Chapter 45: Chapter 45

[Required materials: Wood, Energy]

[Blueprint conversion cost: 100 Energy]

This aerial walkway was meant to be the main road for her future territory. Despite the name, it could be built both above ground and at ground level.

For now, she mainly built it in the air, connecting the various treehouses. This way, people could visit shops and neighbors without having to climb down from the trees—it was much more convenient.

Soon, people outside noticed the new path inside the territory.

As the sound of discussion drifted in, Madam Sera gave Mu Ying—who was quietly eating and drinking—a meaningful look. Their lord was really low-key and cautious.

Not only had she insisted that shopkeepers not reveal her identity when moving in, but even when building territory facilities, she went out of her way to avoid drawing attention to herself.

Curious, Madam Sera went out to take a look. The new path was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Though not wide, it had a unique charm.

The walkway was made of irregular wooden planks, mostly long and narrow, with wavy, curved edges that fit together seamlessly—playful and romantic.

On either side, about a meter high, were railings made of twisted, gnarled vines.

This must be what an elven village looks like, Madam Sera thought. No wonder she’s a druid! She really liked the natural style of this territory—it was perfect for living."

"Late at night, Mu Ying was sleeping soundly when she was suddenly awakened by a strange noise from the window. She instantly became alert, squinting and focusing her hearing for a moment. Was that the sound of pebbles hitting the glass?

She got up and pushed open the window. The rain was still falling, and the camp outside was shrouded in darkness. Mu Ying cast a Light spell.

As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she suddenly saw a small silvery-white object fall from the treetop outside and land on her windowsill with a splat.

Mu Ying frowned and took several steps back, a piercing spear appearing in her hand in an instant.

She watched as the little thing on the windowsill slowly climbed to its feet.

What was she seeing?

A tiny figure, no more than an inch tall, was rubbing its backside and looking at her pitifully. Its silvery-gray eyes were misty, on the verge of tears.

Soaked from head to toe, its short silver hair clung to its cheeks in strands, still dripping water. Its animal ears drooped, its tail was a mess, and a few little burrs were stuck to it from who knows where.

Its clothes were filthy too, stained with green grass juice and brown dirt, looking just like a little beggar.

Although the size was all wrong—like a figurine—Mu Ying recognized it at a glance and was utterly shocked.

It was Shiyin!

“How did you get so small? And why is your tail out too?”

Mu Ying was full of questions, but seeing how bedraggled he looked, she guessed he’d been caught in the rain for quite a while.

Without waiting for his answer, she quickly scooped him inside.

She gently removed the burrs tangled in his tail, then used a Cleaning spell to get rid of the dirt on him, warmed him up with an Elemental Resistance spell, and finally wrapped him up in a blanket, drying him off.

Miniature Shiyin sat stiffly, not daring to move a muscle, his skin flushing red at an alarming rate, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Mu Ying.

Far away, deep in the starry sky, the real Shiyin seemed to sense something too. His ears popped out uncontrollably, and his face turned red.

“Why are you so red? Are you running a fever?” Mu Ying asked worriedly, touching his forehead. He really was a bit hot!

Only then did Miniature Shiyin react. He shook his head, lips pressed together, and wriggled his arms out of the blanket to pat her finger reassuringly.

Then, from who knows where, he produced a tiny blackboard and began to draw on it.

First, he drew a circle, colored it blue, green, and white—it looked like a planet. Around the planet was a yellow ring, with several eyes on it.

A little silver dog crashed into the ring, then, crying, plucked out a few hairs and tossed them into the ring, turning into a tiny dog.

It was pure childish doodling. If she and Shiyin hadn’t grown up together and shared such a strong bond, Mu Ying probably wouldn’t have understood it.

“You’re saying this is your wolf-hair avatar?”

Miniature Shiyin nodded, pointed at his chest, and pouted—pulling out chest fur really hurt!

“So Deep Blue Star is protected by something, and your real body can’t return? You can only use this little figurine form? And Deep Blue Star is being watched by a lot of things?”

Miniature Shiyin nodded again and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Did your inheritance go smoothly?” Mu Ying looked at the tiny Shiyin, finding him unbearably cute.

Miniature Shiyin patted his chest, then gestured a long distance with his hands.

“So the inheritance went fine, but there’s still a long way to go? And does your avatar need to stay with me?”

Miniature Shiyin shook his head, silver light flashing in his eyes. He transformed into a few strands of silvery-white wolf hair, which floated to Mu Ying’s left hand and wrapped themselves around her ring finger.

It looked just like a silver thread ring.

The silver threads shimmered, then merged into her finger, leaving only a faint silver mark.

[Shiyin’s ]

[Quality: ]

[Effect 1: Avatar. A clone formed from wolf hair at the heart, visible only to the two of you, connected to the main body ]

[Effect 2: Sharing. In times of danger, you can temporarily borrow Shiyin’s bloodline ability for spatial movement]

[Note: The one and only treasure of the space-time werewolf, a rare cosmic species. Bound, non-transferable.]

The player’s manual displayed some very strange item information—several words were still unreadable, so she wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

Let’s just call it a ring for now!

Although the ring’s effects weren’t as magical as the Bracelet of Nature, and the mini Shiyin couldn’t talk or write, nor retract his ears and tail, its only real use was to keep her and Shiyin updated on each other’s status.

The second effect, Sharing, did give her a trump card, but it couldn’t be used often. Every use was a huge burden on Shiyin, so it was only for emergencies.

All in all, this avatar was more like a little accessory.

But maybe it was for the best that Shiyin couldn’t return. Deep Blue Star wasn’t as safe as it used to be.

Space-time werewolves were meant to grow by traveling through different planes—the starry sky was his true trial ground.

“Do your best. We’re both still too weak,” Mu Ying said, pinching the wolf ears of the mini Shiyin. “Hmm, feels just like the real thing, just smaller.”

Miniature Shiyin shyly transformed into a ring, the silver band tinged faintly red. Far away in the starry sky, the real Shiyin quietly covered his ears.

The next day, the last batch of zombies outside the camp was finally wiped out. Mu Ying set out early to scout the area.