After the two left, Po Kong’s gaze fell upon the sofa where Xia Duo had just been lying. He asked doubtfully, “I say, Little Star, did you see how much Little Shadow was enjoying herself just now? Is this sofa really that comfortable?”
“Why don’t you go try it for yourself? It’s not like it’s a big deal,” Starlight replied casually. He was currently busy examining the novel and unique decorations inside the house and wasn't particularly interested in Po Kong’s question.
For a moment, the house fell silent as neither of them spoke.
When Starlight snapped back to reality, he found that Po Kong had already leaned back into the sofa with a look on his face that suggested he was about to faint from bliss.
Starlight couldn't tell if Po Kong was experiencing extreme comfort or something else. His eyes were half-closed, a glimmer of satisfaction flickering beneath his eyelids, and his mouth was slightly agape, looking as if he were about to drool.
“Hey, hey, hey! Po Kong, what’s wrong with you? Don't tell me... there’s something wrong with this sofa??”
Starlight reacted immediately. Po Kong’s strange state was identical to Xia Duo’s earlier behavior.
He quickly reached out and shook Po Kong’s shoulder, but the only response he got was a lazy smile. Po Kong was now completely relaxed and pressed against the sofa, having no intention of responding to him at all.
“Pfft! This silly brat actually lay down on it too! Hahaha! Truly a simple-minded short-lived one. I have to record this stupid look of his to show my master!”
Starlight was about to pull Po Kong up when he was interrupted by a burst of shrill, wild laughter from behind.
He turned around and saw Wuka sprawling on the dining table, laughing uncontrollably. Its wooden features were all scrunched together, making it look exceptionally comical.
“Uh... Wuka? Can you tell me what happened to Po Kong? He’s not going to be okay, is he?”
It wasn't hard to see from Wuka’s reaction that Po Kong was merely affected by the sofa, but Starlight still asked cautiously.
“Okay? No, no, no, he’s more than okay... Hahaha! It’s just that he looks way too funny. Don’t touch him yet, alright?”
Wuka waved its matchstick-like arms while laughing. A piece of wood roughly its own size flew over from the corner and landed steadily in front of it.
It flicked its slender fingers at the wood, and as if it had been carved by something sharp, a series of irregular nicks and grooves appeared on the surface.
Starlight watched Wuka’s strange actions, feeling a bit confused. But soon, Wuka turned around to explain to him.
“It’s all because of that fur spread over the sofa~ Generally speaking, the simpler a person’s mind is, the easier it is to be affected by it... Pfft, hahaha!”
“Just a piece of fur? It can have that kind of effect?”
Hearing this, Starlight walked toward the sofa with half-doubt and lightly pressed his hand against a corner of the colorful fur cushion.
In that instant, it felt like an electric current had passed through him. A surge of warmth immediately spread from Starlight’s palm throughout his entire body, bringing a level of comfort he had never experienced before. He couldn't help but shudder, nearly letting out a moan.
The sensation gave Starlight an urge to lie down immediately, but the trace of rationality remaining in his mind allowed him to pull his palm back at once, escaping the embrace of that warmth.
After taking a long breath, Starlight subconsciously looked down at his palm and then turned to look at Wuka, who was still laughing wildly.
By now, the piece of wood beside it was being carved so fast that wood chips were flying everywhere. From the shape, it was clear that it was gradually taking on the appearance of a human head.
Seeing Starlight regain his senses so quickly, a flash of surprise crossed Wuka’s eyes. It floated over curiously, sizing Starlight up with its small, round eyes, and said softly, “You actually snapped out of it so fast? That’s rare. Even Master Moen took about a minute when she first touched it.”
“So, what exactly is this thing? Is it really not going to affect Po Kong??”
Under Starlight’s questioning, Wuka finally withdrew its curious gaze and looked at Po Kong, who now wore a completely dazed expression.
“This cushion is made from the fur of a creature called a ‘Dream Beast.’ Master Xia Duo obtained it by chance a few years ago. It’s a rare treasure nowadays.”
“A Dream Beast? Is it some kind of creature? I’ve never heard of such a thing...”
Just as Starlight was wondering, Noah, who was beside him, spoke up.
“Oh? This is the fur of a Dream Beast? I thought they had gone extinct long ago! I didn’t expect Xia Duo to be able to get her hands on something like this.”
“No, no, no, Mr. Book Spirit. Dream Beasts have indeed been extinct for a long time. This piece is already considered an antique.”
“Hmm... true. This thing does look like it has quite a few years on it, but it certainly opens my eyes.”
Noah muttered as he slowly floated over to Po Kong’s side, seemingly studying the patterns of the fur while educating Starlight on the knowledge of Dream Beasts.
The so-called “Dream Beasts” were unique creatures that inhabited the area around the World Tree since ancient times. Their greatest characteristic was their lethargy; they spent over ninety percent of their lives in slumber.
To defend against external disturbances, not only would they fall into a deep sleep themselves, but any creature that came into contact with them would also become incredibly relaxed, causing them to fall into a dream state while completely defenseless.
Originally, this passive protection measure was meant to allow Dream Beasts to pass through their long dormant periods safely, but their beautiful colors and strange effects quickly caught the attention of humans.
As a result, for a long period, Dream Beast fur was used to treat insomnia and depression. Just a small piece was enough to make anyone who touched it relax quickly.
However, this led to the devastating hunting of the already small population of Dream Beasts. Coupled with the fact that they spent most of their time sleeping and had extremely low reproductive capabilities, the Dream Beasts gradually disappeared entirely from the long river of history.
Even Noah had only read descriptions of Dream Beasts in ancient texts from hundreds of years ago. Seeing a well-preserved specimen here naturally piqued his interest.
“I didn't expect that even after all these years, this fur would still have such a strong effect. Or is it just that this kid Po Kong is a bit too simple-minded? Wait... who’s there!”
Midway through his sentence, Noah suddenly seemed to sense something. He spun around in mid-air and looked out the window.
Alerted by Noah’s warning, Starlight immediately pulled himself out of his thoughts, rushed to the door, and stepped outside.
He had been focusing his attention on other things and hadn't considered that someone might be hiding nearby.
However, no matter how carefully he observed, he couldn't catch the target Noah mentioned within the dense sea of trees.
He immediately used mana perception to search. He could distinguish many life signatures in the surroundings, but they were mostly the size of small animals or birds.
“Noah, did you sense it wrong? There doesn't seem to be anyone around...”
After checking the surroundings three times and confirming there was nothing, Starlight withdrew his mana perception and asked Noah doubtfully.
“That shouldn't be... I definitely felt something’s gaze sweep over us just now...” Noah also seemed somewhat perplexed.
Like Starlight, Noah had just used his powerful soul power to cover the entire area within several hundred meters, searching meticulously, but he also found nothing out of the ordinary.
“Could I really have been mistaken? Sigh... whatever. Let’s go back and check on that kid Po Kong first.”
Rate on N.U.
