After a simple handshake, the somewhat hasty cooperation agreement was complete.
Darwin examined Shu's body again, then fell into deep thought, staring at the physical data he had collected.
"This power of yours... does using Honkai energy cause significant harm to the human body?" Darwin put down the frankly alarming data sheet, rubbed his brow, and asked Shu.
"Pretty much..." Shu answered vaguely.
It was the truth. Both Darwin and Joyce's expressions turned slightly more somber.
"Power from the enemy indeed comes at a price~" Darwin sighed deeply, then turned to start preparing some usable medications for Shu.
"I told you, how could there be magic in this world that grants wishes without any cost?"
"But even with a cost, it's still magic to us, isn't it?" Joyce remarked, looking at Shu.
Magic?
Instead of looking at me, you should be looking at the one who knocked me down. She's the real magical girl.
Shu accepted the Chinese herbal medicine Darwin prepared, then gave Darwin a puzzled look.
A Western man in a noble academy style uniform seriously handing over a packet of Chinese herbs—the scene was undeniably strange.
"We don't have the equipment for pharmaceutical manufacturing here. We're just a group of ordinary scientists, without your kind of powerful abilities," Darwin said, noticing Shu's odd gaze and shrugging helplessly.
Shu's expression became even stranger, but he didn't say anything, merely nodding while also scanning the medicine in his hand with [Wish] before taking it.
"You can even do that?" Joyce murmured, then waited until Shu had finished all the medicine before approaching him again.
"Need to rest?"
Shu shook his head. He wished he could utilize every single second right now.
"Alright then. I need to show you the base we're currently in, and all the resources we can mobilize."
"Okay," Shu said, following Joyce out.
"Homu! (Doctor Darwin! We're leaving now!)" The Homu waved at Darwin, then followed Joyce and Shu out with its paji steps.
This was an underground cave. Logically, it should maintain the same aesthetic as the town above—a dark, damp underground space covered in slippery moss.
But reality somewhat defied Shu's expectations.
Leaving the small room, the first thing that met his eyes was an enormous furnace.
The furnace was constructed from metal plates of various colors, rivets sealing the gaps between them, all joined with masterful skill, making it airtight.
Various metal pipes of different thicknesses extended from the furnace, spreading across the cave walls in a chaotic yet functional manner.
There were even tracks on the ground. Occasionally, mine carts, either empty or full, would speed past on the tracks, making a loud clattering sound.
Electric lights dangled precariously from supports reinforcing the cave, and alongside them, colorful crystals embedded in every corner of the cave also glowed.
Shu looked up. The dazzling crystals on the cave walls looked just like a sky full of stars!
Wait, then why was there only an oil lamp in the room I was just in?!
This style, full of goblin alchemy vibes, that ten-meter-high massive furnace... it certainly fit the fairytale aesthetic...
Then came something even more surprising.
Two tin toy robots sat in a speeding mine cart. They wore miner's outfits, safety helmets with electric lamps, and carried pickaxes as they sped along the railway.
As they passed Joyce and Shu, the two tin men even tipped their hats to Joyce in respect, then left behind a sound like scraping metal.
"Clank—Crash— (Good afternoon, Boss Joyce! Good afternoon, Boss Homu! Good afternoon, Boss-Whose-Name-I-Don't-Know!!)"
A faint smile touched Joyce's lips as she waved at the receding mine cart. The Homu, meanwhile, bounced up and down, returning the greeting to the distant figures.
"Homu—! (Good afternoon, Big Brother Tin Man! Good afternoon, Little Brother Tin Man!!)"
Shu paused for a moment, also waving at the train whose taillights were no longer visible, before continuing to observe everything around him.
Unlike the Homus in the town, while there were still Homus among the "residents" of these streets, there were many more varieties of other toys.
Brown teddy bears were shopping on the street, green toy frogs waited in groups at intersections... for the traffic lights to change...
And a large Matryoshka doll with a smaller one, and an even smaller one... a total of seven nesting dolls, were lining up in an orderly fashion to cross the road...
Suddenly, a commotion seemed to erupt on the street. The sixth-largest Matryoshka doll abruptly opened its large mouth and swallowed the smallest one, then dived headfirst into the mouth of the fifth-largest Matryoshka.
The wind-up keys on the backs of the tin frogs suddenly started spinning rapidly, and they hopped away from the roadside.
A rumbling sound made Shu instinctively tense up. Joyce sighed, shaking her head with a look of resignation.
Looking down, the Homu had already charged out aggressively, blocking a massive green creature at the street corner.
"Homu! Homu homu! (Mr. Dinosaur!! It's too narrow here, too low! You shouldn't come this way!!)"
Shu looked up. The giant green creature was a plastic Tyrannosaurus Rex with green skin. There were even large screw holes visible on its thighs.
This area was indeed too small for Mr. Dinosaur; even crouching, it would have difficulty passing through.
Mr. Dinosaur stopped, bent down, and leaned close to the Homu blocking its path. The Homu wasn't even as tall as one of its teeth!
Shu watched this absurd scene, glanced at Joyce who seemed accustomed to and extremely exasperated by this, then at the building-block policemen rushing over. Suddenly, a sense of peace washed over him.
It didn't matter anymore. He wouldn't be surprised by anything else.
The giant dinosaur spoke in the deepest, most guttural voice, uttering the most timid and aggrieved words.
"ROAR—! (But... Mr. James told me to bring the materials he needs to the central furnace quickly... This is the fastest way...)"
As it spoke, it opened its mouth, revealing a large package held within its massive jaws.
"Homu! (Isn't there a special dinosaur route?!)" the Homu asked fiercely.
"Roar... (But Mr. James told me to take the fastest route...)"
"Homu? (Is that so?)" The Homu turned its head, glancing towards Joyce.
Joyce waved her hand helplessly. "Take Mr. Dinosaur to the special route..."