Chapter 668: Toy Crafter

One of them was the son of the ruling Duke of Burnwick and a top student of the Royal Academy.

The other was known as the Silent Architect of Ash, a rising young craftsman of the kingdom who was also a top student of the Royal Academy.

It was only natural that people of a certain noble standing would recognize them.

"That’s the Silent Architect of Ash."

A Lower-Ember nobleman said calmly after glancing towards the young man whom the Duke of Burnwick’s son had come to meet.

He sat comfortably in the customers’ lounge, holding a glass of cold fruit juice.

His clothes were well made, and the small crest pinned to his chest marked his noble status.

He did not speak loudly, but his words were enough to draw the attention of the boy sitting beside him.

"They’re really close back at school, Father."

His son replied before taking a sip of his drink.

The boy was the Low-Ember noble’s son and a first-year student of the Royal Academy.

He looked towards Ezra and Cyrus, watching them from the corner of his eye.

Although he had seen Ezra before, seeing the young alchemist sitting so casually with the Duke of Burnwick’s son was still interesting.

The father nodded slightly.

"First, I was surprised that the Duke’s son was working in a place like this. Now, we have the presence of a rising figure like the Silent Architect. Interesting."

He said, resting his glass on the table.

His expression remained calm, but his eyes returned to the two young nobles.

The meeting was unexpected.

The fact that Cyrus had been helping at a toy shop was already enough to catch his interest.

Now, Ezra Ashenlocke had appeared as a customer, making the situation even more unusual.

They were not the only ones discussing the pair.

Almost everyone inside the lounge had noticed them.

Some customers continued talking quietly among themselves, while others stole glances whenever Cyrus or Ezra moved.

A few recognized Ezra from the Grand First-Year Combat Festival, and others knew Cyrus because of his family.

No one openly interrupted their conversation, though.

Every so often, a staff member called out a family name so that a customer could collect their finished goods.

The calls mixed with the low murmur of conversation coming from the main shop floor.

Beyond the lounge entrance, staff continued moving between the displays, carrying small boxes and helping customers examine the figures.

Despite the attention around them, Ezra and Cyrus were having a conversation of their own.

"So, where were we?"

Cyrus asked.

He settled comfortably into the chair opposite Ezra, leaning back as though he had no particular reason to hurry.

One arm rested on the table, and his headset remained in place, as usual.

Ezra looked at him.

"I don’t know."

He replied plainly.

Cyrus stared at him for a moment.

Then he raised his index finger and pointed it at Ezra.

"You..."

He said.

Ezra’s expression did not change.

Cyrus lowered his hand and leaned forward a little.

The lazy look in his eyes remained, but curiosity had taken over his attention.

"All right then, tell me what are you doing here in the first place?"

He asked.

Considering the kind of person Ezra was, Cyrus found it surprising to see him all the way in Thornwick.

Ezra didn’t seem like someone who travelled without a reason, and he did not strike Cyrus as the sort of person who would spend his time wandering around a city just because he felt like it.

There had to be a purpose behind the visit.

"I was invited by The Eclipse."

Ezra replied calmly.

He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip before setting it back on the table.

The cup made a soft sound when its base touched the saucer.

Cyrus’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, wait. Don’t tell me you’re getting a custom-made Phantom Rolls."

He said excitedly, though he kept his voice low enough that it would not carry across the lounge.

His gaze shifted towards the tour guide sitting beside Ezra.

He had already noticed the guide’s connection to The Eclipse, but the reason for Ezra’s visit had only just occurred to him.

"No wonder he’s wearing The Eclipse crest."

He added, pointing towards the guide.

The guide glanced down at the crest on his uniform, then looked back at Cyrus without interrupting.

Cyrus clenched his left hand, making a playful expression of envy.

"Damn, I’m so jealous."

He said.

Ezra looked at him for a moment.

"Didn’t your family award you for your academic performance this first semester?"

He asked directly.

He placed his left hand on the table, looking at Cyrus, seemingly wondering why he was acting so jealous when his own family had already rewarded him for his results.

"Yeah, they did."

Cyrus answered.

A faint, complicated expression crossed his face.

He leaned back in his chair again, moving his right hand lazily while keeping his arm on the table.

"Ravenor got awarded a personal Noble Phantom Rolls. Plus, since we all received Ese, Father didn’t see the need to reward us with Ese again. As for me, I got the exclusive right to train with any Flame Alchemist of my choice."

He explained.

"Basically, I can choose from the people regarded as the top Flame Alchemists in our family."

Cyrus spoke without much excitement.

His fingers moved idly against the table as he explained the reward, as though the matter was not as simple as it might have sounded.

"I haven’t decided yet, but Ravenor is already training with Father."

He added.

Ezra raised an eyebrow.

"So, you don’t want to train with your father?"

He asked.

"Not really."

Cyrus replied without hesitation.

"It’s just kind of annoying. I’ll have to deal with the amount of nagging I’ll get from him, and Ravenor won’t make it any better. We’re obviously going to train together and I’m not a fan of getting constantly beaten up by that half-brother of mine."

He explained calmly.

His tone suggested that the thought alone was enough to make him tired.

He could already imagine the lectures he would have to endure if he chose his father as his instructor, especially with Ravenor training alongside them.

Cyrus let out a small breath and rested his cheek against one hand.

Then he pointed at Ezra.

"What about you?"

"We received the same reward as you, but a bit more."

Ezra replied calmly.

He took another sip of tea, showing little interest in making the explanation longer than necessary.

Cyrus’s lips curved into a faint smirk.

"So, you’ll be training with the Duke of Ash. Also is it true? That the Duke of Ash has gone up another Alchemist rank. If it is, that will be really cool or you Ashenlockes."

He said.

There was a trace of genuine interest in his voice.

The Duke of Ash’s progress was no small matter, and the prospect of Ezra training with him was worth noting.

The tour guide sat to the side of the two young nobles, quietly watching their conversation.

He had brought Ezra and Lucy to Toy City to enjoy their sightseeing and help them arrange a custom-made figure.

He had not expected the visit to turn into a discussion about noble family rewards and Alchemist training.

Worse, he could barely follow half of what the two were saying.

They spoke as if the details were common knowledge, moving from one subject to another without needing to explain every term.

The guide understood their words, but the meaning behind some of them escaped him.

He kept his attention on the conversation, hoping to catch enough of it to understand what they were discussing.

After a brief pause, Ezra decided to move on.

"Let’s skip that part. So, you’re a toy crafter or what?"

He asked, while he rested his elbows on the table and placed his chin on his hands.

His posture was relaxed, and his black eyes remained fixed on Cyrus.

"Yes."

Cyrus answered without hesitation.

Ezra’s gaze stayed on him for another moment.

"No wonder you were interested in Professor Nine’s work."

He said, a hint of realization entering his voice.

Cyrus’s eyes shifted towards Ezra.

"You’re always quick to understand things."

He replied calmly.

A relaxed smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah, you’re right about that."

Cyrus leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

"I’m not only helping out my uncle. I’m mainly learning toy making."

He explained.

His work at Wendy and Ralph Toy Craft was not simply a favour to a relative.

He was using the opportunity to learn the craft, gaining experience while helping his uncle with the shop.

The displays outside the lounge were filled with examples of what the craft could produce.

Some figures were simple, while others had detailed clothing, carefully shaped faces, and small parts that required steady hands to assemble.

A few mechanical toys could even move when their systems were activated.

For Cyrus, the shop offered a place to learn how such creations were made.

Ezra nodded slightly.

"So, with your study of the professor’s work, you plan to integrate AI into your toy crafting?"

He asked directly.

He did not bother beating around the bush.

He already knew about Professor Nine Declan’s research, particularly his study of Life and Death.

Considering Cyrus’s interest in that research and the fact that he was learning to craft toys, the connection made sense to Ezra.

Cyrus might be trying to create toys with advanced programmed features, allowing them to perform certain actions rather than remain ordinary figures.

However, Ezra’s use of the term caught Cyrus off guard.

"What is AI?"

Cyrus asked.

His expression changed from relaxed curiosity to complete confusion.

Ezra answered in his usual flat tone.

"Artificial Intelligence."

Cyrus tilted his head slightly to the left, blinking once.

The term was new to him.

He had studied many of the kingdom’s technology books, so he knew enough to recognize when someone mentioned an unfamiliar concept.

Yet, he could not recall encountering those two words together before.

He looked at Ezra again.

Artificial Intelligence.

Cyrus repeated the words silently in his mind.

He began to consider them separately.

Artificial.

That part was easy enough to understand.

It referred to something made rather than something that occurred naturally.

Alchemists created things through their knowledge and skills, so the meaning was not entirely foreign to him.

Then there was the second word.

Intelligence.

His gaze grew thoughtful.

The mind.

Cyrus looked at Ezra, and his expression slowly changed as the pieces began to fit together.

Oh...

His eyes widened slightly.

Is he talking about my idea of giving the toys I create a sense of intelligence in the future?

The realization made him look at Ezra with renewed interest.

He had been thinking about how he might develop his toy crafting beyond making figures that merely looked good.

The idea of giving them a system that allowed them to carry out certain actions was something he wanted to explore.

Ezra’s term offered a simple way to describe that direction.

"That’s actually a cool name to explain it."

Cyrus said with an impressive smirk appearing on his face.

Ezra lifted his cup and took another sip.

"I’m not the one who came up with the name, though."

He replied calmly.

Cyrus looked at him.

"Is that so?"

He asked.

His expression made it clear that he did not entirely believe Ezra’s words.

Still, he did not press the matter.

Instead, he leaned forward, placing both hands together on the table.

His earlier laziness gave way to curiosity.

"It seems you understand more about this field you call AI than I do. So, please, my Lady Ezra, would you teach me?"

He asked.

Cyrus’s eyes held a pleading look, and he leaned a little closer as though he were making a serious request.

The title he used was clearly meant to tease Ezra.

Ezra stared at him without changing his expression.

"I’m the one who should be asking you for assistance."

He replied plainly.

Cyrus’s smile paused.

Ezra continued before he could respond.

"You know more than I do about how toy crafters set up the Alchemy Systems that give toys a program system to perform actions."

He explained calmly.

His words were direct.

He was not trying to flatter Cyrus or make him feel better.

As far as Ezra was concerned, the knowledge needed to build and operate such systems was something Cyrus had been studying through his work.

Ezra might understand the idea behind artificial intelligence, but Cyrus was the one learning how to apply Alchemy Systems to toys.

There was a difference between understanding a concept and knowing how to put it into practice.

Cyrus stared at Ezra for a moment.

"Ehnnn."

He let out a playful, surprised breath.

The tour guide’s mind went blank.

He had been trying to follow the conversation from the beginning, but the two young nobles had moved into a subject he understood even less than their earlier discussion.

They spoke about AI, and the systems used by toy crafters as if they were exchanging ordinary remarks over tea.

The guide glanced from Ezra to Cyrus.

Neither of them seemed to realize how difficult their conversation was for someone outside their field to follow.

He lowered his gaze to his orange juice and took a quiet sip.

For now, he decided it was better to listen than to ask questions he might not be able to understand the answers to.