“Wood again. What will it turn into this time?” Alice curiously examined the variously shaped wooden blocks.

“Little princess, watch me.” Raymond Brooks placed the wooden strips on the table and skillfully began assembling them. Soon, the blocks formed a beautiful three-dimensional heart. Even more amazingly, the exterior fit together so perfectly that it looked like a single, seamless piece.

Alice let out a gasp of amazement and carefully took it, marveling at how a pile of wooden strips and blocks could become something so compact and sturdy once assembled. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have thought Raymond Brooks had glued it together. Anna Morgan leaned in, staring at the object in surprise, while Julia Evans’s charming eyes were also filled with curiosity.

“This is called a Kongming lock. It’s made from black yè wood, which is as hard as metal and very sturdy.” A trace of nostalgia flashed in Raymond Brooks’s eyes. This particular Kongming lock was also called a love lock, and its structure was actually quite complex, but he knew it inside out. After all, it was the first gift he received on Valentine’s Day. Yet, just like many college romances, no matter how much effort he put in, things with that girl still ended without a conclusion.

When Albert Harris first saw the assembled Kongming lock, he was amazed, then sighed that while he was skilled in alchemy, if it had been a master craftsman instead, this kind of seamless assembly would surely have inspired even greater insights.

Alice loved these exquisite little gadgets the most. She played with it, unable to put it down, and asked, “Can this Kongming lock be taken apart again?”

“Of course. The fun is in assembling and disassembling it. I’m sure with the little princess’s wisdom, it’ll be no problem.” Actually, Raymond Brooks left something unsaid: this Kongming lock was a complex type, and without any hints, it would be very difficult.

Let this scheming little loli fiddle with it for a while; it was the perfect chance to focus on that startup progress.

Alice carefully fiddled with it, looking as if she was afraid of breaking it, but the Kongming lock was joined so tightly that she couldn’t find the key part to disassemble even after a long time. Anna Morgan was itching to try and said, “Little princess, let me have a go.”

Alice pretended not to hear and kept trying. After Anna Morgan called out a few times with no response, she changed tactics: “It seems the jade dragon fruit by Lake Lanbo is ripe. I was just thinking of taking you there…”

As soon as she finished speaking, a small, fair hand holding the Kongming lock was already extended in front of her.

Raymond Brooks only saw a blur, and the little white hand was suddenly empty—the Kongming lock had somehow ended up in Anna Morgan’s hand. Anna Morgan turned it in her hands, looking triumphant, and said, “I’d love to take you, but last time you followed me to the Rainy Jungle and Miss Sarah found out. Miss Sarah specifically told me not to take you out of the city again. So, hmph…”

That little white hand suddenly clenched into a fist, then relaxed a moment later. Alice’s face broke into an innocent smile, two adorable dimples appearing, just like the angelic smile Raymond Brooks saw when he first met her.

Raymond Brooks knew someone was about to be in trouble. Luckily, this time it was Anna Morgan.

“Anna Wells, daughter of the Empire’s First General George Wells, the strongest female swordsman in Crescent City—do you have what it takes to unlock this Kongming lock?” The little loli’s smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression, exuding a bit of royal authority.

At the mention of her father’s name, Anna Morgan’s blood boiled. She replied, “Of course!”

“Then, for the honor of the Wells family, you must unlock this Kongming lock within one hour!” The little loli’s next words revealed her true purpose: “If you can’t do it, then you must take your best friend Alice Foster to Lake Lanbo with you. No matter how dangerous the journey, you must protect her. Can you do that?”

Anna Morgan was stunned, then immediately shook her head. “No way, Miss Sarah said—”

“Aren’t members of the Wells family known for keeping their word?” Alice looked disappointed and shook her head. “Forget it, it’s just a little Kongming lock.”

With her family’s honor at stake, Anna Morgan was filled with heroic spirit. Remembering how quickly that human had assembled it just now, she thought it couldn’t be that hard and declared loudly, “Fine! Anna Wells accepts this challenge! This little wooden toy won’t take me an hour at all!”

Alice pressed her lips together in a sly smile, her crafty eyes just like a little fox’s. Even Julia Evans couldn’t help but sigh, just like the last time they bet on going to the Rainy Jungle. Poor Anna Morgan, she was about to repeat her mistake.

Minute by minute, the sand in the hourglass trickled down. Raymond Brooks sat at the table, flipping through the “Fundamentals of Herbalism” given by Albert Harris; Alice played with that demon-realm version of the sliding puzzle, and Albert Harris’s newly made set still couldn’t escape her clutches. Julia Evans watched from the side, occasionally offering a suggestion; while poor Master Albert Harris could only draw circles in the corner.

The Kongming lock remained intact. The impatient Anna Morgan was already sweating profusely, as if this “little wooden toy” was heavier than the giant sword on her back.

Seeing that she was about to lose her temper, Alice suddenly called out, “Time’s almost up!”