Volume 7, Chapter 56 – First Application of Particle Repair

With all the materials assembled, Fia could finally begin creating the vessel.

The spacious magic testing ground was piled high with wooden crates. At its very center stood a stone coffin over two meters long, filled with a glowing indigo-blue liquid. Combined with the pale pink magic circle covering the top of the coffin—sealing it from air circulation—and the large stone pillars erected around it, the scene was incredibly fantastical.

Fia stepped forward, using a [Spatial Hand] to penetrate the pale pink magic circle and carefully inspect the gleaming white skeletal structure within the coffin.

The vessel meant to house Anastasia’s soul would be born here. However, the torso currently lying in the coffin—more appropriately called a ‘blank’—had a physique closer to Fia’s or Liti’s rather than Anastasia’s.

This was the vessel intended for Lianne’s soul. Lianne’s soul wouldn’t suffer damage from being separated from a physical body, making her the safest choice for the first trial.

As for creating the torso, Laplace was right in saying it was the most critical part of the entire process. But for Fia, this step was relatively simple. Laplace’s flesh puppets were either cobbled together from monster bones or, more horrifyingly, constructed from human bones. For her, by utilizing [Particle Repair] to a certain degree, she could create the skeleton from scratch.

To describe it, [Sacred Relic Analysis] provided the blueprint, having already projected the original one-to-one structure into reality. The remaining [Particle Repair] was the printing mechanism that filled in that blueprint with the corresponding physical matter. It didn’t require an overly complex process; the only necessities were immense amounts of mana and extraordinary computational power. It was like how learning to write is difficult, but tracing over a template only requires knowing how to hold a pen to produce something similar.

However, it was also thanks to this body’s capabilities being far beyond the norm. If an ordinary person attempted this, their purely biological brain couldn’t possibly withstand such massive calculations. In contrast, she didn’t feel even a hint of fatigue, her power almost reminiscent of a machine from the Shining Era.

As for whether this was due to the Crown Princess’s unique innate talent or magic enhancing her brain… it was better not to delve too deeply.

“Whew, no issues.”

Sniffing the pungent scent of the medicinal liquid permeating the air, Fia let out a long sigh. She had finished constructing the torso’s framework and thoroughly inspected the skeleton, confirming no problems. Next came the more tedious and time-consuming process of fleshing out the body.

But before that, she needed the specially prepared liquid within the coffin to soak into the bones as much as possible. This would ensure the future body’s magical affinity, allowing the soul to integrate without rejection.

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[Catalysis]

A faint white light emanating from Fia seeped into the stone coffin. She placed a hand on its rough surface, then closed her eyes. While waiting for the liquid to permeate the bones, she mentally reviewed the upcoming steps.

The body must be constructed in one continuous effort, finishing before the liquid loses its potency.

The concept was simple, but execution was difficult.

Fia couldn’t help but admire Laplace. What she found challenging even with [Particle Repair], Laplace had managed to accomplish without it, creating something as intricate as Milu.

That said, Fia overlooked an extremely important point: when Laplace created Milu, it didn’t need to care whether Milu’s soul was complete. For Laplace, Milu’s appearance, personality, and strength were irrelevant. It wanted a movable, living being with a soul. Perfectly replicating another person as Fia aimed to do, requiring the final product to fuse with Anastasia’s soul, was on a completely different level of difficulty.

After all, when creating flesh puppets, Laplace could roughly fuse various organs together. Compatibility issues could be solved with just a bit of magic.

The pale pink magic circle covering the grey stone coffin gradually brightened. Simultaneously, the surrounding large stone pillars began to glow with white patterns. The flickering light was reminiscent of breathing, casting a mysterious aura over the terrifying skeleton within.

This was a sign the soaking process was nearing completion.

Fia opened her eyes.

Only two minutes had passed since she poured in the liquid. According to Laplace, this step should take at least three days. Her [Catalysis] was indeed effective on the skeletal material.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Alchemy often utilized bones and keratin. If [Catalysis] couldn’t affect such monster-derived materials, it wouldn’t be categorized among alchemical spells.

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Now comes the most critical part.

Steadying her mind, Fia stepped outside to check the hallway, confirming no one would disturb her. The entire floor was empty. Returning to the magic testing ground, she took another deep breath.

She recalled Lianne’s form in her mind. Using [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea], she projected the body data obtained from [Sacred Relic Analysis] onto the skeleton. This was another extraordinary ability. With [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] assisting, she could more easily and directly identify any problems.

In Laplace’s envisioned method, Fia would need to find several intact, healthy individuals, disassemble and fuse them to assemble a suitable body. But with [Particle Repair], Fia didn’t need such a bloody process. The trade-off was consuming vastly more mana and mental focus.

The indigo-blue glowing liquid could sustain life’s vitality for a period. As long as the body was immersed in it, until the blue glow was exhausted, she wouldn’t have to worry about completed parts dying before the whole was finished.

Fia gently placed her palm on the pale pink barrier covering the coffin’s surface.

[Particle Repair]

The moment she willed it, a sensation of massive mana drain surged throughout her body. Unlike the simplicity of creating the skeleton, Fia could distinctly feel something gushing forth from her palm. The immense flow of mana even formed a tangible wind, making her black hair and skirt flap violently.

Along with the severe mana drain, intense fatigue and a scattering of attention manifested in her mind. Fia felt her thought processes slow down, becoming sluggish and fused together like a block of wood. The scenery before her eyes blurred and distorted.

Not good.

Biological bodies had their limits, even the Crown Princess’s. However, this fatigue was soon swept away by a sudden, clarifying clarity. Almost instantly, her mind became clear. The accumulated sluggishness was dismantled by the Nanomachines. Although their activity accelerated mana consumption, mana was the one thing Fia did not lack.

These two spells combined are almost like a perpetual motion machine.

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Fia couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly.

Her intense mana consumption brought astonishing changes to the torso within the coffin.

Pinkish-white flesh buds emerged at a speed visible to the naked eye. Rather than “growing,” the writhing muscle fibers and blood vessels were more accurately described as “projecting.” Within mere moments, the skeleton gleaming with a pearly white sheen disappeared, its surface now covered by a layer of pinkish flesh buds. Blood vessels and organs of slightly differing colors also rapidly took shape.

It was a truly impactful sight.

Good thing I’m naturally resistant to frightening things, having seen similar scenes in the Shining Era. Otherwise, I’d be nauseous for days, unable to look at Lianne without recalling this revolting image.

Feeling fortunate, Fia did not neglect monitoring the coffin’s interior. As the flesh buds grew rapidly, the glowing blue liquid filling the coffin also dimmed at an extremely fast rate. This meant its potency was being heavily consumed. If the liquid completely lost its glow, it would be unable to maintain the vitality of Lianne’s flesh.

Normally, one could simply add new liquid. However, the coffin was sealed by the surface pale pink magic circle, preventing addition. Destroying the magic circle would allow external impurities to enter the body, causing the spell to fail.

Speed up the formation process.

Banishing distracting thoughts, Fia took a deep breath and increased the mana output to [Particle Repair].

As a result, in less than three minutes, the life-sustaining liquid in the coffin ceased to glow, its original indigo-blue color turning completely transparent, looking no different from water.

But Lianne’s body was unfinished—visually, a body floated in the coffin, lacking skin, exposing incomplete internal organs and muscles. Pink, green, yellow, and red were mixed together, and with the occasionally twitching heart, the scene was nauseating.

Less than a quarter complete.

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Not satisfactory at all.

Fia frowned, attempting to forcibly continue using [Particle Repair]. The flesh buds on Lianne’s form began writhing again. But crimson threads of blood immediately welled up within the now-ineffective transparent liquid—a sign of bodily disintegration. Continuing would only yield a lifeless corpse.

A complete failure.

“Just as expected, I can’t count on getting it right the first time.”

Her shoulders slumping, Fia wiped the sweat from her forehead. She used [Airflow Control] combined with [Ice Shard] to cool the environment—it was midsummer, and even Fia felt the heat. Only when a cool breeze carrying a chill slipped down her neck into her clothes, rapidly evaporating her sweat, did she feel much more comfortable.

“Aside from lack of practice, was the liquid quantity also insufficient…”

Laplace’s example was based on the highest 3rd-tier puppet it could create. Lianne was a 6th-tier entity; naturally, the liquid needed to shape her body would be far greater, perhaps dozens or even hundreds of times more.

However, the coffin for creating the body was only so large; it couldn’t hold that much liquid. Next, she could only try increasing the concentration of the liquid, or figure out a way to add a structure to the coffin allowing for later addition of liquid without destroying the soul-confinement magic circle inside.

If once doesn’t work, try a second time. Summarize the reasons for failure, try to remedy the flaws. Right now, more than impatience, I need calm. Even if my method fails, there’s still Claire downstairs, creating a body using a second method as insurance.

After sufficient rest, Fia reached into the coffin, storing both the now-ineffective transparent liquid and the unfinished body into her storage magic.

Time for the second attempt.