Lily was placed into a body adjustment chamber under the watchful eyes of the crowd. As the lid slowly closed, Kevin felt a sense of relief.
"Is this all right?" He glanced at Raven 12345, who was now poring over the manual. Seeing her unreliable behavior, Kevin's heart sank. "Are you sure you know how to use this thing?"
"Oh, you're such a jerk! Even if I can't use it, I'm still more reliable than you. You're using the data terminal like a brick, and you still have the nerve to criticize me?" Raven 12345 glared at Kevin, then turned to the adjustment chamber where Lily lay. "Don't worry, it's fully automatic. I'm just making sure the indicators are the same as in the manual."
"Will this control her out-of-control condition be controlled?" Vivian touched the silver-white alloy device with curiosity. This high-tech gadget seemed incredible to her. "Just lie down for a while, right?"
Raven 12345 waved her hand. "This is a temporary measure, meant to temporarily stabilize her mind. In a few days, her body will reach its critical evolutionary point. Then, you'll just need to find a spacious enough place for her to unleash her full potential. Don't worry, with this adjustment, she'll be conscious even during her evolutionary burst. At most, her body will revert to wolf form, but she won't harm anyone."
This was Raven 12345's "treatment plan" for Lily. In her words, Lily's growth was an inevitable process, a positive one. Only a fool would try to stop it. So, all she needed to do was to help Lily navigate these few days of physical agitation. This only required a few minor adjustments, and the equipment here was more than sufficient.
With the help of the physical adjustment chamber, Lily's mental state could be temporarily suppressed to normal values, while her body would regain control. During this time, her "growth and development" would continue normally. Today's adjustments would allow her to safely navigate this period of accumulation, and when she reached her critical growth point, she'd unleash her full potential. Of course, a sufficiently safe environment was necessary for the "eruption." Raven 12345 speculated that an immature werewolf like Lily could easily lose control of her form during her initial burst of power, potentially transforming completely into a beast, perhaps even a canine the size of Charlie. This clearly meant she couldn't transform in the living room.
Kevin had already chosen a location. That shabby place in the southern suburbs had plenty of open, uninhabited wilderness. The back door of his mansion led to wasteland, and not far away was a series of undulating earthen hills. That desolate place was devoid of people, not even a path. Lily could transform there, even if she ran around all night without disturbing anyone. "But then again, werewolves are truly amazing." Kevin looked at the coffin-like adjustment chamber, feeling that Lily lying inside was truly ridiculous, so he forced a change of subject. "So, can she really transform into a wolf? That girl looks so cute normally, I can't imagine what she'll be like when her bestial nature unleashes."
"Ignorance is bliss..." Vivian couldn't help rubbing her forehead at the curious expression on Kevin's face. "When a werewolf fully reverts to its beastly form, it's complete madness. Do you think it's one of those lazy dogs who lie down on the ground and pretend to be dead as soon as the sun comes out? I was there when Fenrir killed Odin with a single bite. That blood spurted seven or eight meters away... That's why even high-ranking vampires don't want to mess with a fully transformed werewolf. Even if they're usually a fool, they're definitely not to be trifled with once they transform." Kevin didn't dare ask for the specific details of Fenrir's death of Odin. He knew this was bound to be another of Vivian's terrifying dark past. He simply patted his chest with a sense of reassurance. "The raven has already promised that Lily will remain rational during her transformation, so I'll trust her for once. And honestly, aren't you curious about what Lily looks like as a wolf? You know how adorable that contrast is!"
Vivian looked puzzled. "Is that interesting? I turn into a bunch of bats every now and then, flying around to clean your walls and chandeliers, and you've never noticed?"
Kevin was stunned. "Oh, yeah, why haven't I noticed that?"
Just as Kevin and Vivian's conversation was getting increasingly erratic, Raven 12345 finally interrupted. "Has that been enough nonsense? If so, it's time for you to go inside and lie down. I'll install the translation plugin for you." Kevin had almost forgotten about this, but Raven's reminder reminded him that he still had to face another coffin crisis. His expression suddenly changed. "Well, didn't you say it would take two days..."
"Stop talking nonsense. Since we're here today, let's get it done today." Raven 12345 casually snapped his fingers, and the ground nearby cracked open. Three new body adjustment chambers slowly rose from beneath the floor. "Anyway, I suggest you lie down in there. Using a data terminal as a translator is still a tool, so it's not very convenient. But this body adjustment will directly transform your spirit. From now on, you will be able to communicate with any race in the empire without any obstacles. Whichever is more convenient for you. Oh, and Y'zaks, you can use the one on the far right. It's a special model. The interior space automatically adjusts to the user's body shape. It doesn't look small, but it will definitely accommodate you."
Vivian was the first to nod. She had no objection to the coffin-shaped adjustment chamber. "Just lie down in it, right? I'll go first!" "It's a coffin!" Kevin hurriedly reminded her, only to receive a rather nonchalant smile from Vivian. "It's a coffin, it's not like I haven't slept in a real coffin before. Back then, coffins were all the rage among vampires, saying it suited their status and demeanor. I even scraped together enough money to buy myself a walnut one with a cross decoration, but it was unfortunately lost during the war in Europe."
As Vivian spoke, she had already reached the body adjustment chamber closest to her. She stroked the silver-white alloy shell, a look of nostalgia on her face. "This shape... this style... is so nostalgic. I loved sleeping in coffins like this back then."
Hearing this, Kevin felt cold sweats break out all over his body, and he was even more reluctant to lie down inside.
However, his protests seemed to have little effect. By the time he realized what was happening, Vivian and Y'zaks had already found their own "coffins" and slept in them. He was left standing alone in the room, staring intently at the sinister Raven 12345. This "sinister look" might not be a mental illusion...
"Are you going in on your own, or am I going to stuff you in?" Raven pointed at the nearby adjustment chamber. "I'll do it myself..."
Kevin didn't wait for Raven 12345 to finish his sentence before leaping into the coffin: "At worst, I'll just treat this as a performance art!"
As the sliding lid of the adjustment chamber slowly closed, Kevin quickly lost consciousness.
In a flurry of hallucinations, he seemed to be dreaming.
He dreamed he was standing on a calm body of water. It didn't make sense, but he was standing there firmly. Kevin looked around in his dream and saw a variety of familiar scenery on the shore: slightly old-fashioned buildings, a bustling small market, and mountains and rivers he had never seen before, yet they felt very familiar.
The various scenes lined the shore near the water, constantly changing like a kaleidoscope. Kevin watched in amazement, knowing full well that he was dreaming, a scene he hadn't encountered the last time he lay in the adjustment chamber. Then, he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet. Looking down, he saw a massive black shadow slowly rising from the water.
An inexplicable sense of dread suddenly washed over him from all directions. Kevin felt as if a vicious beast was slowly rising from a deep abyss. It was the black shadow beneath the water, ready to devour everything above the surface—including the scenery on the shore, and Kevin himself, who was watching it.
"Boom!"
A loud noise echoed through his mind, and Kevin realized that all his surrounding hallucinations had instantly vanished. He was floating in a chaotic, empty, dark space—a normal state of perception during the body's adjustment phase.
The brief dream from before vanished like a meaningless stream-of-consciousness video.
Raven 12345's voice rang from nearby: "...I guess I pressed the right button. Why did the red light suddenly turn on?"
Kevin: "..."
He felt that the only reason he hadn't been killed by this psychopathic goddess was because he was lucky!