Chapter 665 The Perplexing Situation
"Alright, let's get moving. We don't have any time to waste," Velma told Daphne, who was still shaking her fist in the air. The duo left quickly, retracing their steps back to the mansion.
Once they arrived, they were greeted by a flurry of excited chatter, laughter, and the tinkling of silverware on plates. The earlier tension in the dining room had completely evaporated, replaced by a light-hearted and jovial atmosphere. Galio, the host of the event, wasn't present but Nemoria and Tallia were the main center of attention.
"Uh-oh. I think we just walked into the final rehearsal of the First Goddess Circle, Velma," Daphne whispered, falling behind Velma as they slowly moved through the crowd. Tallia had clearly taken charge, her soft-spoken voice floating over the noise in the room, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"A Trial for the role of the Goddess of Mankind is not something taken lightly," she spoke, her voice filled with gravitas. "As goddesses, we embody reverence, benevolence, and grace. The role of a goddess is not limited to rule and authority; it is about serving and caring for people—the ones who look up to you with love, trust, and respect."
Velma and Daphne weaved their way through the crowd of angelic goddess aspirants, inhaling their intoxicating, sweet-smelling mixture of perfumes. They finally bumped into Amanda, looking bored despite the excitement around her.
"Miss Amanda, we have important information," Daphne began. Amanda, though she looked very young, was the Creator. She wore an oversized white lab coat draped over a simple dress. Her straight black hair was tied into a loose ponytail. Her purple eyes, devoid of any makeup, held an intense look behind her glasses—a look that held the wisdom of the ages.
"Ah, Velma and Daphne," Amanda chewed on her bottom lip, quietly observing the spectacle in front of her. When Amanda noticed their serious expressions, she raised an eyebrow in query. "What has gotten you two serious all of a sudden?"
"Sorry to bring this to you so late and at this event, but we have been looking into a problem here in Northwall," Velma explained, and Amanda lifted an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth slightly turning up.
"You have piqued my interest, but I am sure that anything could do that at this point. I wish I was back in my shop studying those energy batteries," Amanda, Goddess of the Golems grumbled.
"Someone's committing thefts in town. They're stealing... underwear," Daphne described, causing Amanda to blink in shock.
"That's... an unusual choice for a thief," Amanda finally managed to reply.
"It's not about what they're taking, but how," Velma chimed in, "They are using a combination of wind and ice magic somehow to move faster than the eye can see. There have been three cases where the women were walking, and they just disappeared. On top of that, one woman said that her connection to the Vine was blocked."
"This alone would not warrant a visit, but after talking to the second victim, we were also attacked. We were able to stop the theft, but the thing that attacked us was cloaked, but had no emotions or intent. My only guess is that someone is using the body of a Living Doll that has no soul in it," Daphne said, and Amanda waved her hand, opening a portal to her workshop.
"If you two would not mind, I would prefer for us to finish this conversation elsewhere," Amanda requested, gesturing to the portal.
"Of course," Velma and Daphne said in unison and quickly stepped through the portal. Mere moments later, the women found themselves in Amanda's workshop. As chaotic as it looked with papers strewn all over the place and magical tools scattered on the workbench, it still was a haven for Amanda.
"As I was saying earlier, it seems we have a situation on our hands," Velma resumed, explaining their findings and their encounter earlier that evening, including their hypothesis of a remotely controlled Living Doll.
"Do you have any proof about your allegations?" Amanda asked when they finished.
Daphne handed her the torn piece of cloth they had found after the thief disappeared. "I managed to snatch this off them."
Amanda glanced at the cloth before placing it in a glass cylinder and adding a few drops of a luminous green liquid from a tiny vial. The material fizzed, releasing color-coded puffs of smoke. The smoke whirled and formed the acronym 'LD' before dissolving away.
"Just as you suspected. It is a Living Doll," Amanda confirmed, her tone unreadable.
"Just from that piece of cloth?" Daphne asked incredulously, impressed by Amanda's skills.
"Living Dolls are created from a special type of metal, one that can only be created in my workshop," Amanda explained. "No one else can replicate it, at least, not that I know. There are elements in the metal that react with magic, and leave residue on the cloth. Normally, we have clothing specially made for the Living Dolls"
"But how is it even possible?" Velma questioned, her forehead creased in confusion.
"I don't have an answer for that," admitted Amanda. "Creating a sapient Living Doll is a complex process that requires tremendous magical skill and knowledge. Even then, I've decided that it's ethically infeasible to create just the shells alone," She said and then shook her head. "This is troublesome. I am sure that you both know about the Pact that Galio made with me on behalf of the Living Dolls. The last thing that I want my husband to think is that I am not honoring my agreement made with him."
"Well, we'll have to find the individual who's controlling the Living Doll, and stop them," Daphne declared, her voice filled with determination.
"But in the meantime, what can we do to prevent further incidents?" Velma questioned, turning to Amanda.
"The real question is who could create a Living Doll? I know every Golem that has ever been created as long as it has been given a soul. No matter where they are in the world, I will know they exist. Whoever built this knows much more than they should about the creation of Living Dolls," Amanda pondered before her eyes suddenly lit up. "However, I might have a solution. While I cannot disable a Living Doll remotely, I can change the frequency of its remote control. Whoever is controlling it will temporarily lose their hold."
"And in that moment, we can catch whoever is behind this," Velma said, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I do not think it will be that easy. The best thing that you can hope for is to catch the Living Doll. If this person is capable of making one, there is a very good chance that there are more. Still, this all seems extremely fishy," Amanda said, tapping her lip. Why steal panties with this kind of power, and put yourself into a place where you are almost guaranteed to get caught at some point?"
"We thought this all seemed strange, but if it is just a distraction, then what do you think the main goal will be?" Velma asked, but Amanda shook her head.
"Nothing good. I suspect it might have something to do with the Goddess Games. I would like to bring this to Galio, but-" Amanda said, but Daphne threw her hands up, cutting her off.
"Hold on! Galio is taking a break, right?" Daphne said and turned to Velma. "And you want to get first place, right?"
"And?" Velma asked, but Daphne pulled her into a headlock away from the goddess.
"And we shouldn't bother him right now for something that we should be able to figure out ourselves! If we can solve this before it causes Amanda problems, then we can get in her good favor!" Daphne hissed.
"I can still hear you as clear as day, you know?" Amanda said, causing the women to freeze. "But indeed, I'd rather not involve Galio unless absolutely necessary. I believe we should try to deal with this discreetly."
With a nod of agreement, Daphne released Velma from the headlock. "We're in this together then. Please, let us know when you need our help, Miss Amanda."
"I certainly will. In return, I'd appreciate it if you continued your investigation and kept me updated," Amanda responded. She waved her hand, and the portal leading back to Northwall appeared again. With a mutual nod of agreement between the two, Velma, and Daphne stepped through, stronger in their resolve to stop the thief bringing chaos to Northwall.
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