The mascot of the wishing shop is a cat.

Chapter 173 One Skeleton

"Um--"

"Hehe, baby, it's been so long since we last met, and you're already flirting with me the moment we meet? Are you going to take responsibility later? Hmm?"

As soon as Lin Xiyue touched Molos's waist, he let out a muffled groan, then lowered his head and whispered something in Lin Xiyue's ear in a deep voice.

"?!! You!!?(? ???w??? ?)?"

Lin Xiyue blushed deeply from his teasing, then buried herself in his arms, like an ostrich trying to avoid seeing anyone.

"Okay, our baby isn't tired, you go to sleep first, baby."

Melos inadvertently caught sight of Lin Xiyue standing there barefoot, and his eyes instantly darkened, as if an unnamed fire was burning in his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he swept her up in a princess carry with an irresistible force and held her tightly in his arms.

At the same time, with a thought, he gently waved his right hand, and a soft and thick blanket appeared out of thin air in his hand.

This blanket was made of the finest cashmere, with an extremely delicate and smooth feel. He gently unfolded the blanket and carefully wrapped Lin Xiyue up completely, leaving only her exquisite and beautiful face exposed.

Wrapped tightly in the incredibly warm cashmere blanket, Lin Xiyue immediately felt an unprecedented warmth and comfort. The warmth, like the spring sun, quickly spread throughout her body, dispelling all the chill.

Furthermore, being held firmly in Moros's arms at this moment, the strong sense of security allowed her, who was physically and mentally exhausted, to completely relax. Moreover, due to the waves of pain from her wounds, Lin Xiyue, who was already extremely tired, soon fell into a deep sleep.

"Okay, now let's talk about your question."

After seeing that Lin Xiyue was asleep, Moros cast a soundproof barrier on her.

Then, Meros's expression suddenly turned cold, and the whole room seemed to be filled with a chill, making the system and the skull shiver.

[Wh-what's the problem?! ゛('◇')?]

"What's the problem?! ∑(′△｀)?!"

The system's voice and the skull's voice rang out simultaneously, both sounding very panicked.

[Keep quiet for now, I'll settle this with you when we get back.]

Meros skillfully switched channels, cursed the system, and then coldly looked at the skull.

"Tell me, what were you trying to do to her just now?"

"I, I, I didn't mean to do anything! I, I just wanted to eat, I'm so hungry, I haven't eaten in so long. Waaaaaah o(╥﹏╥)o"

Being stared at coldly by Meros, whose icy tone instantly transformed the skull's voice from ethereal and terrifying into a child's voice with a hint of sobbing. It felt particularly aggrieved, and the more it spoke, the sadder it became, until it finally burst into tears.

[e=(′o｀*))) Huh?! !! It! It it it! It's a little kid?! ! ]

The system was utterly shocked by the voice, completely unable to believe that the terrifying skull that had frightened it earlier was actually a child! How embarrassing!!

Why are you scaring people here?

Meros, with an expression that suggested he had already seen through it all, remained completely unmoved when he heard the voice transform into a child's.

"Because this is my home! You suddenly came in, and I... I could only scare you away! o(╥﹏╥)o"

The skull began by sobbing softly, but as time went on, the cries grew louder and louder, as if they were tearing the air apart.

At the same time, the entire skull seemed to be controlled by an invisible force, trembling wildly, and its shape was changing at an astonishing speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a few breaths, the originally terrifying skull transformed into a cute little boy with adorable pigtails and a charming face! The little boy looked to be no more than seven or eight years old, with a petite and delicate figure, like a little elf from a fairy tale.

Although his body appeared ethereal and unreal, his exquisite features were still clearly visible.

His eyebrows were like crescent moons, and his eyes were like two bright gems, sparkling with lively light; his small nose was slightly upturned, and his lips were as pink and tempting as cherries. If it weren't for the fact that he was only the size of an apple, he probably would have been kidnapped by those with ill intentions long ago.

"Your home?"

Moros questioned the boy in front of him. He had noticed from the moment he came in that the skull was an abnormal disguise, which was why he didn't want Lin Xiyue to touch it.

"Yes, yes. I always scare people away like this when they break into my house! I just want some food this time. I suddenly feel so hungry, but I'm too scared to go out. My mom says there are bad guys outside who will kidnap me, waaaaaah o(╥﹏╥)o"

The little boy was crying and explaining, and he looked so pitiful.

[Wow! He's so pitiful! (?Д`)ヽ(?Д? )]

The system watched from the sidelines, feeling as if a great demon was oppressing a pitiful child who was constantly crying. It had a feeling that the great demon Meros was about to devour the child at any moment.

"Uncle, aren't we going back? Isn't Auntie home?"

Just as the system was feeling sorry for the child, Lanster's voice came from outside the door.

Ten years have passed, and Lanster's voice is still the same, unchanged, so the system immediately recognized who it was.

"Tsk, to be honest, I don't have time to waste with you."

Moros glanced at Lin Xiyue in his arms and noticed that she wasn't sleeping soundly. He decided to finish this quickly so that she could go back to sleep and he could also take a good look at her.

For Lin Xiyue, it might have only been a few hours, but for herself, it felt like ten years.

"I……"

"Huh?! This thing looks kind of fun. Uncle, is this a little gift from you?"

The child had barely uttered a single word when Lanster, who had already pushed open the door, saw it clearly and then grabbed it in his hand.

"Waaaaah, let go of me!!!"

Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The once-naive Lanster has now grown into an adult, but surprisingly, perhaps because he is just an avatar, his appearance still retains the look of a puppet.

The puppet's image seems to have been enlarged proportionally to the present day, as if time has cast a spell upon it.

At this moment, Lanster was about 1.7 meters tall, with a slender and upright figure. If one did not carefully observe the exposed, inhuman joints that were clearly different from those of ordinary people, it would be difficult for anyone to realize that he was not actually human.

At first glance, Lanster looks no different from an ordinary person.

He had delicate features and smooth hair, porcelain-white skin, and bright, star-like eyes.

However, when one's gaze falls upon his wrists, elbows, and knees, the wooden joints ruthlessly reveal his true identity—a unique puppet.

……