Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 124

 

| PN | Pull out Feathers | 124

Although Agu was acting normally, Qi Chao still sensed that something was off. He looked down at Agu and asked curiously, “What happened?”

In a certain way, Qi Chao's intuition was quite terrifying.

“It's nothing,” Agu replied with a smile.

 At first, he had indeed been very angry, but when Qi Chao appeared, his anger dissipated.

Although it was hard to tell on the surface, Agu had always hoped to gain the attention of others. This was evident from his constant messages to Xiang Yue, notifying him that he would be coming soon.

Xiang Yue's failure to keep his promise meant that he did not care about Agu, which was also why Agu was angry. However, with Qi Chao's arrival, Agu was no longer upset.

He knew that Qi Chao was looking forward to his visit to the villa, and since Agu wanted to make a good impression in front of Qi Chao, he wouldn’t take action against Xiang Yue directly in front of him.

He turned to glance at Xiang Yue, his emerald green eyes slightly narrowed. Due to his father's arrival, Agu temporarily let him off the hook, but he still had not forgiven Xiang Yue.

Standing in the flower room, Xiang Yue was naturally aware of this. The dog ears on his head twitched slightly, and he felt a bit awkward inside.

Beside them, Lan Luo watched the two puppets with disappointment in his eyes. He had thought that Xiang Yue and Agu would actually get into a fight, so he could talk badly about the two puppets in front of his father. 

To his surprise, it ended so easily; it was really a letdown. 

Qi Chao, completely unaware of the situation with the children at home, stopped Moss, who was about to leave, and said, “I’ll prepare some snacks for your father and you. Stay for a bit; it will be ready soon.”

Moss, holding a plush toy, nodded upon hearing this and followed Qi Chao into the kitchen.

“Has your father been eating regularly lately?” 

Agu and the other puppets had gone to the living room, leaving only Qi Chao and Mos in the kitchen. 

“Yes, my father has been eating on time.” 

Moss's voice was hoarse. His father had only developed this habit after being with Qi Chao. In the past, Shen Yuxi might have eaten only one meal a day, mostly relying on nutritional liquids to meet his basic needs. 

“That's good,” Qi Chao said, handing Moss the freshly baked cookies and various colored energy stones. “These are for you, Ayu, and Chi Yao. I didn’t know if they were home, so I made some for everyone.”

Moss looked at the items in the paper bag and said in a hoarse voice, “I’ll pass them on to them.” 

Ayu and Chi Yao would probably be very happy to know that Qi Chao was still thinking of them. 

Among all the puppets created by his father, Moss only had affection for his two sisters. 

Qi Chao watched Moss and reached out to ruffle his hair. “How have you been lately? Is there anything that’s been bothering you?” 

Qi Chao received photos from Moss every day, and they showed various hairstyles that Moss had styled for the plush doll. From this perspective, it seemed like Moss was quite happy every day. 

“Nothing at all.” 

Moss looked up at Qi Chao, his lips moving slightly beneath the bandages. 

Unlike Agu, who enjoyed the trial grounds, Mos disliked them and was very averse to those hypocritical humans. 

However, thanks to the presence of the plush doll, his time in the trial grounds was no longer as unbearable as it used to be. 

He held his plush doll tightly and said seriously, “Moss hasn’t had anything to be unhappy about recently.”

“That's good to hear.” Qi Chao smiled, pausing for a moment before saying, “Once I take care of things here, I’ll go spend some time with you and your father.”

Going to Ganfen District to accompany them? 

Moss was taken aback for a moment, and the lips beneath the bandages curled up slightly, revealing a hint of joy. His father would probably be very happy if he knew that Qi Chao was coming over.

Moss really liked Qi Chao. He understood that no matter how cold and ruthless his father or Agu was in the trial grounds, they would completely relax and put away their fangs when they were with Qi Chao.

Qi Chao was their sanctuary.

Thinking about this, Moss nodded gently at Qi Chao. “Okay, I’ll come to pick you up then.”

Qi Chao casually ruffled his hair and chuckled, “Well, I’ll thank Moss in advance for that.”

Since he needed to deliver cookies to his father, Moss soon left. Qi Chao called a few kids in the house to help with the plates, and after finishing their meal, he called out to Qiu Qiu, preparing to take him for some tests.

When Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian were born, Qi Chao had also tested their levels, both of which were S-class. 

However, whether they had any special abilities remained to be determined.

The Double Mirror had once possessed abilities. 

However, Qi Chao had not yet discovered any signs of special abilities in Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian. In any case, special abilities were not important, and Qi Chao didn’t mind. 

“Are you going to test Qiu Qiu's abilities?” 

Agu now knew the name of the moth doll, and his dissatisfaction with Xiang Yue extended to Qiu Qiu as well, resulting in him having a less favorable impression of this puppet. 

Nevertheless, on the surface, Agu still responded enthusiastically to Qi Chao, his tone and demeanor remaining warm and eager. “Can Agu go with you?” 

“No.” 

Qi Chao lightly tapped his head. “If you go down there, Li Bai and the others will definitely want to join in. The basement isn’t very big, and there won’t be enough room for all of you.” 

It was manageable with one or two kids before. 

Now, with five or six coming at once, and given that the machines in the basement were quite large, the space would become even narrower once they were brought out. 

“I’ll let you know the results after I finish the tests.”

If it were in front of his father, Agu could throw a tantrum, making the other person feel annoyed and helpless enough to agree with him. 

However, looking at Qi Chao's smiling eyes, Agu hesitated for a moment and ultimately chose not to act that way.

“Alright then.” 

He paused briefly and said with a cheerful smile.

After Qi Chao left, only a few puppets remained sitting on the sofa in the living room. 

Li Bai and Lan Luo were whispering to each other, while Xuan Jian and Shuang Jian sat on the sofa in a daze. The paired puppets made Xiang Yue and Agu, who were sitting far apart, seem out of place. 

Agu leaned back with his hands behind his head, crossing his legs and glancing sideways. Xiang Yue was focused on scrolling through his holographic device. 

His dad was so nice. 

How could the puppets he made have such terrible personalities? 

It was really hard to understand.

Agu clicked his tongue and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. 

In contrast to the atmosphere in the living room, the vibe between Qi Chao and Qiu Qiu was quite relaxed. Qiu Qiu sat on Qi Chao's shoulder, her transparent wings fluttering gently behind her, dancing around and praising how high Xiang Yue could fly.

Qi Chao responded gently, his right hand gripping Qiu Qiu's leg to prevent her from falling.

The lighting in the stairwell was dim, and Qiu Qiu's wings flickered with a faint glow, outlining silver-white patterns that vaguely resembled the shapes of maple leaves, making them incredibly beautiful and hard to look away from.

When he originally crafted her wings, Qi Chao had deliberately added a special potion that emitted a weak light in darker conditions.

“Don’t be afraid, Qiu Qiu; it’ll be over soon.” 

Qi Chao placed Qiu Qiu on the testing bed and gently patted her head. “After we finish testing your level, we’ll go up to play with Xiang Yue and the others.”

“Okay!” 

Qiu Qiu smiled brightly. Like Li Bai, she loved making friends with other puppets. With Agu joining them today, Qiu Qiu was even more delighted.

Of course, if she knew that the smiling Agu had given her the nickname "moth", she might not think so highly of him.

Seeing that Qiu Qiu was in good spirits, Qi Chao felt relieved. He turned and walked over to the nearby screen, pressing a few buttons. The values displayed on the screen continuously increased, making Qi Chao's heart race.

Qiu Qiu's level was very important. 

If Qiu Qiu wasn't an S-class puppet, Qi Chao's journey to becoming a master-level puppet master would be prolonged once again.

The system in his sea of consciousness vaguely sensed the host's tension and became nervous as well. It lowered its voice to the minimum, anxiously watching the numbers on the screen. As soon as the values surged to the bottom line of S-class, it quietly cheered and then said:

【Congratulations, host! You have successfully created an S-class puppet and received 100 craftsman points, which have been credited to your account. Please check.】

After the system finished speaking, it realized that the host didn’t seem as happy as it had expected; he appeared to be deep in thought about something.

【What's wrong, host?】  

The system felt a bit confused.

【Nothing. I was just thinking about why the puppets I made are all S-class.】 Qi Chao replied silently in his mind.

This wasn’t him being modest; he was genuinely puzzled. According to the data, a puppet's level is influenced by multiple factors, and even if his mental strength was high, it wouldn’t guarantee that every puppet he created would be S-class. 

The process was unusually smooth.

Upon hearing Qi Chao’s thoughts, the system felt puzzled. Before it could comprehend, it noticed that the host had returned to normal, turning to the puppet to check on them.

So, the host isn’t planning to think deeply about it?

The system observed for a while in the sea of consciousness, confirming that the host did not intend to discuss it further, so it stopped pondering and continued writing the report.

In fact, Qi Chao wasn’t avoiding deep thought; he had already come to a conclusion. Since his Brother Shen also created S-class puppets, it seemed quite normal for his own puppets to have a higher level as well.

“Dad, are we going up?”

  

Qiu Qiu looked up at Qi Chao.

Qi Chao reached out to tuck the hair from her face behind her ears and used a nearby comb to style her hair into a new braid. He then said, “Just wait a few more minutes for Dad.”

Qi Chao got up and organized the necessary documentation from the machine next to him, sending these materials to the certification agency. 

If all goes well, the agency should send him a message by tomorrow morning.

“Is Dad ready?”  

Qiu Qiu flapped her transparent wings, curiously watching her father’s every move. Her platinum hair was styled into a princess braid, making her look particularly adorable.

“Ready.”  

As Qi Chao spoke, he smiled at Qiu Qiu. “Let’s go up.”

Qiu Qiu’s pointy ears twitched with excitement. “Can Dad play with Qiu Qiu later?”

“Of course.”

Qi Chao estimated that he wouldn’t have any other tasks for the time being, so he immediately agreed.

Qiu Qiu cheered, eager to share this good news with Brother Li Bai.

As Qi Chao left the basement, he had no idea how much of a stir his submitted certification materials had caused at the agency.

The certification agency was under the jurisdiction of the Empire, and the certification for master-level puppet masters was the highest level among them.

Upon receiving the certification submitted by Qi Chao, the head of the agency promptly handed the materials to the president of the Puppet Master Association.

“Is this a new master-level puppet master?”  

The president looked kindly at the head of the agency.

“Yes.” The head nodded. “Our personnel have reviewed it, and there are no significant issues. The materials submitted by the other party are all genuine.”

Generally speaking, the certification process for master-level puppet masters involves two steps. The first step is an online review, and upon passing the review, the puppet master can proceed to the agency for the second verification step.

The head of the agency submitted the materials to the association president during the first step to facilitate inviting them to collaborate with the royal family.

The president knew that recently, no puppet masters in the association were approaching the master-level standards, which meant that this puppet master undergoing certification was not a member of the association. 

This posed a problem.

If it were a puppet master from the association, it would be easier to negotiate. Convincing an external puppet master to join their plans would take considerable effort.

With this thought in mind, the president opened the kraft paper bag. When he saw the familiar name on the certification materials, his eyes narrowed.

Qi Chao?

The association president was momentarily taken aback, then felt it was somewhat absurd. In such a short time, he had already created five S-class puppets? 

Even if he produced one puppet every six months, he would still need to ensure that each puppet was S-class to reach such a level.

How high must this person’s talent be?!

“When did he give it to you?”  

“An hour ago.”  

So, the certification was sent today. The president found this even more incredible, feeling a hint of regret. He had previously considered having the vice president send someone to coerce Qi Chao into joining the association, but that plan was stopped by people from the richest man’s side. 

Not wanting to completely offend the richest man, the president had let the matter go. Now, he thought he should have been more assertive; if he had, the association could have gained an extremely capable puppet master.

This time, he couldn’t let Qi Chao slip away.

A master-level puppet master with talent surpassing Qing Yu! Even if he was unwilling to join the association, he must participate in the royal family’s plan.

The thought of how much assistance Qi Chao would bring to the royal family made the president instantly excited. He hurriedly got up and instructed his subordinate standing at the door, “Send an invitation letter to Qi Chenming. I want to meet him at ten o’clock in the morning three days from now.”

If the richest man disagreed this time, His Majesty the Emperor would be angry. He could easily figure out what to choose.

The head of the agency, watching the elderly president so excited, hadn’t reacted yet when he heard the president say, “Notify Qi Chao as soon as possible to let him accept the certification.”

Generally speaking, the online to offline review process takes seven working days. However, considering that the richest man was scheduled to meet with the president in three days, the head of the agency immediately nodded.

“Okay, I will ensure that his certification is approved within three days.” This way, it wouldn’t expose the relationship between the certification agency and the association.

The president was very pleased with his commitment, nodding and smiling.

The few people in the room were unaware that, in a gap on the bookshelf, a black eyeball rolled up and down a few times, closely observing them.

At the same time, Agu, who was sitting on the sofa, received a message from Ayu. Upon seeing that the association indeed intended to reach out to his father, he pursed his lips.

He then turned to find the chat interface with his father and sent a message: 【What should I do now? Should Agu take care of this old man directly?】

Shen Yuxi did not reply.

Agu knew that his father was online twenty-four hours a day. The lack of a response indicated that he was seriously considering the possibility of dealing with the president.

If his father were a bit calmer, he would skip this option, as acting directly would alert the enemy. It seemed that his father was really angry.

【For now, don’t act. Bugu over there will help Qi Chao resolve this matter. You don’t need to interfere; just protect Qi Chao.】

Agu’s bright green eyes narrowed slightly. After receiving the two-word reply, he immediately closed the screen and put the device behind him, turning his gaze to the suddenly seated Xiang Yue beside him.

“What’s up, Xiang Yue?”  

Agu smiled mischievously, though the smile at the corner of his mouth was somewhat stiff; he had just barely avoided letting the other see the screen of his device.

“It's nothing.” Xiang Yue paused for a moment before handing him one of his own black feathers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to break my promise. I just didn’t notice you had arrived at the villa. This is my apology gift.”

Xiang Yue really liked his own feathers. He had given the most beautiful feather to his father. If he hadn’t done something wrong, he wouldn’t have given Agu one of his own feathers.

Agu had helped with his plan. He had to be grateful.

Agu looked at the feather in his hand, then glanced at Xiang Yue’s serious expression, and suddenly felt a bit at a loss. 

This was the first time someone had apologized to Agu.

When Qi Chao walked in with Qiu Qiu, he saw this scene. Although he didn’t understand what was happening, the atmosphere was clearly a bit awkward. 

He paused for a moment, then thought for a bit before taking the feather from Xiang Yue’s hand and tucking it behind Agu's ear. “What game are you two playing? Feather pulling?”

The stagnant air was quickly broken. 

Agu seemed to receive some kind of signal and immediately returned to normal. He covered his ears and smiled cheerfully, “Yes, it’s very interesting!”

Feather pulling? 

Is it really that interesting? 

Xiang Yue didn’t understand, and even found it a bit frightening.

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