Chapter 106: Father and Son

Li Nanke chuckled at these words and said, "Ms. Sophia, aren't you being a bit presumptuous?"

Sophia was slightly confused, but Li Nanke continued, "You want this child to replace the so-called 'King of Puppets' to quell this crisis, but have you even asked what he thinks?"

Li Nanke reached out to ruffle Pinocchio’s hair. For some reason, the boy suddenly felt a strong sense of resistance and tried to dodge instinctively, but Li Nanke grabbed him and forcibly messed his hair into a bird's nest.

Sophia remained silent.

The Grand Covenant of Puppets consists of four laws: Law One, all puppets must obey human commands; Law Two, puppets must not harm humans; Law Three, puppets must protect and serve humans and the city of Krat; Law Four, puppets must not tell lies.

As long as the underlying logic of the Grand Covenant exists, theoretically, a puppet rebellion is impossible, and bound by the Covenant, puppets would only stand on the side of humanity.

The reason puppets revolt is due to Ergo, which grants them basic consciousness and allows them to break free from the constraints of the Covenant.

Pinocchio is a newly awakened, special puppet who has not yet been influenced by external factors. It is impossible for him to "revolt" in the short term. To put it bluntly, at this stage, Pinocchio is just a child. Even with a nascent self-awareness, a few well-placed words would be enough to make him willingly help humans.

Li Nanke smiled slightly and continued, "There's no need to go through all this trouble to resolve the crisis. Can't I just make a trip to the puppet factory and take down that 'King of Puppets'?"

Sophia frowned, her expression as if to say, what kind of daydream are you having?

Admittedly, the Black Rabbit was skilled, but not top-tier among the Stalkers. And even if the Black Rabbit were the best, even if she gathered all the available Stalkers to assist in a decapitation strike at the factory, success would be impossible.

The puppet factory is a gathering place for countless puppets. Rather than walking into a tiger's den, it would be better to utilize the hotel's advantageous terrain to defend and wait for the enemy to attack.

Li Nanke's proposal was even less reliable than her first idea.

After speaking, Li Nanke walked to the front desk on his own. Under the watchful gaze of the butler, Albert, he took a glowing crystal from a drawer.

"I don't need the hotel's protection. Consider this Ergo ore as payment for the commission, is that alright?"

Sophia took a deep breath and advised, "Mr. Black Rabbit, the hotel will provide you with protection regardless, but if you insist on going to the puppet factory, I will not summon other Stalkers to help you, as that would only lead them to their deaths for nothing."

"Furthermore, if you are to head to the puppet factory, you cannot take Puppet P with you. I will hire other Stalkers and have Puppet P grow as much as possible within a limited time to implement my second plan."

Li Nanke shrugged and said, "As you wish. I want to get a room and have a good sleep."

"Mr. Black Rabbit, I hope you will reconsider and give me a satisfactory answer tomorrow morning. I do not wish for the hotel to lose another Stalker."

Sophia signaled for Albert to lead him upstairs. Seeing Li Nanke dragging Puppet P along, she wanted to say something, but in the end, she did not object.

It seemed Puppet P did not feel any aversion toward Li Nanke; at the very least, his attitude toward him was much better than his attitude toward her. If Li Nanke could eventually change his mind, he would be the best candidate to train Puppet P.

***

On the second floor of the hotel, the room was laid with soft carpets, and beneath a crystal chandelier sat a large velvet bed.

Only Li Nanke and Pinocchio remained in the room.

The small, thin boy suddenly lifted his head and said expressionlessly, "You lied to me. You are not my father. You brought me here only to complete your commission."

Li Nanke nodded and gave a light clap of applause, praising him, "Although you're young, your mind is quite sharp."

Pinocchio asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to go to the puppet factory? To fight an impossible-to-defeat puppet? You know that's suicide."

*If it weren't for the damn mission from the Great Beyond, I wouldn't want to go either,* Li Nanke thought to himself.

Despite his inner thoughts, he put on a carefree expression: "You're too young to understand. The biggest difference between humans and machines is that machines only follow orders, while humans have their own hearts."

"Humans know what should be done and what shouldn't, and they know what must be done even when they know it's impossible—even if it costs them their lives."

Pinocchio asked, "So, you are willing to give your life for those humans?"

Li Nanke shook his head. "I'm not doing it for them... If I don't go, you'll have to take the place of the 'King of Puppets.' Your shoulders are still too weak to bear such heavy burdens. If a son can't carry the load, then of course it's up to the father to carry it."

"You are not my father," Pinocchio corrected him again.

"Then who is your father?"

Pinocchio was stunned, stammering, "They... they said it was Geppetto."

Li Nanke smiled with disdain. "Do you know Geppetto? You only know the name, and you only heard it through hearsay."

Pinocchio opened his mouth but could not find a rebuttal.

It was true; apart from the name Geppetto, he knew nothing. He hadn't even seen what Geppetto looked like.

"That's right, I lied to you. But ask yourself: have I abandoned you? Have I harmed you?"

"And what about Geppetto? As your creator, he wouldn't even see you once and left you abandoned in the dark corner of a carriage... Is he worthy of being your father?"

Pinocchio was silent. Li Nanke had awakened him from his long sleep, and even if it was just to complete a commission, he had certainly done him no harm.

He had even fought alongside him, intentionally nurturing him and helping him grow stronger.

Now, Li Nanke was even willing to go to the puppet factory alone just so he wouldn't have to become a substitute for the "King of Puppets," and even knowing it was a near-death mission, he hadn't hesitated for a moment.

"Kid, I'll teach you one last lesson: don't just listen to what others say; use your own heart to feel. In my eyes, you aren't a puppet. You are human. You have a heart of your own."

***

Pinocchio stood frozen in place, his young face filled with complex emotions.

*I am not a puppet; I am human... From the beginning to the end, others have called me Puppet P. In their eyes, I am just a mechanical puppet.*

*Only he calls me 'child' or 'kid,' and only he gave me a human name, 'Pinocchio.' Only he truly treats me like a human.*

*Compared to that Geppetto who is nowhere to be found, he is very good to me—perhaps the best person in the world to me.*

*And now, for the sake of a stranger whose name I've only heard, I was going to push him away and watch as he goes to his death tomorrow.*

*Do I hate him for lying to me?*

*It's not exactly hate, just sadness. Sadness that the warm embrace was fake, sadness that the father I imagined was also fake.*

*But with what he is doing now—risking his life for me—isn't that enough to prove he is more of a father than Geppetto could ever be?*

"Alright, I'm going to get some sleep. I have work to do early tomorrow morning. Go find Albert and get another room for yourself."

Pinocchio did not move. He stood there for a long time, eventually, as if having made a firm decision, he looked up:

"I don't need to sleep... I'm going with you tomorrow."

Li Nanke picked his ear with his pinky. "Who are you referring to?"

"Black Rabbit."

"Who? Say it again."

Pinocchio’s lips trembled, and he stammered for a long time without being able to spit out those two words.

Li Nanke didn't force him, only saying, "Call me Boss."

"Boss," Pinocchio replied obediently.

Li Nanke nodded with satisfaction. "Very good. But you still need to go sleep in the room next door."

Before Pinocchio could ask "why," he saw a woman with a graceful figure wearing a rabbit mask enter the room.

Confused, he was pushed out of the room by the Cunning Rabbit.

Before the door closed, the Cunning Rabbit said to him, "Your father and I have some very important things to do. Remember not to knock~"