Momo increasingly felt that this was a very strange place—the sky lacked a sun, but it was clear and bright. It was said that outside the Boundary Land, it was winter, but in the valley, it was as warm as spring. The mountains on both sides of the valley were layered and continuous, yet part of the mountain abruptly had a giant gap where a dense Black Forest appeared, as if it had been awkwardly "cut" in. The forest extended from the mountain pass to the edge of view.
She didn't know how big this space really was, for there seed to be many strange "extended spaces" connected to it, and the Black Forest beyond the mountain pass was just the most intuitive one. The northern tower could lead to an alternate dinsion called the "On Divine Temple," a giant bean stalk grew out of the mountain fog into the air, and a small path cut directly through the Mountain Barrier. It's said to lead to a magical realm ruled by the Cat King, a realm bigger than the valley itself, but only the King, his servants, and cats could see its entrance...
"We can't get there; I've tried before, ow," Lingdang said lazily beside her, "The King says Gyprolians are Gyprolians, cats are cats, their souls are not quite the sa~~"
Momo listened intently; she could understand so of what Lingdang said, but not all; especially when it ca to this valley, where most of it she couldn't understand—but at this mont, she didn't mind the parts she couldn't grasp, because the place itself felt like a bizarre dream to her.
At the town's end stood a very large castle, and she and Lingdang were now lying on the castle's rooftop. Although there was no sun, this didn't stop them from basking in it—Gyprolians loved rooftops; in their holand, many would even plan a small spot on their houses' rooftops specifically for sleeping under sunny skies.
She hadn't slept under a clear sky for ten years.
Momo thought, if this really were a dream, at least let her lie on this rooftop a while longer.
"That big guy you saw just now is my boss, ow, a very powerful human," Lingdang spoke again nearby. This Spiritual Energy-powerful compatriot was a mber of the Special Service Bureau; she worked as an attendant to a powerful "deep diver," an enviable job in Gyprolian society. "Not long ago, he had a fight with an Artificial Saintess, and just a few days after he was alive and kicking again. Super strong vitality, ow."
Momo mumbled in response, her mouth lightly biting a small stick.
This "stick" was made from the tender branch of a plant called "Valera," said to grow only in a small wetland on a colonized star controlled by the Boundary Land. The stick was soaked in the highest-grade extract of catnip—this was a specialty of the Boundary Land, the purest and strongest "mint stick" in the universe.
In faraway Terra, in the independent city-state of Gyprolians, a small box of this brand's "mint sticks" was nearly equivalent to an ordinary person's weekly inco, but in the Special Service Bureau, this item was distributed freely as part of the employee benefits to the Spiritual Servants, with enough quota even to treat friends.
The reason for this benefit was that high-quality mint sticks could enhance a Gyprolian's Spiritual Energy.... Anyway, the great Gyprolian Spiritual Energy Master and catnip connoisseur Cosette said so, ow.
"Aweso~~" Lingdang turned over, lightly pawing Momo's arm with her tail, then stretched her hand out to gently touch the chanical ear on Momo's head. "This, does it hurt, ow?"
"Uh, no," Momo instinctively dodged but soon relaxed. She hadn't interacted with compatriots like this for a long ti, so many things required readjustnt. "It just feels a bit numb sotis, and there are so noises in my head... but once accustod, it doesn't bother much."
"It can probably be repaired, ow," Lingdang said seriously, "The Special Service Bureau's dical technology is advanced. Over in Qianfeng Ling Mountain, there's technology to regenerate bodies. If all else fails, you could try Boss Yusheng's various strange 'spells.' Last ti soone nad Erin fell from the sky and shattered, I saw her companions dig up so clay, mix in a few drops of blood and patched her right up, ow~"
"I..." Momo hesitated a bit, then shook her head, "In the Feiyu Star Domain, so very skilled doctors checked out. They said my body is very stable now, no need for treatnt. Besides, the living tal has balanced coexistence with my central nerve system, forcibly removing it and regenerating might affect the body adversely—and more aggressive, thorough treatnt options might exist... but I feel that if I do that, I wouldn't be myself anymore."
"Didn't expect you to be quite conservative," Lingdang, holding a mint stick, squinted in the daylight, "but you do what you think is best. Changing your mind later is perfectly fine; the boss often says so—life's margin for error is quite high, ow. Ah, when he says it, he doesn't add 'ow.'
Momo thought for a mont, then sincerely thanked her: "Thank you."
"You're welco, ow," Lingdang waved generously, then seed to rember sothing, casually comnting, "In past years, life's been quite tense, hasn't it? Still not relaxed now?"
Momo hesitated: "Yes... but why suddenly bring this up?"
"Because you don't add 'ow' when you speak."
Momo was a bit stunned: "...huh?"
"Gyprolians, when under stress, don't ow," Lingdang said, pulling another mint stick from her little box and handing it to her new friend beside her, "Here, chew another; consider it a celebration of new beginnings, ow. This place, oh, it's a good place~~ Once you're done, I'll take you to be a guest at the Cat King's cat climbing fra; there, there are tons of cans!"
Momo stared blankly at the mint stick handed to her, hearing the other's lazy voice. It took her several seconds to react, as if waking up in shock, taking the item instinctively, yet afraid making any large movents would shatter this bizarre but tantalizing dream she didn't want to wake from.
But she didn't "wake up"; everything was real, with the mint stick giving a solid feel in her hand.
"Thank you," Momo said softly, then hesitated a bit and added, "...ow."
...
Little Red Riding Hood raised her head, looking at the castle roof not far away. From this angle, she couldn't see anyone on the roof, but as the wind blew through the street, she could sll the fresh scent of fur conditioner—and the aroma of catnip.
"Prepare those houses on the east side of the town in advance, each can accommodate four people—use this standard for arrangent," she turned her head, casually saying to the golden wind rolling grass beside her, "Soon, many 'employees' from Black Stone Station will be living here. Our town is really going to get lively."
"Alright, alright, tidy up the houses, arrange accommodations, take care of the kids at ho, and keep an eye on those limbless mass-produced puppets coming back from the front line, preventing any unfinished ones from running around—" The long-haired princess slowly gathered her massive shield of hair for solitude, mumbling with a lifeless expression, "During the fight, you all went, but all the aftermath work is handed to for dealing..."
"Nonsense! Wasn't it your choice not to participate? Who told you to owe so many papers back then!" Little Red Riding Hood glared at the long-haired princess, "Look at you, already a senior in high school..."
"Since you know I'm a senior, don't arrange so many tasks for ! Cinderella has been as free as anything these days..."
Little Red Riding Hood said nothing, she just calmly looked into the long-haired princess's eyes until the latter started feeling nervous, then she helplessly waved her hand: "Alright, alright, go call Cinderella, you don't need to worry about arranging the dorms, go back and study."
With these words, the long-haired princess was relieved, and the next second, she ran towards the other end of the town, her golden hair streaming: "Got it, got it, I'll call her right away! Then I'll go find soone knowledgeable to ask questions!"
Listening to the distant yelling, Little Red Riding Hood felt sothing was off but hadn't figured it out yet when the wind rolling grass already ran out of sight. Then suddenly, a phantom door appeared nearby, completely interrupting her train of thought.
The door opened, and Yu Sheng erged with Luna.
"I just got back from the Special Service Bureau," he greeted Little Red Riding Hood casually, "Has Luo co here?"
"Yes, she ca along with that 'Momo' Gyprolian person," Little Red Riding Hood replied while shaking the image of a big golden shadow out of her mind, "Momo is on the castle roof—along with the Spiritual Servant brought by Xu Jiali, as for Luo... She said she's taking a walk by the river, she ntioned she's been organizing so materials, so she's here to relax a bit. Are you looking for her?"
"No rush, I'll head to the Puppet Production Center first," Yu Sheng waved his hand, "To check on the repair status."
...
By the woods a distance from the town, beside the river, the vegetation was lush, and a patch of grassland was specifically cleared out, a few stones piled on the open area forming a wind-blocking structure. Between the stones, freshly gathered firewood was stacked.
The long-haired princess was holding a twig, seriously threading mushrooms onto it.
Luo sat across from her.
In all fairness, a Black Spot Scientist is indeed more knowledgeable than a poor student—so the long-haired princess felt justified while skewering mushrooms, even thinking that she wouldn't panic even if Little Red Riding Hood stood in front of her now, because when she said that, she could even pass a lie detector...
Of course, if Little Red Riding Hood really ca, she'd quickly run away.
A spiritual fireball was tossed into the woodpile, and the campfire crackled and began to burn.
Luo and the long-haired princess looked serious.
"I think the main problem last ti was that the mushrooms weren't cooked—ordinary Spirit Mushrooms aren't that potent." The long-haired princess said earnestly.
Luo: "Indeed."
"This ti, I got two Exorcism and Detoxification Pills from Mr. Yun, later we'll take the pills first, then eat the mushrooms, definitely no problem."
Luo: "Indeed."
And then, the second Spirit Mushroom Tasting Event by the golden-haired duo began.
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