"A... head?"
Tang Qi drew his neck back.
"Mine?"
"No, of course not."
The "skeleton" shook his head and surveyed everyone, including Melard, who slept inside the barrel. Finally, his gaze settled on Catherine.
"I need a sufficiently perfect head."
Catherine's fingers trembled slightly.
Alarmed, Tang Qi stepped sideways, blocking her face from view.
"The big head or the little one?"
The "skeleton" had expected that this transaction would not be easily concluded. Unbothered by his wariness, he continued explaining.
"I'm trying to create a 'perfect work of art.' All I still need is a sufficiently perfect face."
Unable to gauge the "skeleton's" capabilities, Tang Qi played along for now.
"How can you be certain her face is perfect?
What if someone else is even more perfect? Wouldn't that ruin your work of art?"
"Regular replacements keep it fresh."
"So you were after her from the start. But I don't remember ever meeting a skeleton."
"If I wish, I can see everyone in the forest."
Tang Qi gritted his teeth.
Fuck. Was it the Fourth Ring spell [Arcane Eye], or some other item?
He was actually rather curious about the story behind this supposed work of art.
But whatever the "skeleton" intended, he could never hand Catherine over.
"Then how about I give you an idea? If you're so determined to pursue perfection, why not find each perfect facial feature separately and assemble a 'perfect' face?
Wouldn't that be much easier than finding a head that meets your requirements?"
"I tried. But whenever I pieced them together, something always felt... strange.
I think it's because human faces always have flaws. If you look for them, you can always find something wrong.
But when those features grow on an imperfect face, all those imperfections create a kind of harmony instead.
Simply