"By the way... what is this collar for?"

Lin Chen looked at Bonnie and then carefully examined Vivian.

Earlier, due to the angle of their heights, Lin Chen hadn't noticed the metal collar around Vivian's slender neck.

Outside the collar, there was a short chain extending, creating a design that had a forbidden beauty.

It was through the existence of this collar that the thugs earlier had determined that Vivian was not human, but the most lowly puppet maid.

"This thing..." Bonnie's voice became softer, and her eyes were filled with hesitation.

She subconsciously raised her hand to touch the collar around her own neck.

"It's a bomb."

"What?!"

"Just kidding," Bonnie laughed and waved her hand, "But it's similar. It's used by Puppet Masters to control puppets and also to kill... no, to destroy puppets."

"Destroy puppets?!" Lin Chen was shocked; the terminology sounded like describing a tool.

"That's right, it's an item used to destroy puppets. Although puppets are a certain form of life, they rely on Puppet Masters to survive. If the Puppet Master dies, the magical power within the collar will automatically destroy the puppet."

Bonnie's face showed a bitter smile.

"That's right." Uncle nodded, "The Puppet Master Association absolutely does not allow puppets to end up in other places. All technology related to puppets is monopolized by the Puppet Master Association and its subsidiary academies."

"And it is because of this kind of thing that the lifespan of our puppet maids is very short." After much consideration, Bonnie finally told Lin Chen this serious problem.

"What?"

Lin Chen suddenly felt as if he had been splashed with cold water.

Short lifespan? Does this mean Vivian... could die? Absolutely not!

"Puppets do not age or die like humans. They will only be destroyed by this collar when their owner dies. However, puppet maids like us, who are F-grade, have very low magical power within our bodies," Bonnie explained.

"The collar itself has a magical maintenance formula, but the magical power possessed by the puppet maids is too low, just enough to barely suppress the power of the collar..."

Bonnie looked at Lin Chen seriously.

"In other words, even now, this collar is in a very unstable state and could lose control at any time. And as time goes on, the chances of that happening will increase."

"What happens if it loses control?"

Lin Chen's hands felt ice cold, and he vaguely knew the answer.

"It self-destructs. I have seen many puppet maids suddenly die because of this. It is for this reason. Additionally, the owners of puppet maids generally lack magical power and are unable to directly replenish it. Very few people are willing to buy expensive enhancement stones for puppet maids."

Bonnie tried to sound light-hearted, but she could not avoid the weight of this topic and let out a sigh.

"So, generally speaking, the lifespan of a puppet maid is only about two years. Even with enhancements, it's just barely prolonging their lives, and it couldn't solve the issue fundamentally."

She told Lin Chen the heavy deadline.

"To be honest, if it wasn't for helping me and having to purchase those expensive enhancement stones to suppress the magical power of the collar... maybe this shop wouldn't have fallen into such a state."

"Don't say that." Uncle stopped her self-blame. "That's not like you."

Lin Chen raised his hand to touch the collar around Vivian's slender neck, wanting to remove this culprit from above it.

But to his surprise, there were no closed interlocking patterns on the collar. It was a smooth whole.

Moreover, it was connected to Vivian's fragile neck, as if it grew on her flesh.

If forcefully removed, it would definitely injure Vivian, and her neck was the most vulnerable.

"That's right, this collar is made of alchemical material and is made of the same material as the puppet's body. It is actually a part of their body. It's not so easy to remove it. Forcibly taking it off will only cause major bleeding in the neck artery."Bonnie noticed Lin Chen's actions and spoke to him in this way.

"So, is there any way to remove this collar?" Lin Chen asked anxiously.

But when he asked this question, everyone in the room couldn't help but look at him in surprise.

Even Vivian widened her emerald-like eyes in astonishment, not knowing what her master was up to.

"What? Are you really going to help her remove this collar? This is... something that controls Puppets."

"Yes." The young man's gaze was unwavering.

How could Vivian wear such a time bomb? She was supposed to live with him in the future.

"Only the Puppeteer Association has such technology, which outsiders would never know."

Indeed, is it necessary to seek help from the Puppeteer Association?

"Well then, tomorrow, I will go to the academy and give it a try. I must help Vivian remove this thing... and let her live freely!"

"Master... why do you want to do all this for Vivian?"

Vivian felt a mess in her mind because Lin Chen in front of her was just too good to her.

To the extent that she couldn't accept it, and instead felt bewildered.

"Alright, alright. Let's not talk about this anymore! It's time to sleep~"

Bonnie regained her lively demeanor and jumped over to embrace Vivian, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Let's sleep together, okay!"

(≧∇≦)ﾉ