Even though they were currently enemies, they were both still alchemists and researchers at heart.
There was no way something like this wouldn't pique Lan Qingyou's curiosity.
If anything, while she hadn't been particularly interested in Alisa's previous offer to trade the Emerald Tablet for research results, things were different now.
This was definitely something worth discussing.
Tsk, tsk.
A research direction focused on homunculi... I've got to hand it to you for coming up with that.
But then again, my own alchemy was learned through the lens of chemistry and mechanics. That's why I studied things like cartography, semiotics, and magic circles so relentlessly.
The path Alisa is showing seems to lean more toward biology and cellular development.
She wasn't sure exactly what sub-systems were required for that, but who could turn down new knowledge?
Especially knowledge as fascinating as this.
“Children of Danu.”
After dodging a beam of light, Alisa called out a phrase to Lan Qingyou.
“Huh?”
Lan Qingyou blinked, momentarily thrown by the random phrase. If she hadn't already mastered the art of controlling her flying magic broom, she might have actually gotten hit.
“The collective name for these homunculi.”
Oh, so that's what she meant.
Lan Qingyou understood immediately. This ‘Children of Danu’ was essentially a product name.
Even if the products were homunculi, they could still be given a specific name.
And she had to admit, it was a pretty good name, even if she didn't know what it actually meant.
“Children of Danu? Sounds nice. Can we get a class representative to step up and explain what it means?”
Lan Qingyou didn't know, but that didn't mean no one else did.
Even if the people around her were clueless, there were enough people on the world channel that someone was bound to know.
Sure enough, people on the world channel began discussing the name.
Soon, someone provided an answer.
“The Children of Danu, also known as the Tuatha Dé Danann, is a term from Celtic mythology. It means the tribe of the goddess Danu. Hmm... its use here can be interpreted as Alisa being the goddess who created these people.”
“That actually makes sense, considering they were all made from her cells.”
“Just like the Witch of the Tower said, if these homunculi are raised to have emotions, they won't be any different from real people.”
“Think about it. If there were more samples and more variety in their appearances, they really could form a nation of homunculi.”
“A nation of homunculi... what a niche combination.”
“The world has finally gone crazy in a way I don't even recognize.”
“This sort of thing shouldn't be allowed!”
“Exactly! Our survival space as transmigrators is already small enough. If a nation of homunculi pops up, how are we supposed to live?”
“True. People are already unhappy enough because of the witches. If a homunculus nation joins the mix, things will really fall apart.”
“I think we should report this to the Supreme Council later. Isn't that their job?”
“Why wait? Let's go now!”
“Yeah! I'm not even watching the match anymore. The winner is going to be a witch anyway. Boycotting homunculi is more important.”
“Wait for me, I'm coming too!”
Normally, no one would care how hard Lan Qingyou and Alisa fought. After all, no matter who won, the ultimate result wouldn't change.
People could even tolerate the witches being naturally superior to them.
After all, while the witches were superior, they also provided conveniences like safe zones and potions.
But something like homunculi, which would directly compete for their survival space, was a different story.
Boycott! They had to boycott it!
It didn't matter if these homunculi might eventually bring them convenience. They had to be stopped.
Resources were limited; the more people there were, the less there would be for everyone else.
Especially when dealing with homunculi that could be mass-produced by the thousands in less than a year.
Consequently, some people stopped watching the match entirely. They organized groups, set a meeting point at a teleportation portal, and rushed out of their shelters and rooms.
...
“Children of Danu, huh? That's a great name.”
Lan Qingyou, completely unaware of what was happening outside, offered Alisa a compliment.
However, she was immediately stumped by Alisa's follow-up question.
“And what about your golem army? What's their name?”
Hmm...
That was actually a very interesting topic.
Lan Qingyou had never actually thought about it before.
For one, these golems were still in the refinement stage; at most, they were semi-finished products.
Secondly, from the very beginning, Lan Qingyou had only ever viewed these golems as tools.
As a normal person without the extreme hobby of naming her tools, she naturally hadn't considered giving her golems a name.
But thinking about it now, even though they were all golems...
Not all golems were created equal.
She didn't have much contact with industrial, commercial, or companion golems.
But she used combat golems frequently, even carrying them with her.
She also had tens of thousands of them stored in her tree hollow warehouse. With her improved summoning magic, she could call them to her side whenever she needed, which was incredibly convenient.
In that case, having a name would probably make things easier to reference, wouldn't it?
If for nothing else, it felt necessary for the sake of shouting out cool, theatrical move names during battle.
But for someone like her, who was terrible at naming things, being asked for a name so suddenly made it hard to find a suitable one.
Yet the enemy was right in front of her. Even if she lost the match, she couldn't let the other woman look down on her.
Especially on a matter that had nothing to do with actual combat.
If she let herself be outdone here, she'd probably be laughed at for a year!
That... would be worse than dying...
A name... a name...
These golems had first appeared in the Abandoned Ruins. After that, she had obtained the Star Dragon King Essence Blood and used it to successfully brew her first Witch potion.
They had been instrumental in her success, almost like lucky charms.
In that case...
“Star Guards. My golem army is called the Star Guards.”
Lan Qingyou called out to Alisa, who was still relentlessly pursuing her.
“Star Guards? That sounds like a fine name as well.”
As if exchanging empty compliments, Alisa praised Lan Qingyou's choice.
However, the calm expression on Alisa's face made it difficult for Lan Qingyou to tell if she was being genuine or just making polite conversation.
The name ‘Star Guards’ didn't actually have any deep historical meaning or hidden layers.
Lan Qingyou had simply taken the ‘Star’ from the Star Dragon King. It just sounded cool.
Besides, anything involving the stars always carried a sense of mystery.
Rate on N.U.
