Volume 3: Deep Blue Sea
Watching the little dumpling vigorously running around on the washbasin with short legs, Ye Jian felt that his tolerance was still too low. Although he received a critical hit of ten thousand points, General Ye was unwilling to let the little dumpling continue running. He quickly reached out, intending to remove the blue butterfly.
However, Ye Jian’s movement, although fast, was surpassed by a streak of blue light. Like a flash of icy blue lightning, it directly passed by Ye Jian’s hand and rushed towards Shu Xun. Shu Xun, in his run, couldn’t stop in time and collided head-on with the blue light. In that instant of crashing into the blue light, a magical sense of mutual understanding emerged. Before Shu Xun could fully perceive it, the butterfly on his head was fanned away as the wings of the approaching blue butterfly flapped.
The butterfly was fanned away and fluttered in the air for a moment before landing with a helpless look on Ye Jian’s outstretched hand. Ye Jian, with an expressionless face, gently flicked his fingers, causing the blue butterfly to be flicked away again. Finally, with a pitiful appearance, it settled on the faucet of the washbasin.
Struggling to stand up from the blue light, Shu Xun looked at the giant blue butterfly in front of him, still somewhat dazed. Just like Ye Jian, Shu Xun instantly recognized the identity of the blue butterfly. However, he, too, did not expect the butterfly to appear here. At the surprising moment, the “giant” blue butterfly in front suddenly extended its antennae and patted Shu Xun’s little head with a comforting gesture.
Shu Xun: “…”
Being comforted by an insect, he inexplicably felt warmth. What was going on? Moreover, seemingly due to some mysterious connection, Shu Xun felt a sense of familiarity. So, he extended his chubby hands to hug the butterfly in front of him and rubbed against it. The butterfly’s wings carried a faintly cool sensation, but not icy. The touch was smooth, like high-quality thin crystal—clear and comfortable.
Maintaining the open-winged posture, the blue butterfly allowed the little dumpling to rub against it. The antennae on its head shyly curled up. After Shu Xun finished rubbing, the mood of the blue butterfly seemed to improve. Suddenly, a burst of icy blue light blossomed, merging into Shu Xun’s body. Shu Xun was slightly stunned, unable to even express his surprise. He suddenly felt an additional energy in his body: cool, transparent, and gentle.
The energy gathered on the back, seemingly awaiting a slight guidance to break through and transform like a butterfly. Subconsciously following Shu Xun’s guidance, the ice-blue light first appeared on his back, and a pair of large ice-blue wings manifested on Shu Xun’s back. Almost instinctively, the wings flapped twice, and the little dumpling, originally standing on the washbasin, soared into the air. Stumbling a bit, he flew randomly, gradually mastering the skill of flight.
The little dumpling seemed to have become excessively excited. Shu Xun had once thought that he was far from achieving the ability to fly in the sky. Unexpectedly, one day, a pair of wings appeared on his back, feeling like a huge pie falling from the sky.
The consequence of being too excited was that, for the entire morning, the winged dumpling flew up and down, left and right, exploring the entire room again. In a good mood, he fetched a cloth, humming a song, and wiped all the lights on the ceiling. Ye Jian watched for a while. In fact, by adjusting the suspension height setting of the household cleaner, the ceiling could easily be cleaned. However, looking at the enthusiastic little dumpling flying around with a cloth, Ye Jian chose not to say anything.
Until noon, Shu Xun, who had flown almost the entire morning without landing, finally felt tired. Flapping his wings, he landed directly on the small swing chair on the coffee table. The wings’ light dissipated like sand and reassembled into a “giant” blue butterfly. The blue butterfly also seemed tired, directly settling on the crossbar above the swing chair. Its wings flapped gently for a moment, eventually coming together, as if it had fallen asleep.
Meanwhile, Ye Jian, with an expressionless face, looked at the blue butterfly seemingly stuck to the back of his hand in silent frustration. He couldn’t fathom why his blue butterfly had a personality almost opposite to his own. It initially played on top of the little dumpling’s head, got flicked away with a wing, seemingly didn’t know how to reclaim its territory, and ended up looking like a wronged little girl. In the end, it clung to his hand and refused to come down. At this confusing moment, the blue butterfly on his hand finally made a move.
It flapped its wings and carefully and cautiously flew to the coffee table. Under the warm and bright sunlight, the swing chair was slightly swaying due to Shu Xun’s previous actions. The blue butterfly flying over tried a few times, and eventually, it directly landed on the coffee table. Without using its wings, it stealthily crept over with its few short legs, as if trying not to be discovered without using its wings.
Ye Jian: “…” This blue butterfly not only had a problematic personality, but its intelligence also seemed quite questionable.
On the coffee table, the blue butterfly finally succeeded in sneaking to the side of the swing chair, then climbed up along the support rod of the swing chair. After much effort, it finally reached its destination: the edge of the swing chair where Shu Xun was sleeping. Even to avoid blocking the sunlight, it closed its wings and formed a right angle with the sunlight. The blue butterfly stood still on the edge of the swing chair for a moment, making sure that neither Shu Xun nor Shu Xun’s blue butterfly was awakened. Then, like a thief, it bent down its antennae and gently touched Shu Xun’s little chubby face, retracting like lightning.
Ye Jian sat stiffly on the sofa. Why could he sense the hidden joy and silly smile in that foolish butterfly’s heart? This was definitely an illusion! But the tactile sensation seemed quite good. Suddenly! As if realizing something, Ye Jian instantly petrified on the sofa.
On the small swing chair bathed in sunlight, a little dumpling was sleeping soundly. Two semi-transparent blue butterflies, one tall and one short, landed on the swing chair. The one on the edge of the swing chair occasionally extended its antennae to touch the dumpling’s cheek. Even after the sun shifted, it carefully moved to the other side of the swing chair to avoid blocking the sunlight.
When Shu Xun woke up, it was already well into the afternoon. Both blue butterflies were asleep on the swing chair. Shu Xun quietly climbed down from the swing chair, not waking the two blue butterflies. Ye Jian was not in the living room either. In the end, Shu Xun found Ye Jian in the study’s nutrient pod.
Shu Xun tilted his head, pondering for a moment, realizing that the public beta of the game “Deep Blue Sea” should be coming soon. Looking at the still-sleeping Ye Jian, Shu Xun rushed to the kitchen. First, he meticulously processed the ingredients, and then… Shu Xun got stuck in the process of cutting vegetables. Looking at the “giant” kitchen knife, although he could lift it without a problem, considering his height of only 5.3cm, obviously shorter than the knife, Shu Xun ultimately chose to use his own claws directly.
Holding the plate, pouring the ingredients into the pan, stewing and stir-frying, the small figure was busy in the kitchen. Despite being short, the little dumpling had strength. Although the cooking process was chaotic, the final presentation looked quite good. At least when Ye Jian came out of the study, he was amazed by the dishes on the table.
Under Ye Jian’s poker-faced gaze, Shu Xun carried the last plate of food toward the dining table. In Ye Jian’s view, it was as if a dish was moving horizontally on the floor, and he couldn’t even see Shu Xun’s short legs. Just as Ye Jian was about to step forward, two streaks of blue light swiftly approached, landing on both ends of the plate. After a moment, they lifted the plate and flew into the air, finally descending onto the dining table with precision.
Once again, Ye Jian was outdone. “…”
Both of them enjoyed this peculiar dinner, with the two blue butterflies flying around the dining table, never leaving.
Shu Xun reached out and touched the wings of the blue butterflies, and they happily fluttered their wings in response. Shu Xun immediately showed a satisfied expression. “These blue butterflies should be the manifestation of the awakened abilities caused by the Blue Amber Potion. I feel they should be a small, independent mental entity that grows from an individual’s mental power. Moreover, there are individual differences, so the blue butterflies may have some personality traits of the awakened person.”
Pausing for a moment, Shu Xun glanced at the blue butterfly that had quietly approached, hiding behind the plate but revealing its large wings. “Of course, this is just my personal speculation. There are always exceptions in everything.”
Ye Jian “…”
Nodding expressionlessly to show agreement, Ye Jian was well aware that Shu Xun’s speculation was not wrong. The blue butterflies did indeed grow from their mental power with the assistance of the Blue Amber Potion, existing as an independent entity, inheriting a part of the original personality. There were still differences between the players of the game and the local residents of “Winter’s End”, so the manifestation of awakened abilities varied. The current state of awakened abilities was what humans exhibited after awakening.
Thinking about his own butterfly ability, Shu Xun tilted his small head happily, then looked at Ye Jian, curiously asking, “What is your ability?”
Ye Jian raised his hand, pointing to his eyes, then pointed to the blue butterflies. The blue butterfly hiding behind the plate seemed to sense something and suddenly flashed with light. A new butterfly appeared on the dining table, and then they split again, turning into four blue butterflies. “The blue butterfly can differentiate into other spiritual entities, and I can share the butterfly’s senses.”
After hearing this, Shu Xun gave a small thumbs-up. “Very practical.”
The blue butterflies could scatter and fly, and with the ability to share senses, it meant that Ye Jian could observe his surroundings from all angles without blind spots. He could even track and investigate information within a certain range because the blue butterflies could choose to be invisible, making it difficult for others to notice.
Thinking about the previous action where the silly butterfly poked Shu Xun’s cheek with its antennae, Ye Jian nodded.
For the awakened abilities brought by the Blue Amber Potion, the two of them only had preliminary judgments. It would take some time and practice to master and control them. After dinner, Ye Jian took Shu Xun into the nutrient pod and then went to a tightly secured place for a comprehensive examination. Finally, they confirmed that the awakened abilities from the Blue Amber Potion would not have any negative effects.
After the examination, it was approaching midnight. The two quickly washed up and went to sleep, with the two blue butterflies landing at the head of the bed, emitting a gentle glow. As their breathing gradually steadied, the room fell into silence.
In the dark night, the blue butterfly that had landed beside Ye Jian’s pillow moved quietly. Using its small legs, it traversed hills and crossed mountains, finally reaching the other side near Shu Xun’s sleeping mat. Just as it was about to use its antennae to gently brush against Shu Xun’s chubby face, the other blue butterfly that had silently settled by Shu Xun’s pillow swept in with one wing, instantly sending the mischievous butterfly flying. With a snap, it stuck to the floor.
Ye Jian, in his sleeping state, furrowed his brows slightly and then abruptly opened a pair of sharp eyes, wordlessly staring at the blue butterfly lying still on the floor. For the first time, he felt the need to master his abilities quickly; otherwise, this mischievous butterfly might bring him even more “surprises.”
Translator’s corner:
Ye Jian’s butterfly shows Ye Jian’s passionate side toward Shu Xun HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA The bold and clingy side HAHAHHAHAHAHA
