Chapter 54
Wen Xingxue’s residence, like the man himself, was cold and sterile, devoid of any warmth or personality.
It was completely different from the home Xing Nuo shared with his dad.
Their walls were painted in warm colors, decorated with various pictures, the soft sofa always bathed in golden sunlight, the entire room as beautiful and cozy as a watercolor painting.
In contrast, Wen Xingxue’s room was spartan, furnished with only a table and a bed.
Xing Nuo quickly finished his survey of the room and looked up, seeing Wen Xingxue outside, his back turned, washing something under running water.
He seemed to be oblivious to Xing Nuo’s presence.
Relieved, Xing Nuo moved his stiff limbs, stretching his small arms and legs, and slowly stood up.
He carefully made his way to the edge of the table, planning to escape while Wen Xingxue wasn’t looking.
After much effort, he reached the edge and looked down.
The height made him dizzy for a moment.
When he had jumped from the display case, he hadn’t been able to see how far the drop was and had simply closed his eyes and jumped.
But the area around the table was clear, emphasizing the height.
He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, then realized, as a doll, he didn’t need to breathe. He felt a surge of fear and instinctively recoiled.
Trying to reassure himself, he thought, as a doll, he couldn’t feel pain anyway.
Even if he fell, he wouldn’t be hurt.
He nodded resolutely, covered his eyes, and quickly jumped.
A moment of weightlessness, and then, less than a second later, he felt himself land.
He let out a soft gasp of surprise. He had landed already?
And it didn’t hurt at all!
The ground was soft!
He peeked through his fingers and was met with Wen Xingxue’s cold, indifferent gaze.
For some reason, Wen Xingxue saw a flicker of innocent stupidity and panic in the little doll’s button eyes.
“Aah!”
The little doll let out a soft scream, covering its face with its hands, and wriggled in Wen Xingxue’s grasp.
But it was so small that Wen Xingxue could easily hold it in one hand.
“What are you running away from?”
He felt like he had seen this little thing somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place it. He picked up the doll by the back of its collar.
The doll, dangling in mid-air, struggled, its little legs kicking.
The light, flimsy body swung wildly, its movements erratic.
Xing Nuo felt dizzy from the motion.
After a while, Wen Xingxue pressed a finger against its small belly to stop it from swinging.
Xing Nuo finally stopped moving, his eyes dazed as he looked up at Wen Xingxue.
Wen Xingxue, amused by the little doll’s clumsiness, almost smiled, his lips twitching slightly.
“Why are you running away?” he asked again.
Xing Nuo looked at Wen Xingxue, his little head tilting, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“Zaizai…looking for…Dad…”
He sensed no malice from Wen Xingxue and answered obediently.
He instinctively reached up to scratch his face, then realized his hand couldn’t reach, and lowered it again.
“Looking for your dad? Is your dad…an even uglier doll?” Wen Xingxue asked, glancing at the clown doll.
Xing Nuo was instantly indignant, his little hands on his hips.
“No! Zaizai’s Dad…handsome!”
Wen Xingxue snorted, poking the roughly stitched yarn heart on the doll’s face, unconvinced.
“You’re already this ugly, how handsome could your dad possibly be?”
Xing Nuo angrily flailed his little arms, hitting Wen Xingxue.
“My Dad…handsome! Zaizai…not ugly!”
The doll’s attacks were weak and flimsy, not even strong enough to tickle.
Wen Xingxue stopped him with a finger, unfazed, and shrugged.
He turned and carried Xing Nuo outside, where he saw the rising sun.
Sunlight streamed into the small, overgrown courtyard.
Xing Nuo stared at the messy yard, the walls covered in vines, everything in disarray, as if no one lived there.
He gasped softly and looked up at Wen Xingxue.
Wen Xingxue, his eyelids drooping languidly, didn’t bother explaining the state of his yard.
“I’m going to an instance. Little thing, are you coming with me, or staying here?”
Then he chuckled.
“Actually, you have no choice but to come with me. Otherwise, you’ll probably try to jump off the table again.”
Xing Nuo didn’t want to go to any instances!
But his fate was currently in the hands of this bad older brother; he had no choice.
Dejected, he allowed himself to be tucked back into Wen Xingxue’s pocket.
When he had first been picked up, afraid of being discovered, he hadn’t dared to move, even though it was uncomfortable.
But now that Wen Xingxue knew he was a talking, walking, jumping doll, Xing Nuo poked his head out of the pocket.
Wen Xingxue, seeing the doll’s messy hair sticking out of his pocket, frowned, thinking it looked strange, and pushed it back in.
Xing Nuo’s head popped back out a few seconds later.
Wen Xingxue pushed it back in again, and Xing Nuo popped back out again.
Wen Xingxue: “…”
“Fine, keep your head out if you want, but don’t talk, and don’t interfere with me clearing the instance.”
Allowing the little thing to stay with him was already a concession, considering its familiarity and obedience.
But he wasn’t particularly fond of it.
Xing Nuo, gripping the edge of the pocket with his little hand, his face tilted up, nodded slightly.
“Okay…Big Brother…but what is…instance…? Why…clear it…?”
Wen Xingxue, hearing the little one’s raspy voice, rolled his eyes.
“An instance is an instance. No need to ask so many questions.”
Xing Nuo mumbled an “Oh,” looked at the road ahead, and, like a curious child, continued his questioning.
“Instance…has…Zaizai’s Dad…?”
He had been hearing the word “instance” a lot lately, but he didn’t understand what it meant. He was only concerned about finding his dad.
Wen Xingxue looked down at the little one and pressed a finger against its mouth.
“Be quiet.”
He frowned, quickened his pace, and, carrying the little clown doll in his pocket, boarded the instance train in the central city.
Each train car represented a different instance.
Higher-level instances, with more powerful core monsters, were located at the front of the train and had fewer passengers.
The D-level and C-level instances at the back were always crowded.
Wen Xingxue, after studying the instance selection screen for a long time, chose a B-level instance.
Putting on his hood, he entered the train car, pressing the little doll’s head back into his pocket.
Inside the car, the passengers choosing B-level instances were either members of large guilds or relatively strong solo players.
They were quietly discussing the instance details when they saw Wen Xingxue enter, dressed in black. The car instantly fell silent.
Even the conductor, wearing a blue cap, stopped selling props and hurriedly moved to another car.
Only after Wen Xingxue sat down, his eyes closed, did the other players recover and begin whispering amongst themselves.
“Wen Xingxue? I’m not seeing things, am I?”
“That’s him! I met him in an instance before!”
“Is he really challenging a B-level instance? That’s…surprising.”
“Didn’t you hear? He cleared an S+ level instance early this morning. He’s probably choosing an easier instance to relax.”
“So, for a boss like him, B-level instances are for taking a break…”
Xing Nuo, in the pocket, his vision obscured, feeling uncomfortable, peeked out, his messy hair sticking out.
He rubbed his chin, looked around the train car, and poked Wen Xingxue.
“Big Brother…we’re on…train train…?”
Wen Xingxue opened his eyes, hearing the little one’s voice, and clicked his tongue.
“How old are you, still using baby talk?”
Wasn’t he a bit too old for that?
Xing Nuo tilted his head, snorted softly, and replied:
“Zaizai…almost four!”
He wanted to hold up four fingers, but realized he didn’t have any, and withdrew his hand.
Wen Xingxue repeated, puzzled:
“Four?”
He knew that wish-granting dolls were usually created from players who failed instances and were sent to the Toy City, their souls trapped within dolls.
The merchants claimed these dolls could grant wishes, advertising them as useful D-level props.
But if they were truly useful, they wouldn’t be just D-level.
Players weren’t stupid. Only newbies were fooled into buying them.
Veteran players found the idea of carrying a doll containing the soul of a former player unsettling and usually avoided them.
These dolls often ended up gathering dust in spatial storage or being resold.
But to become a wish-granting doll, one had to be a player first, right?
Were there even four-year-old players?
He looked down at the little clown doll, its button eyes filled with a surprising innocence, clearer than a university student’s.
It seemed he really was quite young.
Just as Wen Xingxue was about to ask more questions, a voice echoed through the train car:
[B-level instance – Toy City, arriving! Please disembark in an orderly fashion and clear the instance as soon as possible!]
The players gathered their belongings and started exiting the train.
Wen Xingxue, his face grim, adjusted his mask, pushed the fidgeting clown doll back into his pocket, and followed.
Outside, a brightly colored town awaited them.
The players, standing at the entrance, looked up at the town walls, painted in vibrant hues of yellow, pink, and light blue.
The gates were decorated with fluffy dolls, each one incredibly cute and inviting.
A dazzling array of toys and plushies, like a wonderland of dolls.
A flag with a large, adorable teddy bear was planted on the wall above.
This was the instance they had to clear – Toy Town.
