Faust began to think the moment he saw the Titan frost-walker.
There were seven of them. Unsurprisingly, these were the 'little dwarfs' from the Snow White script. Though he didn't quite understand why the dwarfs had become world-shaking giants, such details weren't important; the blueprint was merely for reference, and everything would be subject to the wheel of destiny’s interpretation.
The important thing was: what role would these seven Titan frost-walkers play?
After a brief exchange, Faust was certain they would still be allies, but the recruitment ritual would have to follow the standard procedure.
While given the priority of the 【witches' feast】, Snow White would likely win over these frost-walkers eventually.
But if his addition as a variable couldn't speed up the process, what was the point of his existence? Even if the ending of the 【witches' feast】 was predetermined, the process could be altered through a person's subjective initiative.
Faust particularly wanted to earn enough merit within the 【witches' feast】 to provide Mephistopheles with the capital for some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
Thus, the prince decided to drop a spoiler.
"A nanny? Are you telling some kind of joke I don't get?"
Selena frowned and said, "Is the Qingxi sense of humor always this thick?"
"That’s just the general idea. In practice, it could be... a maintenance specialist, or a technician, or something like that."
Faust weighed his words carefully.
In the story of Snow White, the kind and beautiful princess stayed in the dwarfs' cottage and moved them with her hard work and resilience.
Obviously, alchemical constructs didn't need food or clothing, so what moved them wouldn't be laundry and cooking, but a similar set of actions.
After thinking it over, only maintaining their mechanical bodies came close.
The princess of Midwinter lowered her gaze, looking at the handsome prince with a subtle expression.
"A maintenance specialist... I should remind you that I am a warlock. Furthermore, even the elite of the technician path are helpless against ancient relics like the frost-walkers."
Faust remained noncommittal. He walked to the bookshelf in the room, flipping through documents while asking, "How much do you remember of the first princess of Midwinter's memories?"
The princess smoothed her beautiful black hair and said, "Although there are inherited memories, Snow White knows very little. It’s only after I become queen that I will know more; it has always been this way."
"Besides, even the inherited skills are incomplete. Every time Snow White is replaced, a few fragments are torn away. Perhaps there were complete memories during the first few successions, but now... hmph, I probably only dream of scattered bits and pieces."
Selena propped her cheek up with one hand and laughed self-deprecatingly, though the sorrow and loss in her bright, clear eyes were hard to hide.
The dragon's curse was described as a death by a thousand cuts, and it certainly lived up to the name—a comprehensive lingchi. It seemed as though every generation of Snow White could be reborn, but in reality, their power, station, and memories were all eroded bit by bit.
They didn't even know what they had lost, only able to watch helplessly as their own existence grew thinner.
This kind of torture was undoubtedly terrifying. It was impossible for the black-haired girl not to care, but her aesthetic principles refused to let her show an ugly display of panic.
Thinking about this made Selena irritable, which instinctively made her want to admire Faust's handsome face, using beautiful things to dispel the gloom in her heart.
She looked up, her gaze meeting the man's calm, deep reddish-brown eyes.
The prince of Qingxi spoke in a voice as soft as velvet yet possessing a certain strength.
"Rest assured, this will not happen again. The curse will end this time. I promise."
Without any grand gestures, just a steady promise was enough to make Selena feel an inexplicable sense of peace.
Snow White suddenly felt the tips of her ears burning. She quietly used her hair to cover her cheeks and let out a light hum.
"Oh? So confident? Are you trying to comfort me?"
It wasn't that Selena hadn't heard such comfort before. During her naive childhood, she had heard her mother say the same while tucked in bed.
But she had never believed it then, because if it were true, her mother's tone wouldn't have been so full of sorrow.
But this man's expression and tone... were simply too firm, as if he had foreseen the future, making one want to believe him in spite of themselves.
"This isn't comfort, but a statement of a destined fact."
Faust said calmly, "However, you need to wait patiently for a few months. By then, the curse will naturally be resolved."
From the moment Faust stepped into the Midwinter Kingdom and met Selena, this 【witches' feast】—a cycle that had been stagnant for a long time—had officially begun, and it would surely lead to a happy ending.
One could guess with their eyes closed that after a series of hardships, Selena would turn against her mother and perform the final regicide to achieve completion.
But Faust didn't want to finish it so mechanically. He needed to test whether the mechanics of the 【witches' feast】 could be exploited.
If it could be changed, how much could it be changed?
The experimental window was only these few months. He had an agreement with Viviana that if this plan failed, his childhood friend would bring reinforcements. Then, he could perform another experiment.
Between a 【witch】 and another 【witch】, could they exploit a bug in the mechanics?
【Wooo... a collision between witches? This is truly a miracle unseen through the ages. Just thinking about it gets me excited.】
Mephistopheles cheered gleefully.
"You're the one getting excited, but I'm the one who'll suffer. I think you're just dying to see me in pain, you wicked little Meph!"
Faust cursed, "Now hurry up and help me think of how to win over the Titan frost-walkers."
【My dear, your cursing sounds more like flirting.】
"Because I am speaking sweet nothings... or do you really want to hear profanity? I can satisfy you if that's the case."
Seeing Faust preparing to go into full keyboard-warrior mode, the fairy immediately turned serious.
【In the Golden Age, these alchemical constructs were seen everywhere. The Midwinter Kingdom's constructs... they were originally a tribe responsible for building towers in the winter, which is why they were called 'frost-walkers.' They only serve those who can soothe the machine spirit. As for how to soothe them, every alchemical tribe is different.】
The veteran was indeed a veteran; a few words solved the immediate problem.
"Got it!"
Following the guidance, Faust found the relevant records on the bookshelf before turning around to share the information with Snow White.
"Soothing the machine spirit?"
A hint of confusion appeared in Selena's clear eyes.
"That’s right. These 【tower-builders】 all require their masters to soothe their machine spirits, removing the wear and dust of time. If you can do that, you will surely earn the devotion of the frost-walkers."
Faust flipped the page and read, "Some require the preparation of special machine oil; some require carving runes on the armor; others require the application of a blessed sacred unguent..."
"It’s song."
Selena interrupted Faust’s explanation with certainty.
"It must be song."
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