"Hmm… how should I put this?"
"Looking at it now, it really is exactly like me!"
Though the crafting process didn't take long, just six hours of refinement was enough for Heita to use those rare metals to create a puppet that looked exactly like herself.
Of course, this was her first time making a humanoid puppet. She lacked experience and had to account for numerous details, so she spent a bit more time on it. Fortunately, that extra time wasn't wasted. A lifelike "Heita" now stood in front of her. Compared to the original, the only noticeable difference was… this brand-new "Heita" wasn't wearing much.
Carefully examining the puppet she had crafted, Heita smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Since it was forged from a single solid piece of metal, there were no mechanical joints, making it look indistinguishable from a real human.
Whether it was the facial features or the patterns on the arms, they were exactly like the real Heita. This was thanks to the detailed data she had recorded earlier, allowing her to create a 1:1 recreation of herself.
To ensure full authenticity, Heita had even added specific properties into the metal during forging—things like "softness" and "fluidity."
So now, not only did the puppet look exactly like the original on the outside, even its texture and tactile sensation were flawless. If placed next to the real Heita and kept still, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart with the naked eye!
Of course, as everyone might imagine, because it was a true one-to-one replica, even certain unspeakable details had been faithfully reproduced.
"Well done! It's realistic—literally and figuratively!"
As the saying goes, details determine success. Right now, Heita had clearly succeeded—mastering every detail to perfection.
This reminded Yaolan of something. In his previous life, he had once stumbled across an online store that sold life-sized figurines, called Winterfire Hall (not canon).
That store was legendary—their life-size figures were so finely crafted that you could even see the veins on their arms. Yaolan never imagined he would gain the ability to create such "artworks" so quickly himself!
He couldn't help but fantasize: if he perfected the craft of puppet-making and combined it with the power of Heavenly Forging, could he one day create a metallic lifeform truly indistinguishable from a real person?
At that point, she (Heita) could totally build her fortune selling these puppets. After all, Yaolan remembered very clearly—Heita was once hounded by Topaz for debt repayment in the Star Rail storyline!
Though the exact reason wasn't clear, it definitely involved a lack of research funding. That sort of crisis might well happen in the future, so Heita needed to prepare now—laying the financial groundwork for her research.
"If that's the case, then I'll establish a Winterfire Hall right here in the Douluo Continent! If I get the chance, I'll send an Asta clone to manage it!"
Heita didn't believe for a second that these wouldn't sell. Take Yun Ming, for example—he had countless admirers in the Douluo Continent. If a life-sized puppet of him was released, countless female fans would definitely flock to buy it! Making money would be as easy as breathing!
And it was all done legitimately—proper business, nothing shady. It even complied with the laws of the Sun-Moon Federation. As long as she didn't go too over-the-top, no one would come after her for it.
After all, the Douluo Continent was also known as the "Romance Continent." There were tons of "love losers"—whether male or female—who, after seeing the one they loved walk away with someone else, would inevitably have emotional turmoil. Some would even act irrationally in the name of love.
That's when Winterfire Hall would come into play! She even thought up the advertisement slogan:
---
> "To prevent the world from being destroyed, to preserve the peace of the world…"
(To stop those driven by heartbreak from acting out)
"To uphold love and realistic evil, we are the charming and adorable villains…"
(Referring to the puppets' roles and realistic craftsmanship)
"Winterfire Hall presents! Custom-made puppets!"
"We're Team Rocket, crossing the galaxy!" (Blasting off to the stars)
"White hole! A white tomorrow awaits us!" (Korean webtoon reference)
"That's right—meow!" (Limited edition catgirl model available!)
---
Once she had accumulated enough capital, Winterfire Hall would naturally grow bigger. At that point, she'd rebrand it as the Douluo Peace Company, assigning clones of Emerald and Topaz to help run it, with Asta at the helm as the CEO. With such a team, wouldn't they be able to monopolize the Douluo Continent's entire market? Funding would never run dry again!
"I really am a genius!"
"But… a puppet that's too perfect might also become a problem…"
Beyond just the potential profit, Heita had also considered the possible dangers. What if one of these realistic metal clones was stolen by some wicked-minded person? Who knew what they'd do with it?
She needed to implement some security measures…
"How about injecting some kind of poison into it? If someone got poisoned by it, even if the effects wore off later, they'd still be crippled, right?"
She had lots of ideas, but putting them into practice would be complicated. After carefully evaluating the risks and costs, Heita gave up on that option.
"No… no way… I just can't accept that!"
Most people see others' dolls just for fun. But when that "fun" is targeted at yourself, rejection is almost instinctive.
After all, she was just a bystander—she never intended to participate.
Yaolan, up to this point, had never used the power of Elation, simply because he was worried about being affected by it. Extreme hedonists didn't even mind turning themselves into "fun." But Yaolan… still considered himself a normal hedonist. Naturally, he had no interest in having a puppet of himself made for that purpose.
So Heita's "highly detailed puppet plan" was officially scrapped. Any future Heita puppets would follow the original story's style: no sensitive parts, and some added joints to distinguish them from the real thing.
As for this one that was already completed, she would just treat it as a commemorative piece—her first attempt. In any case, it wasn't going to be shown to anyone else.
---
Ten thousand years later.
"No matter whether your planet has the concept of day or night, let me start by saying: Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening! I'm your old friend, Jimi, and welcome to this special episode of Into the Star Rail!"
A white bird appeared on TV broadcasts across countless planets, cheerfully introducing the special feature. "Today, we're honored to welcome Ms. Emerald, a member of the Douluo Peace Company, to talk about the company's history. Let's give her a warm welcome!"
"Hi, everyone!" A beautiful woman with purple hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen, waving kindly to the audience.
"Lady Emerald, we're all very curious—how did the Douluo Peace Company grow to its current scale? What's the story behind its rise? We're all eager to learn!"
"Of course!"
Due to the recent popularity of "Gouzi Literature" (meme-satirical fan writing), even the founding history of the Douluo Peace Company had been distorted. To prevent rumors from spreading too far, this episode of Into the Star Rail was produced.
"The reason the Douluo Peace Company became what it is today is because of the hard work and dedication of countless employees. Every single person's efforts mattered. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are now."
"As for our founding story… unfortunately, it's very different from what people imagine. We started out as nothing more than a small merchandise store. It was thanks to our good reputation and customer support that we gradually grew into what we are now."
"I know many people like to imagine a more dramatic history for us, and I support that—after all, we've helped develop many planets and aided countless lives. But we're not without backbone. As for those who slander the company online, our legal team will never let them off easily!"
"So please, be careful what you say. The internet is not a lawless place! Let's respect history and not let certain people mislead the public…"