Lin Chen stood face to face with the doll maid, exchanging glances.

He didn't know how to express his excitement to her.

He wanted to say something like "I really like you a lot," but that might scare her off, right?

However, this perfect and cute maid had already captured his heart at first sight.

On the other hand, the doll maid knew very well that she was just a lowly Puppet.

Her existence only brought despair to those who spent a thousand gold coins to draw a Puppet in hopes of changing their fate.

Shouldn't she be dismantled next?

According to the knowledge she was given, the Violet Empire absolutely did not allow unowned Puppets to exist.

Therefore, the drawn Puppet would either be taken to form a soul contract or be dismantled.

Dismantling meant the death of the Puppet, merely the abandonment of a tool for humans.

After the Puppet was dismantled, a Puppet core could be obtained as a material to strengthen another Puppet, which could be sold for a little money or provide some insignificant consolation.

"Ahem...um...that..."

Lin Chen finally mustered up the courage to say the words in his heart to the doll maid in front of him.

"Okay, move along! Next!"

The staff ruthlessly interrupted him and drove him off the stage.

They had seen too many "non-whales" who were unwilling to accept their own fate.

"Hey, kid, come with me."

The scruffy middle-aged man in charge of guiding Lin Chen had a cheap cigarette in his mouth, wore flip-flops exposing his toes, and had very distinct leg hair.

Biting her lip, the doll maid followed quietly behind, keeping her head down and not daring to look at Lin Chen or speak.

She was afraid of seeing disappointment, blame, or even anger in his eyes.

Everything was her fault.

She shouldn't have been born in this world; her mere existence was a mistake.

The middle-aged man led Lin Chen to the nearby facility, where there was also a magic mechanical device that looked like a huge box.

The person in front of Lin Chen appeared lifeless, accompanied by a Puppet hunting dog emitting a low whimper.

But this couldn't change the person's mind. The Puppet was thrown into the machine, the lid closed, and a horrible crushing noise came from inside.

Then a bright sphere, shimmering with magical light, rolled out of a side slide and was picked up by the person.

Indeed...was this the outcome?

Radiant brilliance flickered in the doll maid's emerald-like eyes, as if the light had shattered.

Just born into this world and already about to be dismantled...it was really hard to accept.

"That sphere is the Puppet core left after dismantling. It can be used to strengthen another Puppet and exchanged for some money," said the middle-aged man, comforting Lin Chen with a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay even if you didn't draw a good one. Just save up and draw again, maybe it will be different. Don't lose hope."

"Wait, sir, I..."

Lin Chen was about to explain, but suddenly the doll maid beside him ran forward.

"I'm sorry."

The doll maid suddenly spoke with her melodious voice and bowed deeply to Lin Chen, her eyes brimming with tears.

She opened the lid of the dismantling machine and was about to enter the grave belonging to the Puppet, but her arm was held tightly by someone.

The doll maid looked at Lin Chen in surprise, the hand that held her was warm.

And the touch on her skin made Lin Chen blush.

To his surprise, the doll maid's arms were not cold, like some mechanical touch, but rather had a warmth that radiated in his palm.

She was definitely not a doll; she was clearly a lovely young girl!

"Sir, I didn't come here to dismantle the Puppet!" Lin Chen finally realized that he had been misunderstood and hurriedly explained.

The doll maid's eyes brightened. Could it be that he didn't want to dismantle her?

"Of course I want to keep her!" Lin Chen exclaimed.

"Oh really? Kid, you're not trying to form a soul-binding contract with her, are you? She's an F-level Puppet, the worst," the middle-aged man kindly reminded him. "Once you bind, you can't change it."Lin Chen nodded heavily.

How could such a cute girl be dismantled? Of course, she must be kept by his side!

"What a strange kid. Come with me," the uncle's face showed a complicated smile and led Lin Chen to the other side.

The doll maid still followed behind him, bowing her head, and her white teeth slightly pressed against her sakura-colored lips.

The registration office for Puppet binding was on the other side, right beside the dismantling machine on the high platform.

One side was heaven, the other was hell.

The lucky ones on this side happily bound their Puppets and processed their enrollment procedures;

while the "non-combatants" on the other side had a gloomy face, dismantling worthless Puppets and only exchanging for a Puppet core.

There were already many people in front of Lin Chen, waiting in line.

They were accompanied by various kinds of Puppets, either in the form of fierce beasts or "giants" like iron warriors, but smaller in size and not as exaggerated as the iron warriors, obviously lacking the coolness and charm of an A-class Puppet.

Only next to him was this weak doll maid.

But for Lin Chen, those Puppets full of muscles and appearing fierce were the real freaks!

They couldn't even compare to one in a millionth of this doll maid.

Being able to draw her was truly the luck of several lifetimes.

Lin Chen couldn't believe it, he found his dream wife as soon as he came down the mountain!

ԅ(¯ㅂ¯ԅ)