Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 178

 

| PN | Abilities | 178

In this household, the position of the world consciousness could be ranked to be at the very bottom.

For example, whenever someone rang the doorbell, the world consciousness would always be forced to lower itself and open the door.

I’ll make them pay when my power is restored.

Relying on this thought for comfort, the world consciousness opened the door with a dark expression, then turned back to sit beside the only one it found tolerable—Moss—to help braid the doll's hair.

The moment the secretary stepped in, all ten or so puppets in the living room, aside from the one who had led him inside, immediately stopped what they were doing and stared straight at him. 

The scene was a bit unsettling, and the secretary couldn’t help but shiver.

"May I ask if Master-Level Puppet Master Mr. Qi home?"

The secretary maintained a stiff smile while asking, inwardly puzzled as to why Qi Chao kept so many puppets. Although these puppets were exquisitely crafted, wouldn’t having so many in the house feel eerily creepy?

Moreover, the secretary couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the puppets were looking at him with murderous intent.

However, he quickly dismissed this absurd notion. "Human toys" couldn’t possibly want to harm him. With this thought, the secretary felt a twinge of regret.

If the converter device were still functional, these S-level puppets could have created countless ability users. What a pity it no longer exists.

The puppets in the living room didn’t immediately respond to the secretary’s words. They focused their gaze on the man, whose smile seemed strained, fully aware that he was a negotiator sent by the association.

"Please wait a moment. I’ll go get Dad."

Xiang Yue stood up, nodded at him, and turned to head upstairs.

Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi hadn’t hidden their plans. Everyone in the household, including the world consciousness, knew what the two were about to do.

Ever since learning that Qi Chao was going to the association, the puppets had been in a noticeably bad mood. Even Li Bai and Qiu Qiu, usually carefree, hadn’t shown any smiles—especially after finding out that Dad didn’t intend to take any of them along.

The only one who remained unchanged was the world consciousness, who still spent each day preoccupied with regaining its abilities.

"Alright."

The secretary nodded politely, restraining himself from showing disdain or contempt toward the puppets.

When Qi Chao descended the stairs alone, the secretary straightened his collar and offered a fawning smile. "Young Master Qi, long time no see. You’re as handsome and dashing as ever."

"Have we met before?"

Qi Chao feigned confusion.

The smile on the secretary’s face didn’t falter. It was perfectly normal for Qi Chao not to remember him. 

After all, according to what Qi Chao had previously expressed, he had no intention of joining the association. The secretary assumed this visit would likely end up being another waste of time.

"We’ve met once, but it’s been a long time, so it’s understandable if you don’t recall. I’m the secretary to the president of the Puppet Master Association. This time, I’ve come with a sincere invitation for you to join us."

Noticing Qi Chao’s brows furrowing, the secretary hurriedly added, "It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to join. We’d simply like you to take a moment to learn about our association’s policies."

As the secretary said this, he had already braced himself for Qi Chao’s refusal, just like last time.

To his surprise, after a brief moment of hesitation, Qi Chao actually agreed to his proposal.

Now it was the secretary’s turn to be bewildered. However, his confusion didn’t last long before transforming into overwhelming excitement. 

He looked at Qi Chao with sparkling eyes, so thrilled that his hands were trembling slightly. Qi Chao had agreed! 

This meant he actually had a shot at completing his task!

The association president—an irritable old man—was perpetually in a bad mood. If the secretary failed to complete this task, he’d undoubtedly face a harsh scolding. But now, it seemed that wasn’t going to happen at all.

With that thought, the secretary became even more enthusiastic as he explained the many benefits of the association. Seeing that Qi Chao was showing signs of being willing to sign a contract, the secretary even subtly hinted at the existence of ability users.

Revealing hints about abilities was something the president had authorized to lure puppet masters into joining them.

Having done this many times, the secretary had mastered the art of baiting without revealing too much. He ensured that neither the association’s nor the royal family’s secrets were exposed while still piquing the interest of the artisans.

As expected, after his well-crafted pitch, he successfully captured the interest of this wealthy young master. However, Qi Chao was even harder to fool than most.

"You’ll have to let me meet those ability users first," Qi Chao said, "before I consider signing anything."

The secretary hesitated.

To visit the ability base, one had to sign an agreement with the association. There had never been a precedent for visiting the base before signing.

"I’ll ask the president," he said through gritted teeth, turning to seek guidance.

Qi Chao was far superior to an ordinary master-level puppet master. Today, Qi Chao seemed to be in a good mood and had even entertained a lengthy conversation. 

If they missed this opportunity, who knew when they’d get another chance?

"Suit yourself," the young master said with a lazy smile, appearing entirely indifferent to the association’s proposals. It seemed as though he was merely looking for something to pass the time.

Seated beside him was a collection of exquisitely crafted puppets, lending an air of even greater extravagance to the scene.

When the secretary called the president via video, his tone unconsciously carried a bias. "President, Qi Chao isn’t interested in our association, but he does seem curious about the ability users. If we want him to join, we might need to reveal a little more upfront."

The president, who had just been reprimanded by the emperor over the ability user issue, was already in a foul mood. 

Upon hearing this, he paused to think, then replied, "Fine. Take him there, but before he enters, make sure he signs a confidentiality agreement."

The confidentiality agreement was tied to the ability of a specific person, which safeguarded the privacy of the ability base. Once Qi Chao signed it, even if he wanted to make the details about ability users public, it would be impossible.

The secretary’s face lit up with joy. He quickly nodded and returned to the living room to share the news with Qi Chao.

"Alright, since it’s settled, let’s go. I have things to do this afternoon and am on a tight schedule," Qi Chao said as he glanced at the smartwatch on his optical brain. His brow furrowed slightly, as though his afternoon agenda was genuinely packed, making it seem like carving out time for this visit had been a challenge. 

Nothing in his demeanor betrayed that his true goal was the so-called ability base.

The secretary, observing Qi Chao’s behavior, didn’t think much of it. Instead, he eagerly responded, "Understood! I’ll notify the people over there right away."

As he lowered his head to send a message to the base’s manager, he could still hear Qi Chao giving instructions to the puppets.

"Dad will take you all out to play when I get back this afternoon."

"Behave well and listen to your father while I’m away."

"Xiang Yue, go upstairs later and get your uncle to come down. Don’t let him stay holed up up there all day."

"Xing Yu and Agu, no fighting today, understood?"

As the secretary listened to Qi Chao’s nagging, he felt a sense of relief. After all, the ability base was the greatest secret of the association and the royal family. 

The more Qi Chao acted like this, the more it indicated that he was clueless about everything concerning the base.

The secretary clicked his tongue inwardly as he listened, thinking how Qi Chao really treated the puppets like children. 

But that would only last for now. Once Qi Chao witnessed the power of ability users, he would understand that the best place for these puppets was to serve the Empire.

Soon, Qi Chao left the villa with the secretary.

After they departed, Shen Yuxi descended from the second floor. Unlike usual, there was little trace of a smile on his face, a stark contrast caused by Qi Chao’s absence.

The world consciousness, which had been delighted by Qi Chao’s departure, suddenly felt a twinge of unease upon seeing the villain’s expression. 

For reasons it couldn’t explain, it didn’t dare to speak too loudly. Instead, it instinctively moved closer to Moss for a sense of safety.

"Ayu."

Shen Yuxi didn’t notice the subtle movements of the world consciousness. He paused briefly, tilting his head slightly to look at Ayu, his voice carrying a chill. "Ayu, is the surveillance in place?"

Standing nearby, Ayu adjusted the brim of her navy cap, revealing her finely chiseled chin, and replied coldly, "It’s all set, Father. You can rest assured."

This time, she had equipped the surveillance devices with flammable and explosive mechanisms. If her dad encountered any danger, she could trigger the devices to destroy the surveillance feeds and ensure his safety.

Unlike the other puppets in the house, who possessed formidable offensive abilities, Ayu lacked such powers. What she could do was provide remote support for her father through these small but crucial measures.

–

Meanwhile, Qi Chao followed the secretary to the association’s underground third level. Passing through high-tech gates, Qi Chao immediately noticed the temperature here was significantly lower than outside.

His gaze swept over the haughty-looking people around him, and his eyes darkened.

As the embodiment of the Mother Tree, he could clearly sense that the energy within these individuals bore the same origins as that of the puppets.

It was unmistakable—these people were successfully transformed ability users.

"Before observing their training, we’ll need you to sign a confidentiality agreement," the secretary said with a polite smile. "As you can imagine, the fewer people who know about this, the better."

"I understand."

Qi Chao nodded nonchalantly, appearing indifferent to the secretary’s words. He took the confidentiality agreement, glanced casually at the terms, and paused briefly as the pen hovered over the signature line.

The contract also contained energy that originated from the same source as the Mother Tree.

Qi Chao surmised that this, too, must be the ability of a specific user.

As his thumb brushed over the edge of the contract, the energy within the document seemed to sense him and eagerly approached, almost affectionately. Observing this, Qi Chao’s lips curved into an involuntary smile. 

Without any hesitation, he signed his name.

Seeing Qi Chao's signature, the secretary breathed a visible sigh of relief, his demeanor becoming even more enthusiastic and attentive.

"I’ll take you to the place where the ability users train. These activities wouldn't be possible without the help of the puppets," the secretary hinted vaguely.

Qi Chao responded with a casual "Mm," placing the contract on the table. He followed behind the secretary, and when the secretary wasn’t paying attention, he subtly moved his fingers. The energy attached to the contract quietly dissipated.

Since the amount of energy that dissipated was minimal, even the user of the confidentiality contract’s ability didn’t detect any anomalies.

Once Qi Chao confirmed that the energy could indeed dissipate, his lips curled into a slight smile, and the amusement in his eyes deepened.

When the secretary turned around and saw this smile, he assumed it was simply due to Qi Chao witnessing the ability users in action. 

This thought caused a wave of disdain to rise in his heart—after all, humans couldn’t escape their thirst for power. He redoubled his efforts to enthusiastically introduce the base.

The two of them arrived at the training room, standing in front of a transparent glass wall, observing the ability users train.

On the training platform, two people were facing off.

One of the ability users , with a slender frame, wore a proud expression as he recklessly attacked his opponent with wind blades. 

The other, though agile, was defenseless against the attack. Without any abilities of his own, he was torn apart by the wind blades, and after losing several layers of skin, he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

The ability user sneered and casually turned, walking off the training platform, leaving his bloodied opponent lying on the ground.

It was a match with a huge disparity in strength.

The secretary watched this scene with satisfaction, nodding approvingly. He eagerly commented, "This is a special training session focused on offense. This ability user is incredibly strong—he defeated his opponent in just three seconds."

Inwardly, Qi Chao couldn’t help but feel a bit sarcastic in his heart. 

Stealing the abilities of the puppets and then using them to flaunt power over ordinary people—was this truly strength?

However, outwardly, Qi Chao was still polite, nodding with a nonchalant expression. "Not bad. This ability user is quite strong."

The secretary didn’t catch the subtle sarcasm in Qi Chao’s words. His eyes brightened, and he quickly replied, "If you join our association, even if you want to become an ability user yourself, we have ways of making that happen."

Although there were some current issues, the president and the royal family would eventually come up with an alternative solution.

Qi Chao observed the secretary’s expression with a smile, then subtly moved his fingers again, concealed in his pockets.

As soon as the secretary saw Qi Chao's smile, he immediately felt confident and was about to press further. But suddenly, a sharp scream pierced the air.

"My powers... why are they gone?!"

The secretary's heart skipped a beat. He quickly turned to see that the one screaming was the man who had just been on the training platform.

The man’s face was filled with panic as he desperately waved his hands at the walls, trying in vain to activate his powers. No matter how hard he moved, his abilities wouldn’t respond.

"Why can’t I use my powers?"

The head of the ability users quickly rushed over, pulling the man aside, and the secretary, sensing the situation was urgent, started to move forward. However, he was also worried about Qi Chao’s presence, and under the circumstances, he could only stay in place.

"Is there a problem?"

Qi Chao, ever the perceptive one, spoke in a tone that suggested understanding. "It seems like this is quite urgent. You should go check on it first. I’ll be fine going upstairs by myself."

Hearing this, the secretary felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Grateful, he turned to Qi Chao and replied, "Alright, I’ll escort you out first. Once this situation is handled, I’ll come find you right away."

The disappearance of the ability’s powers was a serious issue.

If only one person lost their abilities, it might not be as problematic, but the real concern was that other ability users might also lose their powers.

Thinking about the stolen core of the converter device, the secretary grew even more anxious. Could the thief have done something with the core? 

No, he had to investigate immediately and report to the president.

In a panic, he hurriedly escorted Qi Chao to the spacecraft and then rushed back to the base.

Qi Chao, however, remained in the pilot’s seat, resting his chin on his hand as he watched the secretary’s retreating figure.

He hadn’t actually removed the ability user powers, he merely suppressing them temporarily, much like how he dealt with the world consciousness. This was just an experiment, but it had gone far smoother than expected.

Qi Chao moved his fingers, and if any puppets were present, they would have noticed that a green energy cluster from the association was steadily flowing into his fingertips.

As Qi Chao thought about how the ability user would gradually "lose" their powers, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. It seemed like it would be quite interesting.

At that moment, his gaze drifted to the right, where he noticed a nearby surveillance eye monitor. 

Instinctively, Qi Chao straightened up in his seat, careful not to give the children at home any inappropriate impression.

"I'm heading home now, you don't need to worry," he said, his voice casual.

He cleared his throat and added, "In the afternoon, our whole family will be going to the old residence. We just returned from Ganfen District, so it's about time we visit my father."

This statement wasn’t just for Qi Yang and the children; it was also for Shen Yuxi.

This would be Shen Yuxi’s first time meeting Qi Chao’s family.

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