Food Poems

Chapter 392: Dial-up Robot, First Battle with the Familiar
Prague city, puppet festival, the central square is decorated with lights and colors.

A maid-shaped mechanical puppet followed the well-dressed nobles, making a "beep beep" broadcasting sound; horses made of gears pulled a brass carriage "ding-dong-dong" as it passed by, and the alchemical steam spewing from the exhaust holes on the horses' heads distorted the light, making the sunlight falling on the Baroque buildings appear unpredictable.

clang--

In the center of the square stands an exquisite mechanical chiming clock. The pointer on the gear clock face moves to the hour. The skylight directly above the clock base opens, and a golden rooster pops out, flapping its wings and crowing.

Yeats looked at the clock and for a moment thought he had arrived in the steampunk era, but then he shook his head.

To be precise, the technology tree of this era is a bit strange. Although the steam engine has not been invented, the combination of mechanics, runes and alchemy can still create some great mechanical creations, such as airships capable of cross-border transportation.

The reason why Prague is known as the "City of Puppets" is closely related to the strong support of the local Elector Archduke Rudolf for mysticism and alchemy.

This Grand Duke is an absolute puppet enthusiast. He has a collection of various types of mechanical puppets in his castle, from small to large, and he enjoys the joy of piecing together the gear parts bit by bit.

Yeats prefers to call him a glue guy.

When the electors were fighting overtly and covertly and wars were raging, Archduke Rudolf stayed indoors and concentrated on assembling puppets at home. In Yeats's view, he was a rare down-to-earth person.

At this time, three geared war horses pulled a brass chariot and drove over from the direction of the Grand Duke's Castle in the distance. On the chariot stood a middle-aged man wearing a black silk suit embroidered with gold, a black top hat, a brown beard, and an exquisite mechanical pocket watch hanging on his chest.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, took out a pair of single-rim glasses from his bosom and put them on. Only then could he see Yeats clearly and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Seeing the newcomer, the Knight Commander beside Ye Zhi knelt on one knee in fear and trepidation and said respectfully:

"Your Majesty the Duke!"

Archduke Rudolf nodded majestically, looked at Yeats and smiled kindly.

"Duke Honeysuckle has come from afar, please follow me to the castle to rest for a while, and let me host a banquet for you!"

Yeats did not refuse, and he and Gray and others boarded the brass carriage prepared by the entourage and followed Archduke Rudolf to his castle.

The Baroque castle was magnificent, and the maids in the castle were all mechanical dolls with silver-plated skin and obvious iron plate welding lines. Their movements were very rigid and stiff. Yeats couldn't help but look at them.

"It is very common for puppeteers to use corpses and living people as raw materials. In the past, they were despised like necromancers." Mammon's voice sounded directly in Ye Zhi's ears.

Ye Zhi was alert, looked down at the gold ring on his finger, and said:

"Have you noticed anything unusual in this castle?"

Mammon is not a magical pet and cannot enter the magical pet plane, but he can enter Mammon's ring. At this moment, Mammon is communicating with Yeats through the ring.

"Hmm... I don't think there's anything wrong. These puppets are all assembled bit by bit by hand using gears, without any human materials." Mammon said, "It's made using ancient methods, which is worthy of praise."

Yeats had also heard of the underworld story of a crazy puppeteer who turned his own daughter into a puppet, and eventually had her neck twisted by the out-of-control puppet.

Because puppets are associated with many bizarre legends and are not accepted by the world, the study of mechanical puppetry does have its merits.

The city of Prague tolerates puppeteers, causing powerful puppeteers from all over the world to gather here. In order to ensure the continuation of the profession, relevant regulations have been formulated... At least the puppeteers in the city of Prague are still very human.

In the drawing room.

Yeats told Archduke Rudolf the purpose of his visit.

"I see... Since you want to take the Alchemy Airship, just let me know. I will send someone to prepare in advance."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"It's just a small favor... However, since it's a celebration, why don't you wait until the celebration is over before setting off? That way, I can show my hospitality as a good host."

"That's exactly what I was thinking... To be honest with you, Duke, I plan to participate in this puppet festival and send my pet to join the battle. I wonder if it's feasible."

"Is there such a thing? Haha, this is really great! With the participation of the Chosen Ones of Art, this celebration is bound to be even more exciting!"

Yeats talking with Archduke Rudolf.

Grey stood behind Yeats' sofa and looked around curiously. She saw various exquisite small puppets, only the size of a palm, placed on the cabinet. When Grey got closer, a small puppet even began to sing.

Gray was startled, and worried that the singing puppet would disturb Yeats's conversation, so she subconsciously covered the puppet with her hand.

Boom!
Gray looked at the head of the puppet in her hand, then glanced at Yeats and Archduke Rudolf who were looking at her at the same time, and said awkwardly:

"Sorry... I accidentally... I, I'll put it back!"

Gray tried to put the puppet's head back on, but the horrible force caused the entire counter to crack with a "crack"!
Yeats' eyelids twitched.

Grey, great arm strength!

Looking at Archduke Rudolf again, the corners of his mouth kept twitching, and he forced a smile:
"Just leave it... there."

"I'll help you get it back!"

Boom!
Archduke Rudolf looked at the puppet's head that rolled to his feet, his eyelids twitching wildly, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"I really don't need to bother you!!"

finally.

Yeats led the dejected Grey out of the castle and said calmly:
"Compensation for the Grand Duke's gold coins and mental damages will be deducted from your salary, Gray."

"I'm sorry... I know..." Gray came back to her senses and looked at Ye Zhi in surprise, "Huh? I still have a salary? I forgot about it!"

Yeats looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

I was going to pay you for being a bodyguard, but now we are an old couple, so I won’t pay you!

Yeats could understand the sadness of the plastic puppet's destroyed figurine, so to express his apology, Yeats specially taught the music puppet in the Grand Duke's castle a song "Wedding in a Dream".

Archduke Rudolf's son was preparing for his wedding recently, but the wedding music repertoire had not yet been decided. Now that he had received this gift from the God of Art, he was ecstatic and expressed his gratitude to Yeats repeatedly.

"You can pick any puppet in this castle that you like and take it away!" Archduke Rudolf waved his hand generously.

Ye Zhi thought about it and chose the puppet whose head was accidentally hit by Gray.

“This…” Archduke Rudolf felt that he had taken advantage, so he took the initiative to propose upgrading the puppet, “Let me help you modify it again!”

The modified puppet is about the size of a half-man, and has many functions such as singing, playing music, serving tea and water, defending and fighting. Because it looks like the dial-up robot in "Hearthstone", Yeats named "her" "Dial-up Robot".

The dial-up robot was put into Mammon's ring by Ye Zhi.

As the most powerful storage item on the entire continent, the Mammon Ring can even hold living things.

Ye Zhi's consciousness examined the inside of the ring and saw the black cat jumping up and down around the dial robot, as if it was treating the puppet as a cat climbing frame.

Mammon muttered, "What is this? A puppet? Let's play with it..."

Dialer robot: "Beep, beep, beep... waiting, please do not touch."

Mammon: "The puppets of this era can also make sounds! Interesting, I will study it further!"

Yeats rubbed his chin.

Once we get the prototype of the airship, it will be enough for Mammon to tinker with it and keep quiet for a while!
*
The city of Prague, the triennial puppet festival, ushered in its most anticipated event.

Among the contestants participating in this celebration, there were even three six-ring masters. The grandness of the celebration had already attracted the attention of the surrounding lords, who specially sent envoys to visit.

These three masters correspond to puppetry, golemology and animal taming respectively.

The first two masters were renowned top warriors in Prague, and the last master who attended the celebration was said to be the famous Duke of Honeysuckle, who attracted more and more attention from the world.

Ford, the puppet master, mainly studies combat puppets. His puppets are made of six-ring "dragon silk" and are extremely tough. Even if the head and body are separated, they can be quickly restored by the invisible dragon silk. Belsas Stoneheart, the golem master, is a dwarf craftsman from the Stoneheart tribe. He is a heretic who does not like forging but loves golems. He is the main person in charge of the epic project "Forbidden Magic Stone Colossus" in Prague City. The golems he uses are also made of Forbidden Magic Stone, but their size is reduced by multiples.

The battle between masters is no longer something that high-level people can interfere with.

Archduke Rudolf thought about it and decided that instead of letting those outsiders waste the time of several masters, it would be better to hold a "Battle of Three Kings" and let the three masters compete on the same stage.

Therefore, Archduke Rudolf formulated new rules, requiring the three masters, Yeats, Ford, and Belsas Stoneheart, to go on stage at the same time and fight on their own. The last one left on the stage would win the final victory!
Yeats had no problem with this rule.

Anyway, it’s Mammon who is fighting, I can win with my eyes closed!
Instead of worrying about the outcome, it is better to take this opportunity to pay attention to the magic displayed by Mammon... Even if you meet her real body in the future, you will be able to take more initiative!

On the day of celebration.

The central square of Prague was filled with dignitaries and audiences of all ethnic groups.

A barrier capable of withstanding a master-level attack rose from thin air, covering the huge circular platform.

Outside the circular platform, Archduke Rudolf was sitting on a high platform, concentrating on assembling the parts on the table before the competition began.

There was a large airship hovering in the sky, with a special fluorescent ball decorated on the bottom. This new type of scroll, which added special plant powder to the "Dancing Lights" scroll, could make the light ball appear in different colors, and was well received during the festival.

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This scene, which is rarely seen on weekdays, further stimulated the enthusiasm of the scene, and the cheers were like a wave.

In a VIP box, Zuan Ya was cracking melon seeds, looking up at the large airship in the sky, and asked doubtfully:

"We're going to take that thing to Paris? Is it really not going to fall off?"

"The possibility of a crash is low, but the empire has been very unstable recently. A group of air pirates have appeared, targeting the wealthy people on the airships..." A sharp light flashed in Hildur's eyes, "It's best if we don't run into them."

Gray laughed and said, "How can such a coincidence happen? It's impossible for Ye Zhi to have an accident wherever he goes!"

Hildreth and Diamond fell silent immediately, and looked at Gray at the same time.

Facing this silent gaze, Gray said angrily:

"Well... Ye Zhi is indeed prone to being involved in strange things..."

Zuan Ya thought to himself: "Maybe this is the guy who is punished by fate. Even with the Silver Oak Sword, he will always suffer bad luck!"

However, there is always something exciting to watch when following Yeats, which is also an important reason why I am willing to follow him!

On a circular platform covered by a barrier.

Yeats looked at Ford and Belsas Stoneheart standing on both sides in front of him, and the two of them also looked at each other vigilantly.

Puppet Master Ford was in a heavy mood.

He was considered a retainer of Archduke Rudolf, and his main purpose of participating in this celebration was to prove his own worth to the Archduke.

Ford had a 50% chance of winning against Belsas Stoneheart, but the sudden appearance of the Honeysuckle Duke greatly disrupted his plan.

Anyone who encounters this famous Chosen One in a duel will find it extremely difficult!

"When I meet the Chosen One, I cannot give up easily. I must at least make him suffer a tough battle." Ford thought to himself, "Only in this way can I make Archduke Rudolf recognize me!"

On the other side, the stocky dwarf wiped his trough nose, looked at Yeats with his eyes rolling, and said to himself:
"My Forbidden Magic Stone Golem is unique. Others don't have my craftsmanship. Maybe I can trick that guy! Hehe, if I become famous, I can buy more golem materials!"

boom!
With a command from the brass flintlock pistol in the hand of Archduke Rudolf, the battle officially began.

hum-

Ford's storage ring flickered, and a black armor appeared from it.

The arms and legs of the black armor are all sharp knives, and the joints are connected with tough silk threads. The obsidian inlaid under the helmet emits a deep cold light.

"Your steel knife puppet looks much shinier than before."

The dwarf grinned and shouted, "Look at me! Forbidden Magic Statue, go and test the quality of these two!"

The space fluctuated, and a huge summoning array appeared on the circular field. In the center of the array, a golem over three meters high slowly rose up. The material of the magic-forbidden stone emitted a marble-like luster.

boom!
The magic-forbidden stone statue took the lead in attacking, smashing the steel knife puppet with a powerful punch.

Sa!
In an instant, the figure of the Steel Knife Puppet disappeared, and a huge pit was blasted out at its original location by the heavy punch of the Forbidden Magic Stone Statue, and the bottom of the pit was covered with eerie cracks!

"Mammon, I leave it to you."

A ray of light flew out of the golden ring and landed on the platform. The black cat wearing gold jewelry immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Compared with the forbidden magic stone statue and the steel knife puppet, this magical pet seems unremarkable and poses almost no threat.

However, this magical pet is controlled by the Duke of Honeysuckle, and the two masters present dare not underestimate the enemy!

"Who will win?"

Diamond turned around and looked at Gray and Hildreth who were watching from the sidelines:

"A powerful golem versus a harmless kitten?"

Hildreth's eyes were complicated.

Mammon...harmless to humans and animals?
On the stage, Belsas Stoneheart of the dwarf tribe had a violent temper and said in a shocking voice:

"Forbidden magic statue, smash that cat for me!"

Mammon's body was agile and he dodged lightly, making the anti-magic stone statue unable to find its exact position for a moment. It looked around and fell into hesitation.

Ford is a shrewd man who has always asked the Steel Knife Puppet to watch from the periphery of the battlefield.

"Stop playing around, Mammon."

Ye Zhi sent a message: "When we get to Paris Gia, we have to go to your temple and see if we can get some pocket money from your merit box!"

Mammon rolled his eyes.

Paris Gia is very tolerant. Indeed, some merchants have established a Mammon Temple called "Miracle Gold Coin" in Paris...

But that's no reason for you to take money from my temple!
What’s wrong with this guy… He’s even greedier than me!

Mammon was in a depressed mood and muttered:

"Okay, I get it. Let's make it quick and easy."

Ye Zhi inspected Ford and Belsas Stoneheart and nodded.
"I have to catch the airship later, you two can come together."

The dwarf was stunned for a moment, then immediately flew into a rage, and said angrily: "I can handle you alone!"

Ford hurriedly sent a message, saying, "No, let's team up to deal with that guy first, it won't be too late for us to decide the winner later!"

"Why do you listen to him so much? He told you to go together, so you went together?" The dwarf said angrily, "I want to fight alone!"

Ford: “…”

I think you shouldn’t be called Shi Xin, you should be called Tie Tou!

(End of this chapter)