The frightening aftermath of the abandoned laboratory mission only gradually subsided after Luo Li spent several nights dreaming of that twisted gray-green monster lunging at his face.
But the experience also brought positive changes-the camaraderie of fighting side by side between him and Castorice grew deeper. As for the guild, his 80 contribution points arrived without issue after he submitted important intelligence about the anomalous test subject, and he even earned the favorable internal assessment of "keen observation, practical abilities."
After devouring that special monster's energy, Xiao Hong's spherical body also became more solid, its red glow more subdued. It could even briefly form two indistinct little hands on occasion. Although it still had little combat ability, it had at least become more proficient at "acting cute" and "being a USB drive."
Life seemed to have returned to a steady rhythm of cultivation, livestreaming, and warm companionship with Castorice.
However, Luo Li gradually discovered that, as the holy maiden from another world living in his home became more familiar with this world's internet culture, she seemed to... reveal some rather remarkable hidden traits.
At first, it only happened occasionally.
When Luo Li browsed gaming forums or video sites between livestreams, Castorice would silently sidle up with her tablet in her arms, her purple eyes fixed intently on the Honkai: Star Rail fanworks on the screen.
Especially when certain male characters appeared in scenes together interacting closely, or people in the comments were enthusiastically shipping them, her eyes would become particularly... bright?
Luo Li paid little attention at first, assuming she was simply interested in content related to her "homeland."
Until one night, when he woke up thirsty and got up for some water, he found the living room's night-light still on.
Castorice was curled up in a corner of the sofa, the tablet's light illuminating her face. On her lips was a smile he had never seen before, a mixture of excitement, satisfaction, and a hint of... strangely benevolent affection?
Curious, he leaned over for a look-
Right there on the screen was a fanfiction reading site, with a story titled "[Blade/Dan Heng] Forced Love: The Cold-Faced Artisan and the Amnesiac High Elder's Captive Romance."
Luo Li: "???"
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating.
Castorice... was reading gay fiction?! And something this spicy, at that?!
Seeming to sense his approach, Castorice jerked her head up like a startled rabbit and fumbled to close the page. Her cheeks instantly turned scarlet, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.
"L-Luo Li... wh-why are you awake?" Her voice carried the guilt and panic of someone caught red-handed.
"I... got up for some water."
Luo Li pointed at his empty hands, looking at her with a complicated expression.
"You... were reading this?"
Castorice lowered her head, twisting the hem of her pajamas between her fingers, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I was... just having a look... learning about... this world's... forms of literary creation..."
Seeing her look as though she wished she could bury herself in the gap between the sofa cushions, Luo Li could not help wanting to laugh. He also found her a little... cute?
Holding back his laughter, he sat down beside her and asked in as natural a tone as he could manage, "You like reading... this sort of thing?"
Castorice stole a glance at him. Seeing that he did not seem to be mocking her, she relaxed a little and nodded gently, her voice still very quiet. "Back in Amphoreus... sometimes, I would write some too..."
"Write what?" Luo Li asked curiously.
"...About 'Phainon' and 'Mydei'..." Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was almost inaudible.
Phainon and Mydei?!
Well, damn! So she had already been a closet BL fanfic author back in Amphoreus?!
The discovery left Luo Li unsure whether to laugh or cry. At the same time, the Castorice before him felt more real, more... down-to-earth.
"I never would've guessed, Castorice..."
He could not resist teasing her. "You have a hobby like this too?"
Castorice blushed even harder and buried her face against her knees, saying in a muffled voice, "...Don't laugh."
"I won't, I won't."
Luo Li hastily promised, though inwardly he was delighted.
He thought this Castorice was ten thousand times more lively and adorable than the holy maiden who always wore an air of compassion and distance.
The incident seemed to flip a switch.
Afterward, Luo Li discovered that Castorice showed tremendous enthusiasm for all kinds of male/male shipping fanworks.
Not only did she read them, but she would also secretly use Luo Li's account to leave likes under some stories. Whenever she found something particularly to her taste, those purple eyes would shine like stars.
Once, while chatting with her, Luo Li casually mentioned that well-written webnovels could earn royalties through a contract and paid publication, even becoming a source of income for some authors.
He said it casually, but she took it to heart.
Castorice's purple eyes instantly lit up, as though she had discovered a new continent.
"Writing these... stories can earn... 'Longxia Currency'?"
She asked for confirmation.
"Uh, in theory, yes, if they're good enough and readers are willing to pay for subscriptions."
Luo Li nodded.
Castorice fell into thought.
One afternoon a few days later, she solemnly approached Luo Li while he was practicing [Remembrance Weaving].
"Luo Li." Her expression was very serious.
"I want to... try writing some stories about Amphoreus-like this world's 'fanfiction.'"
Luo Li was somewhat surprised, but mostly supportive. "Sure! That's a good idea. You can record Amphoreus's culture, and it'll give you something to do.
"What do you want to write?"
A flash of excitement passed through Castorice's eyes, but it soon turned into some hesitation and... distress.
"I want to write... some... stories about what happens after 'Phainon' and 'Mydei' meet in the 'Hero's Bath' at the 'Cloud Stone Heavenly Palace.'" Her cheeks flushed faintly.
Luo Li: "..."
All right, so it really was shipping fic.
He struggled to keep a straight face. "That's a pretty good premise. It sounds very... dramatic.
"Go ahead and write it, then. Do you need me to find a writing platform and register an account for you?"
Castorice shook her head, then pointed at Luo Li's computer. An extremely rare expression asking for help appeared on her face, mingling longing with bewilderment.
"But... Luo Li, does 'writing' in your world... use that 'board' with all the little squares?"
She stretched out a slender finger and gestured helplessly in the air.
"I... don't know how to use it."
Luo Li froze.
Only then did he realize a crucial problem-Castorice came from Amphoreus, a place with a skewed tech tree and a classical exterior! What she knew were quill pens, papyrus, or things like crystal recording! She was a complete newbie when it came to typing on a modern keyboard!
A holy maiden from another world, brimming with creative passion and even hoping to earn some pocket money from it, had been stumped by the most basic input tool!
Just imagining it was somehow a little... sad and funny?
Seeing Castorice's aggrieved little expression, which practically said, "I want to write, but I don't know how," Luo Li's heart instantly melted.
"That's easy!" He immediately patted his chest in assurance.
"I'll teach you! Guaranteed to get you typing!"
He led Castorice over to sit at the computer and opened a blank document.
"Look, this is called a keyboard.
"Each little square corresponds to a letter or symbol."
He took Castorice's hand and guided her index finger to gently press the "A" key.
"When you press down like this, the corresponding character appears on the screen."
Castorice curiously watched the "a" pop up on the screen, her purple eyes full of wonder.
"If you want to write 'Phainon,' first find the keys 'B,' 'A,' 'I,' and 'E'..."
Luo Li explained patiently, holding her hand and pressing the keys one by one.
[ B - A - I - E ]
The two Chinese characters for "Phainon" slowly appeared on the screen.
"(⊙o⊙) Wow... it really appeared!"
Castorice exclaimed in wonder, like a child who had received a new toy.
However, the real difficulties only began when Luo Li let go and had her try on her own.
Castorice stared blankly at the keyboard, densely packed with characters. Trying hard to remember the positions Luo Li had just taught her, she extended her index finger and, as carefully as if she were defusing a bomb, poked at the "W" key in her memory.
"Tap." She pressed "Q."
"Uh... that's 'Q.' The 'W' for 'Wan' is next to it."
Luo Li patiently corrected her.
She tried to find the "A" key, only to press "S" instead.
The "D" for "Di" became an "F"...
It took her nearly a minute just to type the two characters for "Mydei." Along the way, she pressed too hard and accidentally hit the shortcut for switching input methods, causing a jumble of gibberish to pop up on the screen and give her a fright.
Watching from beside her, Luo Li found it both funny and overwhelmingly adorable to see her trying so clumsily.
It was as though he were seeing a miniature portrait of countless webnovel authors in their newbie days-thousands of grand vistas in their hearts, yet beneath their pens... er, fingers, they crawled like turtles.
"(´•ω•̥`) Master, pretty big sister looks so cute when she types! But... she seems even slower than me eating!"
Xiao Hong offered its punch-worthy commentary from the mental space.
"Shut up!" Luo Li snapped inwardly.
He took Castorice's hand again, guiding her slowly across the keyboard, one letter at a time.
"No rush. Take your time. Everyone starts out like this."
His voice softened without him realizing it. "Just get familiar with the key positions and build up muscle memory.
"One day, you'll be able to type out the stories you want to write smoothly."
Feeling the warmth and patience coming from his palm, Castorice watched his focused profile so close to her. The little bit of frustration she felt at being unable to learn gradually subsided, replaced by a warm, reassuring feeling.
She gave a soft "Mm" and focused even harder on the position and feel of each key beneath her fingertips.
And so, in the days that followed, this scene often appeared in Luo Li's rented apartment:
Luo Li practiced his ability or livestreamed games to one side, while Castorice sat upright in front of the computer, facing a blank document with an expression as solemn as if she were performing some sacred ritual. One finger pecked at the keyboard like a chick pecking grain, extremely slowly but resolutely.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
The intermittent, crisp tapping of keys became a new background sound in their home.
Her writing speed was appallingly slow. She might struggle to produce even two hundred characters in an hour, and they would still be riddled with errors.
Yet she enjoyed every moment of it.
Whenever she successfully typed a complete sentence to her liking on her own, her purple eyes would burst with an immense sense of accomplishment and joy. Then she would turn to Luo Li like a little animal seeking praise.
Luo Li was never stingy with his compliments. "Amazing! That sentence really has feeling!" "You described this scene so well! I can picture it already!"
Under his encouragement and patient instruction, Castorice's typing speed remained painfully slow, but at least she was no longer quite such a one-finger typist. Occasionally, she could try using two fingers.
And her "great" work about Phainon and Mydei in the Hero's Bath also progressed at a turtle's pace.
Luo Li had secretly read a few snippets of what she wrote and had to admit that, although her prose still carried Amphoreus's classical tone and was full of typos, the delicate emotional descriptions and the charged atmosphere she created were actually... kind of compelling?
He could almost see the day when Castorice mastered typing, made a stunning debut on some literary website, became a renowned fanfic author, and gained countless fans and... royalties.
At that thought, Luo Li could not help laughing.
As he watched that slender figure earnestly "pecking" at the keyboard in front of the computer, his heart filled with tender anticipation.
Take your time, Castorice.
Learn to type first, then conquer the sea of stars.
Your "part-time job" journey has only just begun.
[Ding! Due to the host's patient instruction and support, target "Castorice" is filled with motivation and joy toward learning a new skill. Her hidden trait (creative drive) has been satisfied, and her mood remains cheerful.] [(Learning and growing together has made the emotional bond closer and more natural.)]