Chapter 787
The Puppet is a Tool
Chapter 787 The Puppet is a Tool
As Wade predicted, due to the limitation of the competition topic "coping with extreme environments," most of the contestants who chose to create puppets did not perform well, either failing to complete the task or showing obvious flaws during the test.
For example, a turtle-shaped puppet that resists high pressure moves so slowly it's almost despairing; just waiting for it to crawl to its designated spot makes the audience yawn endlessly.
For example, another player imitated the jellyfish-shaped puppet that Wade used in the league, aiming to make it float in corrosive toxic gas or liquid and to use its tentacles to perform some delicate operations.
However, the jellyfish puppet's tentacles are like ribbons hanging from its body, completely uncontrollable; its only advantage is that it maintains its floating posture.
There is also a crocodile puppet that can change color and shape according to the external environment. The color it changes is similar to but also very different from the surrounding environment, roughly equivalent to the difference between the real natural environment and cartoons.
Compared to these people, Karl Kleist was actually the best performer. At least... if he had a few more wheels on the bottom, his puppet would actually have a chance to complete the mission.
Vader was also very responsible. When commenting on each puppet, he would first affirm the ideas, then point out the problems, and finally give some pointers on the direction of improvement, or correct certain spells and runes.
There was no provocation or questioning as one might have imagined. Every contestant who received his feedback had an expression of "sudden realization" and "the trip was worthwhile".
At the same time, certain shadows that have always haunted Vader's reputation, such as—
"It's impossible for someone to achieve this at such a young age!"
"Anyone who truly understands alchemy knows how much of a sham Vader Grey's reputation is!"
"Geniuses may exist, but Morrie's practice of packaging his students as geniuses is ridiculously absurd!"
For example, some statements made after the league season—
"I admit that kid is quite capable; he has mastered the process of crafting magical puppets to perfection. But I still don't believe that the magical puppets are his own invention!"
These voices, which had never truly disappeared in the shadows, were completely silenced by Wade's performance during the live broadcast of the match.
Those who pride themselves on their knowledge of alchemy are particularly speechless when they see a well-known alchemist in their own country receive Vader's critique, and instead of pointing out any errors in his critique, the alchemist looks completely convinced.
Even those who are better than them must admit that Wade Gray is of a higher level than themselves.
Those of them who weren't even qualified to be invited to the alchemy competition, if they said anything sarcastic or strange, they wouldn't get approval or resonance, but rather ridicule from those around them.
Principal Fontana smiled and said to Professor Mori, "It's because of your students' outstanding performance in the league that so many people chose to create puppets this time. But by the next season, I estimate that most of the contestants will change their minds."
I think quite the opposite.
Ms. Picqueli said slowly, "With excellent leaders ahead, those who fall behind will definitely work even harder to catch up. Four years later, when everyone's puppet-making techniques are more mature, they will surely produce even better works."
“That’s true!” Silas Hawthorne nodded and said, “It’s only been a few years since the invention of the puppet, and there are already so many prototypes. What will happen in the future…”
"And what work is easier to embody 'innovation' than a puppet?" Abdullah said. "Changing the appearance or changing the function can both be considered 'innovation.' Compared to racking your brains and not being able to come up with anything new, this is already quite simple."
Morrie listened with a smile but said nothing, then couldn't help touching his nose.
The "Alchemy Innovation Competition" requires entries to be something that has never been seen before, which stumps most people.
Most alchemists, like the students in Snape's Potions class, might not be able to successfully create potions even if they follow the textbook step by step according to the standard procedures, let alone start from scratch.
Being able to mimic the experience of successful alchemists and consistently produce several alchemical items that cannot be manufactured on a production line is enough to make someone an excellent alchemist in the eyes of most people.
Thinking of this, Professor Morrie couldn't help but say to Wade, "What a pity, Wade... If this competition weren't only held once every four years, you would have been the champion every year for the past few years!"
Upon hearing this, Fontana was speechless.
He wanted to refute it, but thinking about the works Wade had produced in recent years... if it really appeared in the competition, he would be the undisputed champion.
Why is such an outstanding student from Mori?
Given Vader Gray's aptitude, if he had studied at Iphamoni, he would be his student now... As both an alchemist and the headmaster, he could certainly provide better resources...
As he gritted his teeth in jealousy, he heard Morrie continue regretfully:
"The competition is finally here, but you've already become a judge, so there's no way you can win the championship anymore... The oldest of the contestants is fifty years old. Why should we, who are only fifteen, be excluded from this honor?"
As he spoke, Professor Morrie began to feel aggrieved on behalf of his students.
"That's enough, Morrie." Fontana slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "If you keep bragging like that, don't blame me for telling all your embarrassing stories to your students!"
Professor Morrie paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Jealousy has distorted you beyond recognition, Gilbert!"
The people around were laughing.
The atmosphere on the judges' panel was very relaxed, as the competition was nearing its end. The second-to-last contestant's work was unremarkable, and the last contestant's choice to create a magic puppet seemed destined for mediocrity as well.
At this moment, the last contestant slowly entered the arena, followed by a puppet that looked like an uneven ball rolling on the ground.
“A spherical puppet? That’s a smart choice,” Silas Hawthorne said, stroking his chin. “At least that way there won’t be the problem of not being able to get up after falling down.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a collective gasp rippled through the audience.
As it reached the judges' table, the spherical puppet suddenly unfolded and stretched out, like a rapidly growing tree, reaching a height of over three meters.
It hunched its back slightly, its slender arms hanging down, the ends of which were sharp metal claws that gleamed coldly; its hind legs were much thicker than its forelegs, and when bent, they gave the impression that they could easily crush the ground and hold the body firmly like an anchor.
Although the object appears to be pieced together from the simplest pieces, with no detailed surface treatment or even "drawn" simple facial features, the audience immediately understands upon seeing it that it is a werewolf puppet!
Moreover, these are not the usual harmless werewolves; they are savage and cruel killers who have already undergone transformation!
The meeting room, which had been filled with relaxed discussions and laughter, was instantly plunged into a deathly silence of shock and terror.
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
Then... "Ah—!"
A scream shattered the silence, like a signal that instantly ignited panic in the stands!
The audience members near the front row were terrified. Chairs were hastily pushed over, and everyone ran away in a panic. Some people were so scared that they almost fell off the floating platform in their haste!
Meanwhile, some of the Magic Congress staff turned and ran, while others rushed toward the judges' seats, and still others responsibly looked after the audience, ready to catch anyone falling from above.
"Calm down! Calm down—!"
Fontana pointed his wand at his throat, the sound so loud that pebbles fell from the rock walls inside the sinkhole.
"Calm down, this is just an alchemical artifact! Don't panic, go back to your seats!"
He shouted loudly, the powerful sound waves making everyone's heads buzz, and the audience hesitated and stopped.
Just then, everyone heard a crying sound:
"Mother--"
A seven or eight-year-old child was clinging to a high floating platform, hanging in the air, about to fall.
The adults around them hurriedly waved their wands and rescued the child.
Once the panicked audience had managed to regain their composure, Fontana turned to look at the werewolf puppet and its creator, his eyes filled with wariness and scrutiny.
The Aurors responsible for security were also on high alert, drawing their wands to maintain order while remaining wary of the goblin going berserk.
Although everyone understood that it was merely an alchemical creation manipulated by someone, and that its master, as a contestant, wouldn't be so heartless as to go on a killing spree here...
But even well-trained adult wizards couldn't help but show their horror when they saw that steel behemoth exuding a terrifying aura.
In the front row of the VIP box, Moody's lips moved slightly, and Harry, who was closest to him, could vaguely hear his voice:
“That guy Wade, creating something so terrifying… Did he even consider the catastrophic consequences if someone else got hold of this power? That brat…”
The retired Auror gritted his teeth, suppressing a sudden impulse... an impulse to kill the contestant who created the werewolf puppet on the spot.
Weren't these puppets just toys back then? Just toys similar to Wizard's Chess? When did they become such dangerous things?
He looked at the contestant again—
The man with long red hair wore a traditional black robe, trimmed only with a red border. He wore a calm smile as he watched the chaotic scene, showing no remorse but rather a sense of enjoyment and smugness.
When the commotion subsided, the man clicked his tongue and gave a slight bow towards the judges' panel.
"Good evening, esteemed judges. I am Mordisi Graves, and my work is—the puppet, 'The Hound'!"
His smile deepened slightly: "As you can see, its appearance is inspired by werewolves, because I believe that werewolves are incredibly powerful after transforming. I apologize for giving you a bad first impression."
On the judges' panel, Wade narrowed his eyes slightly, and beneath his long, thin eyelashes, there seemed to be faint golden symbols flowing.
His gaze passed over the werewolf's rough and terrifying appearance, carefully examining the magic flowing inside the puppet and its runic structure, observing the spells used on it, and the deeply nested magic array patterns.
A moment later, a meaningful expression appeared on Wade's face.
Like the previous contestants, the red-haired man, Mordisi Graves, simply introduced the materials and spells he used, without any unnecessary words, and went straight to the demonstration.
He waved his wand, and a series of spells were aimed precisely at the puppet "Hound".
The icy white cold air made its body tremble slightly, and the surface of the puppet's body was immediately covered with a layer of white frost, but its movements did not slow down in the slightest.
After being frozen for quite some time, the "hound" was still able to easily jump out and, with a swipe of its paw, slashed the control panel of a player next to it.
Then, a pungent liquid was splashed onto the puppet, the acidic liquid sizzling on its surface. The rock beneath its feet was corroded, but the puppet only shook its body and did nothing else.
Immediately afterwards, another huge bubble was placed over the puppet, just like the Bubble Head Charm that the warriors used underwater.
However, the purpose of this bubble is not to provide air for the "hound" to breathe, but to remove all the air around it.
A vacuum environment is easier for the puppets to handle, and they don't need to breathe. So the puppet remained frozen in place, its lifeless glass eyes staring blankly ahead.
After a while, Mordisi Graves canceled the spell. With a "pop," the surrounding air instantly rushed onto the "hound's" face, causing its body to sway twice.
Modishis Graves then gave a slight bow towards the judges' panel: "My presentation is over."
After a long while, Silas Hawthorne slowly began to applaud:
"Slap... slap slap slap..."
A round of applause erupted, and the startled audience members, upon reflection, felt even greater admiration for him.
"Excellent, absolutely brilliant!" Hawthorne said with a broad smile. "This is the most complete puppet I've seen today! It can handle at least three extreme environments. Not bad, very good!"
He looked at the others and said, "I think the champion has already been decided."
Ms. Piqueli nodded slightly, but then she said softly, "I have a question, and I wonder if Mr. Graves can answer it for me?"
“Of course, ma’am,” Graves said politely. “Please go ahead.”
"Your puppet is powerful, but lifeless."
Ms. Piqueli said, "It doesn't shrink from the cold, it doesn't complain about the acid, and it doesn't react uncomfortably in a vacuum... It's stiff, like a cold tool, lifeless... Why is that?"
Graves seemed puzzled. He blinked, then gave a puzzled smile.
"But madam... puppets are tools, aren't they?"
One update tonight
(End of this chapter)