Dimensional Hotel

Irene felt that, compared to all the outlandish ideas Yu Sheng usually had, this new one was truly beyond belief.

Still, she couldn’t deny that all his ideas seemed to carry a certain peculiar charm—no matter how odd or unthinkable, they always had a way of grabbing her interest. After her initial shock, the little doll found herself growing more and more intrigued by his latest “creative idea.” It sounded absurd, yes, and it didn’t follow any of the “basic rules of making dolls” or “alchemy theories,” but there was a part of her that thought: Why not give it a try? After all, what was the harm?

“See? You like the idea too, don’t you?” Yu Sheng said, noticing the shift in Irene’s expression. He looked quite satisfied with himself. “Besides, it’s not just the frame that can be made of steel rods. I could even try casting some parts out of cement for you. It would blend with the blood more easily than the lotus root did…”

Irene froze, her mind suddenly blank. After a moment, she hesitated and whispered, “Isn’t that a bit much?”

Yu Sheng’s gaze turned serious. “Clay is earth, and so is concrete. That’s how I look at it.”

“Uh… is that so?”

“I should’ve gone to the hardware store when we went shopping,” Yu Sheng said, sounding a little regretful. “We could have picked up some cement and steel rods… Oh, and a few tools, too. Welding machines, angle grinders… I have no idea how much those cost.”

To Irene, none of this sounded remotely like proper alchemy.

But Yu Sheng seemed unbothered by the thought. He waved his hand as if dismissing the concern. “It’s fine. We’re not in a rush this time. You should get used to your new body first. If you think of any improvements, make a list, and I’ll craft an even better body for you next time.”

He looked so eager, as though he found tremendous joy in this entire endeavor.

After that, he moved to the edge of the platform and called to Foxy. He pointed to a bare patch of ground beside a rough stone shed shaped a bit like a giant matchbox.

“We’ll keep the chicks right here. I’ll build a simple coop for now. Once they’ve grown and the vegetation in this valley has recovered, I’ll let them roam around.”

As he spoke, the ground rumbled slightly. Stones rose from beneath the earth and fit together, forming a small enclosure with a couple of troughs for food and water. It looked simple, but it would do.

Foxy blinked, then reached into her thick, fluffy tail and began pulling out baby chicks. She placed them in the makeshift pen, sprinkled feed into the trough, and poured fresh water into the basin. Her tail truly seemed capable of producing anything.

While she worked, the young fox girl looked very cheerful, almost affectionate.

It was the kind of fondness one might have when imagining future meals of succulent braised chicken drumsticks, crispy roasted wings, fragrant shredded chicken, smoked chicken, roast chicken, and hearty chicken stew.

“I’ll bring a small stream over from nearby,” Yu Sheng said, watching Foxy with satisfaction. He spoke his thoughts aloud. “There’s a water source near that old grove, and it’s not too far. Next time, I can also bring more tools and supplies to develop this camp further. This valley will be the base for our hotel…”

“Having a base sounds nice,” Irene commented, “but there’s a problem: you’re the only one who can open the door. Every time Foxy wants to come feed the chicks, she’ll need you to open it for her. That’s going to be pretty inconvenient, isn’t it?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yu Sheng’s expression grew thoughtful.

This was something he had been considering recently as well.

His door-opening ability was certainly convenient, but if he planned to have a team and use this valley as a base, then having a door only he could open would become a constraint. Irene and Foxy couldn’t enter on their own, so how could it truly serve as everyone’s headquarters?

“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” Yu Sheng admitted. “If I could set up a permanent entrance to this valley—one that doesn’t rely on me to keep it going, and that both of you could use—well, that would be perfect.”

“Is that even possible?” Irene asked, blinking in disbelief. “It sounds like you’re just making it up.”

“Well, this place is an Otherworld, right?” Yu Sheng explained patiently. “All Otherworlds must have some kind of entrance. The original entryway to this valley was destroyed when I took control of it, but I believe there’s a way to create a brand-new ‘public entrance.’ And as it happens… I do have a plan.”

That got Irene’s attention immediately. Even Foxy, who had been counting her baby chicks, perked up her ears in curiosity.

“Benefactor,” Foxy asked, “do you really know how?”

“Remember that both of you can see and open the door at Wutong Road No. 66,” Yu Sheng reminded them. “That door is technically an Otherworld gateway. Most people can’t see it, but because you two shared my blood, you can open it.”

“Oh, right!” Irene said, her eyes lighting up. But then her brow furrowed. “But the door at Wutong Road was already there in the first place. Without it existing, Foxy and I wouldn’t be able to open anything. Here in the valley, we don’t have a door at all. Every time we come, you create the passage, and it disappears as soon as you let go.”

“What if we made it permanent?” Yu Sheng suggested. “Sort of like building our own version of the Wutong Road door from scratch. Couldn’t we create a physical object infused with alchemical power, using the techniques you taught me? The theory says it’s doable, right?”

Irene stood there, stunned. It took a few moments for her to regain her wits. “I taught you alchemy like that?”

“Ahem, well, I suppose I’ve taken some creative liberties,” Yu Sheng admitted, coughing lightly. “But still, I think it could work. It’s definitely worth a try, right? It’s not like we have much to lose.”

At that, Irene found herself thinking: Typical Yu Sheng. All of his strange ideas end with ‘worth a try.’

And then, they would give it a try. That was simply his style.

“We’re going to be pretty busy for a while,” Yu Sheng said with a grin, jotting down parts of the plan in his mind. “We’ll build a new steel-and-concrete body for Irene, improve this camp, plant a real vegetable garden next time, dig that stream, and create a stable portal… Looks like we’ve got a lot on our plate.”

As he spoke, he wandered toward the edge of the platform, gazing out across the vast valley below.

The valley, once devoured by the Entity-Hunger, was now slowly coming back to life—and thanks to Yu Sheng’s deliberate intervention, it was recovering more quickly than it ever could on its own.

Deep chasms in the earth were gradually filling in, and the cracks along the distant mountainsides were mending themselves. Little shoots of green, which had started to poke through the rubble, were now spreading unnoticed over the rocky ground.

Pale green sprouts and young shrubs stretched out across the newly restored land. They were the remains of the valley’s former life, once lost in the darkness, now rising once more to greet the sun.

Seeing this, Yu Sheng felt a warm sense of reassurance. “This place… it’s really a good place,” he murmured.

He heard light footsteps behind him. Foxy approached, cradling two tiny chicks in her arms. She looked up at Yu Sheng with a bit of uncertainty. “Benefactor,” she said softly, “could I take these two home with me?”

Yu Sheng turned and saw the hopeful gleam in her golden-red eyes. The two chicks in her arms chirped quietly, oblivious to what was happening.

He raised an eyebrow. “You want… those two?”

“Steamed and Salted,” Foxy blurted out quickly.

Yu Sheng blinked. “…”

The young fox girl had picked out her two favorites and named them “Steamed” and “Salted”! She wanted to raise them like pets.

Even Yu Sheng found it a little odd. But when he saw that innocent, expectant look on her face, he held back his laughter and nodded with a solemn expression. “Alright. I’ll get you a box to keep them in on the balcony.”

Foxy’s face lit up. “Thank you, Benefactor!”

Just then, Yu Sheng felt his phone vibrating, followed by a ringing tone.

He pulled the phone from his pocket and saw Li Lin’s name flashing on the screen.

But before answering, he paused, forehead creasing slightly.

There was a signal here?

He could clearly recall that back when this place was the “Night Valley,” there had been no cell signal at all. Little Red Riding Hood, Li Lin, and the others had been stuck here without any way to reach the outside world.

Yet now his phone was picking up a signal? Was it another result of the “Feast,” another change that had reshaped the valley?

A flurry of thoughts darted through his mind, but after a few seconds, Yu Sheng set them aside and answered the call. “Hello?”