Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Breaking Ground at the Resettlement Site

Yu Sheng had gone on for a while. Partway through, Little Red Riding Hood’s gaze turned distant, clearly weighing how workable it was. Princess Snow White, meanwhile, kept staring between them in confusion until she finally blurted out, “What are you two talking about? Red Hood, what do you mean by Star X Valley?”

Little Red Riding Hood snapped back and explained, “Oh, that’s my nickname for it. It’s the otherworld Nightfall Valley from before. I told you about what’s been going on with it lately.”

Princess Snow White drew out an “Oh,” finally understanding. Little Red Riding Hood turned back to Yu Sheng, her expression steady. “I think this will work. And personally, I feel safer in your valley. It’s just… are we going to cause you too much trouble?”

She looked uneasy saying it, but Yu Sheng waved it off. “It’s no trouble. My valley’s sitting empty anyway, and lately I’ve been planning renovations. Honestly, I was wondering what excuse I could use to squeeze another batch of manpower out of the Bureau, and then you showed up. I can bill it all back to them later.”

A smile slowly appeared on Little Red Riding Hood’s face.

She didn’t say anything more. Everything she wanted to say was tucked inside that smile.

After that, they discussed practical details about the transfer and the quarantine: how the children would be housed in the temporary camp; whether the caretakers the Councilor Council sent should move into the valley as well; how supplies would enter and leave; how distribution would work during the shelter period; and how the school-age children would keep up with lessons once they were in the valley.

They were all painfully practical questions—so practical Yu Sheng hadn’t even thought of half of them at first.

He also hadn’t remembered that hiding in the valley still meant arranging makeup classes for those little dollheads…

Little Red Riding Hood’s expression stayed solemn. “Of course we have to. We don’t even know how long we’ll be staying in that valley. Even if we struggle to finish all our coursework, as long as we live one more day, we have to live it like a normal day. That’s the orphanage rule. No one gets to slack off.”

Princess Snow White spoke thoughtfully. “Since we don’t know how long we’ll be in that valley… quarantine and shelter are only temporary. We still have to solve the problem at the root.”

Yu Sheng shoved the thoughts of “makeup classes” out of his head and nodded. “Right. We need to deal with the Dark Angels and the Fairy Tale curse at the source as soon as possible. The good news is, based on what we know so far, the ‘curse’ brought by the Fairy Tale otherworld is very likely from the same source as Anka Aila’s activity. If we can handle that Dark Angel, the erosion on Fairy Tale should stop too.”

He paused, his expression turning a little strange. “If you want to look at it optimistically, you’ve spent all these years trying to find the source of the curse… and now you’ve finally found it.”

Little Red Riding Hood let out a slow breath. “Right. The source is a Dark Angel. That really does force you to be ‘optimistic.’ But let’s not talk about that yet. Let’s talk about what happens after we move. Once we leave, what happens to the orphanage?”

The moment the conversation turned there, Yu Sheng’s expression grew heavy.

The orphanage had already begun to show signs of corruption leaking into reality: briar shadows on the walls, silhouettes of a black forest reflected in the underground passage. What Yu Sheng couldn’t determine was whether those erosion phenomena were tied to the place itself… or to some child who might already have been chosen as the container.

“If those signs were caused by the container’s activity,” Yu Sheng said slowly, “then once the children are moved into the valley, the strange phenomena should stop. But if those shadowspawn are being generated by the orphanage itself, then this place still carries contamination. After all, it’s been Fairy Tale’s headquarters for decades. Every building here has been soaked in that influence for a long time. Who knows what might be breeding in some forgotten corner…”

Little Red Riding Hood nodded. “We need to leave people behind to monitor the situation. The Bureau can station someone here, and you should keep an eye on it too. As for us…”

Her expression dimmed.

This was the place she had grown up in. Rationally, she understood that any of the children—herself included—might already be the container, and that quarantine needed to happen as soon as possible. Emotionally, she still couldn’t bear the thought of leaving.

Seeing her face, Yu Sheng almost said the descent would take time, and that if the children truly missed “home” later, he could arrange a visit.

He swallowed the words before they left his mouth.

When a Dark Angel was involved, it was better not to take risks you didn’t have to.

Now it was time to start preparing—fast—to pack up the entire Fairy Tale organization and move it to the shelter valley.

After leaving the orphanage and returning home, Yu Sheng called Bai Li Qing immediately.

“They accepted the second plan,” he said from the living room sofa, pulling out a notebook and scribbling as he spoke. “Moving into Hotel’s ‘valley.’ I’m adding the essential supply list we just worked out, plus the details for the transfer process. I’ll bring it to your office in a bit.”

“Okay,” Bai Li Qing replied calmly. After a few seconds, her voice came again. “They agreed quickly.”

“So you expected that?”

“The Bureau has worked with Fairy Tale for a long time,” Bai Li Qing said evenly. “I know those children… better than they realize themselves. We’ve always treated Fairy Tale as our best partner. Most of the time, those ‘children’ are more reliable and efficient than some so-called mature, ‘proper’ Spirit Realm Detective organizations.”

“Looks like I was worrying for nothing.”

There was a brief silence. Then Bai Li Qing said, “Worrying too much is a lord’s trait. That might even be why they feel close to you. Either way, the children trust you. Once they move into your valley, you’ll effectively become the biggest guardian in Fairy Tale.”

“I know,” Yu Sheng said seriously.

“Don’t let the children down.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Alright. Don’t forget to bring over the materials you just organized later. Also, the first batch of basic supplies is ready, and the personnel can be in place anytime. When do you need them?”

Yu Sheng looked up at the clock hanging in the living room.

“Wait for my word. I need to go to the valley and prep it first. At minimum, I need to clear out a piece of open ground big enough for a temporary settlement. Don’t worry—it won’t take long.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for your message.”

…

A little over ten minutes later, Yu Sheng, Irene, and Foxy pushed open the fixed teleportation door in the basement and arrived at the hub platform in the center of the valley.

The fixed teleportation door was like a corridor that stayed activated. Since opening and closing it didn’t cause any shock, they didn’t have to report it to the Bureau every time. When they were at home, they used this door to enter and leave the valley.

For Yu Sheng, opening a door on the fly was still easier. But for Foxy, being able to push a basement door and step into the valley to feed the chickens was obviously convenient.

After weighing his options, Yu Sheng chose the open ground beside the hub platform—closer to the old forest—as the temporary campsite.

For one thing, after so long of repair, the area around the platform had mostly recovered from that grand feast. The ground that had once been gnawed by the hungry entity was now level and solid, and in the distance there was lush green land and a fast-growing stand of trees. The living environment was clearly better than the area near the mountain. For another, the canal drawn from deep within the valley ran along the edge of the clearing; the water was clean and could serve as the camp’s water source.

Under Yu Sheng’s control, the broad, barren ground slowly writhed as if alive. Flat pads for prefabs, a sturdy base for generators, pits for water pumps, canals—structures “grew” straight out of the earth in quick succession.

Standing at the edge of the clearing, Yu Sheng narrowed his eyes and sank his awareness into the land. As if he were moving his own limbs, he began sketching the basic layout he’d already discussed with the Bureau, line by line, into the valley itself.

Foxy and Irene stayed beside him, watching the land “grow” with bright-eyed excitement. Irene couldn’t help muttering, “No wonder people online say they love watching construction sites. They’ll squat there all afternoon just to watch an excavator dig a trench… This is actually really fun. Even without an excavator, I could watch for ages.”

Foxy, as always, cheered Yu Sheng on. “Benefactor really is perfect for being an engineering immortal…”

“Do you realize your benefactor doesn’t actually want to hear you praise him for that?” Yu Sheng said without looking up.

Foxy blinked. “Why?”

Irene waved a hand. “Even if I explain it, you won’t get it.”

Yu Sheng listened to their chatter without getting annoyed. Then, suddenly, he said thoughtfully, “Honestly, I think I could just grow the entire camp myself and skip having the Bureau prepare modular housing…”

Before he could finish, Irene snapped, “Put that bold idea away!”

Yu Sheng looked genuinely wounded. “Why?”

Irene planted her hands on her hips. “A bunch of kids getting moved out of the orphanage is sad enough. Are you really comfortable making them live in a toilet…?”

Yu Sheng: “…”