The Natives of This World Are Fierce

Seeing that Doudou was about to start messing around with something else, Qin Xiaoxia decided not to stick around and watch.

"Forget it, just keep working on your own. I’ll bring you dinner in a bit."

Doudou, who was usually extremely sensitive to the word "dinner," only gave a simple "Oh" in response today.

’Who would have thought this little guy could get so absorbed in something he’d forget to eat and sleep.’

After telling him to "get to work," Qin Xiaoxia left to prepare dinner.

When he returned, the sound of CLINKING and CLANKING was already coming from Doudou’s workshop.

Doudou, that seemingly unreliable little fellow, had actually started working.

As a type of Elf, the Mischievous Elf naturally had its own unique talents.

Qin Xiaoxia had never seen Doudou at work before, so he didn’t disturb him, just stood outside and watched quietly.

An egg-sized lump of gold sat on the anvil.

The small hammer in Doudou’s hand was enveloped in a layer of Magic Power. Each time it fell and struck the gold, a faint blue glimmer would flash across its surface.

Strangely, even though gold was relatively soft, the frequently struck lump didn’t change shape at all, as if it were being hit with cotton instead of a hammer.

He didn’t know how many times it had been struck before, but since his arrival, Qin Xiaoxia estimated Doudou had hammered it at least a hundred more times.

With those little arms and legs, he didn’t have much strength, but his stamina was surprisingly good, reminiscent of a tireless child lost in play.

An adult would tire after just a short while, but a child could play all day without feeling a hint of fatigue.

After another ten-plus minutes of hammering, just as Qin Xiaoxia was debating whether to call Doudou for dinner, Doudou stopped.

The entire lump of gold was now shrouded in a faint blue glow.

"Mimosa~"

A deep Magic Language incantation echoed as the Secret Realm Technique on his arm lit up in unison.

The entire lump of gold levitated, resembling a changing Shaping Material, looking like a semi-solid mass boiling from the inside out.

The Shadow of the Red Demoness instantly appeared before the anvil.

"Kelson~~~ Luna~~~"

The violent transformation of the gold was immediately suppressed, becoming more gentle.

Seizing the opportunity, Doudou’s little hammer started tapping away again.

This time, with every strike, a small piece would fly off the lump of gold.

They landed on the floor with a crisp TINKLING sound.

Qin Xiaoxia took a closer look. The things on the floor had become solid gold fragments; Doudou was likely trimming away the excess material.

Before long, the shape of the gold began to change, gradually flattening and taking on a rounded edge.

’It’s working, it’s working! This Doudou fellow is actually pretty reliable after all!’

"Mimosa~~"

This phrase of the Magic Language once again sounded from Doudou’s lips.

In the next second, the air in the room seemed to vibrate.

A loud "BOOM~" erupted with a flash of fire and smoke, and fine golden threads shot out in all directions.

They struck the surrounding walls with a "TING TING TING" sound.

Several of the fine golden threads shot toward Qin Xiaoxia, who was standing by the door.

Qin Xiaoxia didn’t even move his body. With just a swing of his arm, he instantly reached out and caught a total of four golden threads.

He could feel the scorching residual heat in his palm.

Opening his hand, he saw they were irregular fragments of gold.

"Hahahaha~ Hahahaha... Awesome, awesome! Having a Secret Realm is so convenient~~~"

Doudou’s hysterical laughter came from within the dissipating smoke.

"You succeeded?"

Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t help but ask, confused. Given what had just happened, he’d assumed it was a failure.

The smoke quietly dissipated in a short time, revealing the Shadow of the Red Demoness in a protective, embracing posture, shielding Doudou in its center. A few golden fragments hovered outside it before falling one by one to the ground.

"Huh? Big Cousin, when did you get here? Did you see that? I was amazing just now, totally amazing, you know?! It only took me half an hour to get to the Moldable Energy stage, hahaha, I’ve never been this fast before! Having a Secret Realm is the best..."

He babbled on excitedly. Judging by how happy he was, it must have been a success.

"So where’s the Gold Coin?"

Qin Xiaoxia held out his hand, eager to see the freshly forged Wishing Gold Coin.

"Gold Coin? There isn’t one. I failed!"

Doudou’s brazen, matter-of-fact tone almost made Qin Xiaoxia cough up blood.

"Then what the hell are you so happy about?! Did you figure out why you failed?"

Too exasperated to even lecture him, Qin Xiaoxia irritably added the question.

Doudou’s face was still smudged with soot. He wiped at it as he hopped and skipped around, picking up the gold fragments from the floor and walls.

"I already found the reason."

"Pretty efficient, huh. What was it? Can I help?"

Doudou waved his hand magnanimously.

"No need, no need! I just forgot to import the energy from the Magic Crystal! It’s not a big deal!"

An eyebrow twitched. Qin Xiaoxia walked over, placed the gold fragments in his hand on the anvil, and then waved his hand. The power of the Secret Realm automatically pried the specks of Gold from the walls and lifted them from the floor, gathering them all on the anvil.

"GROWL~~"

Doudou’s stomach started to rumble.

"After I eat and take a nap, I’ll recover my lost Magic Power and can play a few more times! With the Shadow of the Secret Realm, I don’t even have to dodge. This is so much fun~~!"

He waved the hammer around with his little arms as if he’d just accomplished some incredible feat, not forgetting to urge his Big Cousin to hurry up with dinner.

Qin Xiaoxia had to repeatedly tell himself to stay calm. ’He’s just a kid! Right. A seventy-year-old kid!’

Then he picked Doudou up, lifting the little guy’s limbs off the ground until they were face to face, big eyes staring into small ones.

"Heh heh. Doudou, for now, let’s try to be a little more reliable, what do you say?"

Clutching the gold fragments in his hands, Doudou nodded his head furiously.

’Big Cousin seems a little mad...’

At three in the morning, Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou, neither of whom had slept, welcomed the first Wishing Gold Coin produced on Earth in Doudou’s workshop.

"POP~"

A soft sound made Qin Xiaoxia think for a second that it was another failure, but then he saw the Gold Coin floating in the air.

It had a smooth, flat, and round golden shape, with the symbols of the Technique forming mysterious and beautiful patterns.

The lingering fluctuations of Magic Power cloaked the Gold Coin in a mystical aura.

Qin Xiaoxia stepped forward and gently pinched the Gold Coin, which still pulsed with residual heat from its transformation.

Before the anvil, one large hand and one small hand slapped together in a perfect high-five.

"Good job!"

"You know it!"

Doudou thoroughly enjoyed the rare praise from his Big Cousin, especially since he also got a new allowance.

But Qin Xiaoxia didn’t hold onto the freshly minted Gold Coin for long; he planned to use it that very night to test its effects.

On the stone windowsill, a few Thorns darted back and forth, as if trying to be noticed. Realizing that Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou might genuinely not have seen it, it resorted to KNOCKING on the window.

"Alright, Mumu, I’ll let you have a spiritual connection next time. I have other uses for this Gold Coin."

The Thorns immediately wilted, as if dejected, and withdrew from the windowsill.

Lately, from watching Doudou play on his phone and computer, Mumu had realized this world was far more colorful and diverse than it had imagined. Frustrated by the communication barrier, Mumu could only watch Doudou play, and Doudou found it too troublesome to teach it the language of this world.

The Shadow of the Red Demoness was just a Secret Realm Guardian, so conversation was out of the question. Mumu didn’t dare approach Qin Xiaoxia, and on top of that, it was currently grounded. It was going stir-crazy.

For a Tree Shepherd, this "lively" personality it displayed was quite peculiar.

Seeing the Gold Coin successfully forged, it couldn’t resist showing up, but alas, it wasn’t its turn.

So what did Qin Xiaoxia plan to do with this Gold Coin?

For the development of the association, naturally.

As the designated lucky one, helping Su Su awaken was a higher priority than even helping Huang Jiutian.

Although he already had a Magic Energy Crystal, he had no more experience with it than he did with sculpting the Statue of Comir. And there was only one Su Su; she wasn’t an inanimate object he could afford to experiment on recklessly.

But if he added the power of a Wish, it would be foolproof!

Imagining the look on that silly girl’s face when she found out, Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t help but smile.

PS: Chapter 2/3.