The lively dinner came to an end for the time being. The caravan members filled their stomachs with ale and roasted meat before leaving the inn contentedly, ready to head home for a good night’s sleep.
The dampening words planted a thorn in everyone’s hearts, and Xie Jianxun could clearly feel the atmosphere stiffen.
Fortunately, the Captain knew how to liven things up, preventing the pleasant dinner from being ruined.
“Little Rose, see you next time.”
Before leaving, the Captain tucked a bottle of wine under his arm, waved at Xie Jianxun, and departed the inn.
It was only after the fact that Xie Jianxun realized, “…What did he call me?”
Night had fallen deeply. The young inn boss Alex leaned against the front desk, pulling up a Light Brain screen in his hand. He sipped his drink while chatting animatedly with someone, the blue glow of the Light Brain reflecting off his hair tips.
Xie Jianxun sat in the corner of the bar, cradling a cup of hot tea. A few tea leaves floated and sank slowly in the steaming ceramic mug.
The physician sat across from him, holding the Treatment Instrument and examining his eye injury through its miniature lens.
“…”
The physician set down the Treatment Instrument. Xie Jianxun hadn’t taken a sip of his tea yet as he asked cautiously, “Can it be cured?”
The physician said puzzledly, “No, everything looks fine.”
He put away the device. “The injury might be too subtle for this level of Treatment Instrument to detect. Or it could be psychological, from significant trauma. Once the environment calms down, it might recover on its own.”
After hearing the physician’s words, One turned its head slightly and glanced at the blind young human.
He looked lost and helpless.
The Mechanical Puppet thought to itself, As expected, it left a psychological shadow from the breakthrough at the Flowing Sand River. Seeing how lively he was after waking up, it had thought he was fine.
Pretending to be okay…? It pondered.
Xie Jianxun asked nervously, “It won’t stay like this forever, will it?”
The physician reassured him, “It might be stress-induced blindness. Take a good bath and get some sleep. I’ll prescribe you two bottles of eye drops.”
Xie Jianxun said dejectedly, “Alright, thank you.”
The physician treated the wounds on his legs as well before leaving.
After he left, Xie Jianxun lowered his head and took a sad sip of his hot tea.
Suddenly, he felt a warning tingle at his brow—someone’s fingers were slowly approaching.
He lifted his face in confusion, and sure enough, a warm, soft touch landed on his eyelid, gently stroking over the smooth skin.
The young human’s eyes were open, the black cloth laid flat on the table. The physician had just examined him, and he hadn’t had time to cover them again.
The soft fingertip traced from the corner of his eye to his brow, applying the lightest possible pressure before truly making contact.
The human kept his eyes open wide, even though he couldn’t see anything.
Those brilliant golden pupils took on a hollow, glassy quality in his blindness.
After a moment, he heard the Mechanical Puppet sigh softly, “What beautiful eyes…”
It seemed even more regretful than he was that his eyes couldn’t see. Xie Jianxun racked his brains and comforted it instead, “It’s fine. The physician said it’s just psychological. My mind is strong—how could I have any trauma? I might wake up tomorrow and be good as new.”
One said calmly, “You will recover.”
It stood up and changed the subject. “The boss said he’s willing to let you use the bathroom. Would you like to take a bath?”
Xie Jianxun heard the voice move a bit farther away and quickly stood as well.
Hearing that he could bathe, he was delighted. “Thank you, Mr. Alex! Oh… and thank you, Mr. One.”
The Mechanical Puppet said, “Just call me One.”
Not far away, the young boss who had overheard their conversation closed his Light Brain screen and warned, “The toiletries are in the basin. Don’t use too much bath liquid.”
He frowned threateningly. “Watch out, or I’ll dock your pay.”
Still, thanks to Alex’s provided toiletries, Xie Jianxun was able to soak comfortably in a bath.
The Mechanical Puppet stood dutifully at the door, seriously fulfilling its guard duty.
Alex passed by munching on bread and couldn’t help laughing at it. “You look like you’re guarding a treasure… No need to be so tense, right?”
One said mildly, “That’s not wrong. He activated me, the first human to do so. Per protocol, I have temporary guardianship responsibility.”
Alex didn’t understand. “What’re you talking about?”
He gave the Mechanical Puppet a deep look, feeling like they were up to something new.
“I saw you didn’t eat a thing at dinner. Aren’t you hungry?”
He didn’t plan to get deeply involved in these outsiders’ lives and muttered casually. To his surprise, the man in the pitch-black uniform said calmly, “I don’t need to eat.”
Alex: “…Weirdo.”
What kind of person didn’t need to eat?
He furrowed his brow deeply, focusing on the familiar uniform One wore. “Fine, whatever makes you happy.”
At that moment, the bathroom door opened.
Xie Jianxun stumbled out, nearly tripping over the doorframe right away.
His heart skipped a beat as he instinctively reached out to catch him.
But One was faster and closer, scooping him into its arms in the blink of an eye to prevent a nasty fall.
Xie Jianxun, still shaken, patted his chest in the same way Alex did.
He straightened up and heard the young boss’s slightly panicked voice nearby. “You know your eyes are bad, yet you insisted on bathing alone. I warn you—don’t have any accidents in my inn!”
Xie Jianxun was amused but could feel the good intentions behind the boss’s words.
He clasped his hands together toward the direction of the voice in a pleading gesture. “Got it, thank you, Alex.”
The young boss fell silent like a quail.
After a moment, his voice grew quieter, accompanied by thudding footsteps. “I didn’t allow you to call me by name without a title…”
It sounded like he hurried away.
One’s gaze fell on the towel wrapped around Xie Jianxun’s head. After a moment’s thought, it asked as if making a suggestion, “Do you need me to dry your hair for you?”
Xie Jianxun placed his hand on its arm and was supported as they slowly walked back to the storage room.
The room was narrow and dim, but with a soft bed added, and a lamp lit by the bedside, it felt incredibly cozy.
He said embarrassedly, “How could I trouble someone else to dry my hair…”
But its fingers were already in his hair.
The Mechanical Puppet’s question seemed mere politeness—what it wanted to do didn’t require anyone’s response.
Even after hearing Xie Jianxun’s instinctive refusal, it proceeded anyway, half-encircling his shoulders with one arm and sitting behind him to dry his hair.
Xie Jianxun was a bit dazed. He reached up to grab the towel. “I can do it myself.”
To his surprise, his wrist was lightly but firmly gripped. It didn’t seem to use much strength, yet Xie Jianxun couldn’t break free, as if clasped by a steel sculpture—immovable and unyielding.
Yet from behind, the Mechanical Puppet’s voice was warm and gentle.
“Please close your eyes and rest well tonight. Tomorrow will be better.”
As it dried his hair, the young human truly leaned against its shoulder, his breathing slowing and steadying as he fell asleep in complete trust.
One paused its drying. It leaned back slightly, and Xie Jianxun slid from its embrace, down onto its lap, curling up on his side with damp strands of hair sticking to his cheek.
Everything around them quieted. The wind carried yellow sand, scraping lightly against the house’s side walls with a faint frictional sound.
One touched Xie Jianxun’s cheek. Beneath the curly hair, its inorganic eyes flickered with keen interest.
Elastic, soft, and smooth skin.
And those golden eyes—truly rare. It had never seen a human like this.
It liked seeing those beautiful eyes alive and sparkling, like a thin sheen of water cupped in one’s hands.
This state wasn’t bad either, but anyone would want better.
“Get better soon, hmm?”
It bent down affectionately, pressing silently against Xie Jianxun’s ear. “Once everything’s over, I’ll take you back underground. I really… like your eyes.”
The next morning, Xie Jianxun was woken by a strong light.
The small bedroom converted from the storage room had only one window, no curtains, high up on the wall.
Sunlight poured down from that small window, shining right on his eyelids.
Xie Jianxun struggled for a moment, rolled over, and a hand reached out, hovering over his eyelids to block the glare.
His furrowed brows relaxed. He lingered for a bit longer before hazily opening his eyes.
“The sun’s so bright… Pull the curtains…”
One withdrew its hand and patted his shoulder lightly. “See, there are no curtains here.”
Xie Jianxun: “How could there not be… Huh!”
He suddenly widened his eyes. First, he saw the gray-painted wall, then his own hands below, and finally, shifting his gaze upward, the Mechanical Puppet’s handsome face gazing down at him mildly and caringly.
The Mechanical Puppet looked down at him, a blue glow flashing in its eyes as it smiled faintly at him.
Xie Jianxun: “I can see!!!”
He leaped up from the bed, eyes wide with joy. He saw the desert sunlight illuminating the entire storage room, even the thin dust under the window glowing brightly. Beneath him was a small bed with a light gray sheet; to his left was the door, facing a modest wardrobe.
Shifting his gaze again, he saw the Mechanical Puppet sitting primly by the bed, posture elegant, smiling at him.
He cheered and pounced over to hug One.
“I told you it was fine! Look, I can see! My eyes are perfect!” He was so happy that he practically radiated delight.
One froze for a moment before instinctively wrapping an arm around Xie Jianxun’s waist and patting his back. “Good thing it was short this time. You must protect your eyes better from now on.”
Xie Jianxun promised loudly, “No problem.”
Just then, there was a loud knocking on the storage room door—Alex pounding forcefully on the wooden panel from outside.
Then came a distinct tsk from beyond the door. “Your eyes are better? Great, no need to yell so loud—you trying to wake all the guests?! Get out here; time to work!”
Xie Jianxun quickly hushed himself and looked down, belatedly pulling back his arms.
The puppet gentleman beneath him didn’t move, gazing at him innocently and purely.
Xie Jianxun smiled at it a bit guiltily, got out of bed, and slipped on his shoes. “Uh… I’ll go first and freshen up.”
After washing up, they went to find Alex.
The young boss lived up to running an inn at such a young age. He held paper and pen in one hand while waving the other through the air, directing the inn’s employees here and there with clear, organized instructions, managing everything impeccably.
A few guests were already downstairs in the lobby for breakfast, and the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.
Seeing them emerge, Alex shrugged.
“No other positions need people. You’ll be servers—carry things for guests, pour tea. That work?”
Though he said “that work?”, he was already directing. “Go, there are two server uniforms in the washroom. Change quickly and get to work—breakfast rush is about to start!”
Xie Jianxun agreed and pulled One toward the washroom.
Indeed, two half-worn uniforms were neatly folded by the sink. They each took one and changed. One finished in a flash, while Xie Jianxun fumbled slowly with his buttons, fingers tangling.
The clothes fit One perfectly, neither too big nor small.
On Xie Jianxun, they were a full size too large. He had to roll up the sleeves laboriously, adjust the fastenings, and bend down to cuff the pant legs.
But once the pants were buckled and the belt cinched, it accentuated his slim waist. With the short jacket over it, he looked just like a pretty little server working at the inn.
Unfortunately, his face was too refined, too expensive-looking.
Not like a poor student working for living expenses—like a young master slumming it in the countryside.
The young master found playing server amusing, so he wheedled a uniform from someone, happily pretending.
As he stepped out of the washroom and stood at the front desk, several guests stared dumbfounded.
Alex struggled to pull his gaze away and circled a finger vaguely at him.
“You handle the guests in this area. Help with whatever they need; come to me with problems. Got it?”
