Chapter 201: Yu-Style Fixed Gate Experiment
By the time Yu Sheng returned to Phoenix Tree Road No. 66, night had fully fallen. He had spent far longer than expected at the Bureau of Arcane Affairs, discussing recent developments and waiting on the laboratory to finish sampling the Spirit Cord. The moment he pushed open the door and stepped inside, he saw a frightful scene that nearly stopped his heart:
Foxy and Irene were both huddled at the kitchen door, discussing what to cook for the evening meal.
Irene proposed frying eggplant pockets, along with stewing half a chicken left in the icebox.
Foxy suggested tossing in everything remaining in the icebox—including two newly bought jars of spicy sauce.
Just as Yu Sheng entered, the two were in the midst of voting. Irene, ignoring all martial honor, raised six of her hands.
Foxy, in turn, raised two hands plus nine tails.
Fortunately, Yu Sheng arrived just in time to prevent another Fox-in-the-kitchen disaster—sparing this peaceful winter’s night from a sudden roar of explosions in the Outland.
“Didn’t I warn you both never to set foot in the kitchen when I’m not home?” Yu Sheng said in exasperation, tying on an apron. “Have you forgotten the time Irene almost got stewed in the iron pot, or when the wok was burned so badly it changed shape?”
Foxy and the little doll both sat meekly on chairs by the kitchen door, heads hung low as Yu Sheng lectured them. Then Irene lifted her head. “I—I wasn’t actually going inside this time. I was just giving Foxy remote instructions…”
“I can cook,” Foxy added quickly, raising her eyes with care and lifting a hand. “Benefactor, don’t you remember how my last stew turned out pretty tasty?”
Yu Sheng hesitated, recalling the mysterious pot of stew that Foxy, the fox-spirit maiden, had made. He had to admit it tasted decent, but he still shook his head warily. “That’s only if I’m home. You’re too easily swayed by Irene’s ‘remote guidance,’ and that’s a risk I can’t allow.”
Foxy immediately nodded. “Oh.”
Irene complained, “Hey! Why am I the one who’s considered risky here?”
But Yu Sheng no longer paid attention to the little doll’s protest.
He needed to hurry and prepare something to feed Foxy, who had waited all day with an empty stomach.
While he busied himself in the kitchen, the doll’s complaints quieted. After a few moments, Irene wandered in as though nothing had happened, climbing onto his shoulder. She spoke in a casual tone, “Judging by how tired you look, did the Bureau of Arcane Affairs find anything?”
Yu Sheng didn’t even glance up. “They uncovered Squirrel’s original name and confirmed the precise time when Midnight Angels’ Anka Aila first appeared. There’s a note in my pants pocket—feel free to take a look.”
Irene promptly slid down, clinging to Yu Sheng’s leg as she rummaged in his pocket.
Yu Sheng glanced down at the nimble little doll. [She looks more like a squirrel than the real Squirrel…]
“…Eighty-six years ago, Zhao Le Le disappeared at age eight-and-a-half,” Irene muttered after scanning the folded paper. Her voice sounded odd as she mumbled, “Tsk, from the photo you’d never guess Squirrel would turn into such a skittish street-cursing chain-smoker.”
“It’s been eighty-six years,” Yu Sheng sighed. “She’s no longer that eight-year-old child.”
“…No telling what she’ll become in the end,” Irene murmured, quickly refolding the A4 sheet and stuffing it back into Yu Sheng’s pocket. Once she saw he had finished stir-frying, she hopped onto his shoulder again to help switch off the kitchen’s smoke vent. “So what’s the plan after dinner? Will you head straight to the Haven Orphanage and tell Little Red Riding Hood and the rest of the Wardens about the situation? Midnight Angels is terrifying. You have to be careful how you break the news…”
Yu Sheng thought for a moment. While plating the food, he shook his head. “No. The orphanage has lights out at half-past ten. I plan to talk to them after they fall asleep, once we enter the ‘wasteland realm.’ That way, I can confirm the ‘shelter’ mechanism is working, so everyone will be calmer before I mention Midnight Angels. Until then, you and Foxy come with me to Mystic Valley first.”
“Mystic Valley? What for?”
“To perform a small ‘experiment’ I’ve postponed for too long. I believe we have enough time,” Yu Sheng replied, carrying the dish toward the doorway. “Foxy! Dinner’s ready!”
…
After dinner, Yu Sheng tidied up briefly, then led Irene and Foxy down to the spacious basement beneath Phoenix Tree Road No. 66. This basement was almost half the size of the ground floor above, just as the attic at the top of the building exceeded normal proportions. Apart from one wall piled high with assorted junk, half the basement lay empty.
Yu Sheng rarely came here—less often than he visited the attic.
Switching on the lights, he searched through the clutter near the wall. Irene blinked curiously. “Didn’t you say we’re going to Mystic Valley?”
“I just need to prepare something first.” Yu Sheng didn’t stop rummaging. “I’m pretty sure I saw it here… Ah, here we go.”
At last, he found what he sought amid the dust-laden junk. To Irene’s surprise, he lifted a large, battered wooden door—frame and all.
“Why do you need that thing?” Irene asked, wide-eyed.
“I want to see if I can set up a fixed Gate,” Yu Sheng answered, hefting the old door from the junk pile. “We talked about this before. Right now, the only way in or out of Mystic Valley is by my own Gate-opening ability, which isn’t convenient. I finally have a spare moment to test if my idea might work.”
He carried the wooden door to the blank wall at the far end of the basement, propped it upright, and grabbed a rag to wipe away the worst of the dust. Then he produced a pen and began drawing on the floor in front of it.
Irene recognized the lines of a simple alchemical array—Yu Sheng’s sole piece of alchemy knowledge.
The little doll immediately grasped his intention.
“You’re trying to use this physical door as a medium, then treat your ‘Teleportation Gate’ as an alchemical effect and… solidify it in place?”
Yu Sheng nodded. “That’s the plan.”
Irene opened her mouth, momentarily unsure how to reply. She instinctively glanced over at Foxy to see if the fox-spirit had any opinion. As expected, Foxy did not disappoint—her eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands. “Benefactor’s forging path follows the principle of simplicity. He returns to the source to harness true essence…”
Irene scowled. “Like you know anything about alchemy.”
Foxy countered smoothly, “Then do you understand Benefactor’s hidden path to the Underworld?”
Irene: “…”
That single question left the little doll speechless for a while. Finally, she threw her hands up and stomped over to Yu Sheng. “All right, enough. Let me help. You can’t just draw a bigger version of the small array I taught you—it won’t work that way. You need additional ‘amplifier nodes’ for each point of intersection. I’ll show you.”
Yu Sheng hesitated but handed her the pen. He watched as she carefully adjusted the rough, simple formation with extra markings, all the while grumbling, “Really, just copying the small array isn’t enough. Proper alchemy uses special inks for large formations, but maybe your blood-based approach won’t be too weak. Look—these symbols amplify each intersection. If you double the array’s complexity, each crossing line needs a node like this…”
Yu Sheng stared in a daze as the doll juggled the oversized pen. Then came the sound of additional footsteps descending the stairs: Irene’s other two copies arrived, each holding a pen. Together, they scampered about, sketching lines and glyphs across the basement floor until a grand alchemical formation took shape.
It seemed Irene was truly enjoying herself.
Once finished, she extended some of the sigils onto the old wooden doorframe, then finally stood back with a flourish.
“There. Done!” The Irene holding a small picture frame turned around, looking quite pleased with herself. “Make sure you remember all this. For any formation bigger than a meter wide, you need these extra nodes. Why are you staring at me?”
“Well… you actually look pretty reliable,” Yu Sheng confessed. “Like a real alchemy master.”
“I am a real alchemy master! And I’ve always been reliable!” Irene retorted, crimson eyes flashing. “Anyway, I’ve drawn the formation for you, but I can’t guarantee success. Nobody’s ever tried anything like this. And I don’t know the true nature of your ‘Teleportation Gate.’ Just don’t blow up the basement, all right?”
“Don’t worry,” Yu Sheng reassured her. “I can sense every detail while opening the Gate. If anything feels off, I’ll stop immediately.”
Saying this, he took out his phone. The top contact read “Bai Li Qing.”
Yu Sheng hesitated, then dialed and got picked up instantly.
Yu Sheng cleared his throat. “Ahem… Bai Li Director…”
Before he could finish, a cool, level voice came from the receiver, “An experiment?”
Yu Sheng paused. “…Yes.”
“How long?” the voice asked.
“About two or three hours…”
“Very well. I’ll take care of arrangements. Contact me once you’re done.”
Again, Yu Sheng was left momentarily speechless. “Oh, than— Wait, how did you know I—”
“Because you used a respectful greeting. You never do that when you open the Gate otherwise,” replied Bai Li Qing, in a calm tone.
Yu Sheng: “…”
He was at a loss for words.
(This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.)