Puppet Notes (Wearing Book) - 214

 

| PN | Rest of My Life | Extra 4 | 214

Moss is the oldest puppet.

No matter how well Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi maintained Moss's condition, they could not prevent his death.

When Moss's skin cracked and exposed the two repairs on his mental threads, Qi Chao knew that he and Shen Yuxi could no longer keep Moss here through repairs.

This was the tenth year since the establishment of the Alliance.

For an S-rank puppet, Moss's age was considered long-lived.

"Are you tired?"

Shen Yuxi stood by the bed, looking down at Moss, who was lying there. At this point, Moss had removed the bandages wrapped around him, and his fingers, covered in scars, gripped the equally worn-out stuff doll.

"A little."

Moss's voice was a bit hoarse, like a knife scraping across a wooden board. He looked up at his father, a smile forced onto his scarred face.

It wasn't until he was close to passing away that Moss completely let go of the past and no longer cared about his appearance.

Shen Yuxi responded with a hum.

His blonde hair hung down to his shoulders. After spending several years with Qi Chao, Shen Yuxi still looked as beautiful as before. He slightly lowered his head, his fair fingers gently brushing Moss's forehead. "Sleep, I'll wake you up soon."

Moss nodded, but his black eyes remained open. After a moment, he asked, "Where's Dad?"

"In the basement."

Shen Yuxi withdrew his hand.

"When you wake up, you'll see him."

Moss had never doubted his father, but perhaps the loss of energy left him feeling uneasy. He pressed his lips together, tightened his grip on the worn-out doll, and rasped, "Okay."

Moss was the most worry-free doll.

Shen Yuxi watched the black-haired puppet on the bed close his eyes. His blue eyes dimmed slightly, and he turned to leave the room.

Xing Yu was waiting outside the door.

The other puppets had missions and wouldn't return until later in the evening.

"Take care of Moss."

"You don't need to tell me."

Once Shen Yuxi's figure was out of sight, Xing Yu muttered something under his breath, pushed open the door, and fell into silence.

Originally, he thought he could watch the death of a puppet with cold indifference, but when the day truly arrived, he felt a heaviness he couldn't quite describe.

Xing Yu sat at the bedside, looking at the only friend he truly acknowledged—Moss.

Moss shouldn't leave them.

How could he bear to leave?

He recalled what Qi Chao had said before—that he would have a solution. But even as a world consciousness, Xing Yu couldn't bring a puppet back to life. He didn't believe that Qi Chao's method would really work.

However, Qi Chao was the incarnation of the Mother Tree.

Since he said he could, maybe he really did have a way?

On the other side, after leaving the room, Shen Yuxi went directly to the basement where Qi Chao was.

At that moment, Qi Chao was busy with some kind of liquid.

Shen Yuxi didn't disturb him. Instead, he put on a pair of white gloves, took out a scalpel, and sat down at the workbench, continuing to refine a puppet shell that was nearly finished.

The two of them never allowed the puppetsto enter the basement.

Therefore, the children at home only knew that their father and dad had been busy with Moss recently, but they didn't know the specifics of what they were doing.

If the puppets entered the basement, they would see that the puppet on the workbench was nearly identical to Moss, the only difference being that this puppet didn't have the scars on Moss's face.

"Moss might die tonight."

Shen Yuxi paused before continuing, "I told him earlier that when he opens his eyes, he will see you."

"I understand. I will be there."

Qi Chao placed the vial aside and smiled.

"How's it going on your side, Brother Shen?" Qi Chao asked, his gaze turning to the puppet on the workbench.

"Mm, it's finished."

Hearing this, Qi Chao let out a sigh of relief. Shen Yuxi had obsessive tendencies when it came to puppet-making, striving for perfection, which had caused Moss's new body to take nearly a year to complete. 

Fortunately, they had managed to finish it just in time.

Of course, Qi Chao also liked Shen Yuxi's meticulous attitude.

"How's everything on your side?" Shen Yuxi tilted his head slightly.

Qi Chao shook the test tube in his hand, smiling as he replied, "It should be fine now."

Though he said that, it was their first attempt, and no one knew whether the results would turn out as they hoped.

If it succeeded, Moss would continue living with them. If it failed, they would have to accept the reality of Moss's departure.

Qi Chao had a more open view of this matter. In his previous life, no matter how well he maintained a puppet, there was always a day when it would break. But being open-minded was one thing, accepting it was another.

"If this works, should we expand this business in the shop?" Shen Yuxi suddenly asked, looking at Qi Chao.

Qi Chao paused for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head and replied, "No need."

In essence, even if Moss successfully transferred to a new body, this method was only applicable to their own children. It wouldn't work for other puppets.

According to the Mother Tree's inheritance, in order to preserve the memories of a puppet that has lost its vitality, the puppet master must create a new body and weave mental threads, incorporating both the puppet master’s spiritual power and the Mother Tree's spiritual power.

Under these conditions, only Shen Yuxi and Qi Chao could meet the requirements.

Shen Yuxi, after merging with Qi Chao, had his spiritual power already integrated into his sea of consciousness.

Furthermore, due to their bond as partners, he had successfully formed a life-and-death pact with Qi Chao’s long life span, which allowed him to fulfill the conditions.

As for Qi Chao, being the incarnation of the Mother Tree, he naturally met the requirements as well. However, using this method to revive other puppets was not possible.

Not to mention, even with Qi Chao, who was fully qualified, there was no certainty that he could save Moss.

"Yesterday, Li Bai and the others were all sleeping in Moss's room," Qi Chao said, laughing lightly. "That hypocritical guy, Agu, even said he wanted to stick with Xiang Yue, not because he was worried about Moss."

Shen Yuxi chuckled at this too.

"Moss is very popular."

Who wouldn't like Moss?

Qi Chao thought to himself as he casually poured the liquid from the test tube into the fish tank. 

This was vitality liquid prepared with spiritual power.

If Moss couldn't hold on tonight, they would have to remove his withered heart and place it into the vitality liquid.

For a moment, the basement was filled with the sound of clinking and clanging.

They had been preparing for a long time for Moss.

Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi had designed many plans, rehearsing them dozens of times. As leaders in their field, they were experts at this, and rehearsing the process once was enough. But to ensure that everything went perfectly, they still went through the motions.

Keeping track of time, the two of them headed upstairs. At that moment, Xing Yu was still in the room, guarding Moss.

When the two of them came upstairs, Xing Yu realized what was happening. He didn't say anything and moved aside.

Moss, who had been sleeping in bed, was still in a deep slumber. But as soon as his father and dad stood by the bed, it seemed like he sensed something, and he slowly opened his eyes.

It was clear that Moss wasn't in a good condition. His once deep black eyes now seemed a bit lost and confused.

When he saw his father and dad, Moss tried to smile weakly, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

He was happy. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw his father and dad. Moss wanted to express his joy. 

He wanted to tell them that he knew they had been busy for him, and he didn’t want them to be so exhausted. Even if he truly fell into a deep sleep, it would only be a return to the Mother Tree. 

He didn’t want them to be too sad.

However, before he could speak, Qi Chao, who had guessed what Moss was thinking, interrupted him. He gently raised his hand and stroked Moss's head.

"Don't think too much," Qi Chao said softly. "Dad and Father want to spend the rest of the time with you. We won’t let you leave, Moss. Be good, don’t be afraid."

Just a simple sentence.

Moss's throat tightened with emotion.

He didn’t want to leave Dad and Father either.

There were still so many things he wanted to do. Moss wanted to keep braiding his stuffed dolls' hair every day, wanted to keep picking up his younger siblings and taking them home, wanted to continue saying "good morning" to Dad and Father. 

Even though it was time for him to go, he didn’t want to leave just like this.

Under the gaze of Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi, Moss's lips trembled. He gripped the hand of the nearby stuffed doll and rasped out a soft "Mm."

"Sleep now. After a good rest, everything will be okay."

Shen Yuxi, watching Moss’s weary expression, crouched down and spoke gently.

Until this moment, Shen Yuxi had worn his calm and gentle mask, never showing any negative emotions. Of course, only Qi Chao knew that, in the dead of night, Shen Yuxi would always quietly come to Moss's bedside to check on his condition.

Shen Yuxi loved his children deeply.

Qi Chao didn’t say anything else. At the final moment, when it was nearly time, he gently tapped Shen Yuxi's shoulder.

Xing Yu, standing to the side, quietly left the room and stood guard outside the door, to prevent any puppets from interrupting the procedure once they returned.

Time passed slowly, and as the puppets who had gone out on missions began to return, the hour hand circled halfway around the clock. Xing Yu's mood, which had been calm at first, gradually grew more anxious.

The usually loud Li Bai and Lan Luo were so quiet they seemed like completely different people. Qiu Qiu sat on a small stool, looking wilted like a rain-soaked eggplant, and even Agu, who usually took every opportunity to mock Xing Yu, remained unusually silent.

It was hard to tell how long it had been, but finally, the door opened.

Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi stepped out, and the puppets standing outside quickly stood up. Their gazes immediately passed over the two adults and were directed toward the room.

Inside, sitting on the bed was a puppet with no scars on his face and no bandages wrapped around him. He was holding Moss's favorite stuffed doll on his lap, quietly braiding its hair.

As if sensing something, the black-haired, black-eyed puppet looked up. He paused for a moment, then addressed the ten or so puppets outside the door: "Wait until I finish braiding this doll's hair, then I'll talk to you."

The puppets, including Xing Yu: …

Moss had been reborn after a long sleep.

However, after this, he was no longer able to appear in the Alliance. Instead, he went to help out at Qi Chao and Shen Yuxi's shop and no longer continued working in the Alliance.

The Alliance had now officially gotten on track.

In the Enforcement Squad, in addition to the group of S-rank puppets like them, there were many other puppets of the same level. Even if their own puppets only visited once a week, it wouldn't have much of an impact.

"Who sent the message?" Shen Yuxi asked when he heard the beep from Qi Chao's light brain.

"Qi Yang," Qi Chao replied with a chuckle. "He says he's recently built a time-space spaceship and wants to pick us up to go on a trip sometime."

Shen Yuxi raised an eyebrow at this.

Qi Chao laughed lightly. "Going on a trip right now is a bit unrealistic, but we can consider it in a year."

This was mainly because of his three students. 

If he were to leave, he would definitely take all his children with him. But the top military strength of the Alliance's Enforcement Squad was composed of his children. 

They could leave for a week, but they couldn't stay away for too long, or it might cause some turmoil.

But it wouldn't be long now.

Qi Chao thought to himself that, at most, it would take another year. By then, things should be about ready. If necessary, he could have his students take on a bit more responsibility.

At the same time, the three students still busy with their duties in the Alliance each shivered collectively.

Did she catch a cold? Guo Li sniffed. Probably not, but she had a bad premonition.

It had to be said that her sense of premonition was right.

It was a whole year in advance.

One year later, when Guo Li and the others received a message from their teacher about requesting a leave for the puppets: …

Puppets on Blue Star were a truly unique species.

They were born from human hands, yet they were different from mere tools, possessing intelligence.

At first, people treated these puppets as tools to be sold. Because of their appearance and simple personalities, the high-priced puppets were highly sought after. 

Puppets with delicate, beautiful exteriors, and the potential for special abilities, especially S-rank puppets, were in even higher demand.

Later, the Alliance was established.

For the first time on Blue Star, there were laws to protect and respect puppets. After that, with puppet representatives stepping into the human political sphere. It was the first time humans saw puppets as equals, recognizing them as beings with value beyond just their utility.

"Is this the tree in the Alliance that can extend the lifespan of puppets?" A girl wearing glasses curiously looked at the small, ordinary tree across the glass. "How did they discover it?"

"Mm, remember that superman store manager? I heard he’s the one who created it," a man of similar height to her responded with a smile. If you looked closely, you’d notice the circular joints on his body.

"Where is he now?"

"He spends every spring in the Ganfen District treating puppets. The rest of the time, no one knows. It's such a pity. If only the first generation of puppets from the Enforcement Squad were still around. They were the strongest generation."

The male puppet spoke with a hint of nostalgia. Without the Alliance and those puppets, they wouldn't have the freedom they have now.

The Alliance and the Enforcement Squad were the first lessons for all newly awakened puppets. 

No one knew where the original Enforcement Squad puppets were now. But based on the lifespan of puppets, they might have long since passed.

What the two were discussing, however, was unknown to them: the very puppets they spoke of were currently aboard a time-space ship, traveling across the vast universe.

Qi Chao took a sip of orange juice, wondering how tall the branch of the Mother Tree he had placed in the Alliance was growing now.

Beside him, Shen Yuxi, wearing sunglasses, lazily reclined in a lounge chair, his gaze drifting through the glass at the dazzling stars. Noticing Qi Chao’s movement, his fair fingers nudged Qi Chao.

Qi Chao chuckled and passed the orange juice over to Shen Yuxi. Forget it, it's fine. They'll be heading back in a few days anyway.

"And the kids?" Shen Yuxi asked lazily.

"They're playing games," Qi Chao replied.

Surprisingly, after changing their bodies, his children had all reached SSS rank. To Qi Chao, levels weren’t really that important. Other than the improvement in their physical condition, there hadn’t been much change in them.

But just because they had better bodies didn’t mean it was an excuse for staying up late playing games with Qi Yang!

As he spoke, Qi Chao also put on his sunglasses and lay down, joining Shen Yuxi in stargazing. 

After a moment, he added, "After this, we can't let them play games every day. We’ll have to teach them some discipline."

But life was long, and there was no need to rush. For now, it was more important to enjoy the stars and the galaxy.

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TL: This is the last extra (╥﹏╥) , when I started tl this extra the first couple of sentences made my heart drop, but I’m glad that the puppets are basically immortal lol 

But I wish that the author would have at least written about Elliton’s reunion with his puppets. It would have made it longer to tl but it would have been worth it ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

I also wanted to thank you guys for sticking around and reading this far! I’m glad everyone enjoyed reading this novel like I did, I currently have no idea what novel to tl next but it definitely going to be shorter that this novel lol, so I hope to see you guys next time~

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