Woo—
With a long blast of the steam whistle, the train sped along the tracks through the open fields, the scenery outside the window flashing by in a blur.
Inside one of the premium carriages, a black-haired girl sat with her eyes tightly shut, leaning back against the seat. Her smooth, short hair swayed gently with the motion of the carriage. Perched on her shoulder, a blue robin turned its head this way and that, curiously observing its surroundings.
As the clouds in the sky parted, the afternoon sun streamed into the carriage.
Disturbed by the sudden sunlight, the girl slowly opened her eyes.
--+--
[Arrival—Unbreakable Machine Doll.]
[Template shifting, adjusting to—Kuonji Alice]
[Initiating world incursion.]
--+--
The girl who had just awoken tugged at the short skirt on her thighs and adjusted her sitting position.
Her legs were clad in thick, dark tights, which appeared slender and well-proportioned under the sunlight.
Once settled, she leaned back against the seat again, raising a hand to cover her dark eyes. Her cherry-like lips parted slightly. "...I'd like to file a complaint."
Remembering the dizziness she felt during the transition—even more intense than the frustration of watching a teammate's foolish moves—the girl frowned slightly.
It was like being spun around inside a washing machine while smelling the scent of a new car.
That nauseating feeling had persisted right up until she entered this world.
Fortunately, the moment Alice opened her eyes, the vertigo vanished completely.
--+--
[Incursion complete. Identity data package distributed.]
[Your identity: A new student scheduled to enroll at the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart in six months.]
[We wish you a pleasant journey.]
--+--
The mechanical voice offered no response to the girl's complaint. Unhappy, she widened her eyes slightly.
"Miss Alice, is something wrong?" The blue robin on her shoulder let out a series of chirping tweets.
"It's nothing, Robin," Alice replied with a soft sigh.
"That's good. I'm so glad you brought me along on this long trip, Miss Alice! This—" Before Robin could continue its chattering, and before Alice could even fully take in her surroundings, the bird prattled on.
"Be quiet," Alice said, casting a cold glance at the robin. The blue bird immediately shrank back, deflated.
Meanwhile, a piece of luggage caught in Alice's peripheral vision successfully captured her interest.
She leaned over, picked up the luggage from beside her seat, and placed it flat on the table before opening it.
Inside, she found a change of clothes, a strange-looking sculpture, an enrollment letter for the next academic year, and… a single sheet of paper.
Alice took out the paper and read its contents carefully.
'Notice of Completion Regarding the Kuonji Residence.'
Huh?
Alice blinked.
Did the system just give me a house?
Woo—
Another steam whistle sounded as the train slowly pulled into the station and came to a stop.
They had arrived.
After waiting for the crowd on the platform to thin out a bit, Alice picked up her luggage and stepped out of the station.
The city before her was thoroughly modern, filled with concrete buildings. Model T automobiles bustled along the roads, and numerous mechanical dolls lined the streets, some hawking wares, others performing odd jobs.
This was the Machine City of Liverpool.
Perhaps because automatons were such a common sight to the citizens here, the robin on Alice's shoulder drew little attention.
However, Alice's own gaze was caught by a dragon perched atop the hat of a golden-haired girl. The girl was chatting with the dragon as if no one else was around, though she herself seemed somewhat listless for some reason.
After just a glance, Alice averted her eyes. More pressing matters demanded her attention now.
Namely, where was the Kuonji Residence mentioned in the document, and… which series was this, anyway?
Though this was a completely unfamiliar world, since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. The immediate priority was to locate the Kuonji Residence and settle her luggage.
Alice stared, distressed at the newly purchased map in her hands.
Beside her, Robin was brimming with excitement, flitting around Alice in every direction.
"Ooh, aah, they're using magecraft right out on the street here!" Robin flew over to a mechanical doll, tilting its head to examine the partially exposed internal mechanisms.
Hearing Robin's words, Alice also turned her attention to the dolls that were everywhere on the streets.
The area was crowded with pedestrians, but she couldn't spot anyone who seemed to be controlling them.
"So, are they remotely controlled? Or perhaps autonomous types?" Alice murmured softly, crossing her arms.
The mechanical doll was lifting crates from the ground with somewhat clumsy movements.
This level of functionality suggested an autonomous type, she thought. Doesn't seem as advanced as Touko's... dolls.
With that thought, Alice began scanning her surroundings for her target.
Found it. If magecraft like this is so commonplace on the streets, then this kind of knowledge probably isn't hidden away, right?
Leaving Robin—who had flown off to investigate another doll—to his own devices, the girl picked up her luggage and walked straight into a roadside bookstore.
"Miss Alice, look, look! This doll here, it looks just like a dog!" Robin chirped, trying to share his discovery with his mistress.
But no response came from behind him. Not even the usual complaint about his noise.
Puzzled, Robin turned his head to look.
The angelic figure who had been standing there just moments ago had vanished.
"Aah! Miss Alice!!" Robin let out a panicked squawk.
Passersby on the street looked curiously at the blue robin that was chirping incessantly and looking around frantically.
A strange blue robin. Is it an automaton? Why does it look like it's about to cry?
--+--
"...chirp."
Having finally found Alice by the window, Robin now sat perfectly still on the table next to her hand.
He had, at last, closed the beak that had been chattering nonstop since they got off the train.
Of course, Alice's threat—'I'm reading. Unless you want to be turned into a meat patty, keep quiet'—had also played a significant role.
Pages turned softly as the girl absorbed the knowledge, quickly grasping the fundamental principles.
The operating mechanism behind these street dolls—Magic Circuits.
That's right, those dolls each had Magic Circuits inside them.
Although the name was the same, the concept here was entirely different from the one in the World she knew.
Here, Magic Circuits were created by magicians, who condensed troublesome magic formations and lengthy incantations into these circuits, embedding them within these Automatons.
Magicians then only needed to channel magical energy to operate the dolls, allowing for rapid activation of spells, often with greater precision and power.
Magicians who used these methods were called Puppeteers, and the technique of using spells in tandem with the dolls was known as Machine Science Magecraft.
Naturally, this magecraft had also been adapted for military use, contributing to numerous victories on the battlefield.
And this phenomenon wasn't limited to Britain; the entire world was scrambling to unearth talented Puppeteers.
The city Alice found herself in was Britain's own machine science hub—Liverpool.
And located within this very city was the world's premier institution for magical studies—the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart.
Snap.
Alice let out a soft exhale and gently closed the book.
She had acquired the basic information. The identity provided by the system was that of a new student starting in six months.
This likely meant the main plot here wouldn't begin for another half a year. So, the time until then was hers to use freely.
She could create something interesting.
A slight upward curve touched Alice's lips as she picked up her luggage and walked out of the bookstore.
The robin watched its mistress, who had suddenly become cheerful for some reason, and tilted its head in puzzlement.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.