Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 31

 

| PN | Plush Doll | 31

Although the system had heard from the higher ups at headquarters that the demonic puppets in this world were terrifying beyond measure in the later stages, each time it encountered them, the system was filled with dread. 

Yet, it had never witnessed their abilities firsthand.

Tonight, it got a full taste of their power.

Twisted spatial vortices, like grotesque monsters with gaping maws, occupied the bedroom. If anyone tried to touch these vortices, they would be shredded into pieces within two seconds, reduced to a puddle of blood.

The thick, bloodthirsty black mist swirling in the bedroom was cold and eerie. Just one glance would make someone feel as though they were descending into hell, filled with a sense of doom. As the black mist permeated the room over time, it somehow bypassed the host, as if the master of the mist was aware of its destructive power and was afraid of accidentally killing the fragile human.

Two such powerful monsters? And there were actually two of them?!

The system spent the entire night huddled in the host's sea of consciousness, going nowhere. It thought that since the two puppets went berserk and lost their minds, if they accidentally killed the host, it would just have to bring the host's body back to headquarters.

The golden coffin had been sitting in its office for nearly two weeks. The system pondered the coffin finally being put to use and couldn't decide whether to feel sorry for the host or be pleased that the money hadn't been wasted.

However, the system was ultimately disappointed. The two demonic puppets didn't end up fighting, as dawn approached. Instead, they left the bedroom before the host woke up.

The system was silent for a few seconds before greeting the awakened host with a "Good morning."

Qi Chao, accustomed to the system's sudden appearances, smiled and returned the greeting. He then walked to his desk, his expression puzzled. "I thought I left the doll in the corner of the desk yesterday?"

The system remained silent.

Yes, you did leave it in the corner, but that bandaged weirdo puppet decided to move it to the center of the desk, seemingly unconcerned about whether you would notice.

Qi Chao typically paid no attention to such matters and soon forgot about it.

Seeing the host's indifference, the system didn't know whether to be relieved that the host was carefree or to feel sorry for his apparent obliviousness.

Since he had promised the doctor to show him the plush doll first, Qi Chao, after freshening up, took the plush doll and went to the doctor's room.

"It's very cute," Shen Yuxi said with a smile.

The plush doll was indeed adorable, the kind of cuteness that would appeal to seven or eight-year-old girls. It had blue eyes, long hair, and soft, blushing cheeks, with a shy and gentle smile.

However, Shen Yuxi didn't think the plush doll resembled him much. He looked down at the doll, slightly larger than his hand, and pinched its braid. The fabric didn't feel as silky as real hair but was instead soft and fluffy, making it pleasant to touch.

Shen Yuxi didn't find the plush doll particularly similar to himself.

Qi Chao smiled at the doctor's comment. "As long as it's cute, that's all that matters."

After all, Shen Yuxi was quite gentle and cute himself, so receiving this compliment meant the doll did resemble him somewhat. 

Shen Yuxi was unaware of Qi Chao's thoughts. If he knew, he might have taken back his compliment.

"When are you planning to give this doll to Moss?" Shen Yuxi asked politely, looking up at Qi Chao.

Qi Chao thought for a moment. "Tonight. I still have something to take care of."

"Something?" Shen Yuxi was puzzled. "Is there anything else you need to prepare?"

Qi Chao nodded, somewhat vague in his response. "I need to express my previous apology."

An apology? Isn't the doll enough?

Shen Yuxi looked at the man in front of him, then lowered his head, brushing the doll's hair with his hand. This person was really strange.

Shen Yuxi didn't press further. Even if he didn't ask, Moss would later inform him of everything that had happened.

The doctor couldn't have guessed that the reason Qi Chao hadn't directly given the doll to Moss was that he felt a doll alone might seem insincere. He planned to write Moss a letter to accompany the doll, making the gesture more formal.

However, the last time Qi Chao had written a letter was in his second year of high school when he wrote a self-criticism. This time, he barely got past the opening before getting stuck.

He decided to go to the basement to work first, figuring he would think about the letter later.

Today's task was to assemble the puppets and stretch its limbs. Qi Chao was about to take the box out of the glass cabinet when he heard his communicator on the table buzz.

Setting the box down, he opened the communicator to find a message from the Puppet Master Association.

A day earlier, Qi Chao had sent his personal information, including photos of the awakened mother stone, to the association's website to register for a competition. This notification informed him that his entry had been approved.

According to the competition rules, the official competition would start in three months.

Perhaps because the Association's competition is approaching, on the puppet enthusiasts forum, someone posts about the competition almost every few minutes.

Qi Chao scrolled through the posts for a while. Most of the content was creating anxiety about the competition, but there were also many points worth noting.

For example, the participant with the highest comprehensive score can win the competition. The so-called comprehensive score includes audience ratings, which means that dolls with higher popularity among the audience are more likely to receive high scores.

Without exception, the champions of the previous few sessions were all Puppet Masters with high online popularity. Their puppets attracted attention even before they were born.

If Doctor participates, not to mention how many points the judges from the Puppet Master Association can give, the fans of Doctor online could boost the audience rating first.

Qi Chao, a relatively unknown puppet maker who has just entered the industry, is unlikely to achieve high audience ratings.

Most of the discussions on the puppet enthusiasts forum revolve around this topic. Many of them are professional doll makers. It's also unclear why these doll makers don't go to the Association's forum but come to this non-professional forum to join in the fun. 

However, this point is not important. Qi Chao swiped his fingers a few times and continued reading the posts.

Digital Kang Kang_31st floor: [ Accumulating fans now is unrealistic. It's better to go live for a while if you have the time. Endurance is more realistic. Every additional fan counts.]

Tao Lu Lu_32nd floor: [ What 31 bro said is right. If I livestream for a few more hours, I wouldn't be so worried now. I didn't stream for a couple of days, and when I checked today, all my fans were gone.]

Ranking Gouge_33rd floor: [Livestreaming is really annoying. The barrage of messages is overwhelming. I don't even want to livestream anymore. When can we cancel audience ratings!!!]

Finished Fooling Around_34th floor: [ Can someone send me an anonymous livestream account?]

Skip Skip Skip_35th floor: [ Sent, you're welcome.]

...

Qi Chao flipped through the posts from beginning to end and finally understood the ins and outs of the situation. In summary, the Puppet Master Association had restricted access to all online puppet-making information. 

However, where there's a will, there's a way. In order to attract fans and achieve good results in the competition, a master-level puppet masters created a livestreaming software.

Before each competition, puppet makers would reopen the livestream to attract fans' attention, thereby increasing the competition's audience ratings. Since the organizer of this initiative had connections with the upper echelons of the association and only livestreamed during this period, the association turned a blind eye and did not forcibly shut down the livestream rooms.

Of course, if someone were to continue livestreaming puppet making after the competition, the association would surely enforce a ban. This was also why Qi Chao couldn't find relevant livestreams online before.

Qi Chao thought for a moment, copied an anonymous livestream account, and clicked to enter.

Inside the livestream room, a woman wearing a mask was explaining the process of making a puppet. She held a puppet's joint in her hand, spoke clearly, and gave detailed explanations. The comments in the chat were harmonious.

Qi Chao glanced at the number of fans in the livestream room: nine thousand. Not a huge number, considering it was daytime, but having such a fan base meant the woman was definitely not an unknown doll maker.

Sure enough, the next moment, a series of introductions scrolled across the screen: "Association Level One Puppet Master."

The levels of puppet masters in the association were clear: Special Grade, Level One, Level Two, descending to Level Six.

Level One Puppet Master was impressive, and there were many such skilled individuals in the association. Suddenly, Qi Chao felt a sense of pressure.

He pursed his lips, exited the light brain, and placed an order online for a batch of livestreaming equipment.

In the past, he would have focused on studying dolls and improving his skills rather than streaming to gain traffic. But now was an extraordinary time.

To win the competition, having fans was indispensable. Accumulating a massive following like Doctor's within three months was clearly impossible. However, as someone mentioned in a previous post, every single fan counted—a single additional follower would at least elevate his scores.

After placing the order, Qi Chao shut down his light brain and resumed his work on the puppet, only stopping when his alarm clock rang at six o'clock.

Still a bit slow.

Qi Chao frowned slightly as he looked at the puppet already assembled on the table. He knew this speed was already quite fast. Pushing it further could not only strain his body under the pressure but also compromise the quality of his work.

He reminded himself not to rush. Looking up at the red mother stone in the fish tank, he reached out to touch the red crystal, silently telling himself: Patience is key. No matter what, the quality of the puppet's body must be ensured.

Whether it was his imagination or not, the red crystal under his touch seemed to be warmer.

Qi Chao considered it might be due to his prolonged work, causing his hands to warm up. He pressed on his slightly sore wrist and turned away from the basement.

Returning to the living room from the basement, despite having walked fewer than a hundred steps, Qi Chao felt much more relaxed. The urgent tension he had felt dissipated gradually upon seeing the three figures sitting on the sofa watching cartoons.

Doctor had already prepared dinner in advance, warming Qi Chao's heart. After eating, his previous worries seemed to vanish. Sitting on the sofa, he watched the animation on the projection and, for the first time, didn't find it so bad.

In contrast to Qi Chao's contentment, Moss kept fidgeting with the bow on his wrist.

Why hadn't Qi Chao given him the doll yet?

Moss was feeling irritated, considering the doll was already finished yesterday.

On the side, Lan Luo kept swinging his legs, seeming to find the situation quite entertaining.

Wasn't he going to give it to himself?

Moss gave Lan Luo a cold glance, then shifted his gaze to the bow on his wrist, continuing to nervously fiddle with the bandage, his dark eyes unsettlingly large.

Was the plush doll not going to be given to Moss after all?

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