Sleep was elusive, not just because Erin wasn't there to cause a commotion, but sleep wouldn't come regardless.

Perhaps it was the excitement of properly experiencing an exploration of the Exotic Realm for the first time, or maybe it was the sheer amount of information I had come into contact with recently. All of it seemed to bubble up in my mind at once, and Yu Sheng couldn't stop the whirlwind of thoughts, so after tossing and turning for a few hours, he finally got up, threw a coat over his pajamas, and prepared to leave the bedroom quietly.

As soon as he opened the door of the bedroom, the little puppet on the bed sat up abruptly, still with closed eyes: "Going out, where to?"

Yu Sheng was startled and was about to answer when he saw Erin collapse back down with a thud, muttering as she went down, "Don't forget to bring money for the helmet, you and silly fox are stuffed but didn't take me to play games..."

Such incoherent sleep talk—why was it that this puppet not only needed to sleep but could even talk in her sleep?!

A peculiar urge to snark rose in Yu Sheng, but after confirming Erin was still asleep, he quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

The sun had not yet risen, and it was still an endless night outside the house. This was the quietest time before dawn, and both inside and out, the silence was such that the sound of slippers on the floorboards seemed particularly loud and abrupt.

Yu Sheng looked left and right, first noticing the door at the end of the hallway. He walked over, cautiously cracked the door open to peek inside, and seeing everything was as usual, he felt slightly relieved before turning toward the stairs at the other end of the hallway.

He had just reached the stairwell when he noticed the coat hanging on the railing post—that was the jacket he wore when he went out last night, he hadn't put it away since he got back late, and hung it there.

There were large patches of blood soaked into the coat, with a considerable tear where the Evil Wolf had bitten, looking quite frightening.

Yu Sheng picked up the coat and examined it, having not taken a good look when he came back. Now he thought it might be beyond saving, the repair would be substantial, and it was doubtful that he could wash out the sheer volume of bloodstains, not to mention that it wasn't a particularly expensive coat to begin with... Might as well throw it away.

Just the thought of tossing such a "bloody" garment that looked like it came from a crime scene into the trash bin could frighten people. The neighbors might think she was inclined to call the police.

With various thoughts spinning in his head, Yu Sheng lamented the incredible amount of blood he lost. He regretted not smearing it around the exhibition hall while it was still wet, musing it might have granted him more control or unlocked some new gimmick related to the "Museum", then he worried about the girl being hunted by the Evil Wolf...

His gaze remained unconsciously on the bloodstains on the coat, and gradually, the messy thoughts in his mind coalesced into a singular curiosity.

Blood, his own blood... What was it really about?

The puzzle had lingered in his heart for some time, but there was never the time nor the approach to verify or study it. Suddenly, Yu Sheng had some ideas, and unable to sleep anyhow, he turned and climbed the stairs to the attic after a moment's hesitation.

Night filtered through the windows, and the attic was filled with a deep, ink-like dimness that barely tinged the blue. The large table used by "Erin" as an "alchemy table" stood quietly in the shadows, with the tools used last time to make the puppet's body still laid out, a few old books piled up at the corner of the table, and an old desk lamp beside it.

Yu Sheng didn't turn on the main light but turned on the old desk lamp. In its limited but more attention-focusing brightness, he slowly sat down at the table and pondered some things.

He had fashioned arms for Erin out of two lotus roots, turning the little puppet into a little "root doll." Erin had protested vehemently, but aside from her fuss, there was something that was indeed very noteworthy.

That is, within Erin's "professional puppet" knowledge system, such a haphazard operation was supposedly impossible. Clay, flour, and even dirt dug from the garden could be used as puppet-making materials, but "lotus root" was not one of them.

After a slight hesitation, Yu Sheng pulled out a disposable mixing cup from the drawer, picked up a paper knife from the table, bit his teeth and made a cut on his hand, dropping his own blood into the cup.

He had no knowledge of mysticism, and apart from the mechanized "operations" in the process of making a puppet, Erin had only taught him some rudimentary knowledge about Spirit Injection, guidance, and activation, which were all explained in passing.

But for Yu Sheng at this moment, even that rudimentary knowledge was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

After completing an exploration of the Exotic Realm with Little Red Riding Hood, he was now very interested in the field of mysticism and eager to increase his experience and understanding of this area.

Following the method Erin had taught him, as he remembered it, Yu Sheng set up the candles for the Spirit Injection ritual on the table, placed his own blood on the "focal points" of several concentric circles and connecting lines, and began to try and evoke his own "spirituality," infusing this power into the detached blood.

Erin had said that "blood" is an excellent "natural Mysterious Object" for alchemy, as the flow of fresh blood symbolizes "life," the greatest Miracle in the universe. It is the substance most likely to react during an alchemy ritual, and even the clumsiest Beginner could use it to successfully perform many tests.

But Yu Sheng ran into trouble at the very first step.

He didn't know how to evoke his own "spirituality"—although he was increasingly aware of the presence of "Spiritual Intuition" lately, so far, he had been unable to perceive and control this "spirituality" said to originate from the essence of the human soul as a specific, manageable "element." He couldn't sense any supernatural "Power" within himself, and naturally couldn't channel it into the detached blood.

He could only fully utilize his imagination, then use it until he was nearly falling asleep.

After fussing for ten minutes, he saw the blood in the cup was gradually starting to congeal, and thus he abandoned this direction of testing.

Perhaps some "auxiliary materials" were needed?

Yu Sheng thought about it, then opened a drawer and took out a bag of clay.

This was purchased after the last batch of clay ran out, considering that Erin might have an emergency needing limb repair in the future, so he was now keeping these "materials" at home at all times.

After all, he couldn't always use lotus roots—though he really did want to give it a try, Erin would probably go mad.

Clay sculpting was so far the only alchemy experiment Yu Sheng could successfully "operate."

He mixed the blood in the cup directly into the clay, kneaded it evenly, and then meticulously added auxiliary materials like tea powder and rose oil in the proportions Erin had taught him. After careful preparation, he began to earnestly shape the lump of clay into the form of an arm.

Anyway, since he was going through the trouble, he took it as an opportunity to practice the "craft" of doll making, to spare himself Erin's criticism every time she recalled the "restructuring" process about how ugly the things he molded were.

Yu Sheng thought this to himself and put twelve parts patience and meticulous care into sculpting the arm, then used a scraper and a bar needle to create a delicate hand at the end of the clay lump. After working hard on it, he realized... it was still pretty ugly.

But at least it was better than last time; after all, there were indeed five fingers now.

He never dared tell Erin that the first body he crafted for her actually had six fingers on each hand... Anyway, after the puppet completed its self-reconstruction, it was restored to normal, and she never noticed.

After finishing all this, Yu Sheng placed the arm in the center of the alchemy array, while imagining the connection established between his blood and this arm, he slowly moved his own right hand, trying to make the arm on the table move in the same way.

But it didn't move an inch.

Yu Sheng frowned, poked the arm with the scraper, and after confirming that there was indeed no reaction, he could only concede and temporarily set it aside.

The dim morning light had already begun to shine through the windows on the slanted roof, gradually brightening the surroundings.

However, Yu Sheng was immersed in his current task, not even noticing the slowly brightening day.

He bled more, preparing more clay.

Crafting was a highly addictive activity.

Since he had made one arm, why not go ahead and make a complete body? Whether the alchemy would succeed or not, he wasn't going to think about it—if he could improve his sculpting skills, that was good enough. It was as if he were preparing a spare body for Erin—although she said she couldn't replace her body for a few months, this period of time would be perfect for him to practice well.

By then, he could give the little puppet a pleasant surprise.

With this in mind, Yu Sheng's enthusiasm gradually surged. Repeatedly drawing blood didn't make him feel uncomfortable; instead, his spirit became even more invigorated. He made a new torso, arms, and legs, then opened a new bag of clay and started to attempt the creation of a doll's head.

He felt that he had made significant progress; at least compared to last time, the body he was now making could be considered symmetric, with fully formed limbs—arms were arms, and legs were legs.

The doll's head was even more challenging to make than the body, requiring careful detailing of the facial features and consideration of a more complex makeup process. Yu Sheng didn't know if he could handle it—the first time he sculpted a body for Erin, he skipped the "facial makeup" step entirely. In the end, it was Erin whose face grew out by itself, but this time he wanted to take on a higher challenge.

After all, when buying the clay last time, he also picked up a set of miniature tools for doll and figurine makeup; it would be a waste not to use them.

Yu Sheng was completely engrossed in his work.

In fact, he was so absorbed that he didn't even realize—

The first arm he had made was now quivering gently.

And the torso of the doll placed on the edge of the table, its chest was rising and falling at a rate barely perceptible to the naked eye.

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