Chapter 39
It was another day of mutual disdain between the hardworking and the slackers at the Dimensional Management Bureau. The bustling break room was crowded with administrators choosing their snacks, an intern host and their system orb were bickering, and Lu Huai, holding a stack of files, rushed over from the other end of the corridor to mediate…
Ning Zhixia poked his head out of Audrow’s pocket, looking around curiously. Soon, everyone seemed to notice something extra in the director’s pocket, their gazes fixed on it in shock—
It was a plushie… that moved!
Hello everyone! Thank you for your hard work!
Ning Zhixia waved his tiny hand, looking left and right, and seeing them frozen in place, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction, like reviewing troops.
Lu Huai gasped. Had the protection of the precious jewel reached this level of meticulousness?!
The imaginative subordinate hurried towards Audrow, his lowered voice carrying a hint of disapproval: “Sir, even if you’re interested in humans, you don’t have to carry Boss Ning in your pocket to work, do you?”
Audrow gave him a strange look, but before he could speak, a rustling of paper interrupted them.
[I accidentally got hit by a centaur’s spell.]
Ning Zhixia held up the quickly scribbled note. Seeing Lu Huai looking at him, he unrolled another piece of paper. [It’s not convenient to stay at the shop, so I’m working with Xiao Ao!]
Lu Huai squinted at the tiny handwriting, then his expression turned to understanding: “That’s unfortunate…”
Ning Zhixia paused, seemingly lacking a suitable pre-written reply, and tugged on Audrow’s silver-gray hair.
Audrow said at the right moment, “It’s nothing serious, just needs the Lord of the Barrenlands’ blood to undo it, the centaurs have already agreed to get it.”
“Mmm!” That’s right!
Ning Zhixia floated out of the pocket and circled Lu Huai.
“Oh, oh…” The surrounding administrators relaxed.
Audrow said calmly, “Let’s go.”
Ning Zhixia obediently floated back onto his shoulder and tugged on his hair: “Mmm!”
Giddy up!
Audrow chuckled softly and, carrying the weightless little ghost, walked away from the crowd.
“Boss Ning is cute even when he’s small…”
“I hope he comes again tomorrow!”
“Ha ha, the centaurs are going to get their butts kicked!”
Amidst the chatter, Lu Huai paused, looking thoughtfully at Audrow’s retreating figure, then suddenly realized—
As a powerful being, finding the witch who created the spell would be child’s play.
Lu Huai sighed inwardly, thinking that the merman was truly a mischievous creature, and shook his head sympathetically for the centaurs.
They walked down the long corridor, and the door at the end opened automatically as they approached.
Ning Zhixia seemed thrilled. He hadn’t expected Audrow’s office to be so large. He circled the shelves filled with scrolls and other strange objects, then, seeing Audrow carrying his toolbox towards the central desk, quickly zoomed over.
“Those are documents and special items from other planes. If you want to work, it’s best to stay on this desk…” Audrow tapped the desk and added softly, “And within my line of sight, of course.”
Ning Zhixia nodded obediently. That was a given.
Just then, the office door opened, and an administrator brought in tea and cake. Another one placed some documents on the desk, bowed respectfully, and left.
These administrators seemed much more composed. Ning Zhixia noticed their similar appearances and gestured questioningly at Audrow, then reached for his phone in the toolbox to type.
But Audrow seemed to know what he was asking, his chin resting on his hand as he poked at the pink berry on top of a slice of cake with a silver fork, and said with a smile, “They’re not twins.”
Ning Zhixia blinked curiously, saw the berry being offered to him, grabbed it with both hands, took a bite, and listened to Audrow’s explanation with his mouth stained with juice.
It was as he had guessed. Some of the NPC-like administrators in the Bureau were created by the Lord God, while others with distinct personalities, like Lu Huai, had died tragically in their original planes, or for other reasons, caught the Lord God’s attention and were brought to the Bureau with new bodies.
Ning Zhixia nodded as if he understood, finished the berry, and hiccuped, feeling a little full.
He pushed the fork away and floated towards his toolbox to start working.
The customer with an appointment had switched to ordering press-on nails. The tablet and stylus weren’t very convenient, so Ning Zhixia picked up the miniature quill Qu Banqing had made for him and started sketching on a piece of paper larger than himself.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Audrow put down his fork with a clink, watched him for a while, and leaned closer.
A shadow fell over the paper. Ning Zhixia stopped writing, turned around, and floated towards Audrow’s nose, pushing it away.
You’re blocking the light!
Audrow pursed his lips, slightly disappointed, leaned back in his chair, and casually opened the office door.
Small system orbs, reporting for duty, were lined up, and seeing the door open, slowly floated in one by one.
Some orbs, bored from waiting, noticed the small figure on the desk and stealthily flew over to watch Ning Zhixia sketching.
Soon, more and more orbs gathered, and Audrow had to tap his finger on the desk to remind them to go and report.
They each worked on their own tasks throughout the morning. Ning Zhixia finished his miniature sketch and had Audrow take a picture, then tapped on the phone screen like he was playing a dance game, sending the photo to the customer for confirmation.
The whole process was like a major project, and after receiving the customer’s confirmation, Ning Zhixia slumped onto the table, exhausted.
“Time for lunch?”
Audrow waved at the last system orb and looked at the small ghost sprawled on the desk like a dollop of whipped cream.
Ning Zhixia patted his belly and decided it was a good idea. Qu Banqing hadn’t prepared lunch for him, so he could check out the Bureau’s cafeteria.
Unfortunately, the Bureau didn’t have a cafeteria. Small orbs delivered meals to each workstation, and the administrators could eat at their desks, or in the break room with colleagues, or even watch live streams from food planes while eating.
Ning Zhixia followed Audrow to the break room and floated around curiously, noticing the strange variety of food everyone was eating.
The food delivery orbs didn’t know what Ning Zhixia liked, so they hovered around him anxiously. Only after Lu Huai gave them instructions did they bring a box of Chinese food.
Ning Zhixia couldn’t finish it all, so he took out his miniature tableware, took a small portion of the food, wrapped it in a tiny piece of toast, and had a balanced meal.
After eating, he patted his belly, his eyes drooping sleepily, and turned to go back to Audrow’s office for a nap.
Healthy worker bees needed nap time!
Ning Zhixia rummaged through his toolbox but couldn’t find his cookie tin bed. He adjusted his hood and decided to look again.
“Sleep in this.”
Audrow, as if prepared, presented a magnificent giant clam shell, its edges adorned with strings of smooth pearls, the fabric inside soft and silky, shimmering with a pearlescent sheen, clearly not ordinary material.
Red coral pillars stood on either side of the clam shell, and Ning Zhixia initially didn’t understand their purpose, until his two small flames floated over and perched on top, turning them into floor lamps, looking quite impressive.
Holy crap, holy crap! So pretty!
Ning Zhixia excitedly circled the shell bed, passing through the pearl curtains, making them clink softly.
Without Audrow even asking, he lifted the blanket and crawled inside, happily rolling around in his new bed.
Audrow watched him intently, his light-colored eyes filled with amusement.
He poked Ning Zhixia’s cheek and teased, “So cute, why don’t you just stay like this and not change back?”
What! I don’t want to be 17.8cm forever!
Ning Zhixia immediately threw off the blanket, his little face flushed with indignation as he protested Audrow’s absurd idea.
Audrow leaned back lazily, his head resting on his arm, and continued petting the little head in the shell bed, saying dismissively with a smile, “Ah… I can’t understand you, I can’t understand you…”
Ning Zhixia glared at him and bit the offending finger hard.
Audrow didn’t even flinch, his eyes half-closed as he hummed softly, “Ah, that hurts.”
Ning Zhixia quickly released his bite, puffed out his cheeks, and blew on the unblemished finger, not noticing Audrow’s effort to suppress his laughter.
The clam shell bed was very comfortable, and Ning Zhixia slept soundly. After waking up, he started painting his army of nail tips, and by the time Audrow was ready to leave work, he had finished the base coat on many of them.
Audrow helped him put the nail tips back in the toolbox: “Good work.”
Not good work, just hard work.
Ning Zhixia sighed and climbed into his pocket, signaling it was time to go home.
He was thinking about what delicious food Qu Banqing had made, and when they arrived at the shop, it was already time for the plane passage to open.
The chattering fox cubs were studying a game console, and a mountain of gift boxes was being rapidly packed by the pothos and Popokula.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
Su Qiushui and Yin Fuliu, lounging on the sofa and flipping through magazines, weren’t surprised by Ning Zhixia’s appearance and greeted them with a raised eyebrow.
It was like a special non-human gathering, almost everyone was here except for the centaurs. Ning Zhixia floated out and waved.
The sirens, seeing the handsome young man behind the little ghost, paused and retreated slightly with apprehension.
As the atmosphere turned awkward, Qu Banqing peeked out from the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re back just in time.”
He brought out a plate of crème brûlée, placed it casually on the coffee table, and after Audrow took one, it was quickly devoured by the fox cubs.
Dinner was grilled seafood, easy to cook on the electric grill, but everyone’s attention was elsewhere for now.
Ning Zhixia, like a rare object, was passed around, the fox cubs’ eyes wide with amazement. Before they could kiss his chip-covered mouths, Yin Fuliu grabbed his robe and placed him on the table.
Xinya, the siren, brushed her seaweed-like hair and sighed softly, “I must admit, that witch created a truly wonderful spell, you look absolutely adorable.”
“Indeed.”
Su Qiushui gestured with her hand and burst out laughing. “Boss Ning isn’t even as big as my ear now!”
Touching a sensitive topic, Ning Zhixia angrily tried to pounce on the bad fox, but he couldn’t move. He turned around and saw that Yin Fuliu was holding the corner of his robe with a finger.
“Try this on, I had it specially made after hearing from Banqing.”
She took out a delicate red and white cloak with bear ears and put it on Ning Zhixia, tying the ribbons.
Another layer of clothing, it was so hot!
After she took a few photos, Ning Zhixia immediately took it off and threw it away, much to Yin Fuliu’s disappointment and Su Qiushui’s amusement.
He noticed Popokula waving its tentacles to attract his attention and curiously floated over.
Popokula said cheerfully, “Ning Ning, look, this one is prettier…”
A golden scepter was placed in Ning Zhixia’s hand, and Xinya carefully placed a gold-tasseled crown on his hood, making him look like a miniature pope.
This one was not bad.
Ning Zhixia looked at himself in the mirror Qu Banqing brought over and nodded with satisfaction.
“Little one, come and see what I made for you.” Qu Banqing took out a small object mysteriously.
With the crafting master’s entry, the strange competition instantly became intense.
Ning Zhixia, carrying a glowing pumpkin lantern and small bat wings on his back, floated around smugly, letting out a menacing “ha” at the fox cubs.
The fox cubs perked up their ears excitedly, covering their eyes with their tails, pretending to be scared by the pumpkin ghost.
The other ladies clutched their chests, clearly smitten by his cuteness.
“Ning Zhixia.”
Audrow smiled slightly and called softly as the young man floated around triumphantly.
His deep, gentle voice was particularly noticeable amidst the noise, and Ning Zhixia obediently floated towards his outstretched palm, blinking at him.
—What’s up, Xiao Ao?
Audrow’s long fingers removed the items from him, placed a cold, ice-like scepter in his hand, then, as if it wasn’t enough, snapped his fingers.
Ning Zhixia felt something heavy on his head. A translucent veil with pearls landed on him, and besides the scepter, he was also holding a bouquet of shimmering blue ice flowers.
The sirens paused, the attire seeming familiar, like something from an ancient scroll. Before they could think further, Qu Banqing squeezed in and announced loudly, “Next, next!”
Su Qiushui eagerly approached, holding a small embroidered jacket.
There’s more?!
Ning Zhixia froze, seeing Popokula pushing a small clothes rack filled with costumes, and angrily stomped his ghostly feet on the table.
Damn it, stop playing dress-up with the miniature Meow Meow!
