statement. After witnessing his son-in-law's punch, he no longer felt it was the puppeteer's fault.
"Bring her in; I have a backup doll body prepared for her."
Ilya was moved into the room next door, and a short while later, the girl came out healthy and well.
"Ilya, are you alright?"
Broly leaned over to ask.
"I'm fine now, I'm sorry to have worried you."
"She's fine now, but you're in trouble. Come on, let's talk about compensation for damaging my office premises."
Aozaki Touko pointed to the large hole behind her. Fortunately, there weren't many people living near the unfinished building, and there were some construction sites nearby, so there would be some ping-pong sounds during the day. Otherwise, given the noise she had just made, a passerby might have already called the police.
"Hey, do we have to pay for this?"
Broly looked over in surprise.
"Otherwise what? You've smashed my office to pieces."
"I'm just demonstrating for you."
"You still have to pay compensation, but if you can't afford it, let me examine your body; that can also be used to offset the debt."
Aozaki Touko's map of Yan Kingdom was a bit short; it revealed its true nature very quickly. She hadn't sensed any magical fluctuations in Broly's punch earlier.
However, normal humans cannot possess such terrifying physical strength. Therefore, as a puppeteer who is proficient in human anatomy, Aozaki Touko is very curious about the body structure of the boy in front of her.
"No need, it's just losing money, I'll pay for it."
In response, Rin Tohsaka simply pulled out her credit card.
"This is a black card. You can use it to compensate for the damage to your agency yourself. But if you dare to try to extort money from us, the Tohsaka family won't be fooled."
"So you're the young lady of the Tohsaka family. Rest assured, my Garan no Do is committed to honest business practices."
Aozaki Touko put her glasses back on and put on a business-like smile. As she was currently the only one at Garan no Do, she had not yet become an unscrupulous boss who owed employees wages or even borrowed money from them to make ends meet.
"I contracted this building for 300 million yen. Only the third floor wall is damaged so far, but considering the potential safety issues it might pose, would 120 million yen be a good price?"
Rin Tohsaka nodded. 120 million yen. The gems she uses to practice magic every month cost more than that in total. It's just a small amount.
"I modified this building, and the magical barriers I set up on it, most of the defensive types, were destroyed by that punch just now. I'll calculate the cost price for you..."
Aozaki Touko then listed the types of magical barriers she had set up at Garan no Dou, before concluding, "The cost alone was 20 million yen. Not counting my own labor costs, I'll ask you for a total of 10 million yen in compensation. That's not too expensive, is it?"
"Hmm, it's not expensive. It's about the same as what I spent on magic training for six months."
Rin Tohsaka nodded in agreement with the asking price.
Her words immediately drew some attention from Kiritsugu Emiya.
The fee he paid to Aozaki Touko for creating a body for his daughter was only this much.
Are young people these days all so rich?
"As expected of the Tohsaka family, a prestigious family in the magic world, so generous."
Aozaki Touko was also a little jealous. Although she was also good at making money, compared with Tohsaka Rin, it was as if her savings were less than other people's pocket money.
"If Ms. Tohsaka ever needs lifelike dolls in the future, please be sure to consider my Garan no Tou."
When Aozaki Touko returned the black card, she also gave him her agency's business card before turning to look at Broly.
"Also, I wonder if this gentleman would be interested in having me examine your punch from just now..."
"What do you want to do?"
Faced with Rin Tohsaka's wary gaze, she explained, "Illya was practicing that punch just now, right? I just wanted to study the secrets of that punch and see if I could create a lifelike doll body that could deliver that kind of punch."
"Oh, I see. That makes sense then."
Broly nodded in agreement immediately.
"In that case, let's not delay. Come with me into the room; I need to examine your body thoroughly."
Aozaki Touko licked her lips, greeted the boy, and then went into the room next door.
However, Rin Tohsaka and the others followed in with a clatter.
"How did you all get in here?"
Aozaki Touko frowned and asked.
"These are our boys, we have to be careful of outsiders, especially magicians like you."
Rin Tohsaka spoke frankly, Sakura and Illya nodded in agreement, while Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent.
"Aren't you worried about outsiders knowing your body's secrets?"
Aozaki Touko asked the boy.
"I don't mind. Besides, my body has secrets; how could I not know?"
Broly was somewhat puzzled.
"Oh well."
Aozaki Touko pointed to the doll-making table in the room and had the boy lie down on it.
"Lie down on top, take off your clothes, and don't resist."
"Do I have to take my clothes off?"
Rin Tohsaka frowned.
"This way, the detection will be more accurate."
Aozaki Touko explained.
"Then, gently swing that punch you just threw, but remember not to punch through the ceiling."
At Aozaki Touko's instruction, Broly demonstrated again, but this time he used much less force, only causing a gust of wind to blow through the room.
"As expected, it's not magic, but a kind of energy similar to magic, also produced within the human body, like..."
"The breathing techniques of Eastern martial artists."
Kiritsugu Emiya continued, saying that the Type-Moon world also has the concept of "ki," but in the Clock Tower, it is recognized as a special kind of living magic circuit. It is a special circuit formed by the breathing and exhalation of martial artists, thereby achieving a kind of enhancement magic to strengthen the body.
Kirei Kotomine is the best example. He once used the breathing techniques of Bajiquan to enhance his physical strength and knock down a big tree.
"I see, so it's the breathing techniques of Eastern martial arts? The traditional magic system taught at the Clock Tower has somewhat limited my thinking..."
Aozaki Touko is a wise magician. Once her limited thinking caused by this cognitive bias was pointed out, her puppetry skills improved significantly.
"Could we create dolls that can use breathing techniques by making them with more malleable materials? If we then apply the breathing technique to dolls that already have magic circuits, could we make the living magic circuits of Eastern martial artists resonate with the magic circuits engraved inside the dolls, thus creating an effect that is far greater than the sum of its parts...?"
Many bold ideas popped into Aozaki Touko's mind, and she was eager to create some dolls to test them out.
However, validating ideas requires financial support. Although she received a substantial compensation, it could easily disappear in the blink of an eye once she starts spending it.
For example, right now, she needs a book on breathing techniques, but such books are rare on the market, and even if they are available, it would cost a lot of money to acquire them.
However, when it comes to saving money, Aozaki Touko still manages to find a way. Looking at Broly, who had risen from the stage, she smiled and said, "To better develop a new lifelike doll body for Illya, this..."
"My name is Broly, you can just call me by my first name."
"So, Broly, would you be willing to contribute your breathing techniques?"
"Aozaki Touko asked."
"What is that?"
"It's a technique that allows your body to temporarily generate a life-giving magic circuit."
"Are you talking about qi? But I've had this thing since I can remember."
"You haven't trained?"
"I have undergone training."
"How did you train?"
"I fought with my dad; he beat me, and I beat him."
Aozaki Touko: "..."
The expressions on the other people's faces also became subtle.
"No special breathing method?"
"no."
Aozaki Touko looked at Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Don't look at me, I don't know anything about this child."
In the end, it was Ilya who revealed that eating the Vampa spider's leg gave her a sensation similar to the ki that Broly had channeled into her body, which led to a breakthrough in the situation.
"If you want to study it, I can provide you with some spider legs, but they are very expensive, so I can only give you a few."
As for wanting more, you'll have to pay for it yourself. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. We're both magicians, aren't you just looking for a sucker to provide funding so you can do the research you want on public funds?"
While teaching his daughter magic, Tokiomi Tohsaka also taught Rin Tohsaka how to manage the relationships between the Clock Tower and the Church.
On the Clock Tower side, the Tohsaka family has always been doing what they do: sponsor other magicians' experimental projects.
Otherwise, where would the reputation of a prestigious magic family come from?
How did they manage to pull off such a sham in the Fourth Holy Grail War?
And now that two of the three Holy Grail families have fallen, the Tohsaka family is still standing strong and can still make money by selling magic techniques that power the Holy Grail.
As long as Tokiomi Tohsaka is still alive and his connections are still intact, the Tohsaka family represents wealth, power, and influence. The notion of a family in decline is completely irrelevant.
Compared to Aozaki Touko, who failed to compete with her mage sister for the position of head of the family and was even designated by the Mage Association to be sealed away as a down-on-his-luck magician, Tohsaka Rin is the daughter of a wealthy family.
"Since you've seen through me, I have no choice but to give up..."
"Tell me, how much money do you want?"
"Huh?!"
"Ilya calls me 'older sister' after all, so I'm willing to spend money on her. Anyway, my family has more money than we can spend."
Aozaki Touko adjusted her glasses, crossed her arms, and tentatively asked, "How about 50 million yen in funding first?"
"No problem, but the Tohsaka family will take 30% of the profits generated by your research."
"Sure, but I'm talking about US dollars."
Aozaki Touko said.
"How pathetic, I paid in pounds."
Rin Tohsaka's words silenced Touko Aozaki.
"No additional conditions?"
"Yes, but only one. From now on, you must use the Tohsaka family name when you are in the public eye."
It's hard to say whether Aozaki Touko's research project is worth investing 50 million pounds.
But she is absolutely worth it.
Rin Tohsaka had heard rumors about this genius from her father.
Unexpectedly, the other party was Ilya's attending physician.
Oh no, that's not right. It should be the puppeteer who helped Ilya get a healthy, lifelike doll body.
"Name?"
After a moment's thought, Aozaki Touko agreed.
"As long as your Tohsaka family isn't afraid of trouble."
In this way, she was essentially branded with the Tohsaka family's mark. The Tohsaka family might not ask her to do anything, and she wouldn't do anything for the Tohsaka family other than funding research projects.
However, if any of the Tohsaka family's rivals approach her in the future and want to do business with her, she will have to refuse them based on the Tohsaka family's current support.
Magicians in the Type-Moon universe, while mostly lacking morals based on common sense, still adhere to some generally accepted rules.
For example, maintaining an air of mystery, or not openly betraying the prestigious families that have sponsored them.
Of course, this excludes situations where people leave and relationships are neglected, or where connections aren't properly maintained.
"Well then, Miss Aozaki, welcome to the Tohsaka faction in the world of magic."
"Just call me Orange. But, Miss Tohsaka, from now on, shall I be indebted to you, or to the current head of the Tohsaka family?"
"Of course it's out of gratitude that I'm investing in you. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision on my part, and of course, I will make sure it comes to fruition."
As for my father, he won't object, and I am the future heir of the Tohsaka family, so you have no reason to be grateful to my father."
"Ms. Tohsaka, you and your father have a very good relationship."
"How did you figure that out?"
"Making investments on behalf of the family, involving so much money, and you just make decisions like that? That's not something the head of a typical magician's family would agree to."
"Then you're mistaken. My relationship with my father isn't very good right now."
"You're the only child in the Tohsaka family?"
"No, there's also my sister, but she doesn't have the surname Tohsaka anymore."
Rin Tohsaka pulled Sakura aside and introduced her.
"You two have a good relationship?"
"Of course, that would be great."
Aozaki Touko: "..."
They're sisters, but the difference between them seems quite significant.
She had a very bad relationship with Aoko and was even kicked out of Misaki City.
She was cursed by her younger sister: if she dared to return to Misaki City within ten years, she would be turned into a giant frog.
After leaving the Garan no Todo, and since we were already in Kanbuko City, we decided to visit Fujimura Taiga as well.
However, when they arrived at Guanshang Academy, the other party was still busy with teaching work.
"Using hypnotic magic to get students to listen attentively is something only Fujimura-san could do."
By confusing ordinary people's perceptions, she successfully infiltrated the school and watched as Fujimura Taiga used hypnotic magic to enhance the teaching effect, prompting Rin Tohsaka to directly criticize her.
(End of this chapter)