Xie Jianxun held the supply list sent by Magm and checked it carefully from top to bottom. There were no mistakes.
After getting off work, he returned to the storage room and changed out of his work clothes stained with iron filings. He pondered as he spoke to One, “I think I still need to buy some extra things to stock up… What if I can’t come back for a while?”
The mechanical puppet sat at the head of the bed, its back facing him.
Upon hearing him speak, One nodded slightly in agreement. “The Joint Group promised to return to Golden City within a month, but stocking up on more supplies is never a bad idea.”
Xie Jianxun quirked the corner of his mouth and deliberately reached out to poke One’s back.
The mechanical puppet’s back muscles were rock-hard, like stone—completely unlike a living person. What a major flaw.
As if sensing the human’s dissatisfaction behind it, the mechanical puppet stiffly relaxed its muscles and turned to face him.
“Then I need to ask where I can stock up on bulk supplies. Magm? Nah, asking Alex directly will be faster.”
He muttered to himself and, before the mechanical puppet could reach out to grab him, quickly jumped off the bed and hurried to the door, twisting the doorknob.
The young boss was shouting in the lobby on the first floor, directing three or four renovation workers as they carried new furniture upstairs.
Xie Jianxun immediately recognized them as ready-made wooden cabinets from the nearby furniture store, coated with a layer of varnish to prevent rot and infestation.
Seeing him come out, Alex gave a half-smile. “So leisurely?”
Xie Jianxun sidled up to him and drawled, “Asa—do you know where the wholesale market is? I want to buy more stuff for the desert.”
The young boss’s response was to jump back a step, grimacing as if he couldn’t hold it in, and rubbed his exposed arm.
“Damn it,” he glared at Xie Jianxun. “Don’t call me like Basero does.”
Xie Jianxun grinned. “Got it, Asa.”
The young boss: “…”
He wanted to curse.
“Go to Dio Square. There’s an open lot along the path out the northwest gate where they often hold markets. It’s way cheaper than the shops.”
After Alex finished speaking, he quickly turned back and instructed the workers carrying the vanity cabinet to be careful not to shatter his mirror.
As if thinking of something, he twisted his head back uncertainly. “Today is the Sand Raising Festival. If you don’t want to play, buy your stuff and come back early.”
Hearing the unfamiliar term sparked Xie Jianxun’s interest.
He leaned his head on the counter, striking a pose like he was ready to hear a story. “What’s the Sand Raising Festival?”
“It’s a kind of special colored sand that leaves color on you when it touches your skin. It’s a traditional Golden City amusement—you can think of it as some kind of holiday… even if this holiday happens thirty times a year.”
Alex said mockingly, “They splash this sand on you. The more colors you have, the more popular you are. Honestly, it’s stupid. If you’re not careful, you end up eating some, and it tastes like bloated cat litter.”
As he spoke, he warned Xie Jianxun, “If you get splashed with sand, be careful when you come back. If you track colors onto my inn’s floors, you’re sleeping on the street tonight!”
There were no curse words, but the subtext screamed “get out.”
Xie Jianxun replied guiltily, “Alright, Alex mommy.”
Alex: “…Xie Jianxun!!!”
The young boss grumbled that his employee didn’t respect the boss while pulling on an apron, preparing to cook fried rice for the staff’s dinner.
After dinner, it was nearly dark outside.
The temperature had dropped from over thirty degrees to under ten, and the evening breeze felt chilly. This was still after the city’s temperature regulation.
Xie Jianxun pulled One out the door and followed the path Alex had mentioned to reach the gathering spot, where a crowd had already assembled.
Messy stalls intertwined, forming narrow paths like tree branches, just wide enough for two people to pass single file.
Vendors at the entrance and central areas were especially enthusiastic, shouting with all their might to attract customers, hawking their wares, or loudly proclaiming how great, novel, and discounted their goods were.
“Vegetable dumplings!”
“Lava Mint Water! 800 milliliters for just three bucks a cup!”
“Grilled mini octopuses, teppanyaki giant squid, fried octopus legs… Never seen seafood before? Come on, try some! Guaranteed delicious!”
“Fresh fruit! Just shipped from the neighboring planet—apples for thirty, watermelons for two hundred twenty!”
Vendors on the outskirts were much calmer, only calling out casually when someone passed by.
“Nuts—dried fruits—fried cashews—”
“Fresh local egg milk cakes, straight from the oven, four for ten bucks.”
“Sheep milk jujube snacks! Delicious sheep milk jujube snacks!”
“Wool socks… F-five bucks a pair…”
There were even quite a few people sitting on the empty ground without selling anything, surrounded by bags of stuff, looking excited as if they were up to something.
Xie Jianxun instantly understood—these were young people waiting for the market to end so they could play Sand Raising here.
A few had already started “raising sand” in small groups, scooping handfuls and smearing it on each other’s clothes and faces, but they were careful not to disturb the market stalls nearby.
Xie Jianxun felt the itch to join in, but luckily he remembered his primary goal was buying supplies.
He opened his light brain and pulled up the list he’d prepared in advance.
“Water and food are covered by the caravan, but I really need spare clothes…”
The young master was finally having a clean-freak episode, mulling over some nice-looking short-sleeved shirts.
He glanced down at himself—borrowing Alex’s white T-shirt and black pants, plain in a way that didn’t suit his old self.
Passing a cheap clothing stall, he stopped and picked out two short-sleeved shirts with cool patterns.
After haggling with the vendor, he was delighted to snag them for just forty bucks.
One followed behind him, carrying the shopping bag.
It wasn’t wearing the pitch-black uniform from the underground either. Even though the mechanical puppet wasn’t afraid of heat, Xie Jianxun’s eyes hurt just looking at it, so he coerced it into lighter clothes.
“Here, two of them.”
Xie Jianxun lifted the shirts by the collars, squinted, and held them up to One, deciding they fit well enough. He bought a pair too—buy more, get a discount.
As expected of an artificially crafted mechanical puppet body: broad shoulders, narrow waist, perfectly proportioned muscles, and tall stature. It stood there like a natural clothes hanger.
He didn’t know which modeler had chosen semi-long, curly black hair for it, falling over its forehead and covering half an eye.
It added a touch of charm, but its clear gaze dispelled it, making it seem gentle and harmless.
Xie Jianxun thought for a moment, then tiptoed and whispered, “Lower your head.”
“How?”
One leaned forward slightly, following his lead.
Compared to it, the young human looked incredibly petite as he carefully tucked a stray lock of hair behind One’s ear.
Xie Jianxun said satisfied, “Much better like this.”
The mechanical puppet gazed at him, its expression flat, no smile—as if the amusement was hidden in its eyes. But when Xie Jianxun looked over, it schooled its features and revealed a smile.
The crowd converged in the market, filled with clamor and chatter. The food stalls had fully heated their oil pots, and the smoky aroma wafted from the stoves.
Xie Jianxun glanced at his light brain list, thinking of buying some sunscreen spray.
But as he walked, he arrived at a food stall.
“Fine, just this one, then no more. Gotta save money for supplies.”
Xie Jianxun muttered to himself, pretending to console himself, though he paid lightning-fast.
After devouring three stalls’ worth, he gave up and handed the list to One. “You handle it! I think I can’t anymore…” he said, sounding especially weak.
The mechanical puppet smiled and tapped to close the list.
Xie Jianxun looked at it in surprise, but One said, “Buy whatever you want.”
The young human eyed it with golden pupils, guilty. “Even if it costs a lot?”
“Even if it costs a lot,” One said flatly.
By the time they finished buying all the supplies, the market was dispersing.
The vendors packed up and left, awaiting the next gathering, quickly clearing a large open space.
The young people on the edges finally got their chance. They cheered, dragged the colored sandbags to the open ground, snipped a corner, and spread the colored sand across the floor.
Vibrant sands flew up, painting the ground in a riot of colors.
The organizers were still neatly drawing patterns on the ground, while the crowd below was already in a full brawl, faces smeared with colors.
The Sand Raising Festival officially began, with the atmosphere so hot that cheers rose nonstop.
The hosting youths drew seven-colored lines on the ground while explaining, “This is a traditional festival of our desert people. Legend says rain brings rainbows from the sky. Nowadays, we use seven-colored lines to represent the rainbow and sand to stand in for rain, hoping for a better tomorrow.”
After the final stroke, the youths pressed their hands into the colored sand pile, then slapped the colors onto the white backs of others’ shirts.
“You dare sneak attack me!”
“Sneak attacking you is right! Come at me!”
Xie Jianxun bent down and picked up a grain of sand from the ground.
Surprisingly, it was much larger than regular grit and soft with elasticity—likely artificial material, safe even if swallowed by mistake.
A light pinch dyed his index finger and thumb fiery red.
He didn’t plan to dive into the crowd and end up covered head to toe, but the urge to play tugged at him.
After thinking, he cast a longing gaze at the person beside him.
The young human pretended innocence, hands behind his back, and politely asked, “Sir, can I touch your face?”
The mechanical puppet had already seen his little movements and indulged him. “No problem.”
Xie Jianxun carefully drew three streaks on its forehead, like a half-bloomed red lotus flower, stark against the mechanical puppet’s snow-white skin under the bright lights.
The man lowered his eyes and mimicked his tone. “Can I touch your face?”
Xie Jianxun boldly lifted his chin. “Bring it.”
The next moment, he saw One scoop up a handful of sand from the ground.
Xie Jianxun: “…”
His smile slowly faded.
By midnight, when the event dispersed, they returned to the inn with the lights out. The first-floor lobby was empty, and Xie Jianxun quietly opened the door.
He ran right into Alex, who was padding out in pajamas and slippers to get water, looking sleepy.
The young boss saw them and nearly spat his water back into the cup.
He said resentfully, “What did I say this morning?”
Xie Jianxun obediently repeated his words. “You said if I played with sand, I’d sleep on the street tonight.”
Alex: “Then get the hell out!!!”
