| PN | System Mall | 7
The puppet enthusiasts' forum exploded.
It all started with a post by a user who uploaded a picture, prominently featuring a puppet made by Doctor.
Doctor's creations were always highly prized, and photos of them rarely made it out.
If the appearance of the small doll had not been announced before, many people would have missed this amazing picture.
Doctor's apprentice_3rd floor: 【Sob, truly worthy of Doctor's work, the craftsmanship is exquisite, not a hair's breadth different from a human!】
Rich lady look at me_4th floor: 【Sure enough, only wealthy people can afford such puppets. I envy that. This background is from an amusement park? Bringing a puppet to an amusement park?! Alright, I don't have a chance to understand the hobbies of wealthy people.】
Face Control Assault Team_5th floor: 【Sob sob sob, daily praise for Doctor, the puppet is extraordinarily beautiful. By the way, quietly asking, does anyone know the contact information of the boy in the photo? I'm just asking, I have no intention of asking him out...】
Go to bed and sleep_6th floor: 【Replying to the above, I've checked. He's the eldest son of the richest man. Need I say more? Want to ask him out? Just read my username first.】
Face Control Assault Team_7th floor: 【How can it be... Rich is one thing, handsome is another. Being both and also kind, even going out with his pet. Isn't this the husband I dream of...】
Night Owl Champion_8th floor: 【? What do you mean upstairs? Going out with pets? Is the puppet a pet? Are you crazy?】
Don't want money_9th floor: 【Hahaha, here we go again. Isn't a puppet a pet? If your brain isn't working, just donate it. Is a toy worth it? Idiot.】
...
The forum had been embroiled in endless debates over the status of puppets for a long time.
What started as a good-natured mocking thread escalated into a massive argument, spanning thousands of heated layers.
Eventually, the moderators stepped in and shut down the thread, bringing an end to the turmoil.
When Qi Chao returned home and checked the forum, the incident had already concluded without a trace, and he naturally had no idea that the photo of himself and Lan Luo was the cause.
Unaware, Qi Chao browsed the forum for a while before getting up to prepare to put the puppet to bed. He had learned a lot from the forum by now, and completely mastered the best schedule for puppets.
For instance, to maintain normal energy levels, it was best to synchronize the puppet's meal and rest times with those of humans.
A small amount of food in the morning and at noon would prevent the puppet from feeling sleepy.
For dinner, they needed over five hundred grams of high-energy stones, followed by bedtime three hours later, ensuring eight hours of continuous sleep, which was ideal for puppets.
This schedule was not much different from that of human children.
Qi Chao conscientiously aimed to be a competent guardian. As soon as it was time, he began urging the puppet at home to go to bed.
Lan Luo never argued with Qi Chao. He obediently nodded and then bounded upstairs, the deer antlers on his headband trembling with each step.
Watching Lan Luo's figure disappear upstairs, Qi Chao's heart softened. He didn't immediately follow, knowing his child was smart enough to change into pajamas and get ready for bed without his help.
Sure enough, about ten minutes later, when Qi Chao arrived at Lan Luo's bedroom, the puppet had already changed into pajamas and laid down on the bed obediently.
Qi Chao had initially planned to turn off the lights and go to bed himself, but when he caught sight of the headband on Lan Luo's head, he couldn't help but feel amused and touched.
The puppet really liked this deer antler headband, but as much as he liked it, he couldn't wear it all the time.
"You should take off the headband when you go to sleep," Qi Chao gently advised.
"I don’t want to," Lan Luo replied.
Covering himself with the blanket, Lan Luo gripped the headband on his head, his deep blue eyes watchful as he looked at Qi Chao. "The headband belongs to Lan Luo."
As if afraid Qi Chao might actually take it away, Lan Luo immediately buried his head under the covers, his stubbornness being similar to that of a human child throwing a tantrum.
Qi Chao chuckled softly and quietly took a photo of this scene with his Light Brain. He compromised, saying, "Alright, you can wear it. Just don't cover your head with the blanket or you won’t be able to breathe properly."
Puppets didn't need to breathe, but their energy operation still relied on air assistance, making this a unique form of "breathing."
Lan Luo pulled the blanket down slightly, revealing his two deep blue eyes, seemingly observing Qi Chao's reaction.
Qi Chao smiled openly, as if genuinely intending not to remove the puppet's headband. After wishing him goodnight and turning off the lights, he gently closed the bedroom door.
The room plunged into darkness.
Lan Luo lifted his hand to touch the deer antlers on his head, feeling somewhat satisfied.
Human children had these, and now he did too.
In the darkness, Lan Luo narrowed his eyes and decided to postpone his plan to "kill" Qi Chao for a few days.
This way, Father wouldn't be upset.
Meanwhile, since Qi Chao had promised not to remove the headband, he wouldn't go back on his word.
It was only ten o'clock, so he had no intention of sleeping. He went to the study, retrieved the character design sketch he had started earlier, and continued working under the lamp light.
Qi Chao's mental power was at the A-level, meeting the threshold required by puppet masters for mental strength.
However, this didn't mean he could start making puppets. If anything, the real challenges lay ahead.
With something weighing on his mind, Qi Chao found it impossible to concentrate on his design.
He decided to stop drawing, massaging his right wrist with his left hand to relax his muscles and bones, while inwardly calling out to the system's number.
【Has the host encountered any problems?】 The system had been comforting another host in the adjacent space, but upon sensing Qi Chao's call, it immediately crossed dimensions to his side.
Qi Chao couldn't help but admire the system's speed, and in his mind, he asked, "Does the Craftsman Bureau provide information for making puppets?"
The Association had banned all online resources related to puppet-making. Now, it was almost impossible to find useful information. Anyone wanting to learn puppet-making had to register and pass examinations at the Association.
From the forums, Qi Chao learned that puppet masters studying under the Association were required to serve for two to three years in voluntary work, during which any puppets they made belonged to the Association.
How could he agree to such terms? For him, handing over ownership of a puppet to the Association was akin to letting someone else take away his own biological child right after birth.
What parent could bear such a thing?
However, without access to the Association, relying solely on the limited online resources would not provide a systematic way to learn how to repair the cracks on Lan Luo's hands. Just thinking about it gave Qi Chao a headache.
【I'm sorry, Host, the Bureau does not provide free information.】 As soon as the system finished speaking, Qi Chao seized on the key point. "No free information means there's paid information available?"
【Yes, information can be provided through the System Market, but transactions require Craftsman Points. Currently, you have zero Craftsman Points.】
"How can I earn Craftsman Points?" Qi Chao had thought the road was blocked, but unexpectedly, there was a glimmer of hope. He felt a sense of relief.
【Upon initiating a side quest, completing each one will accumulate between one hundred to two hundred points.】 The system continued, adding, 【Typically, after a craftsman arrives in a dimension, the Bureau will issue side quests within a week. Your side quests are currently being generated, so there's no need to worry.】
According to regulations, the system should explain the marketplace and points rules to the host after issuing side quests, but this host was particularly diligent, so it introduced them early.
Within a week? Qi Chao calculated and realized there were still four days left.
Seeing Qi Chao silent with his head down and compared to the crybaby next door, the system couldn't help but interject: 【I advise the host not to pin all hopes on the System Market.】
【Side quests refresh weekly, with a maximum of two hundred points, but items in the market are quite expensive.】 The system almost directly warned Qi Chao about the market's potential pitfalls. Considering, it projected the market into the air, demonstrating its point with factual facts.
Qi Chao paused, staring at the transparent screen before him. It displayed items categorized by grade, each labeled with their respective prices:
C Grade Items
Starry Blue Hairband
【For puppets】500 points
Decorative Bandage Patch
【For puppets】600 points
...
A Grade Items
Complete Puppet Making Guide
【Essential for Puppeteers】10000 points
Completing side quests can earn a maximum of two hundred points per week, but even the lowest-grade hairband costs five hundred points.
Not to mention, that book costs a staggering ten thousand points! To acquire the Complete Puppet Making Guide, he would need to complete at least fifty tasks!
Qi Chao sighed inwardly, feeling like he had stumbled back into a time when his pockets were empty, over a decade ago.
His pen hovered over the blank sheet of paper, lost in thought.
Seeing Qi Chao deep in thought, the system knew to give him some space and discreetly shifted its attention to comfort the pampered host next door.
Relying solely on completing side quests to learn puppet-making was too slow, and the Association was not an option either.
Under the warm yellow light of his desk lamp, Qi Chao's deep brown eyes looked somber. He absentmindedly ran his hand through his slightly tousled hair and suddenly thought about his original owner.
The Qi family was a prestigious family, with Qi's father being the wealthiest man on Blue Star.
However, that wasn't the point. The crucial detail was the extensive library within the Qi residence. The original owner first learned about puppets from a certain book in that old mansion.
If that was the case, there must be methods for making puppets stored there. No matter how far-reaching the Puppet Master Association might be, they couldn't possibly extend their influence into the mansion of the wealthiest man on the Blue Star.
Qi Chao absentmindedly checked off a box on his paper with his pen. Even if there weren't specific methods, there were likely at least one or two useful sentences or clues. Anything was better than aimlessly wandering around with no direction.
He resolved to visit the old mansion again.
Pulling out his light brain, Qi Chao messaged the steward of the old mansion that he would be returning home tomorrow morning. He started to consider how to handle the original owner's family members the next day.
The original owner's parents had an arranged business marriage and separated shortly after the original host was born. Qi's father expanded his business on Blue Star, while Qi's mother ran off to another star system to build her own family with her true love.
Thinking about it, the original host was actually quite pitiable—a twisted, abnormal sort of pitiable, but Qi Chao felt no sympathy for him whatsoever.
The Qi family was currently small in number—Qi's father, the original owner, and Qi's two younger half-brothers from different mothers.
Qi's father was busy with business most of the time and rarely stayed at the old mansion. His two younger brothers were still in high school, and since tomorrow was a holiday, there was a good chance he would run into them.
However, Qi Chao wasn't overly concerned. The original owner presented himself as a model gentleman in public circles, despite harboring disdain and discrimination towards his two illegitimate younger brothers.
In the eyes of others, he appeared to be a caring older brother.
The two younger brothers were viewed by outsiders as rebellious troublemakers who stirred up trouble daily, but they secretly admired their older brother.
The three brothers maintained a good relationship on the surface.
In Qi Chao's eyes, despite the bad reputation of his two younger brothers, they were like innocent white rabbits compared to the original host.
Qi Chao, a well-experienced adult, was confident he could handle the two sixteen old boys.
As long as he didn't run into the original owner's astute father, everything would be fine.
Qi's father is a busy man, and hasn't been home in nearly a year.
Qi Chao didn't think he would be so unlucky as to encounter the big boss on his first visit to the old mansion.
After planning everything, Qi Chao went back to his room to sleep. The next morning, he informed Lan Luo that he would be temporarily leaving for a day.
He explained that he wasn't familiar with the old mansion himself and thought it best for Lan Luo to stay home and rest, rather than dealing with the uncertainties of bringing the puppet along.
Lan Luo's deep blue eyes curved into a crescent shape as he smiled and nodded. It was difficult to discern any reluctance in his expression, or perhaps the puppet truly felt none, given that the original host rarely returned to the villa in the past.
Lan Luo still wore the small deer headband on his head. Qi Chao refrained from patting the puppet's head and instead gently stroked the soft hair.
He got up and activated the projection screen for Lan Luo, speaking with a smile, "If you're hungry, go to the kitchen. I've prepared food for you. Be good and stay at home."
Having spent a few days together, Qi Chao knew Lan Luo was intelligent and didn't need to worry much. He was naturally carefree and didn't say much more after giving these instructions.
There wasn't much else to say, knowing he would return shortly. Qi Chao made up his mind that once at the old mansion, he wouldn't contact with the original owner’s family members.
He would head straight to the library, find the information he needed, and promptly return home. He estimated it wouldn't take too long.
However well he had planned, reality dealt him a heavy blow. Qi Chao stepped off the spacecraft, only to walk into the living room of the old mansion and come face to face with his father, whom he hadn't seen in nearly a year.
Qi's father, with stern lines on his face, sat on the sofa sipping tea. Not far away, Qi Chao saw his two younger brothers kneeling.
The two brothers had bruises on their faces, yet their expressions remained stubborn.
Near the coffee table lay shattered porcelain and glass, a scene clearly unfit for outsiders to witness.
Qi Chao silently withdrew one foot, but the next moment, he heard his father call his name.
Well then.
He was truly unlucky.
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