Chapter 159 “Who’s Forcing Who?”
Humans are not the only intelligent races that survived from the old world when the Deep Sea Age arrived. Take elves, beastkin, and orcs to name just a few.
This was the knowledge written in Nina’s textbook that Duncan had read a while back. Of all the races though, he’s most interested in the elves since they are described as a specie with a high visual standard and an exceptionally long lifespan.
However, he apparently didn’t factor in the part of them aging just like humans do on the surface. Talk about a soul-crushing reality check.
The owner of “Rose’s Doll House” was an elf, a chubby, smiling elvish oldish lady – apart from her signature pointed ears and turquoise pupils that faintly indicated at her youthful beauty in the prior years, she’s no different from the friendly old lady next door.
Duncan quickly realized he’s been staring and swiftly withdrew his overly curious gaze. Scratching his cheek with some embarrassment: “This is the first time I have seen an elf.”
He was not worried about what his “rudeness” would bring, because elves were rarely seen in the city-state of Pland.
The major races had their own city-states, and due to the inaccessibility of the Deep Sea Age, most commoners rarely left their homeland during their lives with only the brave daring to do so for trade and such. In the rare cases that they do, they are usually only passers-by and almost never do they stay in one state for long.
“This is normal,” the old elvish woman giggled in delight, “I am afraid that there are no more than a hundred elves in this city, including the dozen or so who have been squatting in the mathematical institute for two hundred years without going out. Is there anything I can help with?”
Listening to the old woman’s reminder, Duncan reflected on his original purpose and glanced around the shop. “I want to buy a few things for a doll, and if I can, I want to ask some questions as well… But as soon as I came in, I was overwhelmed.”
“Oh, it looks like you’re a novice,” the old woman nodded, “is it a female doll? Is it your own collection, or…”
“Female, it’s a part of my own collection,” Duncan replied casually. But as soon as he finished speaking, the man regretted it because the words left a weird taste on his tongue. “This hobby isn’t strange, is it?”
“Of course not. Collecting and caring for dolls is a tasteful interest,” the old woman didn’t tease him and unleashed her century-old knowledge in the field. “Do you want to buy some clothes or accessories for your doll?”
Duncan thought for a moment before nodding: “Let’s get a wig first…”
“Over here,” the old shopkeeper led Duncan to the corner of the shop, “how big is your doll? Four points? Or three points?”
Duncan: “… As big as a real person.”
The old woman’s pacing faltered for a second before peeking around: “This is quite rare… a life-sized doll, hmm… Is it worth a lot?”
“…… Actually, I’m not sure how much she’s worth,” Duncan tried to keep his face straight while enduring the awkward feeling in his heart, “It was sent to me by someone else…”
“Then it seems that you have a friend who is quite wealthy,” the old woman broadened her grin as she circled around to open a wooden box on the counter. “Large-sized dolls are rare, and there are even fewer accessories out there for them. Thankfully I kept a few in storage just for these occasions.”
Duncan coughed dryly, muttering as he leaned over to see: “I don’t know if they’re rich or not, but they’re a captain…. It’s complicated.”
The items shown were beautifully crafted and well maintained, evident that the owner has gone through great effort to keep them pristine. However, as soon as Duncan imagined Alice wearing some of these fine trinkets and realistic wigs, he would inadvertently imagine her also going bald in the future. No matter how calm and experienced he was, Duncan still gave a shudder at the picture.
Oh screw it. If I’m going to buy something then let’s make it nice. Watching a bald headless doll walking around me is too creepy no matter the circumstances.
Immediately, Duncan’s gaze fell upon a gorgeous blonde wig with matching silvery hair accessories in the box. According to his biased perception, a western noble should always be a blonde, and not just any blonde, but a blonde female with fine accessories, just like in the old western chick flicks from Europe!
“By the way, can I inquire about how I should go about maintaining a doll?” He casually asks while picking out the items.
“Of course,” the old elvish woman smiled kindly, “dolls need to be cared for with a fine touch.”
“Then… what should I do if the joints of the dolls are often coming loose?” Duncan gestured at his own neck while organizing the language, “The main part is around the neck where the ball bearing is. It always comes loose and the head pops off.”
“The wear and deformation of the connecting ball bearing is either because of neglect or mishandling by the user in the later stages. If not, the only answer would be that the original design or material is not up to standard,” the old elvish woman explains. “If it has reached the stage where the head is constantly falling off, then ordinary repairs are pointless and ineffective. I recommend replacing the joints entirely to solve the issue.”
Speaking of this, she thought for a while and added: “But replacing the joint bearing around the neck area wouldn’t be easy if it’s as big as you mentioned. If you can’t figure out how to do, our business here can also offer that service. The parts used will be at cost with a little extra as the service fee.”
Duncan contemplated the feasibility of the suggestion and found it not possible.
It’s one thing for an ordinary doll, but Alice was Anomaly 099. Could her parts be easily replaced? What’s more, there’s a strong chance that Alice would openly make a run for it if told she’s going under the knife.
So, Duncan quickly dropped the topic and inquired about making a hair transplant instead.
The old shop owner patiently explained many things to him, and after the brief lesson, she added: “After listening to what you said, I want to make a different suggestion. Dolls are a difficult thing to repair. If you wish to transplant a new wig onto the head, it will be hard to achieve a perfect job unless the doll maker themselves personally do it. In addition, you also mentioned the head joint to the body is constantly dislocating. That implies the tear is already at the last stage of acceptable furnishing. I suggest you re-order a new head sculpture instead….”
Duncan: “….”
The old lady grew quite enthusiastic after seeing the reaction: “Judging by your face, you are unsure if you are willing? Don’t worry, I can reassure you our business here can perform such an operation. We have a hundred years’ worth of experience and reputation to our name. No complaint has ever come from our regulars so far.”
Despite the reassurance, Duncan didn’t feel the same way. In his view, the elvish lady probably didn’t have much regulars to begin with, and if they were, those people had likely gone to the grave by now.
Showing an awkward smile: “But… if I changed the head, it wouldn’t be the same doll anymore, right?”
Unexpectedly, the remark only made the old lady’s enthusiasm grow stronger. Lighting up in her eyes: “Ah, that is quite the way of viewing things. Most people would only treat their dolls as an object. Even if they like it, they won’t think about it in such a manner.”
Duncan was a little embarrassed all of a sudden: “Ahem, I’m a little embarrassed if you say it like that….”
“I’m merely stating the truth,” the old lady sighed, “dolls need to be taken care of, and the moment they are given a human form, they should no longer be treated as inanimate objects. There is a saying among puppeteers – puppets that are carefully treated have their own souls, and you should even think of them having their own joys, sorrows, and anger…”
Duncan’s mind immediately brought up the image of Alice’s harmless “hehe” act. Nodding repeatedly in agreement: “You’re right, you’re right.”