Chapter 39: The Clockwork Donkey

'The Tide Blade?'

Wang Xi held the cool and smooth Wild Card, examining it closely. The back still bore those irregular crystalline patterns, gleaming entirely with an emerald-like luster. On the front was the pattern of a spiraling, curved column of water, resembling a long, massive blue blade.

'Another water-element magic card, and a more advanced one compared to Water Blade and Water Arrow.'

Having a new trump card added to his arsenal naturally made Wang Xi happy.

Yet at the same time, he couldn't shake the feeling that his deck of magic cards seemed to be growing increasingly specialized in one direction.

He could almost foresee that in the near future, legends would circulate in the fairytale world of a 'Water-Spraying Wizard'...

That moniker sounded thoroughly obscene the moment you heard it.

It didn't sound like anything decent.

Hey! No, please!

Wang Xi pressed a hand to his forehead.

The rumors about him eating human brains were already perverted enough; if it turned into spraying water while eating at the same time, wouldn't that make him a pervert among perverts?

He actually harbored another concern: he didn't possess any magic power himself. Normally, using Sugar Coating, Water Arrow, and Water Blade casually posed no real problem, as his current physique could handle it.

But if he were to unleash a powerhouse magic spell at a glance like the Tide Blade, he would probably exhaust himself and pass out in no time.

Afterward, he would be as helpless as a sleeping husband.

'If only I could truly master magic...'

Wang Xi couldn't help yearning for it.

If he could wield magic power, he wouldn't need to rely on a laser pistol to impersonate a fake wizard anymore. Furthermore, with the aid of a mana bar, a noble spellcasting unit would be able to use magic skill cards much more frequently, vastly increasing his stamina.

He would leap in a single bound from Kakashi-tier to Kisame-tier.

Treating ultimate moves like basic attacks—just thinking about it was thrilling!

'Hmm... Since magic power and wizards exist in the fairytale world, I'll have the chance to encounter and learn them sooner or later.'

Wang Xi wasn't discouraged.

Putting away the card, he felt his body grow just a tiny bit stronger, mostly due to the continuous natural light energy absorption effect of Photosynthesis from playing the role of a goblin all day long.

The increase in strength was minimal, no bigger than a mosquito's leg.

Even so, Wang Xi was quite satisfied.

He was planning to practice his cards and temper his physique, relying on the principle of the "airplane sleep method" to fall asleep quickly through sheer exhaustion.

Right at that moment, however, his peripheral vision caught sight of something.

"Huh?" Wang Xi turned his head to look.

In a corner of the tribe's enclosure, the donkey kept by the goblins was staring right at him, constantly shaking its head and nodding in his direction, as if trying to catch his attention.

The donkey's gaze was rather peculiar, filled with a sense of anxiety and hope, possessing an unusual, spiritual intelligence.

Wang Xi looked closer.

An entry floated above the donkey's head:

[Strange Clockwork Donkey (Yellow)]

Although it had no star rating, what shocked Wang Xi was that the donkey's entry was surrounded by dazzling, eye-catching silver patterns.

Just like Chuna, it belonged to a hero unit?!

What the hell!

Swish—

Wang Xi stood up, a mixture of shock and suspicion in his heart.

Then, he cautiously approached.

As he drew closer, the donkey appeared very happy.

Hee—haw!

Hee—hnn!

The donkey emitted a duck-like cry, but deliberately lowered its volume, seemingly worried about waking the other goblins.

Confirming that it posed no threat to him, Wang Xi gently stroked the donkey's head, smoothing down its messy fur to offer a bit of comfort.

Under his petting, the donkey's agitated emotions slowly subsided. It stuck out its tongue to lick his hand, then fixed those innocent eyes intently upon him again.

"What's wrong with you?"

Wang Xi asked in a low voice.

"Do you need my help?"

Hee—hnn!

The donkey let out a soft cry and nodded.

It clearly understood Wang Xi's words.

Just as Wang Xi was feeling surprised, the donkey shook its head backward, turned around on the spot, and presented its rear to Wang Xi.

Then it wagged and shook it like a Corgi's electric buttocks.

Unclear what it was trying to signal.

"..."

Wang Xi fell into silence.

This fellow couldn't possibly want me to...

"Hiss!"

Wang Xi drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

Though he occasionally acted like a creep, he hadn't sunk to the level of an unnatural deviant!

He quickly banished those sinful associations from his mind.

Instead, his gaze caught sight of a heart-shaped silver clockwork key right above the donkey's tailbone. Straining his ears, he could faintly hear a subtle ticking sound.

A clockwork donkey...

I see.

Wang Xi had an epiphany.

Clockwork toys generally accumulated energy through a gear and spring structure... Thus, he reasonably deduced that the donkey was probably running out of energy and therefore asking him to wind its spring.

Thinking of this, Wang Xi tried reaching out, pinching the clockwork key, and winding it with force.

Click-clack, click-clack...

Turn after turn.

After winding it nearly a hundred times, Wang Xi finally felt the spring reach its limit, locking firmly in place so it couldn't turn any further.

Click!

With a crisp sound.

Hee—hnn!

The donkey let out a joyful cry.

It was precisely at this moment that Wang Xi looked on in astonishment as the grayish-black fur on the donkey's body began to melt and drip away like candle wax, and a sweet, cloying chocolate scent diffused through the air.

This is...

Candy magic?!

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the donkey transformed into a human shape.

A youth of about fifteen or sixteen was curled up on the ground. He had short, curly black hair that brushed his ears, delicate and soft facial features like a young girl's, and his eyes were closed.

He was dressed in a set of aristocratic clothing featuring a black base with red patterns, a cinched bodice, a white ruff collar, pleated tasseled sleeves, and flared trouser legs.

He looked just like an extravagant porcelain doll.

The clockwork key hadn't disappeared; instead, it grew from his lower back, rotating at an extremely slow pace.

The clockwork youth opened his eyes.

His black-gem-like pupils stared at Wang Xi, and he immediately broke into an innocent smile.

"Thank you for saving me, sir."

The youth stood up and walked over quickly.

Clang!

Yet his movement was instantly hindered, and his body staggered.

Only then did Wang Xi and the youth notice that the chain originally used to tether the donkey was now hanging around the youth's neck.

The leather neck collar had a brass lock on it.

At the same time, Wang Xi noticed that the entry hovering above the youth's head had quietly changed; it was no longer [Strange Clockwork Donkey], but had transformed into—

[Automaton Masterpiece - Pinocchio (Green/Four-Star)]

The brilliant silver patterns remained, and the previously unrated assessment instantly became four-star.

Wang Xi's pupils contracted.

Pinocchio?!

This was a household fairytale character from his past life, originating from a late 19th-century Western novel titled The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Yet much like Cinderella and the Snow Queen, the Pinocchio before him seemed worlds apart from the wooden puppet in his memory.

Pinocchio looked down at the collar, appearing somewhat saddened.

Wang Xi pondered for a moment, then stepped forward.

Pulling two thin iron wires from his pocket, right under Pinocchio's surprised gaze, he inserted them into the keyhole and fiddled with them for a brief moment before a click sounded and the brass lock sprang open.

——[Lockpicking Mastery]

This Wild Card, acquired from the ambushing members of the Finger Society, had come in handy at last.

The collar was removed and fell to the ground alongside the chain.

"Thank you." The youth was overjoyed. "If not for your help, I would have remained trapped in the form of a donkey in a deep slumber, with no idea when I could recover."

"Why did you turn into a donkey?"

Wang Xi asked out of curiosity.

The youth was startled at first, then bitterness washed over his features:

"I heard there were many evil monsters in the Magic Forest, so I wanted to come and defeat them, to become a hero and make my father proud."

"But not long after I entered, I ran into one of the monster lords, the 'Sugar Witch'... After hundreds of rounds of fierce battle, just as I was about to win, that cunning witch feigned defeat and ambushed me when my guard was down, trapping me."

Wang Xi listened intently, nodding.

Suddenly, however, his gaze sharpened.

The youth was still immersed in his tale, continuing:

"That witch is so, so bad, completely devoid of manners. She cursed me with a string of nasty, vulgar words and even ordered a bunch of ugly sugar mushroom girls to spit on me."

"In the end, she beat me up, mocked me, turned me into a donkey, and gifted me to her goblin minions to make me do hard labor for them. It's so infuriating..."

"Wait!" Wang Xi hurriedly interrupted.

"What is it, sir?"

The youth stopped telling his story and asked with a puzzled expression.

Wang Xi frowned and cautiously said:

"Are you all right? It looks like your trousers are about to burst..."

"Huh?"

The youth lowered his head and noticed that his exquisite court leggings were bulging outward.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

He scratched his head in explanation.

"Whenever I get excited, things tend to grow on my body."

"Huh?" Wang Xi's mouth fell open, his face full of astonishment. "What kind of things grow there? Mushrooms?"

"No." The youth waved his hands hurriedly. "I'm not a goblin; mushrooms don't grow on me."

"Don't worry, sir. I'm fine."

With that, Pinocchio grabbed his bulging trousers and gave them a hard snap.

A crisp crack rang out.

It sounded as though something had broken.

It made Wang Xi's scalp tingle and his groin feel chilly.

Such a ruthless tin-man...

The moment he said snap, he really snapped!

The youth turned around shyly, busied himself with something for a moment, and then turned back, holding a pale purple cluster crystal in his hand.

"This is the kind of thing that grows."

"Th... Mana crystal?!"

Wang Xi was shocked, his gaze locked firmly on it.

——[Ether Crystal]

The strip of mineral in the youth's hand was unmistakably an ether crystal, identical to the ones he had purchased at the Spinning Wheel Chamber of Commerce!

"Mm, yes." Pinocchio sighed. "This is an innate defect of mine that has always troubled me."

"Oh, right, sir. I have nothing to repay you with, so please accept this crystal."

"..."

Wang Xi looked at the crystal handed over by the youth. Taking it felt wrong, and refusing it felt wrong either way; he was thoroughly conflicted.

Pinocchio mistook his hesitation for embarrassment, so he cheerfully shoved it into Wang Xi's hand and said:

"Father often taught me that when facing kindness and help from others, one should show gratitude or return the favor, especially by treating friends well... Sir, I'd like to make friends with you. May I?"

"This..."

Holding the crystal, Wang Xi felt it burning hot in his palm.

He saw the look of eager anticipation on the youth's face turn into disappointment due to his hesitation.

"Of course." Wang Xi put away the crystal and quickly said. It was worth nearly a pound anyway, which could be exchanged for 50 energy points. "I'd be glad to be friends with you."

"My name is Pinocchio, from the Clockwork Kingdom across the sea. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The youth extended his hand with a bright smile.

Wang Xi shook it and replied:

"Gaius Farrell of Rundle."

"Heh, Mr. Gaius."

Pinocchio let out his hand and smiled brilliantly.

"You're actually a human, aren't you?"