Ilari stood frozen in place, Paul's words circling through his mind like a spell.
A tangled mix of flattered surprise, ignited ambition, and a subtle fear of betraying Brolin churned violently within him.
While Ilari was lost in thought, Assistant Paul changed the subject.
"Of course, if you refuse the Sir's olive branch and choose to remain loyal to Mr. Brolin, I can understand that and sincerely admire your loyalty."
He gave a slight bow.
Ilari opened his mouth. His panic had vanished, only for a sudden sense of loss to well up inside him.
Uneasily, he said, "I... I'm not... I need to think about it."
Assistant Paul smiled understandingly. "Then I will await your reply."
Ordinarily, the conversation should have ended around then.
Ilari looked eagerly at the assistant, waiting for him to say his farewells.
But Assistant Paul turned to look at the Golem beside them instead. "An exquisite creation. To be frank, I thought I would see stitching on it, or perhaps joints between the materials."
Ilari, who had been nervous just moments ago, seemed to have had some switch flipped. His speech immediately became much smoother.
"Traditional Alchemy does indeed have similar methods... Of course, I don't mean we sew things together with needle and thread. It's just that when different materials are fused, there are usually very obvious dividing lines."
"But what makes these Golems unique is that around seventy percent of their outer skin is active clay... I also mixed three types of mineral powder into the clay. Then, when casting the Transfiguration Spell, it has to be done in one continuous motion..."
"But the hardest part is still implanting thoughts. You have to give them some ideas, but not too many. Otherwise, no one can say what they'll become. I once created