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Qi Chao was impressed by the system's speed and asked inwardly, "Does the Artisan General Bureau provide information on making dolls?"

The association had blocked all online materials related to dollmaking, and it was now nearly impossible to find anything useful. Anyone who wanted to learn how to make dolls first had to register and undergo testing with the association.

Qi Chao had learned from the forums that puppeteers studying under the association were required to work for free for two to three years. During that service period, ownership of every doll they made belonged to the association.

How could anyone agree to that?

To him, handing a doll's ownership over to the association was no different from having someone carry off his own child the moment they were born. What parent could stand that?

But if he did not go through the association, the information still available online was nowhere near enough for him to systematically learn Blue Star's dollmaking methods. Lan Luo still had cracks that needed repairing, and the thought gave Qi Chao a headache.

[Sorry, Host. The General Bureau does not provide free information.]

The moment the system finished speaking, Qi Chao caught the key point. "No free information means you offer paid information?"

[Yes. The system shop can provide information, but transactions require Artisan points. You currently have zero Artisan points.]

"How do I earn Artisan points?" Qi Chao had thought the road ahead was blocked, but unexpectedly, there was another way forward. He relaxed.

[After side missions are activated, each completed side mission will earn one hundred to two hundred points.] After saying that, the system added, [Generally speaking, once an Artisan arrives in a new plane, the General Bureau will issue side missions within a week. Your side mission is still being generated, so there is no need to worry.]

By the rules, the system was supposed to explain the shop and point system after the side missions were issued. However, this Host was unusually diligent, so it introduced them early.

Within a week? Qi Chao calculated the time. There were still four days left.

Seeing Qi Chao lower his head without speaking, the system compared him to the sissy next door and could not help but interject, [I suggest that you do not place all your hopes on the system shop.]

[Side missions refresh once a week and can earn at most two hundred points, but the items in the shop are quite expensive.]

The system was practically about to tell Qi Chao outright that the shop was a rip-off. After thinking it over, it directly projected the shop into the air, using facts to prove its point.

Qi Chao froze for a moment, his gaze settling on the transparent screen before him, where items were categorized by rank and marked with their prices.

C-class items

Starry Blue Hair Ribbon

[Dolls only] 500 points

Decorative Bandage Patch

[Dolls only] 600 points

...

A-class items

Complete Guide to Dollmaking

[Essential for puppeteers] 10,000 points

Completing side missions earned at most two hundred points, yet even the lowest-grade hair ribbon cost five hundred points. Not to mention that book cost a full ten thousand points! To buy the Complete Guide to Dollmaking, he would have to complete at least fifty missions!

It really was a damn rip-off.

Qi Chao smiled bitterly, as though he had suddenly returned to the days more than a decade ago when he did not have a single cent in his pocket. His pen tip poked at the blank drawing paper as he sank into thought.

Seeing this, the system knew the Host wanted some time alone and thoughtfully slipped away, heading next door to comfort the delicate Host Number Two.

Relying on side missions to learn dollmaking was far too slow, and the association route was blocked as well. Under the warm yellow desk lamp, Qi Chao's dark brown eyes seemed somewhat dim. He scratched the slightly upturned hair at the back of his head and suddenly thought of the original owner.

The Qi Family was

a wealthy

prominent family, and Father Qi was even Blue Star's richest man. But that was not the important part. The important part was that the Qi Family had an enormous library. The original owner had first learned of dolls from one of the books in the old residence.

That meant there had to be methods for making dolls in there. No matter how far the Puppeteer Association extended its reach, it would not meddle in the home of Blue Star's richest man.

Qi Chao unconsciously drew a checkmark on the paper with his pen. Even if there were no detailed methods, there would surely be a sentence or two of useful information. It was better than wandering around like a headless fly.

I still need to make a trip back to the old residence.

He took out his lightbrain and sent the old residence's butler a message saying that he would be returning home the next morning. Then he began considering how he should deal with the original owner's family tomorrow.

The original owner's parents had entered a business marriage. After giving birth to him, they separated. Father Qi expanded his business empire across Blue Star, while Mother Qi ran off with her true love to another planet and started a new family.

Strictly speaking, the original owner had been rather pitiful too. But he was a pitiful person twisted into a pervert, and he could not earn even a trace of Qi Chao's sympathy.

There were not many people in the Qi Family now: Father Qi, the original owner, and the original owner's two half-brothers from the same father.

Father Qi was busy with his career and spent most of his time flying all over the place, rarely staying at the old residence. His two younger brothers were in high school. Since tomorrow was a day off, there was a good chance Qi Chao would run into them.

However, Qi Chao was not overly worried. The original owner was a sanctimonious hypocrite with an excellent reputation in their social circle. No matter how much he despised and discriminated against his two

illegitimate

sons

brothers, he always acted like a kind older brother on the surface.

In outsiders' eyes, the two younger brothers were rebellious and unruly troublemakers, but in truth, they greatly admired the original owner as their elder brother.

On the surface, the three brothers got along fairly well.

In Qi Chao's view, although the two younger brothers had poor reputations, compared to the original owner, they were practically innocent little rabbits.

As an experienced adult, Qi Chao could handle two sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys no matter what.

As long as he did not run into the original owner's shrewd father, everything would be fine. Father Qi had not returned home for nearly a year. He was a busy man, so Qi Chao should not be unlucky enough to encounter the final boss on his first trip to the old residence.

After planning everything out, Qi Chao got up and returned to his room to sleep. When he woke the next day, he told Lan Luo that he would be leaving temporarily for the day. He was still unfamiliar with the old residence, and bringing the little doll with him would introduce too many variables. It would be better to let the child rest peacefully at home.

Lan Luo's sapphire eyes curved into crescents as he smiled and nodded. It was hard to see any reluctance in his expression.

Or perhaps the little doll truly was not reluctant. After all, that guy, the original owner, had rarely returned to the villa before.

Lan Luo still wore the little deer headband, so Qi Chao could not conveniently rub his head. Instead, he gently patted the child's soft hair.