In the midst of the night, within a gloomy underground chamber, an eerie scene unfolded that would likely send any ordinary person running for the hills.
In the demolition-style basement, under the dim light, about ten half-meter-tall Papermen emitted a series of unintelligible noises.
This was the place designated by the Heart of Woods for Undead Pet Beasts.
Beast Tamers often avoided Undead Pet Beasts. Unlike creatures like the Forest Wolf, these Pet Beasts weren’t suited for public display. Therefore, an extension was built from the previous house, creating a vast underground chamber to serve as the designated area for Undead Pet Beasts.
Su Ping sat on the ground, chin propped on his hand, looking at these things, somewhat at a loss for words.
Indeed, these objects left him somewhat unsure where to begin.
He now somewhat understood the frustration and despair Mu Yu had expressed in his manuscript.
No wonder Mu Yu considered this group of creatures, practically brain-dead, unworthy of being called Pet Beasts.
Su Ping’s assessment wasn’t an insult; it was simply the unvarnished truth.
They found it extremely difficult to understand commands, especially verbal ones.
This was especially true without a Soul Contract, as commands could not be issued via that spiritual link, making it even more challenging.
Even the small Paperman Qian Yi nearby scratched its head, looking puzzled at its somewhat larger ’kin.’
Why do these creatures, who look so similar to me, seem a bit dim-witted?
Unfortunately, even though the small Paperman Qian Yi was more powerful than these low-level Papermen, it was not like Old Sha. Qian Yi lacked the characteristic traits of a Wolf King, so these Papermen, in turn, showed no obedience towards it.
Yet, there was some good news: the Paperman’s entry in the Catalog was at least in an activated state for Su Ping.
As such, Su Ping had a natural affinity for Papermen. Provided they weren’t enemies, hadn’t received explicit commands to the contrary, and weren’t actively hostile themselves, these seemingly dim-witted Papermen showed no inclination to attack. They might even display a degree of closeness.
Su Ping’s idea was actually quite simple. The Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas indicated that the Papermen’s Racial Skills included ’Paper Body Joint.’ True to its name, Su Ping reasoned, he just needed to find a way to join the Papermen together.
Certainly, this idea was straightforward and one that ordinary people would never consider.
This was because this path was derived from the Myriad Spirit Beast Atlas’s origin analysis of the Paperman’s entry in the Catalog.
Typically, Racial Skills were abilities that Pet Beasts naturally mastered as they grew.
But if Papermen could truly master such skills during growth, they would have probably been discovered long ago.
Therefore, the Paper Body Joint skill surely had specific conditions and thresholds for mastery.
Unfortunately, the first stage of this idea was directly thwarted.
He couldn’t command these Papermen to transform into the shapes he wanted.
That was the crux of the problem.
Moreover, after racking his brain, he still hadn’t figured out what shapes to transform these Papermen into!
Su Ping turned his gaze to the small Paperman Qian Yi.
His eyes slowly moved to the small Paperman’s waist. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel※fire.net
There hung a long sword in its scabbard.
Though, due to the small Paperman’s diminutive size, it was something that, for humans, could at best be considered a dagger.
After his experience in the Sword King’s Secret Realm, he was now as familiar with swords as one could be.
Additionally, having inherited a portion of the Sword King’s skills and insights, Su Ping also had some ideas regarding swords.
So, Su Ping stopped Qian Yi, who was still observing the other Papermen by circling left and right. "Qian Yi," he asked, "how is your sword crafted?"
Swords are typically forged, with a hilt and crossguard added at most. But for the small Paperman Qian Yi, the sword was indeed its own creation.
Qian Yi’s sword, despite being enhanced by the Jinge Technique, frequently needed replacement after its daily practice of hacking at the wall. This meant it had to use Paper Body Folding to create a new one.
"WU WA!" it exclaimed. "A Swordsman’s sword is naturally the amalgamation of the Swordsman’s life and fervor!"
Su Ping said sternly, "That’s the sword in your heart! What about the sword in your hand?"
Surprisingly, after he rephrased the question, the small Paperman finally understood.
It drew its ’sword’ from its waist.
Then, the sword—which had seemed so solid and sharp just moments ago—appeared to soften. Subsequently, it began to transform right before Su Ping’s eyes.
The bundle of paper slowly started to weave itself together.
It didn’t start from the hilt or the blade. Instead, hardened paper sheets first formed a sturdy ’heart.’ Then, two pieces of paper slowly merged, their junction forming the spine of the sword.
The extending portions formed the blade’s edge and tip—exceedingly thin, yet, being made of hardened paper, also incredibly sharp.
Finally, the crossguard and the hilt took shape.
Su Ping blinked, a flash of brilliance darting through his mind.
He hastily had Qian Yi perform the process again. The steps were the same as before, but this time, Su Ping’s eyes lit up.
How many individual parts would be needed to construct a sword out of paper, and how should they be assembled?
That sentence from the Breeder’s manuscript flashed through Su Ping’s mind once more!