Dimensional Hotel

(.)

Yu Sheng felt quite satisfied with his latest shopping spree—everything was much cheaper than he had expected.

Once again, he led his two companions to a quiet corner, their arms laden with newly purchased items. Foxy revealed her fluffy tail, and Yu Sheng handed her the baby chicks they had just bought. One by one, Foxy carefully tucked them into her soft fur, eyes sparkling with delight. Yu Sheng watched with a mix of amusement and slight unease, while Irene—resting lazily against his arm—let out a dramatic sigh.

“You actually bought them? Are you seriously planning on raising chickens in the valley?” Irene asked, giving him a look that suggested she might be hoping for a sensible answer.

“Why not?” Yu Sheng replied confidently. “It’s a big place. I’m not worried about them wandering off or being snatched by stray dogs. They can roam around the hills, free-range style.” His eyes shone with excitement. “If I’d found some piglets, I would’ve gotten those too.”

Irene shook her head. “So, free-range pigs as well? You really like planning ahead. But aren’t these chicks a bit too small to just be set loose? The grass in the valley has only just begun to grow. Are you sure it’s ready for animals?”

“That’s the long-term plan,” Yu Sheng admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “For now, I’ll keep them in a coop. Later, I’ll figure out how to speed up the valley’s ecosystem and find a few books on raising chickens and gardening.”

Irene blinked, staring at him. “You mean… you actually don’t know how to do any of this?”

Yu Sheng grew serious. “Nope. Do I look like a professional chicken farmer? I’ve just got theoretical knowledge and a big imagination.”

“Yet you’re still so enthusiastic…” Irene muttered. “I thought you had it all worked out—like turning Night Valley into a perfect countryside getaway.”

“You simply don’t understand,” Yu Sheng said in a mysterious voice, glancing at the doll perched on his arm. “Farming is good for the soul.”

“No, I really don’t understand,” Irene sighed, rolling her eyes. She made sure nobody else could see her expression. “Dolls don’t eat, and the Ancestor of Dolls never taught us anything about farming. None of my sisters ever mentioned it.”

“Which is precisely why your ‘prenatal-education-plus-correspondence-course’ style of learning isn’t very reliable…”

“I’m going to bite your head off! How dare you talk about a lady like that?!”

At that moment, Foxy finished placing the last chick in her tail. She looked up at them, hesitant. “Um… Benefactor, may I look after them?”

Yu Sheng paused, surprised. “You know how to raise chickens?”

Foxy nodded eagerly. “I learned it at school!”

Though it seemed a bit odd, Yu Sheng could hardly resist her excitement. “Alright, they’re yours,” he agreed.

Irene’s jaw dropped. “You’re letting a fox raise chickens?!”

Yu Sheng finally realized the potential problem. Hastily, he added, “Just… raise them for a while before you eat them, okay?”

Foxy’s eyes crinkled with delight, and she nodded, though Yu Sheng wasn’t entirely sure she grasped his meaning. “Mhm! Mhm!”

He suddenly had a bad feeling these chicks might never reach the point of happily roaming the valley. In the back of his mind, he just hoped that if Foxy did eat them, she would at least cook them first.

“All right,” he said, shaking off the thought, “we’re done here. There’s no need to stop by the construction market. We’ve got everything on the list.” Checking his notes, he nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Irene, still settled on his arm. “How’s the body you left at home holding up?”

“It’s fine! We’re pretty far away, and it still hasn’t ‘disconnected,’” Irene replied at once. “I’m even trying to make it walk around the room a bit.”

She shifted slightly, adjusting her hands and feet. “Controlling both bodies feels about the same at this distance. I think I’m improving at switching between two perspectives. It’s still a bit tricky, though, so I’ll need more practice back in the valley.”

“Got it. Let’s head home, pack up, and go.”

Irene tilted her head. “Are we calling a cab? I doubt the Special Affairs Bureau will give us another convenient ride.”

Yu Sheng grinned. “We’ll use the ‘door’ again, of course. You two wait here while I contact the Bureau.”

He took out his phone, and as soon as he unlocked it, he raised his eyebrows. “Looks like the Borderland Communication app has an update.” He tapped the confirmation button. “That was fast…” ŕ

The download was over in a blink. A moment later, the app reopened to its main screen.

“Doesn’t look any different… oh, wait.” Yu Sheng spotted a new button in the corner. Irene, brimming with curiosity, leaned over at once.

“What is it? Let me see!”

He tapped the new icon, his expression caught between surprise and amusement.

“‘Open Door’ one-click approval?” Irene read, blinking in confusion. Then she stared up at Yu Sheng. “Is that an exclusive feature? It must be, right?”

“I’ll bet no one else has this,” he said with a twitch of his lips. “Seems like my late-night call to Bai Li Qing really paid off.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He pressed the button. Then he opened the door at Wutong Road No. 66.

Back at home, Yu Sheng and Foxy unpacked everything they’d bought from her fluffy tail. Rice, flour, cooking oil—all of it was neatly sorted and taken to the kitchen. Then Yu Sheng carried Irene upstairs to check on her other body.

He couldn’t help feeling that it all sounded ridiculous: a doll controlling two bodies at once. Yet Irene seemed delighted. Her other self was pacing around the master bedroom and looking much more stable than she had that morning.

“I think I’m finally getting the knack for controlling both bodies,” said both Irenes at once—one perched on Yu Sheng’s shoulder, the other on the floor. “And I’ve discovered I don’t need full direct control all the time. Watch this.”

Suddenly, the Irene on the floor went completely blank, as though she’d switched off. She stood there swaying for a second, then began to shuffle toward Yu Sheng in a stiff, awkward way.

“Okay, okay, that’s more than enough,” Yu Sheng said hastily, waving his hands for her to stop. The empty eyes and jerky movements made her look like a possessed doll from a horror movie. He quickly scooped her up and placed her on his free shoulder, so now he had an Irene on each side.

Heading downstairs, he found Foxy leaning over the dining table with a fond, slightly silly grin on her face. She was watching two of the baby chicks peck away at a small pile of millet, the poor creatures oblivious to the possibility of ending up as a meal. Foxy was even talking to them.

“Eat up, little ones,” she cooed. “Grow nice and big. I have big plans for you… boiled, salted.”

Yu Sheng froze. “Wait, those are their names?”

Foxy nodded happily. “Yes! Boiled and Salted.”

“Well… if that’s what makes you happy…” Yu Sheng sighed. “Anyway, let’s get going. Bring Boiled and Salted, and let’s head to the valley.”

“Got it!”

Just as Yu Sheng had predicted, the valley was still basking in daylight.

The sky was a clear, endless blue dotted with gentle clouds, stretching across the wide vista. The sun illuminated the rolling mountains in the distance, and there was no sign it would set anytime soon.

Yu Sheng had visited at various times of day and had long since noticed there was no real day-and-night cycle here. It always stayed at a pleasantly bright midday temperature. This had its advantages and disadvantages.

On the plus side, the valley was comfortable—a huge improvement over how it had once been: dark, gloomy, cold winds blowing, and a foul smell everywhere. On the downside, Yu Sheng wasn’t sure how well crops would grow without the usual pattern of daylight and darkness.

Still, that was a problem for another day. He had more immediate plans: clear some land and get rid of the old, ruined temple. If he was going to spend time in the valley, he needed a proper place to camp, a bit of comfort before launching into the tests Irene had mentioned.

The ancient temple had deteriorated badly over time. Now, it was mostly just broken bricks and rubble, a mixture of stone and earth that got in the way of his gardening dreams.

But with Yu Sheng’s growing connection to this valley, the ground itself began to shift beneath his guidance. Clumps of soil swallowed the shattered bricks, breaking them down or burying them further. Stones of all sizes rolled aside, gathering in neat piles at the edges of the clearing. A broad, level surface formed under his feet, steadily expanding until it took on the shape of a field.

As Yu Sheng stood there, he felt his link to the valley deepen. The soil, the stones, the water, and even the air seemed to respond to him, as if a magical thread bound them together. He let himself sink into that curious, wondrous sensation.

Before long, Yu Sheng realized that his power over this world had grown even stronger—he had taken another step forward in understanding the valley’s secrets.