Lost in the Realms: A Multiverse Game of Disconnection Author: AmaoZhao Chapter 1: The Late-Night Visitors Kid, if you don't want to die, don't make any sudden moves. In the silent house, a young man with flowing hair and a handsome appearance pressed a sword-like weapon against Lister's neck. He deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard, and whispered a warning. "Now get out of bed and follow me." Under the threat of the blade, with no weapon in his hand and no immediate way to extricate himself from the predicament, Lister had no choice but to comply. He got down from the bed, put on his shoes, and was taken into custody by the other man, leaving the house to the small courtyard outside. "Kali, if you don't want this poor kid to die so young, I advise you to hand over the item. It would be better," the young man holding Lister hostage called out to the tall woman in the courtyard, who was confronting several companions. "Vile!" Kali shouted angrily. "Vile? I admit we are vile. But who's to blame for doing this job? As long as we can complete the mission, we don't care about the morality of our actions," the young man sneered. "Admitting you are vile is fine, just stick to your own skin. Don't lump us in with you," one of the women confronting Kali, dressed like a martial artist, retorted with displeasure. "We are all existences that should hide in the shadows. Is it necessary to make such a clear distinction between you and me?" "..." The Female Martial Artist fell silent. "Lister, I'm sorry. Because of me, you've been taken hostage," Kali ignored the enemies fighting among themselves and said to Lister with a face full of apology. "It's alright, Kali. I trust you can handle the situation," Lister said with a smile. "Kid, I didn't give you permission to speak," the young man holding Lister hostage said upon hearing this. He pressed the blade in his hand closer and warned with a somewhat displeased expression. "If you want the item, come take it by strength," seeing this, Kali puffed her cheeks, suddenly turned her head, and shouted sharply at the group confronting her. "Kali, don't push your luck. Just because you are the so-called first Gunlancer of the Non-Combat Zone, we shouldn't think we have no means against you," the leader of the group, a tall middle-aged man dressed in black clothes with long hair, looking like a priest, said in a deep voice. "Then come at us," she finished, and without any grand gesture, two large long-barreled revolvers suddenly appeared in her hands. The muzzles pointed at the attackers, and without hesitation, she pulled the trigger! "Bang bang bang bang..." Sparks flew. The bullets turned into streams of light, reaching the attackers in an instant. The several attackers did not dare to slack off. After all, Kali was not only the first Gunlancer of the Non-Combat Zone, but also an apprentice of the Gun God, Shadow · Baitel. Neither her strength nor her status could be underestimated or disregarded. They each dodged to the left and right. Kali had anticipated this. She continued to aim at the target that felt slightly more threatening to her—the Avenger holding a scythe—continuously launching attacks as if equipped with an auto-tracking cheat. This forced the Avenger to dash wildly to evade, unable to organize an effective counterattack. But this also gave others the opportunity to close in. Sure enough, the woman dressed as a Female Martial Artist used the gap while Kali was pursuing the Avenger, flashing several times to kill her way to Kali's face. Kali was alert, immediately turning to fire a shot at the woman's head. The Female Martial Artist was startled, quickly shrinking her body, dodging the shot that flew past her scalp. However, before she could relax, Kali delivered a kick. The Female Martial Artist raised her hands to block, but in such a hurry, her power could not match Kali's full-force attack. She was kicked backward, sliding away. But with her diversion, the Battle Mage next to her seized the opportunity again. A huge guandao came crashing down through the air. Kali quickly retreated to create distance, then abruptly fired a shot toward Lister's location. "Clang!" Sparks scattered. The weapon held horizontally across Lister's neck was knocked sideways, moving a considerable distance. At this point, Lister reacted quickly, turning around and delivering a signature Gunslinger's spinning kick toward the sword user. The sword user had been distracted by the shifting of his weapon and hadn't focused on Lister. Or rather, he didn't think the weaponless Lister would be any threat. Almost all his energy was focused on controlling the weapon, so he was completely unprepared for Lister's attack. He was hit in the waist, grunted, and flew away. Then, without hesitation, Lister turned and rushed back into the house... However, just as Lister returned to the room and grabbed his gear, preparing to come out to help, a man wrapped entirely in black cloth, dressed like a Japanese ninja, suddenly appeared at the doorway. Holding several shurikens, he stared coldly at Lister, who had already gripped his guns and regained his combat capability. Although the man had said nothing, the intangible threat froze Lister in place, preventing any rash movement. ... "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?" Lister maintained a wary stance and inquired of the ninja before him. The ninja did not speak, like a statue, showing no reaction whatsoever. "I heard you are looking for something. What is it? Tell me, perhaps I know where that thing is," Lister suggested again. "..." "Are you mute?" As he said this, Lister slightly shifted his foot. But before he could move half a step, a shuriken 'swooshed' and planted itself in the ground right in front of his foot. It was only one centimeter from hitting his foot, showing just how proficient his opponent was with shurikens. But since the balance had already been broken, Lister no longer bothered to wait. He immediately activated all the Gunslinger skills he had mastered, raised his hand, and fired a shot at the ninja. The ninja responded with shurikens. The bullets and shurikens collided in mid-air, sparking brilliant flashes. Lister paid no attention, firing both guns consecutively, shooting toward the ninja like a curtain of rain. The ninja also danced his hands. The usual pair of shurikens quickly multiplied into countless blades. Not only did it completely block his attacks, but extra shurikens were also thrown back at Lister. Lister retreated rapidly, defending with bullets as he fell back. He also didn't forget the drawback of the limited revolver ammunition. Using the gap, he quickly replenished his bullets with a fast-reload technique. By this time, he had also moved to the window on one side. Without hesitation, he turned his hand to take a grenade from the space pouch he carried, tossed it to the ground, and leaped out of the window. "Boom!" A massive explosion rang out, and Lister's room was instantly filled with flames. Chapter 2: New World, New Beginning "Damn it, I absolutely will not let this go! When I eventually go back..." Lister took several heavy breaths, forcing down the fire of anger burning in his chest. First, he had been held hostage and threatened while studying in his room. Then, ninjas had blocked the door. After barely breaking through, he had been surrounded and beaten by two Sword Souls and ninjas, both of whom were at least level 45! It should be noted that although he had changed his job class, he was only around level 18 to 20. Even with the weapons provided by Kali—minimum purple-tier or legacy weapons in the game—there is no way the strength of the weapons could bridge the massive gap in level suppression. So in the end, he couldn't avoid being subdued. He nearly had the Sword Soul who had originally taken him hostage slice him into a human skewer. Fortunately, his willingness to jump out and help wasn't entirely without support. Just as the Sword Soul was about to strike, his excited emotions triggered the Coin of Destiny hidden within his soul. It opened a space-time vortex, carrying him out of the Heavens and dropping him into the current world. Oh, the Coin of Destiny was his cheat ability. He had discovered and bought it by chance when he was originally accompanying a friend to buy things on the antique street at Liulichang. At first, he thought it was just a decorative item. It wasn't until one night when he was watching short videos to practice his skills that an accident occurred, and he realized it wasn't just a craft coin, but a cheat ability that only existed in novel stories. After that, he was transported to the Heavens on the Arad Continent. He fell into the Non-Combat Zone, becoming a 12-year-old boy in a fleeing family. After several twists and turns, that couple eventually handed him over to Kali to help take care of him. And looking after him lasted for more than six years, transforming him from an ordinary child who didn't know anything into an outstanding 18-year-old youth. He inherited the Wandering Gunner legacy from Kali and became an excellent Wandering Gunner. Of course, even becoming a Wandering Gunner didn't stop him from being a rookie. On top of that, the place where he lived was the so-called Non-Combat Zone. This place was a paradise for free spirits, so it was full of dangerous elements or resisters who were not recognized by the Royal Court, nobles, or the church. In terms of danger level, it wasn't much different from the Demon Beast Forest in Western fantasy novels. Therefore, he didn't dare to make a fuss. He continued to act like an ordinary youth, staying by Kali's side and helping her run her equipment enhancement shop. Naturally, in this process, he met quite a few people and mastered a lot of knowledge beyond the Gunner legacy, including the manufacturing and repair methods for the equipment enhancement machine... Of course, none of this had much to do with Lister at the moment. So after his mood settled, Lister carefully examined his own status. He had already left the Heavens, and even the so-called Arad Continent world. This didn't really surprise Lister. After all, this wasn't the first time he had used the Coin of Destiny. Besides that accidental incident when he was practicing his skills, he had also voluntarily activated the Coin of Destiny once during the years he was training by Kali's side. The coin had sent him to another world, but the outcome wasn't great. He had dropped directly into a village targeted by an alchemist, and then was captured by the alchemist. Together with the villagers, they were turned into materials for crafting the Philosopher's Stone... His physical body collapsed, and his soul was sent directly into the Gate of Truth. Then, it was unknown whether it was the knowledge or the energy of the Gate of Truth that triggered the Coin of Destiny. It forcefully erupted with some power that he couldn't understand and brought him back to the Heavens, back to Kali's side. But as the saying goes, trouble sometimes brings good fortune. He gained a large amount of knowledge about Alchemy, which laid a solid foundation for him to study Magical Alchemy with Norton. Mm, the topic went off track again. Let's get back to Lister's current situation. Because of the Coin of Destiny's disguise ability, as Lister descended into the current world, he also gained his identity in this world—by way of replacement. Specifically, it was an essence conversion. Similar to the Crimson Demon King or the Fire Mists Warriors in the anime Shakugan no Shana, he used a Gijutsu to replace the existence of someone else, then lived and acted as that person. Of course, only on the surface and in the perception of others did Lister become that person, bearing their appearance. But Lister himself clearly knew that he was still himself, with no changes whatsoever. So to speak in detail, it was as if the Coin of Destiny had cast a form of mass suggestion magic on him, making everyone who came into contact with him believe he was the replaced existence. He didn't know if it could be dispelled? As for the name, the person he had replaced was named Lawrence Beldege. A British man, a merchant, with a decent fortune, but only belonging to the middle class, far from the true wealth of a tycoon. He was thirty-six years old, unmarried, with no descendants. A pure bachelor noble. He lived in London. But this London was not the London Lister knew! Not only because the time was now the 1910s, right before the outbreak of the First World War, but because Lister actually discovered from Lawrence's memories that magic and a Magic Association existed in this world. "Clockwork City, Royal Clockwork Academy, Magic Association... why do these look so familiar?" Lister frowned, pondering the information in his mind, muttering with a pensive expression. "Forget it. Anyway, that place isn't far from London. It's only about three hours by train. I'll just go there and take a look for myself. I might remember something." After that, Lister organized his gear once more. On his upper body was a magic-sealed custom leather armor, and on his lower body were matching custom leather shorts, commonly known as big shorts. His waist was cinched with a custom leather belt, to which two gun holsters were suspended, holding the custom military revolvers Lister had previously used for combat. In addition, behind the holster on the right side of the belt was his Spatial Pocket. Inside were a number of custom-sealed weapons such as the custom military handgun, custom rapid-fire crossbow, custom small-caliber rifle, and custom heavy hand cannon, as well as special grenades only used by ammunition experts like electric, ice, and fire grenades, plus other items from the Gunner legacy and alchemical potions. For the short term, at least, he wasn't short on combat supplies. Of course, that was just relative to his current state. Once his strength increased further, these things in his hands might not be suitable for him anymore. "A pity, I didn't bring out the spatial bag containing Alchemy Materials..." Shaking his head, Lister finished organizing his things. After digesting Lawrence's memories, he went to the Bank of England to withdraw Lawrence's money, bought a ticket, and that same day took a train to Liverpool, hundreds of kilometers away from London, which was known as the Clockwork City. Chapter 3: Clockwork Three and a half hours later, Lister got off the train in Liverpool. Since it wasn't high-speed rail, the journey was exhausting for his lower back. Lister hadn't felt that sort of fatigue in over a decade, so he didn't immediately head to the Royal Clockwork Academy, despite its familiar air. Instead, he found a hotel in Liverpool, checked in, and rested for the night. The next morning, he changed into a coat suited to this world's style and, looking like a London gentleman, walked towards the Royal Clockwork Academy. …… "So this is the Royal Clockwork Academy?" Lister looked at the institution before him. It resembled a fortress far more than a college, with Clockwork guards stationed on either side of the main gate. He couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment. "Could this possibly be a world where Clockwork Maidens don't get pregnant?" "No, it's that they don't get injured!" Before being reincarnated into the Arad World, he had at least been an otaku for a period. Although, due to the demands of his job and the 996 work schedule, he had had little time or energy to chase new anime series, he still had some memory of the popular shows from back then. Moreover, Karakuri Shoujo had been a sensation at the time, with its memes frequently appearing on the internet and in group chats. In order to keep up with the times, he had researched a good deal of related material. Therefore, even if his memory of the plot of the world where Karakuri Shoujo don't get injured was not extensive, he could easily recognize the magic unique to this world—Clockwork devices. "Clockwork... Perhaps Abero would be very interested in this sort of thing. Unfortunately, he isn't in this world. I wonder if the automaton-making techniques he taught me could pass off as Clockwork here." Lister observed the Clockwork before him, lost in thought. Abero, full name Abello Affaria, was a subclass instructor on the Alura Continent. However, that had only been after the Heavens had run into trouble and the Great Departure had taken place. At present, he was merely a wandering bard who liked to roam around aimlessly. Lister had once encountered him while learning Alchemy and the construction of Dismantling Machines from Norton, and had learned quite a bit about automaton-making from him. It was unexpected that this knowledge would come in handy here. "I wonder if Lawrence has enough money to buy the parts and magical materials." Thinking this, Lister turned away from the Royal Clockwork Academy and began to stroll through the city streets of Liverpool. "Besides, even if Professor Abero's automatons could be recognized by the magicians of this world as Clockwork, my own appearance likely wouldn't get me into the academy. After all, the academy targets exceptional magical talents who are over fourteen but under twenty, not just any random magician..." So the problem returned to what Lister had originally considered— Could this suggestion be lifted? After all, having him, a fresh-faced youth, impersonate a middle-aged man... While his inner age did make him susceptible to older women, it didn't mean he was immune to the allure of young, beautiful maidens of his own age. So, even for the sake of his own future happiness, he had to find a way to lift the effect of the suggestion. The moment he thought of this, Lister lost interest in even strolling the streets and returned to the hotel immediately, searching for a way to deactivate the suggestion. It turned out not to be that difficult. All he had to do was silently will the suggestion off, and the Coin of Destiny, while maintaining the disguise—the deception toward the world—would remove the suggestional magic imposed on him, allowing him to face the outside world with his true appearance. He had already tested this with the hotel staff—disguised as a relative of Lawrence, he had asked a staff member who had previously seen Lawrence where Lawrence had gone. By observing whether they recognized him as Lawrence or, as he had hoped, treated him as an ordinary person, he could confirm the effect. So, having confirmed the issue of his appearance, Lister left the hotel again, heading to Clockwork Street—essentially the place specializing in the sale of Clockwork materials—to search for the Clockwork equipment suitable for building an automaton. …… "Do you sell any books about Clockwork making?" Lister walked into a shop called Clockwork Home and asked the staff member behind the counter. "What kind of technique do you have in mind, sir?" the staff member asked back. "Magic Clockwork." Lister replied. "I'm sorry, sir, but books related to the manufacture of Magic Clockwork are classified as contraband. Apart from the collection in the Royal Library, only the Royal Clockwork Academy offers instruction on this knowledge. If you wish to learn Clockwork manufacturing, I advise you to apply to the Royal Clockwork Academy or other first-class Mecha Academies instead." The staff member reminded him diplomatically. "Not a single related book? Not even the most basic parts?" Lister persisted, unwilling to give up. "We only have books on the manufacture of ordinary Clockwork. As for Magic Clockwork, it's not completely nonexistent, but as you said, those books are mostly just introductory, touching only the surface of Magic Clockwork. Even if you tore the books to shreds, you might not learn much about Magic Clockwork from them. Are you sure you wish to purchase them?" "Buy." Lister responded without a moment's hesitation. "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go get the books for you from the back." Subsequently, the staff member turned and slipped through a small door at the back of the counter, which was curtained with cloth, serving as a makeshift door. After quite a while, they returned carrying a dozen or so books. "These are the theoretical books that involve knowledge of Magic Clockwork." The staff member picked out three or five books from the pile and placed them in front of Lister, introducing them. "What about the others?" "They are all books on the manufacture of ordinary Clockwork." "Do you sell Magic Cores here?" Lister nodded, flipping through the books in his hands while asking again. "We do. May I see the purchase permit issued by the Magic Association, please, sir?" "Huh? A permit is required?" Lister stopped flipping the pages, looking surprised. "One core represents one Magic Clockwork, and one Magic Clockwork represents a potential threat and hazard. Therefore, to purchase a Magic Core to build a Magic Clockwork, the buyer must hold a special permit issued by the Magic Association. Otherwise, unauthorized selling or buying of Magic Cores is illegal," the staff member explained. "Hiss... They really are strict about this." At that moment, he missed all the more the pocket of Alchemy Materials he had left in the Arad World... If he had the Eye of Darkness in his hands, he wouldn't need to spend money buying Magic Cores. He could have long since started building an automaton version of a Magic Clockwork and then figured out a way to obtain admission to the Royal Clockwork Academy. "Forget it, wrap up all these books." Lister said resignedly. Chapter 4: Puppet Polla In the end, after a series of hustles—spending money to find connections to resolve matters with staff at the Magic Association, and then using that connection to purchase the Magic Cores sold internally by the Magic Association, along with books on the production of Magic Clockwork—Lister finally obtained the basic qualification to enroll in the Royal Clockwork Academy, or other types of Mecha Academies... However, the cost was enormous. Not only did it sweep away Lawrence's entire accumulation and industrial base earned over nearly twenty years, but it also saddled him with a substantial debt. It was almost a step away from turning him into a homeless vagrant sleeping on the streets. Then, Lister shut himself up in the small workshop he had rented under his own name and began making his first puppet—the Blazing Hand Borla—using the common Magic Circuit he had purchased from the Magic Association: Hot Air Operation. Of course, its appearance would not be the same as Borla, who was manufactured using magic materials from the Arad World on the Alura Continent. After all, while magic materials in the Clockwork World hadn't completely gone extinct, producing a puppet that was nearly identical to a real person, like those from the Arad World, required special technical means and materials. Moreover, techniques of this kind seemed to be classified as taboo in this world, at least that's what it looked like. In any case, now that his money was spent, he had no special channels, and he hadn't mastered the corresponding technology, Lister couldn't make a Clockwork puppet that looked like a real person. He could only make a Clockwork puppet that looked like a mechanical figure, or something like a Terminator skeleton, or even a metal skeleton soldier, using Alchemy methods to make it work. And because there weren't enough Soul Fragments, the puppet wasn't intelligent when running; it could only rely on him, the operator, to give it orders... "It's still better than being shut out at the door," Lister said, heaving a silent sigh as he looked at the steel puppet he had finished making. "Begin testing now." Saying this, Lister used the small amount of Magic Power in his body to activate Borla's Magic Core. Instantly, a flash of red light lit up in Borla's empty eye sockets, which had been lying like a corpse on the workbench. It straightened up, sat up from the table, then turned and got down to the ground, standing in front of Lister. Its mouth opened and closed, as if it wanted to say something, but unfortunately, because there was no material to create a throat, it couldn't express its thoughts smoothly. "Enter standby mode." Lister looked up and down at his puppet, nodded, and gave another order. Following this, the magic light in the puppet's eye sockets went out, and its whole head, as if it had lost its support, hung down. Lister opened the Spatial Pocket hanging at his waist and put Borla in it. Then Lister turned and left the workshop. After greeting the workshop manager, he went straight out of Liverpool and headed toward the nearby mountain forests. The puppet was made; it was time to test its abilities. ... So, a while later, Lister arrived at an open forest clearing where a stream was flowing and released the puppet, Borla, again. "Awake!" Borla's eyes lit up again. "Attack the rock ahead." Borla's gaze flickered. Then it turned to face the rock wall and opened its mouth. A complex circular Magic Circuit suddenly appeared below the rock. After that, the light changed, and a large fireball, like a meteor, plummeted diagonally from the sky, striking the target rock directly. "Boom!" Flames gushed out, and the rock shattered under the massive impact; fragments of rock shot out in all directions. "As expected, as long as the magic markings are correct, even if we use a Magic Core from the Clockwork World that doesn't fully match, it can still release the unique skills of an Arad World Elementalist Mage." Then Lister stepped forward and carefully felt Borla's consumption in this aspect. "It's not the matching Magic Circuit, after all..." The consumption was somewhat exaggerated. Based on the operation of the puppet's own Magic Circuit, in a combat state, Borla could only barely use the Elementalist Mage's skills three consecutive times before falling into a threshold state where it could only maintain basic activity energy and could no longer engage in high-intensity combat. Unless Lister supported it with his own Magic Power. But he wasn't a professional mage. Although he practiced Magic Power because of practicing Alchemy from the Arad World, and the Gunner lineage itself also had components involving the use of Magic Power—for example, certain Magic Bullets, or Magic Ammunition used for a last-ditch comeback when normal bullets were exhausted—unlike mages, he didn't have such high requirements for Magic Power. There was a clear gap in related practice, so his Magic Power reserve was low. Even if he supported it with Magic Power, it was only enough for two Explosive Fireballs; any more, he too would enter a period of weakness. "So, unless absolutely necessary, it's better not to let Borla use Elementalist Mage skills!" Lister decided silently. "Alright, switch to normal mode, activate the core Magic Circuit, and show me your general combat posture," Lister ordered again. Borla's eyes flickered two more times, and the air around its body clearly rose like high-temperature gas, twisting. Then it suddenly burst out, and Borla shot out like a fired marble, instantly crossing a distance of more than ten meters and appearing in front of a tree that would require two people to encircle with their arms. It swung its arm forward and slammed— "Boom, crack crack..." That large tree in front, with a diameter approaching two meters, fell directly toward Lister's side, centered on the point where Borla had struck... "Damn!" Lister was startled and quickly ran to the side. "Boom boom..." The tree collapsed, kicking up a large cloud of dust. "Not bad." Lister waved his hand in front of his eyes to clear away the smoke and dust, looking at Borla, which walked out of the smoke like a true weapon of slaughter, and said with satisfaction. With this attacking power and speed, even if placed on the Alura Continent, it wasn't worse than an average Brawler of around level 15. ... After that, Lister, who had finally gotten a detailed understanding of the fake Clockwork, or real-person puppet, he had made to infiltrate the Royal Clockwork Academy, put away the puppet Borla, returned to Liverpool. After settling the workshop rent, he began to think again about how to get into the Royal Clockwork Academy. "The legitimate exam definitely won't work. After all, I'm not a native of this world, and I don't understand this world's magical theory. Even if I managed to make a puppet using the puppet-making technology I learned from Abero back then, plus the knowledge from the Magic Clockwork-type books I bought from the Magic Association, that doesn't necessarily mean I can pass the entrance exam of the Royal Clockwork Academy, which is called the best Mecha university in this world!" "Looks like I'll have to take the route of personal connections..." But the thing this route most needs is money, and he had already spent it all! So, to realize his plan, he had to earn more money. Chapter 5: Kimberly And for Lister, that would not be much of a difficulty— Don't forget his current profession—Gunman! As the combatant in the Arad World who understood hot weapons the best, and combined with his identity as an Alchemist and a Reborn one, he could completely craft out weapons like AKs and M16s, selling them fully licensed to nobles related to the military or big merchants, thereby gaining favorable terms for himself. Even if that didn't work, he still had inherited weapons and magically sealed weapons. In the worst case, he could just be a bit ruthless, use one of those weapons as a token of sincerity, and join the Magic Association directly. Once he became an insider of the Magic Association, naturally, someone would find a way to let him enter the Royal Clockwork Academy without an exam. Therefore, Lister did not hesitate. He immediately used Alchemy to craft out the firearms and weapons from later generations that he knew about, and started operating things through Lawrence's connections…… The result was naturally not out of Lister's expectation. Although the money might not be as much as he had envisioned, the relationships and networks were indeed expanded for him. So, shortly after he handed over the weapons and their design blueprints, Lister met the key figure who could help him gain admission to the Royal Clockwork Academy: a professor with the somewhat derogatory title of the Magic Association's watchdog—Kimberly. She was the current faculty teacher at the Royal Clockwork Academy who had been quite considerate of the male lead of the Mecha Academy in the original work. "I don't mind helping you get into the Royal Clockwork Academy, as long as you can demonstrate enough talent." Invited through connections and having agreed to meet Lister, Kimberly sat in a chair, looking at the boy sitting across from her as she spoke in a calm voice. "Then how much talent is enough?" Lister asked back. "The Royal Clockwork Academy is dedicated to cultivating outstanding Clockwork operators and mages, so they don't place too much emphasis on a student's initial strength. Instead, they care very much about a student's personal quality and potential, that is, how solid the student's foundation is in Clockwork theory and magic basics. So I won't be an exception. As long as you can demonstrate your unique talent in Clockworks, I will exceptionally issue you an exam-free admission qualification, letting you become a freshman this year and enroll in September alongside the other students," Kimberly answered. "Clockwork is easy to talk about, but how do I demonstrate theory?" Lister asked in surprise. "Two ways. One is theoretical Q&A. I will ask the questions, you will answer, and then I will judge the solidity of your foundation based on your answers. Second, through your Clockwork. If you don't have sufficient related theory, it's impossible to create the Clockwork that is most suitable for you." "But from what I know, the Clockworks used by students in the academy don't seem to all be built by them themselves, do they?" Lister questioned. "That's indeed true." Kimberly nodded in admission. Following that, without any pause, she continued: "But they also don't require exam-free admission, right? Since you want to be special, I naturally can only demand you meet special conditions." "Fine." Lister clicked his tongue. "Then bring out your Clockwork." Kimberly smiled lightly. Lister did not hesitate. With a flick of his hand, he released the Blazing Hand Borla. "Oh? A humanoid Clockwork." Kimberly stood up, walked to Polla's front, and began muttering. "The materials are ordinary ones found in the market, but the magic runes are quite peculiar. They don't seem to be the driving runes of any known magic currently, but judging from the general traces and direction, it should be some kind of fire-elemental magic secret art……" Kimberly paused mid-speech, then turned her head to look at Lister: "Did you create this magic yourself?" "Yes," Lister answered with a thick face. In any case, this world had no elemental mages, and no one would cause him trouble over magic copyrights. "Unfortunately, the Magic Circuit on the Magic Core doesn't match the magic itself very well. It must be quite taxing to use," Kimberly withdrew her gaze with a shrug, checking Polla once more. "Yes," Lister sighed. No wonder she was a professor at the Royal Clockwork Academy. Her eyes were indeed sharp. Just by looking at the runes, she could tell the type of magic bestowed upon the Clockwork, and even guess the consumption ratio based on the matching degree of the Magic Core. If she were to become an enemy, his fate would probably be quite bad, wouldn't it? "However, the technique of manufacturing this Clockwork is somewhat special. It doesn't seem to be crafted according to any of the existing manufacturing formulas for Magic Clockworks. This one shouldn't still be something you came up with, right?" Kimberly, who had a general understanding of Lister's abilities in Clockwork, straightened up, walked back to the opposite side of him, sat down again, and said. "It really wasn't something I thought of." Lister shook his head. Magic modification could still be passed off as being exceptionally talented. Directly improving the Clockwork manufacturing method…… If he were a native of this world and had shown decent talent from a young age, saying that wouldn't be a big deal. But he wasn't. And this point would easily reveal a flaw in the subsequent Clockwork Q&A session. Therefore, he couldn't claim it as his own creation just like he did with the magic runes. "It seems your luck is quite good. To actually encounter a great master of Clockwork manufacturing theory in the countryside. Just on that point, you are already stronger than many students who have already secured their admission qualifications." Kimberly picked up the teacup in front of her, took a sip, and said. "Unfortunately, that won't make me a student of the Royal Clockwork Academy," Lister spread his hands and said. "That's not necessarily the case." Kimberly smiled. "Alright, let's move on to our second item, the Clockwork Q&A. I hope that in your upcoming performance, you can also make my eyes light up just like the Clockwork you crafted. Otherwise, I won't be issuing you the faculty recommendation admission qualification, you know." Kimberly reminded him. "Understood. I will give it my all," Lister said seriously. Following that, Kimberly stopped making small talk and began the questioning of Clockwork theoretical knowledge. Lister answered…… What a pity. He hadn't really learned much about the theoretical knowledge of crafting Magic Clockworks. Even though he had previously bought quite a few books from the Magic Association, they were all basic content. Neither in depth nor breadth could he compete with Kimberly, who specialized in this field. So after a short while, Lister found himself struggling to answer the questions. Even more so, he had to start bringing out content related to the puppet-making Clockwork in the Arad World to cope. Kimberly did not stop him. On the contrary, as if she had discovered new knowledge, she became even more interested in Lister. Consequently, the basic Q&A that should have ended was raised in difficulty by her, making it increasingly difficult for Lister to keep up…… Until much later. "That's enough. I understand your situation now." Seeing that Lister had been almost squeezed dry by her questioning, Kimberly stopped asking questions.