The affairs of the Dream Plane always weighed on his mind. However, finding those surviving guardians who had scattered, split up, and quite possibly gone into hiding was certainly not something that could be accomplished overnight. Hao Ren knew this himself, so after ordering the probe drone swarm to speed up its expansion, all he could do was wait patiently at home.
In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-October. The weather in this northern city was rapidly turning colder, and more and more dead leaves were piling up beneath the roadside trees outside. Hao Ren held a cup of hot tea and leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery outside. Doudou was lying beside him, while the Little Merman had pressed almost her entire body against the glass, watching the falling leaves. Every so often, the little one let out a long "Oh," though no one knew what she was lamenting.
"She probably thinks it's a shame to waste all those fallen leaves," Vivian said from across from Hao Ren, flipping through a magazine. After noticing the Little Merman's occasional noises, she looked up with a smile. "In her worldview, it's probably like pies falling from the sky, only to land in a mud pit."
Hao Ren froze for a moment and scratched Doudou's head with one finger. "Does she eat leaves?"
"Never tried it. Want to give it a shot?"
Hao Ren thought for a moment, then raised his head and shouted toward Lily, who was sunbathing by the door. "Lily! Go pick up a few leaves!"
The Husky Girl called back an "Oh" from far away. Before long, she came pattering back, clutching several autumn leaves with neat shapes and beautiful colors. Lily held them like precious treasures, her eyes shining. "Oh my, Landlord,