Endless Debt

Alchemists can create perfect shells, but cannot create the soul to move them.

Teda's research not only pushed the progress of the world, but it also completely shattered the high walls that obstructed all alchemists; he made this cold shell move, not only with human consciousness but also capable of self-learning and generating its own personality through constant interaction with humans.

Bologue even speculated that perhaps Aimou possessed a true soul.

An artificial soul.

This sounds too terrifying, as unique souls are no longer singular, and no one knows what kind of changes this will bring to the world.

But... Did Teda really achieve it?

Bologue was skeptical. If Teda could truly endow a shell with a soul, then the one standing here should be Nesanel, not himself.

"I need to know the truth... at least understand what's going on." Bologue's voice lacked any emotion.

"Hmm? Why do you think she has a personality then?"

Teda posed another question, as if encountering a difficulty, while analyzing the data sheet stuck beside him.

"Logically speaking, Aimou doesn't possess such a thing as personality; it's just her imitation of human behavior."

"But I feel like I'm facing a real person. If I only hear the voice, I can't even think that Aimou is not human."

The more Bologue thought about it, the more he felt a silent terror. The boundary between human and machine blurred in Aimou's presence.

"As if... as if Aimou truly possesses a soul, hiding the shadow of another person beneath the steel shell."

Bologue said involuntarily, and after he spoke, he found himself stunned, and the sense of familiarity in his heart grew stronger.

According to Teda, if Aimou doesn't possess a personality and everything is just an imitation of humans, then from start to finish, Aimou has been imitating the same person, someone Bologue doesn't know, but Aimou is absolutely familiar with and imitates that person perfectly in both overall and detailed aspects.

Until she is indistinguishable from that person.

"You based Aimou's likeness on your daughter, didn't you?" Bologue whispered.

Teda didn't have much of a reaction to Bologue's words. He found a chair for Bologue, gestured for him to sit down, and then Teda pulled up a whiteboard, covered in complex diagrams with several sheets of scratch paper attached.

At a glance, it seems to be some kind of Alchemy Armament design, far more complex than the mechanical watch in Bologue's pocket, with a precise Alchemy Matrix spreading across every corner of the metal.

"Do you know about the Perpetual Motion Machine?"

Teda asked, and in this scenario, Bologue felt like he was in a class.

"I know," Bologue said.

"That's good, the Perpetual Motion Machine, a fascinating device, can operate indefinitely with a certain input of energy. But every alchemist knows it absolutely does not exist as its properties directly contradict the most fundamental rules of alchemy."

The aged gaze fell on Bologue, and Bologue continued Teda's words.

"It violates the principles of equivalent exchange and energy conservation."

This knowledge is written in the "Golden Thesis," and Bologue believed every Condenser should read this book, which nearly serves as a primer on alchemy.

"When designing Aimou, I was constantly troubled by how to keep her running stably and continuously. She needed a stable Ether source, for which I designed something close to a Perpetual Motion Machine.

Of course, it's not a Perpetual Motion Machine and cannot run indefinitely without maintenance and supplementation, but its nature is closer to that of a Perpetual Motion Machine."

Teda picked up a mechanical structure resembling a heart from his workbench, fixed on a base as if it were a keepsake.

"This is the first generation Constant Motion Core I designed. It uses an extremely small amount of Ether to drive it and absorb large amounts of Ether from its surroundings, injecting it into the Constant Motion Core to provide Ether for Aimou's actions.

In this manner, it continually draws Ether, absorbing more Ether into its reserves, nearly achieving perpetual motion."

"That sounds quite like my Resurrection. When I die, I also need Ether to be resurrected. If Aimou were in an Ether vacuum, when her Ether reserves completely disappear, she would also enter a dormant state, right?"

Bologue examined the Constant Motion Core in Teda's hand, not surprised that Teda, once head of the Sublimation Furnace Core, could design such a thing.

"Yes, the Constant Motion Core needs Ether to draw Ether, and it will halt when there's no Ether," Teda said.

"But what does this have to do with Aimou's 'soul'?" Bologue asked.

Teda surprisingly had patience, gently explaining, indicating he had long prepared to tell Bologue all of this, or perhaps knowing Bologue would inevitably question everything.

"Because Aimou's soul is within her heart, inside this Constant Motion Core."

Raising the Heart of Steel, the splendid alchemy matrix shone on Teda's body. As Ether was injected into the Constant Motion Core in his hand, Bologue felt the Ether around them stirred.

The Ether's undulation wasn't fierce but calm and soothing, like a babbling stream, gradually drawing Ether into the Constant Motion Core.

"Aimou's... soul."

Bologue gazed intently at Teda, as Teda actually admitted to all this.

"The Constant Motion Core requires absolute stability, so its 'start key' is crucial. What could be more stable than the Philosopher's Stone?"

Teda opened the Constant Motion Core. The precision mechanics unfolded, like the structure of a heart chamber, with a small groove that originally held a Philosopher's Stone.

"It was a Philosopher's Stone personally Condensed by me. Theoretically, it would take hundreds of years to completely Fade Away naturally. To prevent damage, I even painstakingly applied a layer of Protection."

Teda's voice rose with frenzied joy, as he cradled the Constant Motion Core, affectionately caressing the cold metal.

"The initial energy that drives the Constant Motion Core comes from the Philosopher's Stone when it Fades Away, scattering its Canyin power."

Alchemists believe that the human soul is an extremely pure form of Ether, and when the Philosopher's Stone Fades Away, it returns to the heavens in the form of voided Ether.

Teda based all of this to design Aimou's power source.

The Constant Motion Core.

Even if the Constant Motion Core will eventually halt one day, that would be at least a hundred years later, and it itself can be replaced, perpetually carrying on this beating heart until reaching true eternity.

"Then, whose Philosopher's Stone was it?"

Bologue observed the fervor in Teda's eyes as if embracing gold like a prospector, his extreme desire displaying a bizarre, pathological feeling in both spirit and flesh.

"It's from your daughter, Alice Yazhede, isn't it?"

Teda was completely frozen, taking a long time to relax his muscles, putting down the Constant Motion Core, looking at Bologue with a gloomy gaze.

"The Philosopher's Stone is the solid form of a Condensed soul, containing secrets far beyond our comprehension, but it has been forbidden from study by ethical regulations.

But was it really because it violates ethics that it's forbidden, or did someone discover something in the Philosopher's Stone and wish to bury that secret forever?"

Teda's expression remained calm, but his tone was filled with madness, and his aura momentarily shocked Bologue.

Not fear, but an almost insane fervor for the pursuit of truth and knowledge.

"You know, actually, we can barely see its traces of life, the echoes of memories, as if it were a human's tombstone after death, recording everything."

"Indeed, the mysterious soul contains our thoughts and memories, and after we die and separate from our shell, the solidified Philosopher's Stone should also record all of this."

Upon hearing this, Bologue understood everything and said softly, "Is that why Aimou resembles her so much?"

"Yes..."

Teda awoke from his frenzied state, leaning against the workbench, looking down at the mechanical heart in his hands.

"I don't know why, maybe using her Philosopher's Stone as the power source caused the echoes in the Philosopher's Stone to affect Aimou, making Aimou's behavior increasingly resemble her... even though Aimou has never met her."

"She has the shadow of your daughter within her," Bologue said.

"But she's not my daughter, she's just... too much alike."

"That's why it's more important to control your investment of emotions in a tool, yet you couldn't help yourself, making her your student, which is self-deception." Bologue coldly remarked.

"But she truly is adorable, isn't she?"

Teda lifted his head and questioned back, showing a lost soul expression.

Bologue was uncertain to whom he referred, Alice or Aimou, and likely even Teda himself didn't understand.