New Fic Posted:
Genshin Impact: My Novels Made All Seven Archons Cry
Wuthering Waves: Transmigrating with the Ten Shadows Technique
Wuthering Waves: I Don't Really Want to Be the Villain
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It was said that deep within the castle in the infinitely imaginative Wooly Kingdom, there was a great door that could grant wishes.
Here, the mountains were Wooly Mountains, the clouds were Wooly Clouds. Amid the lush green grass everywhere, many many Woolies were hidden.
They all wanted to find the Wish Door to make their wishes come true, but first they needed to find the Sword of Courage, the Shield of Conviction, and the Crown of Hope.
Encore held Noah's hand excitedly as she walked toward a small, brightly colored castle not far away.
"As long as the Wooly Warrior finds the three treasures, you can go through the Wish Door and make any wish you want! Come with Encore, Mommy knows the clues for these three treasures."
Listening to her innocent, childlike words, Noah smiled and gently spoke the truth:
"Encore, Encore, actually I'm not the Wooly Warrior. You fell asleep, and I came here to wake you up."
"No, no."
Encore shook her head vigorously and pointed at the horns on Noah's head:
"Big brother is clearly the Wooly Warrior, you even have sheep horns."
"These are actually aftereffects from overclocking. Right now I'm actually enduring pain while talking to you."
Noah honestly confessed and switched his character to Verina. He immediately felt his body lighten as he escaped the torment brought by overclocking.
The burden from forcibly reviving Imperator on the Encore character last time was too great, so his Encore character still hadn't recovered from the overclocking effects.
It could be considered a kind of alternative title seal.
With the character switch, the pair of horns on Noah's head disappeared. This sudden scene left Encore stunned.
She stared up blankly. The joy of finding a playmate on her face gradually faded.
"Wooly Warrior... fake?"
The emotion called grievance turned into teardrops in her eyes. Encore pouted her small mouth.
The wind in this world stopped flowing. Dark clouds covered the blue sky. Not far away, groups of Common-class Tick Tacks appeared, dancing and gesturing wildly.
Gulp.
Noah swallowed a mouthful of saliva, realizing he had made a very serious mistake.
In Encore's consciousness world, he only had the combat power of an ordinary person, while any emotional fluctuation from Encore could have a huge impact on him.
Children's emotions were pure. The sadness and anger produced when deceived or encountering something unacceptable were also pure.
"No! The Wooly Warrior is real!"
Looking at the large group of Tick Tacks getting closer, Noah immediately switched back to Encore. A pair of sheep horns grew on his head again.
He slipped his hands under Encore's armpits and lifted her high, spinning her around on the spot:
"Meow~ Meow~ I'm the Wooly Warrior meow~ I was just joking meow~"
While shamefully imitating sheep sounds, he tried hard to comfort Encore:
"Meow meow meow~ Brave and cute Encore, hurry and take the Wooly Warrior on an adventure together. I can't wait any longer meow~ meow meow meow meow meow meow~"
"Hahahahaha."
Under Noah's silly antics, Encore finally broke into laughter through her tears.
The sky returned to clear blue. A warm breeze blew past. The Tick Tacks that were about to approach disappeared as if they had never appeared.
"Wooly Warrior, Encore will take you to find clues for the treasures."
Holding Noah's hand, Encore regained her previous liveliness and cheerfulness. She shared what was on her little mind:
"The Wooly Warrior is so mean, making such a big joke."
"Encore often tells the stories of the Wooly Kingdom to those adults, but the adults are always very busy and say the Wooly Kingdom is fake and doesn't exist."
"Wooly Warrior, you definitely won't be like those adults. You will understand Encore and believe in Encore, right?"
"Meow~" Noah nodded. "Meow~ Meow~"
The Wooly's, what else could he do? He could only meow.
As they got closer and closer to the small, brightly colored castle, Encore's mood became even higher. She pulled Noah into a light jog.
Pushing open the wooden door, inside was a woman with an extremely beautiful but somewhat pale face, sitting on the edge of a warm-toned big bed. Around her were all kinds of cute building blocks and plush toys.
"Encore, cough cough, you're back." A warm smile appeared on the woman's face.
"Mommy, Encore found the Wooly Warrior, look—"
Encore excitedly pointed at Noah. The latter let out a "meow."
"Mommy, quickly give us the clues for the three treasures. Encore wants to take the Wooly Warrior to find the Wish Door together."
"Good, good. My little Encore found a playmate. Cough, how wonderful."
The mother lovingly rubbed Encore's hair, opened the cabinet beside her, and took out a thin storybook to hand over:
"The clues are all in here. Go on your adventure."
On the cover of the storybook, a cartoon drawing showed two figures with pink hair — one big and one small. The child held a wooden sword and shield while the adult bent down to place a flower crown on her. Several Wooly plush toys surrounded them.
"Yay! Encore will go prepare food for the journey."
Encore put the book aside and hopped out of the castle, her steps very light and cheerful.
Inside the castle, Noah opened the small storybook with a complicated expression.
The pages inside were completely blank. There was actually nothing.
This was the world Encore had imagined. There were no real Wooly Mountains, no real Wooly Clouds.
The lush green grass was fake. The Woolies hidden in various places were fake. The castle was also fake.
Her mother had long passed away due to severe illness. This heavy memory caused the mother she imagined to always appear sickly like this.
"This... Encore's Mommy, may I ask if you know..."
Noah's words got stuck halfway. He didn't know how to continue.
Was he really supposed to tell a seriously ill mother: You are already dead. I want to take your daughter away and make her leave this beautiful fantasy to return to the cruel reality.
"I know. Everything here is fake."
The woman coughed a few more times and showed a calm smile on her face:
"Like the setting sun about to cool down, the wind growing tired, the joys and sorrows hoarded for half a lifetime about to expire. I… accepted the reality that I have already died long ago. Wooly Warrior, how is the outside world?"
"..."
Noah remained silent for a long while before answering honestly:
"Not too good, but not too bad either. Same as always."
"You misunderstood. I was asking how Encore is doing outside."
"Didn't you just ask about the world... Oh, I misunderstood. Encore is currently in a vegetative state. Everyone in the Black Shores is hoping to wake her up. I came here precisely for this reason."
"So that's how it is." The woman seemed to understand something. She nodded and pushed the storybook toward Noah again:
"Wooly Warrior, perhaps I can help you wake Encore. However, can you help Encore find the Wish Door?"
"This..."
Noah thought about how the Shorekeeper had already arranged to send him back to Jinzhou in one hour. Now there was probably less than half an hour left.
In this fantasy world of Encore's, she could have anything she wanted. It wasn't necessary to have the Wish Door, so the step of finding the Wish Door could be completely skipped.
If he could speedrun it, it felt better to speedrun.
He had already prepared an excuse to decline and was about to speak when the woman raised a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.
She picked up the small storybook, her gaze resting on the two figures — one big and one small — on the cover. A warm smile unconsciously appeared on her pale face:
"This is a very happy story."
Outside the house, Encore's footsteps gradually approached. The woman looked up, her eyes carrying a plea:
"Please promise me, don't be a disappointing adult, okay?"
...