Chapter 24

Qi Chao turned to look at Doctor and received a gentle smile in return. He smiled as well, then sat down on the sofa.

Moss was happy, but that was all thanks to Brother Shen. Qi Chao had made him angry, so he ought to apologize. Qi Chao decided to prepare a gift for Moss over the next few days to express his apology.

Lan Luo's favorite cartoon was playing on the projection.

But for the first time, Lan Luo, seated on the sofa, paid no attention to what was playing. He realized that he was sitting between Father and Master.

Big Brother sat to Father's right, but that was unimportant. Lan Luo instinctively ignored Big Brother's presence. Lowering his head, he looked at Father's hand resting on the sofa, then at Master's hand resting on the sofa, and felt happy for no reason.

However, neither Doctor nor Qi Chao noticed this.

Watching the cartoon on the projection, Qi Chao was so bored he nearly dozed off. The kids at home were truly obsessed with this cartoon—they never missed an episode and were practically die-hard fans. He turned to look at Doctor and Moss.

Though Doctor and Moss were also watching the projection, they were clearly not as focused as Lan Luo. Qi Chao guessed that, like him, neither of them liked the cartoon; they were only watching it to keep the child company.

Qi Chao chuckled, rubbed the little puppet's head beside him, and took the initiative to discuss the key points of making puppets with Doctor.

Shen Yuxi sat upright and answered every question. His attitude was very gentle, as though he were quite willing to chat with Qi Chao.

However, if Qi Chao had known Doctor better, he would have realized that although Shen Yuxi was talking with him, he was clearly not putting much thought into it. Only when the ending theme began did his attention shift more toward their conversation.

As the final note of the ending theme faded, Qi Chao heard it and happened to glance over, catching sight of large words flashing across the projection screen.

"Puppeteer Competition?"

It was Qi Chao's first time seeing such a competition, and he read it aloud in confusion.

At his words, Shen Yuxi swept his gaze over it. From an angle Qi Chao could not see, his eyes darkened considerably. Yet it lasted only an instant. By the time Qi Chao looked over, he had already returned to normal and said gently, "This is a competition held by the Puppeteer Association once every four years. Both professional and amateur puppeteers can participate. Are you interested?"

"Not interested."

Qi Chao had a poor impression of the Puppeteer Association. Whether it was monopolizing online information on making puppets or the fact that, after joining, ownership of every puppet a puppeteer made within two years belonged to the association, all of it exposed the Puppeteer Association's authoritarian nature and flaws.

Qi Chao did not trust a competition held by that sort of association.

Shen Yuxi smiled. "The Puppeteer Competition is open and transparent, and its prizes are generous and enticing. If the champion is an amateur puppeteer, they can be directly certified as a First-Level Puppeteer."

Qi Chao was unimpressed.

"Not only can they receive a Mother Stone Vein, they can also obtain a High-Grade Energy Stone Vein."

Qi Chao:!!!

Mineral veins?! Two of them?

Qi Chao instantly surrendered to the power of money. He said quietly, "Could you explain in more detail?"

Shen Yuxi curved his lips and continued, "I remember you're making a puppet, aren't you? As long as a puppeteer can awaken a Mother Stone, they can register."

"The competition content changes every year, but most of the time, the contestants' puppets are compared in various aspects to determine the final champion."

Doctor's explanation was simple, and Qi Chao quickly understood the rules. Put simply, wasn't this competition just about whose kid was more outstanding? Qi Chao's heart stirred, and he decided to look into more information about the competition in private.

Shen Yuxi watched his interested expression. His long lashes concealed the fleeting amusement in his eyes. He lifted his gaze toward the projection, the corners of his mouth rising slightly.

If the system had been here, it probably would have immediately screamed that the villain was definitely plotting something. This was clearly an open and blatant attempt to lure the host into taking the bait!

Unfortunately, the system was not here. But even if it had been, it would have been useless. As long as the confidentiality agreement existed, everything would remain hidden in the darkness.

Chapter 24

Two mineral veins were enough to tempt Qi Chao.

Never mind how much the two mineral veins were worth—once he had an Energy Stone mine, wouldn't the little puppets at home be able to eat as many Energy Stones as they wanted?

Qi Chao slowly let out a breath and temporarily set aside the matter of the competition.

The Mother Stone had not been activated yet, so he did not even qualify to enter. It was indeed too early to consider such things. Besides, whether he would participate or not depended on what he found after looking into it.

That afternoon, Lan Luo entered the "operating room" once again, while Qi Chao and Moss remained outside guarding the door.

Moss sat silently outside. Qi Chao took the initiative to say a few things, but Moss either answered with a hum or an oh, his responses exceedingly cold.

No matter how good Qi Chao was at conversation, even he could not take it anymore.

The atmosphere gradually grew stiff. Fortunately, this time, Doctor came out of the "operating room" after only two hours, breaking the awkwardness.

Qi Chao scratched his hair and went straight into the "operating room." Like yesterday afternoon, Lan Luo lay on the bed with his eyes closed. The white ointment on the backs of his hands and around his ankles had been replaced with green ointment.

Qi Chao did not recognize the white ointment from yesterday, but he recognized the green ointment before him. It was a Spirit Thread Healing Agent made specifically for puppets. It was extremely expensive—just one milligram cost over ten thousand Star Coins. To cover every crack would require at least twenty milligrams.

Qi Chao had never asked Doctor how much it cost to repair a puppet. He had originally thought that, regardless of the price, he would have Lan Luo treated, and that there would be plenty of time to ask about the cost later. But judging by the current situation, the nearly one million Star Coins he had might not be enough at all.

Qi Chao went to Doctor's bedroom, intending to ask about the price clearly. If it truly was not enough, he had to find a way to earn more money.

"Why would you give me money?" Shen Yuxi looked confused, as if he did not understand what Qi Chao meant. He took off his glasses, revealing a pair of beautiful peach-blossom eyes. The next second, as though he had figured something out, he chuckled. "If it were anyone else, I would charge them a price painful enough to make their flesh ache."