Family

The croaking of the frogs behind her gradually faded.

Moon walked along the forest path toward Crow Candle Castle. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling its pitch-black mane.

Yu Lingye could not wait to return to her castle and see Lia.

But at the thought of Lia, she suddenly pulled the reins, bringing Moon to a halt.

“I almost forgot.”

She had promised to bring back a gift for Lia.

Yu Lingye thought for a moment. She had no shortage of weapons and materials.

Clothes could be tailored by the faceless servants, so what kind of gift would suit Lia?

An image of Lia standing in the corridors of Crow Candle Castle flashed through her mind.

She pictured the distinct black-and-white maid dress, the yellowed bandages wrapped around her face, and that eternally quiet expression.

In the end, Yu Lingye turned around and rode a short distance back toward Grey Oak Village.

She remembered seeing a few wandering merchants along the village path who had not yet packed up their stalls.

One of them, an old female merchant wearing a brown felt hat, sat beside her carriage with a low wooden table set up in front of her.

The goods on the table were highly miscellaneous.

Aside from cheap jewelry made of copper pieces, colored stones, and dyed glass, there were also quite a few hand-sewn items.

There were rabbit-fur hats, wool wrist guards, patchwork leather boots, straw-woven pouches, and several short vests made of coarse burlap and scraps of leather.

The stitching was far from beautiful, but it was sewn very sturdily.

Yu Lingye stood before the stall and scanned the items, her gaze quickly landing on a silver-gray hairpin sitting in the corner.

The hairpin was shaped like a crow feather, with a slender shaft and a few simple feather patterns carved on its surface. The tip was embedded with a piece of dark-red glass the size of a grain of rice.

There was no magic infused in it, and the material was just ordinary metal mixed with silver.

However, the dark-red glass glowed faintly in the sunlight, looking like a spark of candlelight resting on a crow feather.

It actually matched Crow Candle Castle quite well.

“How much for this?”

Following her gaze, the old merchant immediately smiled.

“Not expensive, just thirty copper coins. It's handmade. Although it's not pure silver, it won't fade even if you wear it for a few years.”

Yu Lingye picked up the hairpin, running her fingertip over the surface of the crow feather.

The edges were polished smooth without any burrs, and the craftsmanship was indeed quite detailed.

“Fifteen.”

The old merchant's smile instantly froze.

“Miss, this is already the lowest—”

Yu Lingye turned to leave.

“Wait! Fifteen it is!”

She stopped and placed the copper coins on the table.

Seeing the money, the old merchant eagerly asked, “Would you like me to wrap it for you?”

Yu Lingye thought about it. Since it was a gift, presenting it bare like this indeed felt a bit lacking.

“Yes, please.”

The old merchant found a palm-sized wooden box, placed the hairpin inside, and lined it with a clean piece of gray cloth.

She looked up at her as if making casual conversation. “Is it a gift for someone?”

Yu Lingye took the wooden box. “Yes.”

“Family?”

“Yes.”

Her inventory ring was already full, and the gem on it was still dark red, indicating that the storage space had reached its limit.

Yu Lingye couldn't store the wooden box inside, so she had to put it in her coat pocket and carefully button it up.

This was fine too. If she had just thrown it into the ring, she might have forgotten about it by the time she returned.

As Yu Lingye was about to leave, her peripheral vision caught a roll of yellowed paper piled deep within the stall.

It was pressed under several scraps of leftover leather, with only half of its curled edge showing. It lacked the magical patterns common to skill scrolls, looking more like a stack of rolled-up old paper.

“What's that?”

The old merchant looked in the direction she was pointing.

“Oh, that.”

She moved the leather scraps aside, revealing the yellowed roll of paper beneath.

“That's just some sewing techniques I've noted down over the years. It's not worth anything.”

The old merchant patted the dust off the paper roll, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

“I'm getting old, and I don't know how many more years I can keep this stall going. I figured if I suddenly pass away one day, I'll leave this to my granddaughter.”

“She can learn as much as she can. At least she'll have a trade to make a living and won't starve.”

A hint of interest sparked in Yu Lingye's eyes.

“May I take a look?”

The old merchant hesitated for a moment but ultimately handed the paper roll over.

Yu Lingye untied the thin string wrapped around it and slowly unrolled it.

The handwriting inside wasn't particularly neat, and some spots were stained with grease and fingerprints, but the contents were recorded in meticulous detail.

It described the stiffness, elasticity, and needle-reception of different fabrics.

It explained how hides should be tanned, and from what angle leather should be cut.

It also noted how much allowance to leave for different parts of a garment, and how to mend tears so they wouldn't easily rip open again.

Aside from ordinary clothing, it even recorded methods for making leather armor linings, weapon straps, and rainproof cloaks.

Simple diagrams were drawn next to each technique, showing that this was clearly not something written on a whim to fool people.

This was the wealth of experience the old merchant had slowly accumulated over half a lifetime of working with needle and thread.

As Yu Lingye flipped to the middle, several lines of system prompts suddenly appeared before her eyes.

【Complete Skill Inheritance detected】

【Common-Grade General Skill Scroll: Sewing】

【Effect: Upon learning, you will master sewing techniques such as fabric identification, measurement, cutting, stitching, mending, and leather patchwork. You will be able to repair ordinary clothing and some soft equipment, as well as craft different types of apparel based on diagrams.】

【Advanced Effect: As proficiency increases, you can process high-grade fabrics and magical beast leather to craft advanced clothing with properties such as protection, warmth, and concealment.】

【Restrictions: The quality of the finished product is influenced by materials, tools, proficiency, and the user's own capabilities. When crafting magical garments, you must also master the corresponding methods of mana conduction and infusion.】

Yu Lingye raised her eyebrow slightly.

The locals might not have a skill panel in their eyes.

But as long as a craft was recorded comprehensively enough, it could still be recognized as a learnable skill inheritance. Moreover, this skill happened to fit her abilities perfectly.

Her Soul Threads were sufficiently thin and incredibly resilient.

They could serve as a substitute for ordinary thread, and she could also use them to hold fabric in place or control multiple needles simultaneously during the crafting process.

Combined with the empowerment of 【Mana-Conducting Thread】, she could even attempt to conduct mana evenly into garments, sewing complete mana structures inside the fabric.

Once her proficiency increased and she found suitable high-grade materials, crafting a garment with high defense and excellent durability would be a walk in the park.

In the future, even if she obtained damaged cloaks, leather armor, or special soft equipment, she wouldn't have to leave them all to craftsmen for repairs.

She could also make a new maid dress for Lia and even modify the protective gear Moon used.

This seemingly unremarkable life skill was actually more useful than many ordinary offensive skills.

“I'll take this.”

The old merchant froze, a look of hesitation clearly appearing on her face.

“My lady, this is not for sale.”

“I know.”

Yu Lingye rolled the paper back up.

“Since you wrote the first copy, you can easily write a second one.”

“This money will be more than enough for you to buy the best paper and ink to write a new copy for your granddaughter.”

The hairpin was just an ordinary accessory, so she paid what it was worth.

But this manuscript was different; it was a complete craft accumulated by an ordinary person over more than half a lifetime.

In her hands, the value of this craft would be magnified several times over. One gold coin was not too much to ask.

She didn't pull out the gold coin in public. There were many people coming and going nearby, and there was no guarantee that no one was watching these vendors.

Yu Lingye picked up a palm-sized leather sewing kit from the stall.

The sewing kit was divided into two layers. Inside were several small pockets specifically for spools of thread and bone needles, and the outside had a drawstring that could be tied tight.

With her back to the road, using her cloak as cover, she took out a gold coin, slipped it into the deepest part of the sewing kit, and then tied the opening shut before handing it back to the old merchant.

“I want this sewing kit and that manuscript.”

The old merchant took the sewing kit in confusion. The moment her fingers slipped inside, she froze.

Once she clearly saw the gold coin inside, she abruptly looked up, the expression on her face changing completely.

“This, this...”

Yu Lingye lowered her voice significantly and instinctively blocked the sewing kit with her body.

“Are you selling it or not?”

Having lived for so many years, the old merchant naturally understood what she meant.

“It's just a manuscript. If you like it, my lady, please take it. This sewing kit is my own... Let me get you another one.”

She immediately tucked her old sewing kit inside her clothes and handed a new one to Yu Lingye, her attitude far more respectful than before.

“If there is anything else on the stall that catches your eye, please feel free to choose a few, my lady.”

Yu Lingye was about to decline, but her gaze suddenly stopped as she scanned the stall.

The manuscript from earlier had blocked most of the space behind it. It was only after the old merchant moved it away that she noticed an inconspicuous item sitting in the corner.

Three golden hairbands.

The hairbands were woven from dyed soft leather and string, with a thumbnail-sized dark-gold round clasp at the end.

A few radiating lines were carved in the center of the clasp, making it look like a little sun.

This would be perfect for decorating Moon's braids.

“I'll take these as well.”

The old merchant hurriedly said, “I braided those in my spare time. The leather is very soft, making them perfect for tying hair. If you like them, my lady, just take them.”

Yu Lingye did not stand on ceremony and directly slipped them into her pocket.

Moon stood by the roadside waiting for her. Seeing her return, it lowered its head and sniffed her pocket.

Yu Lingye held down its nudging head.

“It's not food.”

Moon snorted, seemingly losing interest instantly.

“But it's still a good thing,” Yu Lingye said, patting it. “Take a look.”

Moon's ears immediately perked up.

Yu Lingye pulled out one of the bright yellow hairbands and waved it in front of it.

“Lower your head.”

Moon cooperatively lowered its head.

She picked out a small stray lock of black mane from the side of its ear, wound the golden hairband through the hair, and finally fastened the dark-gold sun clasp.

A bright splash of color instantly appeared amidst the black mane.

Moon turned its head, trying to get a clear look at the thing on its mane. It tried twice without success, nearly bumping its head into Yu Lingye's shoulder instead.

“Don't move.”

Yu Lingye held its face and took two steps back.

The yellow band nestled within the black mane, its sun clasp glinting slightly under the sunlight.

Even when Moon restored its unicorn form, this sun clasp would not look out of place.

“It looks decent.”

Moon immediately walked over to a nearby water trough, turning its head left and right to look at its reflection.

After watching for a long while, it returned to Yu Lingye's side and gently nudged her shoulder with its muzzle.

Yu Lingye patted its forehead.

“Satisfied?”

Moon let out a soft snort.

“This thing doesn't increase stats, you know.”

Moon nudged her again. Yu Lingye couldn't help but chuckle as she swung herself onto its back.

“I know, a gift doesn't always have to have practical value.”

Moon set off, carrying her toward Crow Candle Castle.

Stowed inside her cloak was Lia's crow-feather hairpin, and nestled within Moon's black mane was a small, dark-gold sun clasp.

When she had set out on this trip, she had only been thinking about how to deal with Milo and how to take the things left behind by the treants.

Yet on her way back, she had somehow acquired two ordinary accessories without any attributes.

Yu Lingye didn't dislike this feeling.

She had always been wary of outsiders.

She had to discern truth from lies in every sentence, and judge the motive behind every approach. Those who could be used were used, and she wouldn't hesitate when it was time to discard them.

But Lia and Moon were different. She had already drawn them into her inner circle.

Perhaps only when facing those who truly belonged to her was she willing to temporarily put away her sharp edges, revealing a hint of gentleness that even she herself rarely noticed.

Yu Lingye gently patted Moon's neck.

“Let's go.”

“Let's go home.