Dixue’s wounds were brutal, cracks in ice running through her like winter.

Her mana was a dry well, and her bones were splintered like bamboo in a storm.

For an ordinary person, this was the cliff’s edge; mishandled, a lifetime of paralysis. But for a princess of the Night Clan, staying near Yue Liuyi let moonlight stitch her back together, slow and sure.

Carefully, Yue Liuyi laid the silver-haired girl on her own bed. She drew a soft sheet over LittleSnow, like dew over petals.

Feeling the world sway, Dixue woke slowly, like a leaf teased by dawn wind.

“Xiao Yue…?”

Those emerald eyes were bright and clear as spring water, deep enough to drown a wish.

“LittleSnow, we’ve reached Dreamwood Star!”

“We made it… that’s wonderful…” Her smile was faint, her voice thin, yet joy fizzed in it like a spark in snow.

If not for the wounds, she would have leaped up and hugged Yue Liuyi, a swallow to its nest.

“Yeah. Entry was smooth. Those people didn’t tail us. Dreamwood Star has no Factory Guard, so it should be safe, like a quiet harbor.”

“Heh-heh, I killed them anyway. Anyone trying to kidnap Xiao Yue, I won’t forgive. It’s just… the identity of Yedie Snow can’t be used anymore.” Her tone dipped like a cloud shading the sun.

Her silver-haired face dimmed for a breath, then brightened again, like a cloud letting the light through. “Let’s drop it. Is this Xiao Yue’s room? It’s really tidy!”

“Mm-hmm. There isn’t much here, so it’s tidy by default. Sorry to let LittleSnow see such bare boards, like a clean empty bowl.”

Back then, Dongfang Chen was dirt-poor, a wind-swept field; the only savings went into preparing for the New Land.

So Yue Liuyi’s bedroom had only a 1.6-meter bed, a plain desk, and a bedside table with a lamp. Three quiet stones around a campfire.

“Didn’t think Xiao Yue always lived in a room this simple. No AC, no heating, like winter breathing through paper windows.”

“It’s fine! In winter, just wear more layers and the cold backs off like a shy fox.”

“That still hurts my heart. If the Skyship were still here, we could ferry in good things and fill Xiao Yue’s home like a spring market.”

“Nothing we can do. But I kept Ailuna’s gifts safe. With a little decorating, it’ll look lovely, like flowers pinned to night.”

Yue Liuyi took a small white box from her suitcase, like a snowbrick from a chest.

Though the road was full of twists, she’d guarded the girl’s gifts carefully, like a lamp cupped from wind.

A pretty little dress. A box of tasty cookies. A cute teddy bear. A small mirror for dressing up. A music box that played a gentle tune. A handkerchief printed with pink blossoms. And a crystal water jug that glowed softly.

She set them on the desk and the bedside table. The room bloomed at once with girlish air, like peach petals in light.

“Mm. Not bad, not bad.” Dixue blinked in contentment. Ailuna’s gifts came with blessings. Set in a room, they spread a calm like incense in rain.

Still, Yue Liuyi felt a bit shy. A boy’s room turning so girlish was a blush waiting to happen, plum red on snow.

“U-um! LittleSnow, are you hungry? Want to eat something?”

“Huh? Is Xiao Yue going to cook? Anything’s fine!”

“I’ll whip something up—oh no! I forgot. The food in the fridge must’ve gone moldy!”

The power was out; everything in the fridge had long gone bad, like fish left on a rock.

And even if the food survived, there was no gas and no running water, a riverbed gone to dust.

“It’s okay. Sharing cookies together is fun too, like a picnic under the eaves.”

“Cookies are nice, but we nibbled them all the way here. On Dreamwood Star, we should change the taste, like turning a page.”

Yue Liuyi pulled out her phone and opened an app she hadn’t touched in years, like unsealing an old jar.

EatGroup delivery, a shut-in’s first choice, hummed on the screen like neon at dusk.

Even on Dreamwood Star, delivery existed. Once tech and society rise, the craving arrives like a tide.

But to her dismay, barely any restaurants still operated here, and all were beyond delivery range, islands beyond the fog.

Even if they could deliver, the riders’ fees were sky-high. Drifters often mugged them. Riders now demanded pro-level fighters’ pay, like mercenaries on wheels.

“Ugh… we can’t even order takeout. Looks like I have to hit the market tomorrow, like a sparrow pecking grain.”

“Don’t be sad, Xiao Yue. I already know what we can eat.”

“Huh? Cookies? B-but…”

“Not cookies.”

“Then what?”

“My Xiao Yue. Tender and soft. Silky and juicy. Peel off the skin—your clothes—and the flavor’s even better, like fruit under frost.”

“Whaaat! LittleSnow, what are you even saying!”

Realizing Dixue was flirting even while injured, Yue Liuyi pounced at the bed in mock anger, like a kitten attacking a quilt.