Scarlett Jennings looked somewhat surprised at Stella Gibson, "You play this too?"
"Of course, it’s a family tradition for us."
Stella stated this matter-of-factly.
Before Scarlett could understand the connection between BJD dolls and Mystical Sect traditions, she saw Stella suddenly pull out a one-sixth scale Lolita doll from her pocket.
Upon closer inspection, the doll actually resembled Stella a little?
"This is my daughter, Star."
As Stella spoke, she placed the doll on the table, then silently chanted a spell, her hands forming seals,
"Rise!"
With Stella’s soft command, Scarlett watched as the doll on the table slowly stood up. First, it moved its joints stiffly, then its movements quickly became smooth.
As Stella’s hand gestures changed, the Lolita doll gracefully performed a curtsy toward Scarlett.
"My little Star can dance too."
Stella spoke eagerly, showing Scarlett the doll dancing.
The little Lolita figure began with an elegant spin, but somehow it briefly stalled and turned into a zombie hop.
It quickly returned to normal dancing, then did a few more zombie hops.
Stella seemed a bit anxious, focusing intently on controlling the doll’s dance.
Scarlett watched silently until the end.
She seemed to have a hunch about what Stella meant by her family tradition.
...
Though Stella wasn’t actively involved in the doll community, she understood its dynamics, so Scarlett simply asked her to help inform her about it.
That evening, Scarlett received a doll from Azura Loomis along with one sent by Ianthe Lawson.
Scarlett had Stella help her inspect both dolls.
The hair on Azura’s doll, as Dashiell had mentioned, was indeed made from human remains, and unlike regular wigs which can be replaced, this custom doll’s wig was fixed in place.
Stella remarked,
"A legitimate doll society wouldn’t use human hair. Truth be told, collecting human hair is much harder than that of the living."
As she spoke, Stella’s face showed a hint of a frown, then she continued,
"But I know there are secret doll shops overseas that thrive on gimmicks like dolls made from human bodies, such as human skin or skulls for collections. I think your doll resembles those types of collectibles a bit since, after all, human hair is part of the body."
Initially, Scarlett was interested to see if the doll made with human hair had any special purpose.
Since it’s widely known that objects containing human remains are easier conduits for evil techniques.
It was startling to hear there are people with such niche collection hobbies, leaving Scarlett uncertain about Azura’s intentions.
But regardless of what it was, Scarlett found Azura to be a bit twisted.
Whether Azura was an off-kilter innocent or just an average pretender, Scarlett didn’t concern herself.
For now, Scarlett confirmed that Azura’s doll at home didn’t harbor any sinister energy.
Not dwelling further on the student’s situation, Scarlett quickly arranged her leave and headed to the filming location for episode five to join the other guests.
This time, the filming location was at a famous film studio town near Sea City.
When Scarlett and the other guests arrived on-site, they were a bit caught off guard.
Because, technically, this episode’s filming location was a movie set.
The crew for "Prosperous Age," currently shooting a historical drama, and the leading actress of the show, was none other than their show’s sixth new guest, Ianthe Lawson.
[So what is this situation? Filming and streaming simultaneously?]
[I thought it was strange how fish agreed to join a variety show while filming? Looks like the show’s planning something big.]
[Are they really going to stream while filming? Wow, just imagining it is exciting!]
Sensing the guests’ and the live audience’s confusion, William Zeller timely explained to everyone.
"This is the situation, due to specific reasons, our fifth episode needed to be filmed at the film studio. In this episode, our guests will participate in the shooting as special extras."
William raised his voice slightly, delighted,
"Meaning for the next two days, our six guests will act as extras in the crew while simultaneously live streaming! Isn’t it exciting? Isn’t it thrilling?!"
Once he finished, the five guests stood there expressionless, looking at him.
William’s mouth twitched, so he forced a cough, trying hard to relieve the awkwardness.
"Ahem, the reason for choosing the ’Prosperous Age’ crew’s filming site is due to some recent unnatural and bizarre events that have occurred there. Specific details will be explained by our new guest shortly. Having our guests participate as special extras is to ensure they can freely move around the set with suitable roles, and the production team has agreed to fully support our live broadcast endeavors."
As he spoke, he didn’t forget to look at Sebastian and the others, adding, "The detailed arrangement has already been privately confirmed with your respective agents, so you can participate with peace of mind."
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