Chapter 12

Seeing the dollmaker send those two messages, Qi Chao felt a little warmth in his heart. He could not help saying to the system, which had yet to leave, "Lan Luo's biological father really is just like him—kind and considerate."

System: ...

The prompt it had prepared ended up rotting away in its stomach.

Qi Chao explained the whole story on the Light Brain, then added: [The matter has been resolved. Little Fatty apologized to the kid, Lan Luo wasn't hurt, and his mood wasn't affected. He's been very good, so you don't need to worry.]

After the message was sent, there was no reply from the other side. The chat interface merely kept showing that the other party was typing.

Qi Chao had not paid much attention to it at first, but when the status persisted for more than ten minutes, his curiosity was piqued. He patiently waited a few more minutes before a message finally popped up in the chat window.

Doctor: [You've worked hard.]

Nearly twenty minutes to squeeze out four words. Qi Chao wanted to laugh. He could practically picture a young man who was not good with words sitting in a chair, staring at the chat interface, writing one sentence and deleting another, until he finally agonized over typing those four words.

He was rather cute.

Qi Chao tapped the chat interface, amusement glinting in his dark brown eyes.

After hearing the host's description, the system: ...??

Let's just say, was there a possibility that what you said was too funny, and the villain also found it funny, so that was why he took so long?

Doctor was a very mysterious dollmaker. All information about him online was classified, but his brainless fans' endless extravagant praise had never disappeared.

Rumor had it that he had created five S-Rank Dolls when he was barely over twenty. No one knew whether that was true or not, but Doctor's young age was certain. To have achieved so much at that age, he was undoubtedly outstanding.

As Qi Chao thought about it, he typed: [Do I need to prepare anything in advance for the doll repair?]

Doctor: [No.]

This time, he replied very quickly.

[About when will you be coming? I can pick you up.]

Qi Chao considered it. There were plenty of rooms in the villa, so Doctor could stay for a few extra days after arriving. It would be a good opportunity for Lan Luo and his biological father to grow closer.

[I'm sorry, but you may need to wait a while longer. Something has delayed me, and I might not be able to visit your home until next month. Once the time is confirmed, I'll have my assistant go over a day in advance to check Lan Luo's condition.]

The dollmaker seemed to have etiquette carved into his bones. Every word reflected fine upbringing and gentlemanly manners.

Next month?

Qi Chao had no objections to that. He could even say he welcomed it.

He currently had a little over seven hundred thousand Star Coins. It was not a small sum, but Doctor had not yet examined Lan Luo's injuries in person or devised a precise repair plan. Qi Chao did not know how much he would have to pay. If it was next month, he could save a little more.

[Alright.]

Qi Chao smiled as he typed those two words, ending their conversation. He had barely leaned back in his chair and let out a breath when he frowned and resumed calculating all kinds of ratios.

Watching its busy host from within his consciousness, the system swallowed the reminder that had reached its lips.

There was no need anymore. The host would be in a coffin in a month. No matter how much it gave hints or pulled strings, it was too late.

The only thing it could still do was this: the coffin it had ordered had not been finished yet. It could have the coffin shop coat it in a layer of gold powder. It would pay for it itself, as a way to honor the bond between it and its host!

Qi Chao had no idea that the system had once again given him a suspended death sentence. Near dawn, he was still working at his desk.

Making dolls was a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. From design to sculpting, then polishing and mold-making, every stage consumed a dollmaker's physical strength and energy.

The kid on the drawing paper was a doll Qi Chao had begun conceptualizing in his previous life. Originally, the kid had only been around forty-three centimeters tall, but Lan Luo was one meter twenty. If the new kid was too short, it would be somewhat unsuitable.

To refine the measurements, Qi Chao stayed up all night.

The next day, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, the scratching pencil finally came to a stop. The trash bin beside the desk was filled with crumpled sheets of paper.

The design draft was finally complete.

Qi Chao had just breathed a sigh of relief when a familiar electronic voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

[Scanning--

Item: Doll Blueprint (Obtained)

Creator: Qi Chao

Rank: Unknown (Pending Verification)

Difficulty: Unknown (Pending Review)

Ding--

Congratulations, host, on obtaining the achievement: Fresh Out of the Gate

Account Points: 200]

[Ding--

It has been detected that the host is faster than 60% of the artisans in the General Bureau. A side mission has been unlocked ahead of schedule.

Collect essential dollmaker tools (0/30)

Reward: Artisan Points: 100 (Pending Acquisition)]

After going without sleep all night, Qi Chao's nerves were somewhat fragile. The electronic voice left his ears ringing. Burdened with the responsibility of supporting the household, his first reaction was not to think about completing the mission, but to immediately calculate the points' value.

Two hundred points were equivalent to sixty thousand Star Coins. With such a large sum coming in at once, Qi Chao was extremely satisfied.

[Congratulations, host, on unlocking a side mission ahead of schedule. Side missions refresh every week. It is recommended that you complete the mission within one week.] The system had stayed up with its host all night, and its wait had finally not been in vain.

The system had never held any expectations for this soon-to-die host when it came to missions. But the host's achievements were linked to its performance, and the host was so hardworking. Now, whenever it looked at Qi Chao, it was like looking at a dead man who could occasionally cough up a gold coin, leaving it full of conflicted feelings.

"Alright." Qi Chao nodded. He felt that this side mission was not difficult; he only needed to spend money. After thinking it over, he took out his Light Brain and started buying things.

The doll-making process on Blue Star was vastly different from that of his previous life. Dollmakers used mental power to make dolls, and the tools they used were all specially made.

The association monopolized information on doll-making, but there was no way for it to monopolize these tools.

Special gloves, carving knives, scrapers, gas masks, and all sorts of other items—there were already more than thirty in total. Qi Chao placed the order on his Light Brain, and ten thousand Star Coins vanished from his bank account.