Geppetto - The Iron Doll

[Geppetto]
A craftsman who makes marionettes. Even though his lover died, he keeps her in his heart. His life goal is to make marionettes feel real emotions.
Legend of the Iron Doll Quest
Location: Near Bucharest

How are you, passing traveler!
My name is [Geppetto].
Well... I am just a technologist and in the past, I carved marionettes, little wooden puppets or dolls controlled by strings.
As I grow older and more feeble, I rarely craft them.
Fortunately, I am still able to repair broken marionettes.
~
I am sorry to trouble you but I am out of the [Doll Cogwheels] that go inside the wooden puppets.
Would it be possible for you to make me 20 Doll Cogwheels?

(Hint: Click on My Info - Skills - Quest Crafting to make Doll Cogwheels)

Thank you.
You are so kind.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

To be honest, I've always stared blankly at the people passing by here. I hold no interest in their matters as I know they have none in mine.
However, you have an optimistic, youthful aura unlike the others.
...
If you are in no hurry, would you please listen to my story?
Long ago, there was a young man living somewhere in Italy and a girl who watched him from afar.
They loved each other very much.
...
Understandably, the girl's parents did not approve of their relationship.
Why would any parent entrust their precious daughter to a person with no money and no future?
After much deliberation, the young couple defied the girl's parents and secretly moved to another town.
They lived a poor but happy life.
The man earnestly made a living by crafting and selling marionettes and his wife was content to be by his side.
Although they did not have much, the couple felt blessed to have each other...
~
Oh, it seems that I have run out of the wood I need to make good marionettes.
Please, bring me 10 [Slabs of Lumber]. You can get them from the market.

Thank you.
Wood is one of the most important materials for me.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

The story I was telling you earlier... Where was I?
Oh, yes. The bliss the young couple shared would not last long. One day, the girl suddenly fell ill and died.
Distraught with grief, the young man became despondent. He continued to make marionettes as the years passed, but his heart was empty of joy.
Well... That is just an ordinary old story.
~
Traveler, I've heard that stories written on parchment can be found in the mouths of [Black Striped Bats] and [Red Striped Bats] on the 1st floor in Bran Castle.
Would you bring me 25 of these stories to me?

Oh... You brought it. Thank you, adventurer.
I have to read it slowly.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

...
Oh no. It doesn't make sense.
~
...
Will you read this?

How... How...
How could this happen...

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

Where do I begin...
The story that I just told you was the story of my beloved wife and me.
She passed away several decades ago...
I don't understand. How is it possible that stories that only I know of are being documented like this...
I am sure this is my story regardless of how many times I read it.
Somebody must know about my wife and me...
But there shouldn't be anyone who knows about us here in Bucharest, not even about the Marionette...
What is going on?
~
Ahh... I heard that in [Bran Castle Jail] there are marionettes who can move under their own power. They're called [Iron Doll Warriors] and [Iron Doll Magicians].
If such things really exist...
If you happen to encounter these marionettes, please bring their [parts] to me. I might be able to figure out something if I examine them.

Welcome back!
...
So these are the parts...

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

The [Iron Dolls] really existed...
...
I can't believe it. Marionettes that can move without strings do exist!
Moreover... the parts inside of them were invented by me a long time ago.
It is strange that no one else can recognize these kinds of accessories...
I have never told anyone...
...
Oh!! Oh, no...
If someone knows about this, they must know about the other secret!!
I hid an important accessory for my last marionette in a secret place...
What will I do if someone took it!
~
Before she died, I promised my wife that I would make automated marionettes, a dream that belonged to her.
In order to make that dream a reality, I secretly hid the [Permanent Powersource].
Use this [map] to find it, then bring it to me.
Please... I hope it remains undisturbed.

Oh... You brought it.
What a relief. Thank heavens...
I almost broke my promise to my wife.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

I've wanted to build automated marionettes for a long time.
However, that proved to be no easy task...
It was difficult enough to use magic to create the [Permanent Powersource].
However, it was nearly impossible to make an autonomous marionette capable of forming its own thoughts and feelings.
Still... my wife believed in me.
She was on my side even when everybody else ridiculed and criticized me for chasing an empty dream.
I still remember how she used to surprise me with her warm embraces whenever I made marionettes...
Even now... If I close my eyes and imagine, I can see her smile.
No woman in all of [Milan] was more beautiful than her.
When she walked down the street, even children ran to hug her.
...
She always carried the fragrance of daisies...
~
Oh... I see blue skies in [Milan]. Though it's nearby, I still cannot bring myself to go back there...
...
Adventurer... could you go to [Milan] in my place?
It would ease the burdens of my mind.

Adventurer, you've returned. How was [Milan]?
Are the skies still blue?
...
The clear skies of my hometown... How I miss it very much.
After you left, I pondered over an issue that continued to bother me.
Who designed those little mechanic girls? How were they able to use the parts that I invented...?
After a great deal of thought, I found the answer.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

This seems unfathomable...
A steel girl made of parts that only I could make...
[Elizabeth]... This is her handiwork. She made those steel girls.
After thinking about it... I remembered that my wife would always watch me when I built my marionettes.
I still remember that day my wife suddenly became ill... She was lying on the kitchen floor.
She was so pale, as if the blood had been drained from her body. For several days, she remained unconscious.
All of the doctors were baffled...
No one knew how to cure my wife's illness.
Shortly after, she passed away, the rain drenching everything in sight...
I will never forget that day.
~
Could I ask a favor of you?
There is a large marionette deep inside the [Bran Castle Jail]. Get rid of it and then return to me. Please don't ask why.
The automated puppet is merely a shell... a terrible insult to my wife and me.

Thank you.
That was not the doll that my wife dreamed of creating...

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

In fact... There is a rumor that Contessa [Elizabeth] is a vampire. She stays young forever by sucking the blood of others.
I have heard rumors about this, but I cannot bring myself to believe them.
But... aside from my wife and me, no one in the world knows the inner workings of the puppet or its parts.
When [Elizabeth] drank my wife's blood and robbed her of life, she must have gained my wife's memories as well.
It is unbelievable... But it has to be true...
Perhaps my wife's memories caused [Elizabeth] to build those steel girls without even realizing it herself.
She promised that she would help me make living marionettes one day...
She never forgot... It was buried so deep in her heart.
The thing that Elizabeth made is only a souless shell of a puppet.
Her creations will never be considered a realization of the dreams I shared with my wife...
~
Traveler, would you please grant a favor for this old man?
[Elizabeth] lives in the [Secret Jail Room] in [Bran Castle].
Please... kill her for me.
It will be my last gift for my wife.

Thank you.
Now, my wife can rest in peace.
Contessa Elizabeth will never truly understand how to create a self moving marionette.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...

Thanks to you, everything is ready.
I've finally realized how I can create a moving marionette that has a mind and a soul.
Your expression is telling me that you are curious why I would devote my life to make a moving marionette with a mind.
My wife and I never had children.
She smiled whenever she watched the nearby children play their silly games.
But underneath that smile loomed a great sadness as she had no children of her own.
This will be a small gift to honor my dear wife's memory. I will raise it as my own child.
I've already named him [Pinoccio].
The name has no special meaning...
My wife simply dreamed of naming our future son [Pinoccio]. Haha...
~
Though he is a wooden puppet, I'll make him into a handsome boy with feelings.
He'll be indistinguishable from the other children, where he can go to school and make friends... A marionette just like a human being.
I would like to hear someone else call his name for a change...
Will you tell me his name, please?

Oh, these happy tears stinging my eyes...
Yes. [Pinoccio].
That is his name.
I will raise him to be a kind and well-mannered child.
...
Thank you. My dream finally came true because of your help.
On your journey...
I hope the sun will always light your path and that you will be blessed by prosperity.

Man needs only one love during his whole life...