[Bridge Princess]

At 10 a.m., Chen Miemie woke up, feeling refreshed.

Keeping the shop was actually a job that suited him fine—when customers showed up, the anomalies would call him; when no one came, he could sleep in to his heart's content.

"What's the plan for today?" the Forbidden Fruit Bestiary sidled over.

"Visiting a local guild in the morning, and I've got an appointment with Yi Zhu in the afternoon to get a feel for things." Chen Miemie wiped the corner of his mouth. "Bobo's improving—knows to control the oil in the morning meal now."

Bobo, delighted at the praise, stood up from the plate.

It had already had one drumstick gnawed off, striking a pose worthy of a golden rooster standing on one leg.

The Forbidden Fruit Bestiary kept its distance, worried its book cover might get stained with grease.

"Which guild?"

"Molting Clinic."

The Forbidden Fruit Bestiary wasn't surprised. "I knew you weren't a good person—making friends with such a bloody and evil guild."

Chen Miemie's head sprouted question marks.

"Isn't this a 'clinic'? Sounds like a righteous guild dedicated to saving lives and healing the wounded!"

The Forbidden Fruit Bestiary gave a cold laugh. "Are you selectively ignoring the word 'Molting' in front? This guild worships the Rainbow Moon. They're bloodthirsty, and even blood descendants make detours to avoid them."

Chen Miemie suddenly felt a bad premonition and mentally screamed that he'd been screwed.

Before leaving Sicheng City, that cube-headed Fina had pulled him aside and told him that [Molting Clinic] was a 'brother unit' sworn to [Silver Moon Court]—allies watching each other's backs.

After all that, it turned out to be a bloody, evil organization?

No! People in Sicheng also slandered [Silver Moon Court] as lunatics, but in reality they spoke beautifully and weren't crazy at all. This [Molting Clinic] must have been slandered and misunderstood the same way.

Having figured out the crux of the issue, Chen Miemie regained his confidence.

"Don't believe rumors, don't spread them—start with me. As a book representing wisdom, how can you be biased and listen to just one side?"

His reputation on the line, the Forbidden Fruit Bestiary got flustered.

It unlatched its lock and flipped noisily open to a specific page.

"Am I just making this up? Take a look:

[Blood Curse Cherry], black-red, small and shiny, growing in pairs on a single thin stem.

Swallow one, and a curse with your own blood as the medium—such as weakening, pain, or loyalty—is inflicted on another person. Then give the other to the target, and the curse takes effect.

This cherry is the guild insignia of the [Molting Clinic]. Every one of them knows this trick. Tell me that's not evil or not."

Chen Miemie was shocked. "There's something like this? Guess you can't just go eating random roadside fruits. If they're that powerful, aren't they invincible?"

"Not necessarily—curses can be broken. If a curse is forcefully dispelled, the caster suffers backlash."

"What do you mean? If it doesn't kill the other person, you die yourself?"

"So they 'molt.' When a curse backlash hits, they shed their skin to escape, lose a bit of power, but save their lives."

"Impressive. Still, I've already made the appointment, so I'll head over."

The [Molting Clinic] was north of the Sealed Book Library.

Chen Miemie didn't want to draw attention right off the bat, so he didn't take a sedan chair.

The guild's headquarters of [Molting Clinic] was also a book, but its spine was entwined with a giant serpent whose eyes gleamed coldly, its tongue flicking out.

Nearby pedestrians instinctively gave a wide berth to the guild building of [Molting Clinic].

Chen Miemie arrived at the serpent's mouth.

"Stop right there. Who are you looking for?" the guard barked.

"I'm Chen Miemie. I have an appointment with your guildmaster for a visit."

"Oh, so you're Mr. Chen. The guildmaster mentioned you. Please, follow me."

Chen Miemie followed him inside.

The layout of the inner hall was somewhat similar to [Silver Moon Court], except the silver-white Frost Moon had been replaced by a blood-red Rainbow Moon.

The entire floor and ceiling were blood-red, giving off a slightly oppressive vibe.

The guildmaster of [Molting Clinic] was already seated in the main chair of the hall.

Chen Miemie got a clear look at her appearance.

She was a white-haired old woman, her face deeply etched with the marks of a life weathered by storms.

"Hello, Mortar Granny."

The guildmaster of [Molting Clinic] used the code name "Mortar Granny," and she was indeed an elderly grandmother.

But she didn't look like a kindly old woman—her eyes were sunken, her nose sharp and pointed. She resembled an old witch swathed in a dark red hood.

"Chen Miemie, is it? How are the folks at [Silver Moon Court] doing?"

"They're all doing well. Not long ago, Granny sent people to reinforce Sicheng City, and we even lost a member. Guildmaster Fina asked me to express her gratitude. Here's a small token of appreciation—it's not much."

Chen Miemie produced a gift box.

This was what Fina had given him. Inside was some unknown anomalous material—Chen Miemie had no idea what it was, just a big bloody hunk. He wasn't interested.

"You're too kind. I'll accept the gift. You mentioned yesterday that you needed to find a mystic who could do carving?"

"Yes, I'm looking to carve five-light candles. I have that need."

"Easy enough. Our guild has someone who fits the bill. Wait a moment, I'll contact her and have her come over."

After that, they chatted about everyday matters.

Judging from their conversation alone, this Mortar Granny was quite easy to get along with.

Before long, a tall woman in tight leather entered the guild.

"This is [Bridge Maiden] Gongshu Key. Her family has been in the bridge-building business for generations. [Bridge Maiden] specializes in carving flowers and guardian beasts on bridge railings and piers, embedding them with 'Stabilization Arrays' and 'Calming Arrays.' It makes ancient bridges durable, unbreakable, and long-lasting." Mortar Granny introduced.

She didn't introduce Chen Miemie, presumably having already briefed [Bridge Maiden] about him.

As he greeted her, Chen Miemie observed this [Bridge Maiden].

Her facial features were very three-dimensional, her irises unusually small in proportion to her eyes. At first glance, her face seemed to have a veil of threads, but it was actually blood vessels flowing inside, connected to who knew where.

Chen Miemie tried to find a topic: "Installing a 'Stabilization Array' on a bridge makes it sturdy, so what's the purpose of the 'Calming Array'?"

[Bridge Maiden] seemed aloof but wasn't opposed to conversation.

"The Calming Array soothes the anxiety and malicious thoughts of those crossing the bridge. In simpler terms, it reduces people's urge to jump into the river."

Seeing them engaged in conversation, Mortar Granny said, "Take your time chatting. I have some business to attend to."

Chen Miemei didn't plan to discuss his private matters inside [Molting Clinic], so he took the chance to take his leave.

He walked out of the guild with [Bridge Maiden].

"Our way here is to be straightforward. Just call me Gongshu Key."

"Alright, same here—call me Miemie."

"How many five-light candles do you plan to make?"

"Just for my own use for now. I'd like three of each variation of the moon."

"Okay."

Gongshu Key led Chen Miemie to her personal workshop.

It wasn't far from [Molting Clinic]—about a kilometer away.

"I usually carve small ornaments here and take on outside commissions too."

Chen Miemie looked around.

The workshop was cluttered with half-finished pieces, tools and blueprints everywhere. It reminded him of Xi's studio.

“Gongshu Key, how do you want your payment—can I just pay you in time?”

“No need. This is a task assigned by the president. Just a few candles—half a day’s work.”

Chen Miemie didn’t argue further. Letting him owe her a small favor was worth more than time itself.

Gongshu Key watched as Chen Miemie pulled out the materials: eleven batches of specially treated wax.

“You want to craft three moonlight candles, but you only prepared eleven batches?” Gongshu Key knew she was dealing with an amateur.

“Huh? Is that not enough?”

“For three Rainbow Moon Candles, even a skilled Mystic with good luck only has a twenty percent success rate. For a novice? Ten percent at best.” Gongshu Key didn’t even mention Frost Moon Candles.

Chen Miemie’s voice faltered. “I’m not trying to make three Rainbow Moons. I want to craft three each of the Rainbow Moon, Frost Moon, and Eternal Moon.”

Gongshu Key nearly walked away on the spot.

Seeing the situation going south, Chen Miemie quickly tried to steady her.

“How about we give it a try first? Trust me—the moonlight is on my side. I’m sure I can do it.”