Fang Yuan placed the gold coin atop her dandelion puff, resting it right above the envelope.
“I've taken up some of your time as well, so this is the fee for occupying your time.”
As she spoke, her hands reached into her pants pockets and jacket pockets, filling every single pocket with gold coins.
Encountering someone as naive, simple, and cute as Tuantuo truly saved a lot of trouble; she didn't even need to hypnotize herself to conjure up some gold coins.
It had been well worth heading straight toward the center of town after leaving Huo Duoduo's general store and sitting for a while in the fountain square at the very heart of town.
Thinking of this, the smile on Fang Yuan's face brightened even further.
This was Tuantuo's very first day delivering mail after coming of age, making this the first gold coin she had ever earned in her career as a Dandelion Spirit! The very first gold coin earned with her own time!
Tuantuo was beside herself with excitement. She carefully tucked the gold coin into her puff, raising her voice to express her gratitude toward Fang Yuan: “Thank you, Big Sister Hammer Star! This is the first gold coin I've ever received! I'll take extra good care of it!”
Fang Yuan's gaze followed her movements, landing on that dandelion puff. The moment the gold coin was pushed inside, it vanished without a trace; it appeared to be a storage item of some sort.
“This is our Dandelion Spirit 【Envelope Storage】! It can fit ten letters. Since I only had this last letter left today, there was space to tuck in the gold coin you gave me!”
A good thing, but with space for only ten letters, it was far too small—Fang Yuan didn't want it.
So Fang Yuan nodded twice in quick succession, making affirming noises. “Oh, mm-hmm, I don't want it, thanks.”
Tuantuo: “?” Her tiny brain worked at high speed, quickly arriving at a conclusion!
This kindhearted, innocent, pure, sincere little sister who was even willing to pay for her time must urgently need a storage-type 【Divine Relic】! However, she was just too introverted, unwilling to cause trouble, and too embarrassed to ask Tuantuo for help!
Fang Yuan quietly watched the Dandelion Spirit, whose emotions were entirely written on her face. Estimating that she had pondered enough, she preempted her and spoke first:
“You've been chatting with me for so long; won't that letter be late?”
Tuantuo was moved beyond words.
This kindhearted little sister was still caring about her job!
Tuantuo decided that after delivering the letter, she would seek out the elders of her clan to ask for a puff with a large storage capacity for Little Sister Hammer Star!
Fang Yuan tilted her head slightly, taking in every nuance of Tuantuo's expression.
That sentence of concern had likely been delivered just right; there was an eighty percent chance it would prompt her to voluntarily go fetch a storage 【Divine Relic】 for her.
And its capacity would definitely be larger than the puff Tuantuo had.
She certainly wasn't going to take the gold coins she rubbed out and buy one from Huo Duoduo. Why spend money on what could be gotten for free?
Tuantuo made up her mind—she was definitely going to help Little Sister Hammer Star!
“Little Sister Hammer Star... I mean, Big Sister! I'll go deliver this letter first. Can you wait for me to come back here?”
Fang Yuan lifted her chin toward her. “Sure. I happen to be heading over to check out the Old Maroni Opera House anyway.”
Tuantuo's body, which had been about to fly off, drifted back. “Are you injured, Little Sister Hammer Star... I mean, Big Sister?”
“I was hit with a negative effect, so I want to go in and ask if it can be removed.”
Tuantuo's eyes lit up. Fluttering in front of Fang Yuan, she pointed a tiny finger toward the opera house. “Go find Shengzhi Shuishui and mention my name!”
Eager to prove her worth, she reached out a tiny hand and gently nudged Fang Yuan's face. “Go, go! Negative effects can only be removed by Senior Singers and Master Singers. Once you're healed, remember to wait for me here. I'll come look for you right after I deliver the letter!”
Fang Yuan gave her word repeatedly. Watching her noticeably accelerated flight speed, she pondered briefly before speaking up: “If you run into other God Candidates, don't blab out everything like you did with me. It'll be very dangerous, Big Sister Tuantuo.”
Tuantuo's flight trajectory wobbled, her entire translucent, milky-white body instantly flushing red.
Her voice faltered stammeringly: “I-I know! I'm not the kind of spirit that gets easily duped by people! I'm super smart!”
She didn't look back, only feeling her cheeks burning hot.
This was the first time someone had acknowledged her status as an elder. Tuantuo liked being an adult; Tuantuo liked being recognized.
“I won't just tell everything to anyone! Little Sister Hammer Star, you're different!”
“We divine creations have experienced the 【God Selection】. Whether it's our Dandelion Spirit clan or other races, all the God Candidates everyone encounters are always rushing about in a hurry, bustling around to reach the upper floor. Aside from having some interaction with us divine creations while searching for passes, at all other times, we actually have no connection with you whatsoever.”
“Take today, for instance. I'm so tiny, and the fountain square is so huge, yet you happened to see me and even helped me.”
“You stopped your steps for me, so I offered you my heart in return.”
【Divine Creation: Dandelion Spirit】
【Physical Characteristics: Only 3–5 cm in height, exactly half the size of an envelope. Completely translucent milky-white in appearance, with a body as light as catkins. The back is covered in dandelion fuzz, and it cradles a complete dandelion puff of equal height to itself】
【Dandelion fuzz serves as the 'control lever' for the Dandelion Spirit to adjust flight altitude, while the dandelion puff acts as the 'steering wheel' to control flight direction】
【At the same time, the flight puff is also a Divine Relic of this race, mostly used to store envelopes. The more experienced a Dandelion Spirit is, the larger the storage capacity of their puff】
【When a Dandelion Spirit experiences intense emotional fluctuations, its body turns from milky-white to red】
【Dandelion Spirits are resident mail carriers at the Sunset Post Office. As a race, they are friendly and simple-minded, possessing a unique pursuit of and dedication to dreams and growth】
Tuantuo's figure had already flown out of Fang Yuan's sight. She was so tiny that without looking carefully, one couldn't trace her whereabouts at all.
Fang Yuan retracted her gaze and stepped forward, walking in the direction of the Old Maroni Opera House.
With her very first step, she made a point to check if there were any water stains beneath her feet. Only after confirming that she shouldn't slip did she step down with confidence—and landed flat on her backside in perfect fashion.
The shovel and hammer in her hands suddenly turned slippery, nearly flying out of her grasp. Fortunately, Fang Yuan wasn't just gripping them with her palms; her fingernails were also digging firmly into their surfaces.
However, as she fell, the massive impact and friction subjected her fingernails to excessive pressure in an instant. Her fingernails were torn back along with a sliver of flesh, blood gushing out immediately as a sharp stab of pain surged from her fingertips all the way to her chest.
That was fine—she could just get it treated together when she saw Shengzhi Shuishui.
Unbothered, Fang Yuan stood up and flexed her fingers. She tightened her grip around the shovel and hammer once more, controlling her landing spot and center of gravity with every step as she walked toward the grand, long staircase of the Old Maroni Opera House.
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