Chapter 234

Chapter 234

When Evan got back to his small rented apartment from the hot spring, the setting sun was dyeing the room a warm yellow. He sat on the sofa, holding the old doll adorned with black pearls, his fingertips caressing the light gray cotton-linen shirt that Sara had worn—he had deliberately kept it, the fabric still carrying a faint trace of his scent.

Just the thought of seeing Sara again in ten days made the young man’s anticipation spill over, yet mixed with that anticipation was a hint of unease: Sara was now a governor, surrounded by dangers. If he wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't be able to help and might even become a burden.

“I have to get stronger as fast as possible.” Evan clenched his fists, his mind made up. A Doll-maker's fighting strength never depended only on physical conditioning; the core lay in the dolls’ support and attack abilities.

The Gold Sala he had earned from Pearl Island was more than sufficient. As a colony, the Fifteenth Island, nourished by volcanic soil, produced timber that was dense and tough, and the surrounding waters were rich in various ores—making it the perfect spot for making dolls.

The next morning, Evan rose early, carefully stored the old doll in his handbag, and went out to buy materials. He first visited the local building materials market, where piles of timber and ores were stacked high: ebony as hard as iron, fine-grained maple, gleaming obsidian, highly flexible bronze wire, premium cotton batting, and tanned animal hides.

Seeing how generously he spent and how picky he was about material quality, the shopkeeper eagerly helped him select and even arranged for delivery. Evan also made a special trip to a small shop selling extraordinary materials, buying a small amount of silver powder and bone powder that held a trace of energy—these would make the dolls more receptive to spiritual energy and easier to control.

Back in the rented apartment, Evan immediately turned the living room into a temporary workspace. He lined up the ebony and maple wood neatly against the wall, piled the ores in a corner, and stored the small items like bronze wire and silver powder in wooden boxes sorted by type. The living room was cramped to begin with, but even after it was filled with materials, he kept everything neat and organized.

Sunlight streamed through the window onto the workspace. Evan picked up a carving knife, took a deep breath, and started with small stealth-type dolls—these were perfect for scouting and covert ops—they could gather info without anyone noticing.

He first took a small piece of maple wood, carving it bit by bit into the rough shape of a sparrow. Because maple is light and good for flying, Evan twisted bronze wire into a fine skeleton, embedded it in the wood, sanded everything smooth, then covered it with thin tanned skin and painted it gray-brown. To make the sparrow more inconspicuous, he deliberately used small, deep-black agate for its eyes and applied a non-reflective coating to the edges of its wings.

In just one morning, ten lifelike sparrow dolls were finished—they were only two-thirds the size of real sparrows, their wings could flap flexibly for high-altitude recon or slip into tight spaces to send back clear spiritual signals.

Next, Evan made doll versions of a pet cat, a swallow, a spider, a snake, and an ant. The pet cat doll was pure white, wrapped in soft rabbit fur, its steps light and silent, perfect for urban tracking. The swallow doll was faster than the sparrow and could deliver messages over long distances. The spider doll could spin sticky webs from special threads to entangle enemies and could also climb walls. The snake doll was pitch black, with sharp obsidian teeth hidden in its mouth for silent ambushes. The smallest ant doll was only the size of a fingernail, able to crawl into clothing and drawers to gather hidden information, and when working in groups, it could gnaw through tiny objects.

Throughout the creation of these small dolls, Evan was fully focused, his carving knife precise, each detail polished repeatedly. He could clearly feel the slow flow of the potion’s energy within him, seeping into the dolls with every movement of his fingers, gradually imbuing the lifeless wood and leather with spirituality.

Before, he used to have to put in a lot more effort to infuse dolls with spirituality. Now, with the potion being absorbed quickly by his body, his physique and mental strength were steadily improving, and his control over spirituality was becoming more adept.

For the first four days, Evan devoted himself entirely to making small dolls, making over a hundred of different kinds, each placed in wooden boxes and hidden in corners of the room.

These dolls looked harmless but formed an invisible web for scouting and covert action, useful for tracking enemies, surveying environments, or relaying messages.

On the morning of the fifth day, Evan began crafting large offensive dolls. These required stronger structural support and attack power. He chose the hardest ebony for the frame, paired obsidian claws and teeth, and wove bronze wire to simulate muscles, then covered it all with thick animal hide for defense and lethality.

The first large doll was a leopard—1.2 meters long, with sturdy limbs, claws as sharp as knives, capable of striking at high speed, and teeth strong enough to bite through hard ore. Evan set fluorescent stones into the leopard's eyes for night vision and installed an energy device inside that could boost its striking power when activated.

Next came the crocodile and python dolls. The crocodile doll was 1.5 meters long, with a belly of soft leather and a back inlaid with layered obsidian scales for incredible defense. Its mouth could open extremely wide, and its bite force was sufficient to sever steel. The python doll was 2 meters long, its body made from segmented ebony pieces, wrapped in highly resilient snake skin, able to coil around enemies and crush their bones, with hidden venomous fangs near the base of its neck to inject a paralytic made from extraordinary plants.

Making large dolls was exhausting both physically and mentally. Every day he worked late into the night and ached all over, but he still loved it.

Whenever he grew tired, he would take out the cotton-linen shirt Sara had worn and breathe in its scent, or flip through the love poems he had written to Sara, thinking about showing them all to Sara in ten days gave him a second wind. Meanwhile, as his crafting progressed, the potion's energy was absorbed faster and faster, gradually awakening the latent power within him. His physique grew stronger, his perception sharper—he could even faintly sense the flow of weak energy in his surroundings.

On the eighth day, Evan began crafting a special support doll—a maid doll. He wanted this doll to help manage his daily life and also assist Sara in the future.

On the ninth day, he specifically chose smooth, warm-toned maple wood for the skeleton, carving it into a human silhouette at 1.65 meters tall, then sewing clothes from fine silk: a light gray long skirt, with small pearl patterns embroidered on the cuffs.

On the tenth day, to make the maid doll more lifelike, he carved and polished its face from mutton-fat jade, painting on gentle eyebrows and eyes. Its hair was woven from black silk thread, coiled into an elegant bun, adorned with a small silver hairpin.

Beyond its exquisite appearance, the maid doll’s functions were practical. Evan built a complex spiritual circuit inside her so she could do basic chores like tidying up, cleaning, and cooking. She could also assist him in making dolls—handing over materials, polishing parts. Additionally, she had a warning function, capable of sensing nearby danger and sending timely signals. After completion, Evan gently pressed the button on her chest, and she opened her eyes, bowed, and spoke in a soft voice: “Master, I am ready. I await your orders at any time.”

Looking at the lifelike maid doll before him, Evan smiled with satisfaction. Over these ten days, he had nearly exhausted all his energy, working from dawn till midnight. The dolls in the room had piled up: small dolls filled four wooden boxes, large ones stood against the wall, and the maid doll remained quietly in the corner, like a real maid waiting for orders.

His body had also undergone tremendous changes—the potion’s energy was almost fully digested. His physique was several times stronger than before; his strength, speed, and endurance had all made qualitative leaps. His mental power was more condensed, his control over the dolls increasingly effortless.

On the evening of the tenth day, Evan stopped working, washed up, and changed into clean clothes. He walked to the window, watching the setting sun outside, his heart filled with anticipation.

The power within him stirred restlessly. He could clearly feel that he was getting closer and closer to Sequence 7. He only needed to find the corresponding potion ingredients to break through the bottleneck and reach a new level.

The maid doll brought him a glass of warm water and said softly, “Master, Mr. Sara should be arriving soon.” Evan took the glass and nodded, his gaze falling on the row of dolls against the wall. These dolls were the fruit of his ten days of hard work, the foundation of his ability to shield Sara.

He reached into his pocket and touched the love poem he had written to Sara, a gentle smile curling at the corner of his lips—when Sara came, he would first show him these dolls, then take him to see the coffee flowers along the ridges, telling him all the tenderness and intentions in his heart.

The room’s lights came on, illuminating the dolls everywhere, and also the anticipation and determination in Evan’s eyes.

He knew that with Sara’s arrival, a new life was about to begin, and he was ready to use his own strength to protect the person by his side.

Evan crouched on the floor, stuffing the wooden boxes full of small dolls one by one into his handbag—the ebony and maple dolls were neatly stacked, the glow of obsidian and bronze wire faintly visible through the opening, making the not-so-small bag grow heavy, yet he packed it tightly.

He deliberately wrapped the more lethal leopard and crocodile dolls in soft cloth to avoid scratching other items inside the bag during travel, and held the black-pearl-adorned baby doll in his arms, his fingertips gently brushing over the pearls on its hat brim, his eyes full of care.

“Hold this securely, and keep an eye out for any movement along the way,” Evan said, looking up at the maid doll beside him, handing her the snow-white pet cat doll.

The maid doll immediately bowed and took it, carefully cradling the cat doll in her arms, her movements as gentle as if handling something fragile, responding softly, “Yes, master. I will remain vigilant at all times.”

Standing beside Evan, her 1.65-meter frame, with her light gray skirt falling to the floor and her silver hairpin shimmering under the light, complemented the baby doll in Evan’s arms, like a pair of carefully prepared gifts.

After packing everything, Evan took one last look at the rented small apartment.

The workspace in the living room still bore traces of wood shavings and paint, and the empty spaces by the wall had once been filled with his newly crafted dolls. Now only a faint spiritual aura remained.

It was quiet and warm here, his little nest for growing stronger, but the moment he thought of Sara waiting for him on the First Island, all reluctance turned into the eagerness to rush forward.