Chapter 106: Research and Testing

Chapter 106: Research and Testing

Yu the Great Uncle was enduring too much.

Especially after Irene once again flopped onto the floor. Although Yu Sheng did not actually have any “Great Uncle,” he felt that if the little doll kept making noise like this, he might eventually generate one out of thin air just so Irene could defeat him.

Fortunately, the little doll’s temper came and went quickly. More importantly, after the initial chaos and confusion, both of them suddenly realized a detail they had both overlooked earlier.

“This newly made body… when it was upstairs in the attic just now, was the distance from that painting more than five meters?” Irene (main) looked up blankly, only realizing it now as she stared at the other body already placed on the bed by Yu Sheng. The new body also looked down at itself at the same time, both speaking in unison, creating the impression of hearing echoes.

Yu Sheng reacted immediately. “Wait, damn! Yeah! This one woke up in the attic… it broke the painting’s distance restriction!”

Then the two of them stared at each other (or rather, the three of them), and after a while, Yu Sheng spoke hesitantly. “So… this might not be a bad thing?”

“Having an extra body was never the problem to begin with. The biggest problem is that I feel dizzy!” Irene immediately widened her eyes, then quickly changed tone. “But thinking about it, dizziness might be something you can adapt to. Maybe I’ll get used to it. But this body breaking the painting’s distance limit is seriously huge. Yu Sheng, how did you even do it?!”

“I don’t know either. If you ask me how I built it, I can explain. If you ask about the underlying principles, alchemy-wise, I’m not as good as you,” Yu Sheng scratched his head. “I just thought I’d practice before you switch to a new body in a few months, so you wouldn’t keep complaining that my dolls are ugly. I also followed the alchemy steps you taught me. I didn’t expect it to actually come alive without your participation, and even become a usable ‘body.’ I was about to call you up to take a look, and then the moment I called your name, it started growing hair…”

“Wait!” Irene suddenly interrupted. Both dolls looked up at him, four eyes filled with suspicion. “You just said… the change happened right after you called my name?”

“Yeah.” Yu Sheng nodded immediately, then realized something. “…You mean that’s why your consciousness got into the second body?”

“It’s just a possibility. Names have power. When you create an empty doll body, it’s just an object. But if you, as the creator, call my name during the ritual, it’s like giving meaning to that object.”

Irene thought for a moment, then shook her head.

“But that’s already deep alchemy theory. It requires specific rituals, even specific timing and location. And the materials you used shouldn’t even qualify. Clay dolls made by a beginner shouldn’t react like this… not to mention your tea powder and rose oil. At that price, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rose oil contains zero actual roses.”

“…Maybe it’s my blood?” Yu Sheng asked cautiously. “I bled a lot this time.”

“…”

Irene froze.

Then she reacted. “That can do that?!”

“I don’t know,” Yu Sheng said helplessly. “I originally just wanted to study what’s up with my blood. Now I’ve learned nothing and created more questions, but I did find some new properties.”

They stared at each other again, then simultaneously began analyzing Irene’s second body.

After all, this body had broken the painting’s five-meter restriction. That was extremely important to Irene.

“Any differences in sensation compared to your main body?” Yu Sheng asked, looking at the two dolls sitting on the bed. The situation was admittedly strange, especially knowing they were the same consciousness.

“Mm… this body feels stiffer and slower?” Irene said, carefully sensing it. “Especially perception. It’s numb and dull. Touch is maybe half. Hearing and vision are fine. Temperature… almost nothing. Pain is very weak too.”

While speaking, her second body pinched her own cheek.

“Also, controlling this body feels… unreal. Not immersive. Like controlling a highly realistic virtual character. No matter how real it is, I can still feel I’m controlling it, not being it.”

Yu Sheng frowned slightly.

Both dolls on the bed looked at him expectantly.

Two identical dolls in appearance, but easy to distinguish. One still carried the painting, while the other had a noticeably duller gaze and less expressive face.

Looking at them, especially the one with the painting, Yu Sheng suddenly had an idea.

He stood up and removed the painting from Irene’s back.

“Hey what are you doing…”

“I have an idea. Let me verify it.”

Yu Sheng said seriously. Although the doll looked slightly panicked, she quieted down.

He hung the painting directly onto Irene’s second body.

“Now? How does it feel?” he asked nervously.

Irene clearly froze, both bodies freezing at once.

Then both spoke in unison. “Damn it! That feeling switched!”

The doll now carrying the painting pointed at the other body. “This one became stiff and sluggish.”

“Just as I thought,” Yu Sheng exhaled, then concluded seriously. “Whichever body carries the painting is the main body. So fundamentally, the painting is the core.”

Irene’s expression turned complicated, radiating resentment, as if the prison had not only followed her out but was still chasing her.

Yu Sheng, meanwhile, continued thinking.

“Next we need more tests. What happens if both bodies are separated from the painting. How far the secondary body can go while the main body carries it. Most importantly, how to help you adapt to dual-body control. If that fails, we may need to temporarily disconnect one body. We should also call Hu Li to help.”

“Then I’ll go wake her up!” both dolls immediately said, preparing to jump off the bed. “She didn’t even notice all this noise…”

“Hey!”

They forgot they were controlling two bodies at once. Coordination failed immediately. Both toppled forward off the bed.

Yu Sheng caught them by the ankles before they hit the ground.

Both dolls hung upside down, holding their skirts.

“Then you go call her… I need a minute to recover from dizziness…”

Yu Sheng sighed, placed Irene back on the bed, and went out to knock on the opposite door.

“Hu Li! Are you awake? Come help!”

After three knocks, the fox girl finally responded from inside. A moment later, Hu Li opened the door in a sleepy daze, still in her nightdress, hair uncombed.

“I overslept…” she said awkwardly, lowering her head, “I slept too late last night.”

“It’s fine, it’s on me,” Yu Sheng said quickly. “Something came up. Come take a look.”

Confused, Hu Li followed him into the room.

Then she saw two Irenes sitting side by side on the bed, staring at the door like two player characters in a game.

Hu Li froze in the doorway. She rubbed her eyes hard. After rubbing, there were still two.

“Oh no! Benefactor! I think I slept wrong!” she panicked. “Irene has become two people!”

“Stop rubbing. If you keep rubbing, you’ll see four,” Yu Sheng stopped her. “There was a small accident. She really has two bodies.”

Hu Li stared at them in shock. After a moment, she seemed to understand something and showed admiration.

“So this is a technique of external incarnation cultivation… I didn’t expect Irene to be an immortal as well…”

“Immortal your ass!” Irene immediately shouted. “Stop talking nonsense! Yu Sheng just made me a second body! I was sleeping and woke up almost dying from dizziness!”

“Focus,” Yu Sheng interrupted quickly. He removed the painting from Irene’s back again and handed it to Hu Li. “Take this painting to the attic.”