Incoming Letter

With just one glance, everyone knew it was not the same letter.

Chen Miemie's stationery was white, but this one was apricot.

"Did someone happen to send a letter to this shop?"

"Not by chance. I'm sure this is the same stamp. Not only is the pattern identical, but more importantly, there has never been a multicolored stamp in history," Forbidden Fruit Bestiary said with certainty.

"Let's go inside and read it."

In front of the shop's sofa, Chen Miemie opened the letter and laid it flat on the coffee table.

A circle of heads crowded around, all of them curious.

Dear Mysterious Friend, hello:

I was pleasantly surprised to receive your letter.

Recently, I've indeed been troubled by something. My little companions and I are facing a choice.

We've just obtained the qualifications to live independently, and according to tradition, we need to start building our own new families.

But when I stepped outside and looked around, I found that all the good spots had already been taken by neighbors who built their houses, and the easily accessible fruit trees had also been claimed by them.

We want a home of our own, but we're too weak to build new houses. To have a place to settle down and make a living, we might soon have no choice but to fight with the neighbors for resources.

I know this might be the only option for now, but deep down, I'm reluctant to do it. Do you have any good advice?

I discovered that I can't reply to you using my stamp, so I'm trying the one you sent. By the way, your stamp is really beautiful.

Looking forward to your next letter.

After finishing the letter, everyone exchanged glances.

The handwriting on the letter wasn't messy. Its delicate strokes couldn't quite hide the author's lively nature.

"This seems like a young person who just came of age? The handwriting suggests it's probably a woman," Qinghua attempted to analyze.

"Yeah, about to step into society and get their first taste of its harshness," Xunhuan agreed.

"Haha, coming of age and entering society—the first lesson is learning to compete. No more of childhood's tenderness and innocence. Everyone has to go through this," Chunshui couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

Chen Miemie asked, "What does everyone think? Should we keep weaving a childhood fairytale for her, or tell her directly that reality will always be harsh and she should change her mindset early?"

The oddities in the room split into two factions.

Xunhuan, Chunshui, Hong, and Bōbō were the realists, while Qinghua, Zhe Zhi, Mitu, and Daidai were the encouragers.

Bōbō was the most direct: "Not telling her the truth is doing her a disservice. This world devours people."

Daidai countered, "But we haven't even tried yet. How do we know there's no new way? It's better to give a conclusion after making an attempt."

Hong's scarlet eyes gleamed with excitement:

"In the past, when I hunted, my prey would always struggle desperately in the net, trying to break free. But they only ended up more entangled, draining their strength until they lost any chance to face me head-on.

Rather than wasting effort on so-called 'attempts' in pointless places, it's better to make a choice early and focus your limited energy on better opportunities."

Mitu, the little snail, spoke slowly.

"The truth is indeed more valuable than empty comfort, but it depends on the other person's needs.

The letter writer herself is probably not unaware of the reality. Maybe she simply wants to find some emotional solace through correspondence.

What she needs isn't a ruthless blow or someone telling her 'it can't be done,' but perhaps just the distant support of a friend."

It was rare for the household to split into two opinions. Chen Miemie looked left, then right, feeling that both sides had a point.

He noticed something: even when the oddities disagreed, they didn't argue. After sharing their thoughts, they didn't refute each other's views.

"Why aren't you arguing back?"

Everyone looked at him. Qinghua spoke on behalf of the group:

"We don't need to persuade other oddities with words. If they're not our kind and hold different views, we just fight to the death. The victor's words become the truth."

Chen Miemie's face darkened with exasperation.

You're not reasoning at all—this is pure primal survival of the fittest. Whoever has the bigger fist gets to speak.

It seemed the oddities couldn't be relied on for the reply. Chen Miemie turned to the only one who hadn't spoken: Forbidden Fruit Bestiary.

"Forbidden Fruit, why haven't you chimed in?"

Forbidden Fruit Bestiary, true to its bookish origins, spoke with a different level of insight:

"I think the same question may require different answers for different askers.

We respond based on our own experiences and understanding, so the reply might suit us, but not necessarily the questioner.

If we truly want to put ourselves in her shoes and help solve her troubles, we need to understand her better. Only then can we see her perspective, grasp her difficulties, and eventually give an answer unique to her.

Chen Miemie, there's no rush to reply. The Wuguang Mailbox needs time to cool down after each use. The higher the setting, the longer the wait. You have plenty of time to think."

"What! There's a rule like that?"

Chen Miemie quickly fetched his copy of the Five-Ray Mailbox Guide.

He flipped through the pages and finally, around three-quarters of the way through, found the relevant explanation.

"Regarding Wuguang Mailbox Cooldown Details: 'One Ray' requires 2 hours; 'Two Rays' requires one day; 'Three Rays' requires three days; 'Four Rays' requires one week."

"If 'Four Rays' takes a week, then our current 'Five Rays' setting must mean at least two or three weeks, or even longer?"

As they discussed the letter, night fell.

It was the Eternal Moon night—the first one since Chen Miemie arrived at the Seal Pavilion.

As soon as the Eternal Moon rose, Chen Miemie could sense it even without checking his watch.

He put the letter aside.

"Since there's no rush to reply, let's set the letter aside for now. Tonight, we have something important to do."

As he spoke, his entire body dissolved into yellow specks of light.

The Yellow-Robe emerged.

The Yellow-Robe's two Eternal Moon eye spheres gazed at Forbidden Fruit Bestiary.

"Forbidden Fruit, you don't seem very surprised."

Forbidden Fruit Bestiary descended slightly in its flight and nodded gently:

"I was mentally prepared. Whether it's you or Chen Miemie, the moment I saw the room full of oddities, I knew I had boarded a boat from which there's no turning back."

Dealing with a smart oddity was easy. The Yellow-Robe grabbed Forbidden Fruit Bestiary and tucked it into its coat pocket.

"It's now 18:00. We need to be back by 19:00. For the first half hour, let's pay a visit to that Withering Verse in the library."