21 Chapter 21: Summoning and Orianna

Alaric sat on the soft bed, holding the little cat, reading a book while lost in thought.

It had been eleven years since he arrived in this world, transforming from an ordinary person into a wizard venturing into the mysteries of magic. The mysterious gates were about to open for him.

Starting tomorrow, he could study the secrets of magic in this castle and explore the true nature of the world.

Even with the soul of a reincarnator, he found himself too excited to sleep. He waited until all three roommates were asleep before getting up and approaching the fireplace.

Himari was curious too and followed him. She also remembered the monthly "summoning" that her master would perform.

This was an ability Alaric awakened at the age of six. As his sense of time and space continued to improve, he often felt a throbbing sensation in his heart.

Then, when he turned six, he finally had enough mental strength to respond to that throbbing sensation, communicate with another world, and perform summoning.

However, most of the time, his summonings were in vain. Occasionally, the things he could summon were just common items like food, sand, or daily necessities.

Fortunately, he sometimes managed to get some "specialties" from the other world. Some of these "specialties" even came with unique powers, such as the Doran's Ring, Konoha forehead protector, and other items. 

Most of these were limited to that, and summoning Himari was just an extremely lucky incident.

This time, his luck seemed to be in play again.

Silently, a crack opened in the void, and without further ado, it released a large object.

It was a steampunk-style metal sphere, about a meter in diameter. When it fell to the ground, it made a muffled sound, indicating its considerable weight.

Alaric reached out to touch it, but before he could react, the sphere opened on its own.

Just like a lotus unfolding its petals, the shell of the sphere opened neatly, revealing everything it contained.

Curled up inside was a beautiful girl whose entire body was made up of gears and clockwork. She had golden hair and a silver shell—or was it skin?

A massive winding key was inserted into her back.

Even without reading the information that came with the summoning, just from her appearance, Alaric could tell who she was.

Valoran Continent, The Lady of Clockwork, Orianna.

The origin of the Clockwork Maiden Orianna had two explanations provided by Riot Games.

According to the first, the creator of the Clockwork lady created this robot in memory of his daughter Orianna, who accidentally passed away. 

In the second explanation, Orianna was once a girl with flesh and blood. However, an accident in the lower levels of Zaun indirectly caused her to contract a severe illness. Her body, gradually deteriorating, had to be replaced with precise artificial organs, one after another, until there was no human flesh left in her.

Orianna herself was proficient in precise mechanical manufacturing. Her mechanical heart and the ball-shaped puppet were all crafted by her own hands. According to the so-called scientists in Valoran, their version of "science" was quite different from Earth's science. It was a unique blend of magic and technology that they referred to as hextech.

In other words, Orianna's proficiency in precise mechanical manufacturing included some knowledge of Valoran's magic.

The collision of magic between Valoran and the wizarding world of Harry Potter? It was indeed an interesting idea, but the current priority was to understand Orianna's situation.

However, how could he "awaken"—or rather, activate—the mechanical girl in front of him?

After pondering for a while, Alaric finally came up with the most obvious solution—wind up the key.

What was the significance of the giant winding key behind Orianna?

Perhaps, it was also a way to initiate Orianna.

He walked behind Orianna and tried to turn her winding key.

Turning the key was even simpler than he had imagined. Alaric only exerted a little force, and it could be easily turned. As the shaft turned, it emitted the sounds of springs and gears.

However, it quickly quieted down, just like a machine that had been idle for a long time and became smooth after being restarted. Only the sensation of turning the key constantly reminded Alaric that he was facing a mechanical creation.

After Alaric turned the key counterclockwise three and a half times, it reached its limit. When he let go, the key began to rotate steadily and slowly clockwise. 

With this rhythmic rotation, Alaric could feel a spiritual throb—a soul awakening within the mechanical body before him. It established a contract-like connection with his own soul. This feeling also occurred when he summoned Himari.

This was probably his summoning technique—signing a contract between the summoning and the summoner after summoning a creature.

He could feel himself taking the lead in the contract, unveiling the secrets of the souls of both Orianna and Himari.

As the key continued to rotate, the magical glow began to emanate from the intricate patterns on Orianna's mechanical body.

Alaric turned to look at his three roommates; they remained undisturbed and were sleeping peacefully.

After about a minute, the glow gradually dissipated. Following that, Orianna suddenly opened her eyes. The crystal—or rather, crystal-crafted—eyes emitted a golden light.

Curling up, she sat on the ground, hiding her little face behind her knees. Only her sparkling eyes stared at Alaric, revealing an emotion that no machine should possess.

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