The golem before her had already taken its general shape, its tall frame possessing lines as slender as a young girl’s, yet it still exuded the heavy coldness of metal.
Its face was its most striking feature. The right side utilized the intact components Helos had previously restored; the lines were soft, and the form was almost identical to that of a human girl, though it lacked some finer details.
The left side, however, had been so severely damaged that even Milda’s superb craftsmanship could not precisely restore it. It could only be replaced by a smooth half-mask.
Consequently, the doll’s face was half lifelike and half cold and rigid, appearing as if it were torn between a smile and heartlessness.
The newly installed arm joints remained stiff, and its movements were sluggish, accompanied by a heavy grinding sound whenever they were raised or lowered.
The legs had been re-polished and repaired, barely allowing it to maintain its balance, but every step appeared awkward, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Overall, its condition could only be described as “capable of movement,” which was a far cry from being truly ready for combat.
Helos had spent several days researching in the workshop.
She had tried every available method, but the results were never satisfactory.
The golem would only follow her simple instructions—walking, raising a hand, putting it down, carrying things… but when she asked it to perform complex movements, its reaction was extremely sluggish, and it would even come to a complete standstill.
She sighed, set down her pen, and rubbed her aching eyes.
The standard way to use a golem was for the controller to inject mana into it, using mana resonance to achieve smoother, synchronized operations.
In that way, the golem would become an extension of the controller’s body, precisely completing subtle and complex movements, and even unleashing incredible power in battle.
But she had no mana.
The only thing she could rely on was this autonomously functioning **[Life Core]**.
It allowed the golem to operate on its own and follow her verbal commands, but that stiff and clumsy posture made it feel like an empty shell lacking a soul.
Helos tried time and time again, even filling her notebook with various possible conjectures, but without exception, every attempt failed.
“Sigh…”
The girl let out a long sigh and looked up at the doll before her.
It stood there quietly. The human-like half of its face possessed a touch of softness, while the cold, hard mask seemed indifferent and ruthless.
A complex emotion welled up in Helos’s heart.
‘This isn’t something that can be rushed.’
She murmured to herself, stepping forward to gently stroke the metallic arm.
The icy sensation made her shiver slightly, yet it also stirred a strange sense of familiarity.
‘I feel like this fellow is a bit like me.’
***
After a long silence, the girl suddenly spoke softly.
“Since you can already move, you can’t go without a name forever.”
She leaned against the table, propping up her chin as she thought carefully for a good while.
A name might be insignificant to a doll, but to her, it was a symbol of bestowed meaning and hope.
However, the main reason was that having a designation would make it easier to issue commands.
“I’ll call you—Gavi.”
Helos finally made a decision, her pale purple eyes sparkling with light in the dim workshop. “After all, you look just like a young girl.”
At this point, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she softly repeated, “Gavi.”
The doll did not respond; it simply stood there quietly, the firelight reflecting off half its face as if it were silently accepting the name.
Time passed bit by bit. Helos leaned against the iron wall, staring at Gavi for a long time.
The more she looked, the more she felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Specifically, the uncovered chest area had metallic lines that were too blunt and lacked any concealment. It looked neither aesthetic nor right to her, making her feel a bit awkward.
“Hmm—it doesn’t look very good.”
She wrinkled her nose and pondered while resting her chin in her hand, when a sudden flash of inspiration struck her.
“That’s it!”
Helos’s eyes lit up as if she had suddenly remembered something.
She pulled the Ruby Necklace out of her pocket.
It was a funerary object she had found in the small black box a few days ago.
At the time, Cedric had already confirmed it was not dangerous, and she herself had studied it carefully several times with an analysis spell.
The only noteworthy thing was that this necklace had once birthed a wraith due to its resentment.
However, following Cedric’s purification—and considering she had carried it with her for the past several days without any abnormalities—it had most likely reverted to an ordinary accessory.
“Since it’s useless for anything else, I might as well use it as a decoration,” the girl whispered to herself, a smile playing on her lips.
Holding the necklace in both hands, she walked slowly over to Gavi.
The ruby refracted a dark red glow under the firelight, perfectly complementing the cold iron half-mask.
In the interplay of light and shadow, a strange yet unexpectedly fitting sense of beauty emerged.
Helos held her breath, acting with as much care as if she were putting jewelry on a real girl, as she gently hung the necklace around Gavi’s neck.
The cool necklace pressed against the golem’s neck, with the ruby hanging right in the center of its empty chest like a beating heart, flickering with a faint, shimmering light.
“Mm, that’s much better.”
Helos took a step back, her hands behind her back, as she scrutinized Gavi seriously and gave a soft nod.
Under the firelight, the doll remained motionless, but the ruby made its hidden presence suddenly feel vivid, as if it had transformed from a cold creation into a girl who truly possessed a soul.
Though Helos knew this was merely a flight of fancy.
“Gavi, you keep wearing it,” Helos said softly, as if entrusting a task to a real companion. “I’ll think of another method later.”
The golem still gave no response; it simply stood quietly, the points of light in its eyes following Helos.
Having finished all this, Helos gave a long stretch.
She looked out the window. Twilight had already shrouded the horizon, and the distant clouds were dyed orange by the sunset glow before quickly sinking into the night.
“Ugh,” she muttered, rubbing her slightly strained eyes with a hint of laziness.
“I haven’t gone back to train because I’ve been hoistered up in the workshop these past few days. It would be better to go back and continue practicing swordsmanship tomorrow.”
The girl murmured under her breath and let out a yawn. Her long silver hair slid down gently under the flickering lamplight, appearing exceptionally smooth.
Having said that, she withdrew her gaze and glanced at Gavi once more.
The golem standing quietly in the center of the workshop, adorned with the Ruby Necklace, seemed to fall silent along with the night.
“Goodnight, Gavi,” Helos said softly, as if bidding farewell to a true companion.
As the night deepened, the temperature gradually dropped, and a hint of coolness filled the air.
Although the weather had started to cool down, the girl found it a hassle and was too lazy to return to her own room. She grabbed a blanket, clutched it to her chest, and walked straight out of the workshop.
The hammock at the entrance swayed gently in the night breeze. It carried some of the workshop’s scent, but to her, this aroma was incredibly familiar.
Helos yawned, curled herself into the blanket, and lay down casually on the hammock.
Starlight poured down from the night sky, brushing over her scattered silver hair and tracing a soft halo around her.
As the hammock swayed slightly, her breathing gradually slowed, and before long, she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Inside the workshop, Gavi remained standing in place. Under the reflection of the Ruby Necklace, its gaze pierced through the window, watching over its master on the hammock like a sentry.
She might have inadvertendly created life.