Baking Festival's cross-volume farewell
The baking festival in Storybrooke kicked off amidst a shower of rainbow syrup. Xiaodou, wearing a pine rat wreath, received the ancient rat tribe totem trophy from the Poison Queen. The trophy cracked in two, revealing the outline of a mechanical heart engraved on the inside—the other half of the totem in Lin Shen's office in Chapter 7.
"This is Storybrooke's thank-you gift to the guardian." The Poison Queen's magic mirror suddenly spoke, reflecting the totem wall of a modern clinic. "When the two halves of the totem overlap, the door between reality and fantasy will open."
Xiaodou held the trophy fragment against his chest. The thirteenth glimmer of light in his claws resonated with the fragment, illuminating the words "No. 001" (Lin Shen's guardian number) on the bottom of the trophy.
Mechanical Cat's Holographic Sticker Rain
"Congratulations!"
The Dark Wizard (Guardian 004) threw holographic stickers of mechanical cats, which landed on the residents' desserts, instantly transforming into kitty decorations that danced like horses. She slipped a note to Azuki: "For the cake contest in Volume 14, remember to use the fairy tale four elements molds to cheat~ — Message from Guardian 003."
"Number 003?" Xiaodou thought of the GM (the mechanical cat from the future) in Volume 11. Sure enough, the edge of the note bore the indentations of the gears of a timepiece. Suddenly, the three little pigs rushed over, holding a sign. "Xiaodou! Our bakery is open! Do you want to be our head taster?"
The sign reads "Cross-Volume Dessert Shop - Managers: The Three Little Pigs and Grandma Wolf", and in the window is a cotton candy machine modified with Cthulhu slime (a foreshadowing of Volume 12).
Realistic mobile phone and recruitment Easter eggs
Pinocchio's cricket fluttered over, clutching a real-world smartphone in its claws. "Look! Doctor Lin Shen has updated the recruitment!" On the screen, Lin Shen, wearing a white lab coat, was pictured on the refrigerator behind him, with a "Welcome Home, Xiaodou" sticker. The recruitment video flashed with shots of desserts from various worlds.
- Osmanthus cake from the demon world is baked in an interstellar energy furnace;
- The spiritual plant tea from the Xiuxian world is paired with the mutant potato pancakes from the apocalypse;
- The cotton candy tentacles of the Cthulhu world are wrapped in the rainbow syrup of the fairy tale town.
"Job requirements: Ability to transform fear into sweet dreams, and proficiency in transporting food through time rifts." Xiaodou read out loud and noticed a like icon of a mechanical cat in the lower right corner of the video, with the like time showing "August 13, 2025" (real timeline).
New professions in the Land of Giants and cross-volume express delivery
A giant descended, carrying a cyberpunk delivery box with "Linshen Clinic·Fairy Tale Express" printed on it. "I've switched careers to become a cross-volume delivery driver!" He proudly displayed his new uniform, and a gear part from Volume 14 fell out of his pocket. "From now on, I'll take care of all your dessert orders!"
The box contained a real-world baking textbook. On the cover, Lin Shen was feeding cake to a robotic cat. The spine was inscribed with "Concept Mouse Baking Guide: 10,086 Kinds of Sweetness from the Demon Realm to the Stars." Xiaodou flipped to the first page and found a note inside that read:
“It’s time to wrap up the fairytale frosting, and the oven of reality is preheating – your exclusive taster Lin Shen”
End-of-Chapter Thesis and Final Hook
At dusk, Azuki crouched by the wishing well, gazing at the Cyberpunk City, Volume 14, reflected in the water. Fluffy, in the form of a pine rat, drifted into the well, transforming into the light form of a data rat (Volume 14 form), which gnawed on a chocolate bar made of code.
"Goodbye, Storybrooke." She waved towards the clouds. The electronic meow of a mechanical cat could be heard from the castle in the Land of Giants. "Next stop, it's time to go to the real world to find Lin Shen... But first—"
She pulled out the molds for the four fairytale elements. As they joined, the molds made a clicking sound, like gears meshing, eventually forming the complete outline of the mechanical heart. The thirteenth glimmer of light from the claw heart resonated with the mold, drawing an arrow in the air that read "14→001"—the coordinates pointing to Lin Shen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
