Chapter 4

[Host, why did you call yourself Dad?]

As soon as Qi Chao entered the kitchen, he heard the system's question. He froze for a moment. "Can't I call myself that?"

[It's not that.] The system silently thought, You should have seen how "happy" that little puppet who hadn't even wanted to kill you yet looked when you called yourself Dad.

Qi Chao turned on the water

Dragon

tap and washed his hands. Without giving it much thought, he said directly, "I took the original owner's place as the little puppet's guardian. Calling myself Dad makes us seem closer."

That answer was rather willful.

Thinking that the puppet had not actually made a move, the system said nothing more.

[Host, is it convenient for you to go through the procedure now? You have only received the original owner's memories so far. The procedure is only one-third complete.] Seeing Qi Chao start working in the kitchen, the system hurriedly requested to proceed.

By the looks of it, the host would not live long. The system would not allow itself to break its record. Even if it had to break it, it had to at least finish the procedure first. Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing!

Qi Chao nodded. The electronic voice rose and fell beside his ear, and he quickly understood what was going on.

Simply put, the Craftsman System gathered deceased craftsmen from different planes and sent them to other planes to complete missions, spreading the spirit of craftsmanship in the process.

[Your mission is to create an SSS-grade puppet.] The system added, [The General Bureau will also randomly issue side missions. Completing them will earn you rewards.]

The original owner did not know much about puppets, but he knew the basics. For example, S-grade puppets were exceptionally rare on Blue Star, let alone SSS-grade ones. Those were legendary existences.

Qi Chao paused. He had to admit, such a mission could really stir a puppetmaker's interest.

The system glanced at its notebook. Convinced that it had completed the procedure, it immediately switched into slacker mode. As long as it had finished the procedure, that was all that mattered. It perfunctorily asked, [Does the host have any other questions?]

If not, it was leaving.

"You brought me here, so where did the original owner go?" Qi Chao rubbed the web between his right thumb and forefinger and smiled, as though he were asking casually without giving it much thought.

Huddled within Qi Chao's consciousness, the system answered cautiously, [That question is confidential. I can only tell you that this body is yours. You do not need to worry about anything else.]

Given how dangerous this world was, the system did not think its host would survive. Since he was its first host, it did not mind giving him a harmless little hint.

The body was his?

Qi Chao froze, then gave it some thought.

There were two possibilities.

First, the original owner was still alive and using Qi Chao's body. Perhaps he had been taken away by the system's General Bureau or some other force beyond his control. From the sound of it, he did not seem to be in this plane.

Second, the original owner was dead, and his body was too damaged to be used.

Thinking of how he had awakened in the private room, Qi Chao ruled out the second possibility. He suddenly found it rather regrettable. How could that scumbag not be dead?

But on second thought, it was fine if he was alive. If they ever met again, Qi Chao could still beat the original owner up properly.

Qi Chao smiled and thanked the system. [If it weren't for you, I would have died long ago. Thank you. I really like this plane.]

When the system heard Qi Chao say he liked it, the green light around it flickered, as though it felt a little guilty. It forced itself to remain calm and said, [As long as you like it. I need to return to the General Bureau now and pick up other craftsmen for missions. If you need me, just call out my number, 01.]

Qi Chao nodded. Once he noticed that the electric static by his ear had completely disappeared, he tested it with a question. "System, are you still there?"

There was no response.

That fast?

While marveling at it, Qi Chao took an oversized Energy Stone from the kitchen drawer. It was as large as an adult's fist.

But being big was useless. Its color was dull, and it was shriveled like a lump of coal. This sort of red Energy Stone was the lowest grade and contained very little energy. Three star coins could buy a whole pound of it.

Puppets were born to life from Mother Stones, given bodies by puppetmakers, and walked among the living with Energy Stones supplying their power.

To puppets, Energy Stones were like three daily meals to humans. Missing one or two meals was fine, but if they went too long without energy, their Puppet Hearts would crack and wither until they finally shattered, sending them into an eternal slumber.

Qi Chao tugged at the corner of his mouth and brought his knife down on the Energy Stone.

That idiot original owner had actually forgotten even this.

The little puppet had not consumed any energy for an entire week.

Or rather, he simply did not care about the little puppet. Otherwise, how could he have used the lowest-grade Energy Stone? The damned regulator in that private room alone had cost over ten million.

Qi Chao could not help suspecting that the original owner was about to go bankrupt. There was no time to buy anything better now, so he could only make do with this. With a sigh, he placed the Energy Stone on a plate and left the kitchen.

In the living room, the little puppet was intently watching the projection screen. He swung his legs as he softly hummed along to the cartoon's theme song.

This old father's heart instantly melted from the cuteness.

So adorable!

"Lan Luo, time to eat. You can keep watching after you finish." Qi Chao walked toward the sofa as he spoke.

Lan Luo was the little puppet's name.

Hearing his voice, the blond puppet turned to look at Qi Chao, his blue eyes curving into crescents.

Another sweet critical hit. Qi Chao restrained his itching hands and set the plate on the table. "Lan Luo, just make do with this today. Dad will make you something tasty tomorrow."

"Okay." Lan Luo's voice suited his appearance—soft, well-behaved, and slightly crisp. Smiling, he looked at the plate, then paused almost imperceptibly the next second.

Seeing that the little puppet had not moved, Qi Chao thought for a moment and explained, "Dad cut the Energy Stone into cubes so it'll be easier for you to eat, like little snacks."

The Energy Stone was especially large, too big for the puppet to hold in both hands, so Qi Chao had cut it up in the kitchen. The plate was piled full of cubes.

The energy would not dissipate after it was cut, and it was quite easy to slice, like cutting potatoes.

If time had not been so tight and the little puppet had not been so eager to eat, Qi Chao could even have carved flowers into it or something. He was quite good at that.