“Want some water? Are you tired?”
“Hm? Mm-hm.”
“There, is that comfortable? Want me to switch positions?”
“Mm-hm, mm.”
A solemn marble statue, motionless.
Olivia sat beaming on the living room sofa, naturally a perfect picture—though this wasn’t because Olivia was too lazy to get up herself, nor was it some sudden onset of limb stiffness.
It was purely to accommodate a certain blob of shadowy mass clinging to her and whining nonstop.
Half an hour ago, the outer ring of Glowing Crystal Coral Island had been a cloud of flying dust.
The sea breeze was like a blade, the clouds like mountains, and every bout with the armored dragon rhino had been draining Tunzuo’s spirit and stamina.
Tunzuo and the armored dragon rhino had been locked in a deadly chase, round after round, until finally Tunzuo spotted an opening.
His spirit power, strung taut like a bowstring, suddenly erupted, forming two invisible giant hands that clamped tight around the armored dragon rhino’s front legs.
With a one-sided earth-shattering throw, he flipped the beast completely onto its back.
Without even a moment to catch his breath, Tunzuo unhesitatingly tore open the earth with his spirit power, dug out a massive pit, and planted the dizzy armored dragon rhino firmly into the ground.
He covered it with soil, leaving only a dazed head with spinning eyes poking out.
After doing all that, physically and mentally exhausted, Tunzuo dragged his leaden legs back, floated over without a word, and collapsed headfirst into Olivia’s arms.
His limbs, as if having a mind of their own, tightly wrapped around Olivia’s waist and neck, hanging onto her like a koala, perfectly sealed.
The sudden intimacy left Olivia momentarily unaccustomed, her body stiffening for an instant.
She always felt that since Tunzuo had returned from Carcosa, he had grown much closer to her.
The politeness that once existed had been completely shattered, and the distance and estrangement between the two witches had all but vanished.
Just what had happened, Tunzuo never said, but Olivia knew that all she needed to do now was take good care of him.
So, within just a few breaths, Olivia naturally accepted this warm haven of hers.
She adjusted her posture, carried Tunzuo back inside with a spring in her step, sat down on the sofa, and contentedly began petting the Tunzuo sprawled over her.
Olivia’s fingers ran through the jet-black hair, gently massaging Tunzuo’s tense scalp.
Her cautious movements were like tending to a hard-won treasure.
And under Olivia’s touch, Tunzuo was like a snake in need of warmth, clinging tightly to Olivia.
His cool breaths puffed against Olivia’s abdomen, sending a tingling sensation through the fabric that tickled Olivia’s heart, as if a feather were teasing it back and forth.
Watching the two witches’ affectionate display, An Lin, standing not far away, couldn’t help but clench her little handkerchief, tears of jealous envy welling up in her eyes.
“Wah wah wah… these two little rascals, they don’t even show any restraint now. Do they know the Chief is still right here? How improper! Is this really the time for lovey-dovey talk?!”
An Lin’s deeply aggrieved look made Antuxi, standing beside her, clap her hands with a smile, rare as it was to offer words of comfort.
Of course, it would have been better if her eyes didn’t carry that hint of amused glee.
“Don’t just look at the surface, Lady An Lin. A snake’s embrace comes in two kinds: one expresses affection to a loved one, a sign of trust; the other is measuring the size, checking whether it can swallow its prey.”
“So, Lady An Lin, which kind do you think my dear daughter is showing now?”
An Lin was stunned for a moment, her gaze shifting between Tunzuo and Olivia, then she gave up and pouted, speaking bluntly with the plain truth.
“I don’t know, but I feel like either way it’s just showing off their love. Indeed, there’s no real difference…”
Facing An Lin’s unexpectedly bold words, Antuxi couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud, agreeing with her.
Antuxi seemed to be in a good mood, with laughter in her eyes and brows.
Sensing a rare opportunity, An Lin decided to seize it and take a gamble.
Taking a deep breath, An Lin straightened her expression, pitched her voice high and sweet, twisting her tone like a caterpillar squirming, and asked Antuxi with shifty eyes.
“Um, Your Eminence, seeing how we’ve been taking care of little sister Tunzuo for so long, running errands, serving tea and water, I’d say we’ve been quite devoted. Could you possibly answer one tiny little question of mine?”
“Oh? Go on, I’ll see if I can answer.”
Antuxi narrowed her eyes but didn’t refuse, just letting An Lin continue.
She was in a good mood right now; if the question was reasonable, she could answer it.
An Lin rubbed her hands like a fly, eyes full of hope, and let out a gleeful chuckle before asking that timeless, ultimate question.
“Chief, you’re all-powerful, almost omniscient, so could you do me a favor and read my fortune? See when my true love will finally come? I’ve been single my whole life…”
To this, Antuxi stared at An Lin’s face in silence for a long while, her gaze piercing through An Lin’s skin, staring straight into the restless alchemy factor deep in her soul.
After a long moment, Antuxi solemnly patted An Lin’s shoulder and answered with a cryptic smile.
“Child, you’ve chosen the path of an Alchemy Witch. Why are you even considering this question? That’s like asking whether a philosopher’s stone can be used for burning charcoal. Not quite compatible, you know.”
“Wah wah wah, don’t say that, Your Eminence. I still have hope, right? Doesn’t everyone say alchemy can work miracles?!”
An Lin pressed her hands together and bowed frantically to Antuxi, the last glimmer of stubbornness shining in her eyes.
As pitiful as An Lin was, Antuxi could only honestly spread her hands and give her a helpless look.
“Hard to say, honestly. It’s all up to fate. The information disturbance from your alchemy school’s leader has such a deep influence, it’s hard to even modify.”
“In the destiny network of the witch race, the marriage threads of Alchemy Witches are already tangled into a complete mess of yarn. All I can say is you chose the wrong path, child. Take my advice: just stick to research. Stop thinking about all that other stuff.”
After receiving the great witch chief’s definitive answer, An Lin was completely shattered, her worldview crumbling.
She silently slunk into a corner and entered a state of self-isolation, her back as desolate as a withered little blade of grass.
Antuxi shook her head, her smile fading, and walked toward Tunzuo, ready to rouse her lazy daughter for serious business.
“Get up. You should have recovered by now. Shub is still waiting.”
Antuxi’s words didn’t succeed in separating Tunzuo and Olivia.
Instead, Tunzuo buried his head even deeper, even nuzzling affectionately against Olivia’s chest, letting out a few muffled whimpers.
“Your Eminence, maybe let Little Ghost rest a bit longer? She was just exhausted.”
Olivia looked up, trying to plead for Tunzuo and soften Antuxi’s iron heart, but all she got was an extremely sharp look from Antuxi, the warning all too clear.
You two have plenty of time for cuddling later.
Are you sure you want to burn my goodwill right now?
Don’t forget our deal.
If you slip up at this critical moment, you better think it through!
Warned once, Olivia shut her mouth immediately and said nothing more.
A wise woman knows when to yield; might as well reluctantly sacrifice Little Ghost.
Seeing that Tunzuo still showed no sign of getting up, Antuxi smiled a bright smile, like a butcher about to bring down the knife on a pig.
The next second, Antuxi cracked her knuckles, joints popping with crisp sounds, and began the countdown.
“Three… two…”
“I’m up! I’m up!”
Just as the palm was about to descend, Tunzuo did a quick kip-up, then, with a faint lingering ache in her rear as a reminder and a premonition of Antuxi’s loving slap, rose in one fluid motion.
After landing, Tunzuo grinned at Antuxi, showing not a trace of fatigue.
“Hmph, a creature that never learns without a hit.”
Antuxi let out a cold snort, then raised her hand and waved.
Magic surged at her fingertips, and on the smooth living room floor, a Summoning Circle etched with bizarre goat runes took shape, releasing an obscure, hushed vitality.
“Now then, let’s begin.”
Tunzuo nodded, took a deep breath, and wore a serious expression.
She raised both hands, aimed at the Summoning Circle, and began chanting the summoning incantation.
[Trembling fetal movement struggling in the primordial chaos, endless echoes thriving in the swamp of flesh and blood]
[Supreme mother who bore countless offspring, the sole womb embracing life, death, procreation, and aberration]
[Dark mother of abundant harvest, dark forest of unbridled proliferation, bottomless abyss of genetic collapse]
[Origin of all evolution, the primordial amniotic fluid of the beginning]
[Nature sown in the fields, primitive disordered genes]
[Mother of nature, giver of all origins, womb of chaos, bringer of collapse and disorder]
[Answer my call, manifest in the Material World]
[Black Goat of the Woods, Shub-Niggurath]
As magic poured into the circle like a bursting dam, and that familiar emptiness surged again, the bridge between the Material World and the Spirit World was opened, and a strange, abundant vitality exploded forth.
“Baa——!”
With a shrill goat cry echoing across all of Glowing Crystal Coral Island, a mass of flesh like a black cloud surged out.
The mass bore twisted tentacles and gaping maws dripping with slime, extending countless pitch-black goat hooves outward, constantly rotting while sprouting new growths of flesh.
The Black Goat of the Woods’ twisted, grotesque form lingered in the Material World for only a second before its shape began to change.
The unspeakable terror quickly contracted, shifting from an eldritch Outer God into a voluptuous, motherly woman, then compressing further into an ordinary black goat.
Those square pupils, however, lingered on the Pale Mask on Tunzuo’s face, as if thinking, or measuring.
Soon, the Black Goat of the Woods’ form shifted once more.
As light flickered and Tunzuo thought Shub’s transformation would end there, the black goat finally became a plump, round little black sheep with soft, fluffy wool, absolutely adorable in chibi form.
“Little young master, greetings.”
The little black sheep spoke in human tongue, greeting Tunzuo in a voice so gentle, soft and fluffy like a marshmallow—completely different from that shrill goat cry from before.
“Whoa, so cute!”
Tunzuo, who had never been able to resist anything fluffy, was instantly conquered.
She scooped Shub into her arms, buried her face deep into the soft fleece, and inhaled deeply, letting out satisfied sounds.
Shub, in turn, raised a hoof and gently patted Tunzuo’s head, looking utterly indulgent.
However, Tunzuo and Shub’s instant closeness naturally drew intense dissatisfaction from a certain mask.
“Damned stinky sheep! You knew the young master likes cute things, so you turned fluffy?! You’ve never even been that close to him!”
The eerie smiling expression on the Pale Mask vanished in an instant, replaced by a face with sparkling starry eyes.
Naiya deliberately played cute by Tunzuo’s ear, her voice syrupy sweet but laced with a thick sourness.
“Young master~ I’m plenty cute too, you know? I can turn fluffy as well! Pet me, I’m soft too!”
Naiya’s aggrieved protest was met with silence from both Tunzuo and Shub.
Tunzuo silently looked away, burying his face into Shub’s soft wool, the meaning clear.
Sorry, hard pass on ugly.
“Wah!!! Young master!!! You can’t play favorites like this!!!”
Naiya wailed in anguish, the starry eyes on the Pale Mask instantly turning into two streams of wide noodle-like tears.
Seeing this, Olivia felt nothing but delight.
“Hahaha! Stupid mask, look who’s laughing now! I told you you weren’t popular! Hahaha!”
Watching this troupe of live wires interact before her, Antuxi shook her head helplessly, feeling like she’d walked into a zoo—one without any keepers, no less.
Unable to bear the noise any longer, Antuxi quickly tore open a teleportation gate, pointing inside as she spoke to Tunzuo.
“Alright, business is done. Your vacation ends here. Get back to school for classes, and while you’re at it, familiarize yourselves with the Academy Tournament rules. Don’t embarrass me when the time comes.”
“Oh.”
Tunzuo and Olivia nodded.
Though reluctant to part with their rare leisure time, they both turned and headed toward the teleportation gate in unison.
“Mommy, aren’t you coming back to school with us?”
“No. Your little dorm doesn’t have a bed for me, and I’m not about to squeeze in with you. Besides, I’d like to discuss some parenting tips with your good big sister.”
With that, Antuxi cast a meaningful glance at An Lin, still crouched in the corner drawing circles.
“Huh? Who? Me?”
An Lin, in her self-isolated state, immediately looked up and ran straight into Antuxi’s amiable smile.
Realizing she was about to face the big bad wolf alone, An Lin shuddered and hastily reached out to stop them.
“No, no, no! Little sister Tunzuo! Big sister thinks it’s fine to take a couple more days off! Don’t leave your big sister home alone with her! I can’t handle it!”
But facing An Lin’s desperate reaching hand, Tunzuo and Olivia had already scurried to the teleportation gate, turned around, and solemnly saluted An Lin.
“Salute to the great and willingly sacrificed Comrade An Lin! We will remember you fondly!”
Before the words even faded, Tunzuo and Olivia stepped through the teleportation gate without a hint of reluctance, leaving only An Lin’s despairing wail echoing behind them.
“No!!!”
Stepping out of the teleportation gate, the familiar dorm living room came into view.
Sunlight spilled through the window onto the floor, dust dancing in the beams of light.
And Sally and Huli, who were playing a board game on the coffee table, stared blankly at Tunzuo and Olivia, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Their dice fell to the floor.
“Hey, Little Black, Little White, did you two miss me?”
Tunzuo greeted the two little ones enthusiastically, arms open wide for a hug, but all he got was the two of them holding game pieces, tilting their heads like Xiang Yu looking askance, and speaking in unison.
“Ah—the young lady is back.”
Tunzuo:
(=_=)?
What’s that supposed to mean?