What in the world…

Why had he ever gotten that particular idea into his head?! How had he managed to mistake… to think that…

Aaaaaah!! He couldn’t keep thinking about it!

Shen Fei wished he could slap himself right there on the spot!

Shen Mo watched his flushed and flustered younger cousin and frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“No… I’m fine…” Shen Fei buried his face downward, so mortified he wished he could sink into the floor and disappear.

Bai Youwei said impatiently: “What are you blushing about? Hurry up and tell us what the doll item actually does. We fought this hard to clear the game — don’t tell me the reward turns out to be completely useless!”

Shen Fei didn’t dare look at her. He kept his head down and answered: “It… it has an automatic early-warning function. It seems to give advance notice of danger. Every day it can… it can give six warnings.”

**[Mali’s Doll — Shen Fei: Equipped with an automatic early-warning system. Can provide advance warning of dangers the user may encounter. Maximum of 6 warnings per 24-hour period.**

**Note: This item has been bound to the user.]**

“That’s actually practical.” Shen Mo said flatly. “Since it can give advance warning of danger, keep it on you every day.”

Shen Fei gave a half-hearted sound of assent.

The thought of a grown man carrying a cloth doll on his person every day felt… genuinely strange.

Still, from Bai Youwei and Shen Mo’s perspective, this reward was both very practical and very well suited to him.

“What’s Shen Mo’s reward?” Bai Youwei asked Mali eagerly.

The most conspicuous item — the iron puppet — had gone to Yan Qingwen; the little cloth doll had gone to Shen Fei. Now Mali held only a coiled, ruler-like strip of steel.

She unrolled it, and only then did Bai Youwei see: it was a paper-doll figure.

It had the material feel of steel yet the suppleness of paper — capable of being folded or stretched. When the doll’s limbs were folded together it became a dagger; when the body was drawn long it became a sword.

**[Mali’s Doll — Shen Mo: A versatile paper puppet capable of cutting through any target other than the user. Can transform according to the user’s will, with six transformation forms.**

**Note: This item has been bound to the user.]**

In Shen Mo’s hands, the paper figure shifted into the shape of a dagger — it looked razor-sharp and rigid, but the moment the blade edge touched Shen Mo’s own skin, it immediately curled away like soft paper. Remarkably strange.

Bai Youwei couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it herself, just lightly. With barely any force at all, the pad of her finger was immediately sliced open by a small wound.

Shen Mo furrowed his brow and put the paper figure away, coiling it around his wrist like a bracelet.

Bai Youwei paid the cut little mind. She wiped her finger casually on Shen Mo’s sleeve and said breezily: “Perfect — finally a proper weapon, and one that can be brought into games without restriction.”

Just as the inspector had said: all rewards had been custom-made by Mali to reflect each person’s inner needs.

She wondered what her own reward would look like.

A wheelchair she could control by herself, perhaps? Or maybe that enormous cloth-cat plushie would be a fitting option.

Bai Youwei’s thoughts wandered in anticipation, her excitement rising.

But then she heard the rabbit-headed inspector say: “Game reward settlement is complete. And now — farewell…”

“Hey!” Bai Youwei stared at it in stunned disbelief. “What about my reward?”

The others were equally confused, turning toward the inspector.

Four people had cleared the game. There was no reason to hand out only three rewards and then call it done.

The rabbit-headed figure stood before them — suit impeccable, shirt immaculate white — gazing quietly at Bai Youwei. A long moment passed without a word.

Bai Youwei knitted her brows and asked again: “Why don’t I have a reward?”

The rabbit-headed figure finally spoke: “As for why you have no reward — I believe you should know the answer to that better than I do.”

Bai Youwei froze.

The rabbit-headed figure gave a soft laugh, its voice gentle and unhurried: “Farewell. I look forward to meeting you again.”

It seemed to be speaking to Bai Youwei — and yet somehow also seemed to be addressing the rabbit nestled in her arms.

…

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