Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Who Isn’t Bullying Who

After the Deep Sea era began, the sapient races that survived from the Old World and built up city-state civilizations were not just humans. Other than humans, there were also the @#?%, the Senkin, and the Elves—three other races that lived in this world and developed their own cultures.

This was written in Nina’s textbooks. Duncan had known it long ago. From very early on, he had been extremely interested in these “nonhuman races” mentioned in the books, especially the Elves. This race, always appearing in all kinds of fantasy stories and wrapped in a mysterious halo, actually existed in this world. That had once made his curiosity explode.

The pictures in Nina’s textbooks described how Elves looked. The illustration was the same as the Elves in his own imagination. They had long pointed ears, tall and slender bodies, beautiful faces so pretty it was hard to tell if they were male or female.

This made him build up a first impression of Elves in this world: a long-lived species with lifespans of a thousand years, generally very good-looking, elegant, and mysterious.

But in this shallow first impression, he had never pictured what long-lived Elves would look like when they grew old. He had not even thought this race would have visible changes in appearance after aging, just like humans.

Now he understood that his idea of “Elves” in this world had been far too shallow.

The shopkeeper of this “Rose Doll House” was an Elf—a plump, kindly smiling Elf old lady. Aside from the pointed ears and green eyes, and the faint trace of the beauty she had had in her youth, she did not look much different from any ordinary, neighborly old madam.

Staring at others was impolite.

Duncan reacted quickly. He pulled back his overly curious gaze and rubbed his chin a bit awkwardly: “This is the first time I’ve seen an Elf.”

He was not worried that his “ignorance” would expose anything. Elves truly were rare in the city-state of Pland.

Each race had its own city-states. Because travel was hard in the Deep Sea era, most commoners hardly ever left their homeland in their entire lives. Only brave deep-sea explorers and trade caravans traveled between city-states, and even they were only passing through. They almost never settled down in a city-state of another race. All the city-states were like this. More than ninety-nine percent of the residents were of the “main race.”

A person who lived in their own city and rarely went out might never see the “nonhuman folk” living on the other side of the city in their whole life.

“That’s very normal,” the Elf old madam said with a laugh. “All the Elves in this city put together probably don’t even reach a hundred. And that count includes the dozen shut-ins at the mathematics institute who have been holed up there for two hundred years and never go out. Is there something I can help you with?”

Hearing her reminder, Duncan remembered what he had come for. He glanced back at all the dolls filling the windows, counters, and stairway space, and said while thinking: “I want to buy some things for a doll. And if possible, I’d also like to ask some questions about dolls… but as soon as I came in, I got overwhelmed.”

“Oh, looks like you’re a ‘beginner.'” The old lady nodded. “Is it a female doll? Is it for your own collection, or…?”

“Female, my own ‘collection,'” Duncan answered without thinking. Right after he said it, he felt something was off and the corner of his mouth twitched. “This hobby isn’t strange, is it?”

It had been fine until he asked that. Asking made it sound even stranger…

“Of course it’s not strange. Collecting and caring for dolls is a tasteful interest.” The old lady did not seem surprised at all. Maybe that was the calm that came from running a shop that had been around for several hundred years. “Are you planning to buy clothes for your doll, or accessories?”

Duncan thought for a moment: “Let’s start with a wig…”

“This way.” The old lady led Duncan to a corner of the shop, then asked: “What size is the doll? One-quarter? Or one-third?”

Duncan said: “…The same size as a real person.”

The old lady’s steps paused without her meaning to. She turned back: “That… is rare. A doll the same size as a person? It must be very valuable.”

“…I’m not really sure how much she is ‘worth.'” Duncan tried to hold back his own discomfort and kept a straight face. “Someone gave her to me…”

“Then it seems you have a very generous friend.” The old lady smiled. As she spoke, she opened a wooden box near the ring-shaped counter and laid its contents out on the counter beside it. “Large dolls are rare, and matching parts are even rarer. Everything we have is here—there are wigs and hair accessories.”

Duncan coughed twice and muttered as he leaned closer: “I don’t really know if he’s generous or not. He’s a captain… it’s a complicated story.”

His eyes fell on the things the old lady had taken out.

They were finely made and well cared for. It was clear the maker had put a lot of effort into them.

He chose carefully, trying to imagine what Alice would look like wearing these things. But halfway through the picture in his mind, he could not continue.

The thought that the elegant, beautiful, and mysterious cursed doll would one day go bald and have to live relying on a wig was such a huge mismatch that even he himself could hardly accept it.

And he was the one who came up with the idea.

But soon Duncan hardened his heart. Since he had already started bullying her, he might as well carry it all the way. With that mindset, he picked one that looked pleasing to the eye…

A lavish golden wig, with matching silver hair ornaments.

Yes, silver hair ornaments. As a kind of luxury item only the upper classes had access to, doll accessories were not cheap at all.

Looking at the wig set in front of him, Duncan could not help imagining how Alice would react when she received it. That silly girl might clutch her head and cry, or she might turn and run, just like anyone who had to face their fate when it came to hair loss. It would take a bit of mental adjustment. But no matter how Alice reacted then, he himself was already starting to feel happy now.

While picking things out, he casually said: “By the way, can I ask about some ways to maintain and care for dolls?”

“Of course.” The old lady smiled kindly. “Dolls need careful attention.”

“It’s like this… What should I do if a doll’s joints keep coming loose?” Duncan spoke while acting it out with his hands. “Mainly the part where the neck connects to the head. It’s a ball joint, and for some reason it got loose. Her head keeps falling off.”

“Damage and deformation of the ball and the socket will both cause a joint to loosen. If it’s not because of poor care later or rough handling, then the design or material probably wasn’t good from the start,” the old lady answered at once. “If it’s already at the point where the head often falls off, normal repair won’t help much. You could think about replacing the whole joint.”

She thought for a moment, then added: “But replacing the joints on a large doll is not easy. You might not be able to do it yourself. You can bring the doll here. I can help replace the joint—we only charge for the parts.”

After listening, Duncan thought it over and decided this did not sound very reliable.

Alice’s “guillotine” ability was actually the smaller problem. The main issue was that Anomaly 099 was not an ordinary doll! Could her joints even be replaced?

If he told her they had to go into the city and operate on her, take her whole neck apart and put in a new one, she would probably turn and run on the spot…

So Duncan brushed past that topic and moved on to asking about techniques for putting new hair into dolls…

The old shopkeeper patiently explained many things. After she finished, she added: “…From what you said, your doll is the kind that came with its own hair. For this kind of doll, if you try to re-root or add hair later, unless the original maker does it in person, it is very hard to reach a perfect result. And since you also said her head joint already has problems, I suggest you have a new head sculpt made for her directly…”

Duncan: “…”

The old shopkeeper was quite enthusiastic: “You don’t really want to, judging by your reaction? Don’t worry. Our craftsmanship here has always been top notch. In several hundred years, we have never disappointed a customer. Not a single old client has ever complained…”

Duncan thought that all those “old clients” of hers probably did not even have bones left now, so of course none of them could come back to complain. But he definitely could not say that out loud. He could only give an awkward smile and grab at the first excuse he could find: “That’s not it. It’s just that… if the head is replaced, then she wouldn’t be her anymore, right?”

He had only said it casually, but he did not expect the old lady’s eyes to light up at once. Even her smile became more sincere than before: “Ah, that way of thinking is not simple at all. Many people only see dolls as objects. Even when they love them, very few think the way you do.”

Duncan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed: “Ahem, now that you say that, I feel a little shy…”

“I’m telling the truth.” The old shopkeeper sighed. “Dolls need to be cared for with your heart. From the moment they are given human form, they should no longer be treated as dead things. There is a saying among doll makers—dolls that are treated with care have their own souls. You should even believe that they have their own joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.”

At once, the image of Alice’s harmless “hehe” smile popped up in Duncan’s mind. He nodded again and again: “You’re right. You’re right.”