Chapter 7: Welcome Home, Linlin…

The countdown on the panel before her eyes, that line [Room fusion in progress, time remaining: 11 hours 47 minutes 22 seconds], finally ticked down to the last three seconds.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

Buzz–

A low, sustained vibration sound came directly from under the white floor at her feet, instantly spreading through her whole body.

Bai Linlin felt like a bean in a sieve, her entire self shaking along with the room.

“What the hell! What’s going on!”

She yelped, nearly losing her balance.

Then came the spinning world.

The entire pure white cubic space seemed grabbed by an invisible giant hand, starting to twist, stretch, and deform wildly.

The walls were no longer flat; they flowed and folded like melting wax.

The floor beneath her buckled and dipped, forming irregular waves.

The eternally unchanging pure white “sky” overhead cracked open, revealing indescribable, rapidly flowing chaotic colors behind.

The space was disintegrating.

Her own consciousness felt tossed into a tumble dryer, blurring violently with the space’s drastic changes.

The scenes in her vision shattered, fragmented and intermittent.

She seemed to see her shabby little basket fly up, white fragments peeling off like snowflakes, new colors and textures “growing” out from the void…

Lasting less than two seconds, her vision went black, and she passed out cleanly.

When she opened her eyes again, smell returned first.

A fresh air mixed with grass and faint floral scents surged into her nostrils.

This aroma was utterly different from the monotonous, “sterile” blankness of the pure white space before—full of vitality.

Then came sight.

Bai Linlin was lying on a patch of soft green grass.

She propped herself up, shaking her still dazed head, and looked around.

The pure white room was gone.

Completely gone.

In its place was a world she’d only seen in fantasies and game promo art.

The first thing to catch her eye was a castle.

Yes, the kind with stone outer walls, towering turrets, and staggered rooftops—an European-style castle.

It stood not far ahead, sizable, with a three-story main building and a taller observation tower beside it.

The castle’s outer walls looked like solid stone, with plenty of windows—some ordinary squares, others pretty arches.

The roof was dark-colored, with obvious slopes, even intricate curved roof elements.

In front of the castle was a spacious courtyard, the ground paved with neat stone slabs.

The courtyard’s edges had decorative fences with columns.

And this castle, along with its front courtyard, was fully enclosed by a massive sturdy fence of mixed wood and stone, forming an independent, vast manor estate.

Bai Linlin’s mouth hung open as she dumbly turned her neck.

Her gaze went beyond the manor’s fence, to farther out.

Outside were orderly roads, and along them, estates of varying styles but similarly substantial sizes.

Some had modern villas, others refined gardens; in the distance, there seemed to be lakes or mountain views.

Compared to that monotonous, dense “white coffin house” area before, this was practically a luxury villa district.

Her gaze swung back to the estate she was in.

So big!

That was the first word to pop into her mind.

The estate’s area, by eye, was hundreds of times larger than her original thirty-square-meter pure white box.

The entire estate’s grounds seemed fully utilized.

The castle was the core.

But around it were planned different functional zones.

She saw a planting area.

Not just a few plots of dirt, but a finely divided field, all neat and tidy.

Above the fields seemed cleverly placed 1×1-sized “farm furniture,” making the planting zone look both organized and efficient.

She saw a breeding area, fenced off, with signs of animal activity inside.

She saw shadows of a tool shed and material processing station, perhaps located in one wing of the castle.

What drew her more were the decorations.

The castle walls and courtyard were dotted with wall lamps and oil paintings.

The courtyard wasn’t empty but furnished with outdoor tables, sofas, a barbecue grill, even sun umbrellas.

The gaps in the stone paths and edges of the estate grew natural flowers and grasses, along with artificially arranged landscapes.

Like a small “sparse bamboo grove” made with wooden floors, bamboo, wild grass, and faux mountain rocks, or a romantic flower bed paired with ballroom roses, wild grass, and vases.

Vibrant flowers dotted throughout, indeed carrying a dreamy feel.

Sunlight poured down warmly, no longer the dappled light through forest from the instance, but unobstructed bright daylight.

A breeze brushed by, carrying faint distant chatter and tool sounds—this place brimmed with life.

[Room fusion complete]

[Current: Ruan Yuan (Level 22 Estate) as primary estate]

[Current: Bai Linlin (Level 1 Estate) as subsidiary estate]

The panel popped up timely, explaining the situation.

“This is… a high-level player’s home?”

Bai Linlin murmured, utterly stunned.

From a bare-bones “blank room” to skyrocketing into a castle estate with pastoral scenery and defenses—this gap was too huge.

As she tried to process everything before her, suddenly, a pair of arms reached from behind, gently yet firmly encircling her.

The person was tall; the arms easily wrapped around her small body.

Then, a warm and soft body pressed against her back, the sensation distinct.

Bai Linlin stiffened all over, instinctively craning her little head back and up.

Black long hair draped over her shoulder, brushing her cheek.

A refined chin, lips slightly curved.

It was Ruan Yuan.

Ruan Yuan bent slightly, hugging her from behind, her chin nearly resting on Bai Linlin’s white hair top.

Her voice sounded by Bai Linlin’s ear, countless times softer than in the instance, carrying a satisfied sigh.

“Welcome home, Linlin.”

Bai Linlin’s heart thumped wildly.

After turning into a white-haired little brat, this was her first time being “hugged from behind” so intimately by a “girl.”

The sensation was clear; the atmosphere… a bit overly affectionate.

Her mind churned messily.

If this were back when she was still a guy, being hugged from behind by such a beauty would probably have her blushing, heart racing, at a loss.

But now… now she was just a 1.37-meter bean sprout, held by her “best friend” cum “thigh”—seemed like, besides being a bit dazed, there weren’t many other feelings?

Oh, wait, there were feelings.

Mainly shock at this new “home,” and toward this enigmatic “good friend” behind her, that lingering faint unease and confusion.

Ruan Yuan seemed to savor the moment, holding her without moving, gazing at the castle estate with her.

Bai Linlin stiffened, letting her hold on, her little head racing.