Chapter 201: Experimenting with Mouse Talisman's Power

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In the quiet and eerie laboratory,

Bochang, under Herta's instructions, went to a nearby room to change his clothes. He seized the opportunity to test his "One-Second Strip" skill.

It proved remarkably useful.

With just a flick of light wings, he could instantly remove all his clothing.

Theoretically, as soon as Bochang's hand touched any garment...the "One-Second Strip" skill would activate.

This move could also be effective against enemies, provided he could make contact.

However, without physical proximity, it would be entirely useless.

Dressed in a white lab coat, Bochang opened the door, taking his first step as the subject of experimentation.

"Relax, I won't bite," Herta said, observing the slowly emerging black-haired youth.

Bochang replied, "Ahem...it's my first time being studied, so feeling a bit nervous is quite normal."

"Alright, as long as you're comfortable," Herta responded half-heartedly.

Following that...

Bochang underwent a series of examinations, akin to a routine check-up at a hospital.

Afterward, Herta produced a collection of toys and asked Bochang to bring them to life using his powers.

Apparently, these toys represented famous characters from Blue Planet, including some legendary figures.

Bochang casually picked one resembling a humanoid warrior and infused it with the magic power from the Mouse Talisman.

The previously motionless warrior suddenly sprang to life.

Unlike Sophia, this purely plastic toy did not have skin resembling that of a real person; its surface still felt distinctly plasticky.

Moreover, its intelligence seemed quite low, even less sophisticated than the previous teddy bear.

The warrior raised its head and bellowed:

"Nature provides all things for man's sustenance, yet man offers nothing in return but slaughter! Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

These familiar words left Bochang momentarily stunned.

Undeterred, the red-eyed warrior charged directly at Bochang.

"Harmful being."

Bochang swiftly grabbed the warrior with his Invisible Hand, suspending it mid-air. The warrior struggled fiercely but could not escape his grasp, futilely shouting:

"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!"

Approaching them, Herta asked, "Transforming stillness into motion... I wonder what principle lies behind this?"

The doll girl had a feeling that if she could understand Bochang's power thoroughly, she might be able to attempt reviving deceased individuals—a form of resurrection.

Bochang replied, "Don't ask me; I only know how to use these powers, not their underlying principles. And... Miss Herta, you should be aware that once my abilities bring toys back to life, I cannot control their actions. Why did you choose such unpredictable creatures then?"

"Well, they won't cause significant harm to you, will they?" Herta seemed unconcerned about minor details.

It was true that the doll girl's statement held merit.

However...

Bochang worried—what if there were similarly powerful toys within the group? That could quickly escalate into trouble.

Thus...

Bochang voiced his concerns.

"Relax," Herta assured him. "There are no Aeons or other Emanators here. The toys I've chosen are generally under control. Even if any do become uncontrollable, I can swiftly suppress them."

The doll maiden exuded confidence, and rightfully so, given her capabilities.

As an Emanator, Herta had little to worry about as long as her opponents were not other Aeons or similarly powerful Emanators.

After all...

The gap between an Emanator and ordinary fate travelers was truly vast.

Herta approached the warrior, examining him closely before instructing Bochang to place him inside a sealed glass enclosure.

Next came the second, then the third...

One by one, various toys were brought back to life through the power of the Mouse Talisman. They were confined together, engaging in multiple duels, much to the awe and admiration of March 7th, Serval, and others present.

Naturally...

Before conducting experiments with the Mouse Talisman's power, Herta had already dismissed the five researchers from the laboratory. It was better for some matters to remain unknown to them, preventing any uncontrollable incidents.

Now, only trusted individuals remained within the lab.

Time quietly slipped away amidst these experiments.

"Based on the test results, we can conclude... characters with greater fame tend to be smarter and more powerful. Additionally... the strength of revived characters is also influenced by historical legends and the materials composing their toys."

"However... fame and historical legends are the key factors; the materials play a secondary role." Herta arrived at these conclusions after conducting comparative experiments.

After a brief pause, Herta continued, "Furthermore... there's another crucial factor affecting their power, which is... whether or not the character actually existed in history."

"According to our tests, under similar conditions... characters based on historical figures often exhibit significantly greater strength compared to those without historical counterparts, both in terms of physical prowess and intelligence."

"It seems that the force within you... acts like a beacon reaching through the river of history, capturing projections of these individuals using the statues as coordinates, and then embodying them within the statues themselves."

Herta's explanation was simple and straightforward.

Bochang nodded thoughtfully. "It does bear some resemblance to my Simulated Universe project."

Herta had created the Simulated Universe to explore the mysteries of Aeon, which also contained simulated versions of Aeon built from data.

As for Bochang's power,

if not for the potential unpredictable consequences, he could likely capture projections of Aeon directly from the river of history. Otherwise, Herta would have eagerly attempted it already.

Bochang glanced at the toys that had lost their enhanced abilities and reverted back to statues.

Only now did Bochang realize that among these toys, very few possessed high intelligence like Sophia.

Most toys revived by the Mouse Talisman's magic had limited intelligence.

They typically followed their original programming rigidly, unaffected by any threats or enticements... They lived in their own world, unable to deviate from it.

Often, they could only utter a few fixed phrases, resembling robots.

Notably, these toys usually lacked historical counterparts.

However, it's worth mentioning that...

Herta seemed to have pursued her personal agenda, which opened up another possibility for Bochang.

As a member of the Genius Society and an Emanator,

Herta has fans.

Just moments ago, she had Bochang revive several toys based on her fervent admirers, with one of them not yet deceased in the real world.

But...

Even these fan-based toys were similarly brought back to life by Bochang's ability.

These toys, completely devoted to Herta alone, exhibited some simplicity and lacked strength, much like robots.

They were completely devoted to Herta, albeit somewhat dim-witted and lacking in strength.

The doll-like character had little regard for them.

Coldly, Herta instructed Bochang to withdraw the Mouse Talisman's magic, transforming them back into toys.

"The idea is appealing, but...cultivating high-profile virtual characters who remain loyal to me is quite troublesome. Moreover, even if successful, their abilities would be rather weak."

Bochang inwardly sighed softly.

The Mouse Talisman's magic still had significant limitations. When Bochang was weaker, this power could have been used to create a formidable army en masse. However, now for him, those toys were simply too feeble.