Dimensional Hotel
Chapter 284: Irene is Fired Up!

Foxy descended the stairs, carrying her two Guardian Chickens on her shoulders, then obediently took her seat at the dining table, awaiting the meal. Irene stood atop the table, eyes locked fiercely on the feathered duo perched upon the fox girl’s shoulders.

Two pairs of cross-eyed gazes stared straight back at the little doll, each side exuding a kind of equally matched intelligence.

“I have a bad feeling about those two,” Irene suddenly declared. “They’re definitely plotting something nasty.”

“No way! Plain Boiled and Salt Baked are very well-behaved!” Foxy responded seriously. “They mostly just sleep inside my tail, and even when they’re outside, they never fight.”

“They’re clearly knocked unconscious from eating all the weird junk you feed them!” Irene retorted, glaring. Though nobody could fully explain why the two chicks ended up looking so peculiar, it undoubtedly had something to do with Foxy’s chaotic “immortal techniques” and the “spiritual essence stuff” she concocted. Realizing this, Irene’s frustration mounted. “It’s a miracle these two featherballs are still alive after getting knocked out three days out of every two-and-a-half!”

Foxy paused, then began to ponder seriously, suddenly clapping her hands as she understood. “So that’s what’s going on! No wonder they always sleep so long after meals.”

Irene was stunned. “They really do spend three days out of two-and-a-half unconscious?!”

“The path of transcendence is full of hardships even for true spiritual beasts, let alone ordinary poultry,” Foxy waved her hand confidently. “Anyway, I’ll protect them no matter what. I’ll have you know I’m an expert at raising immortal birds and spiritual beasts! Back at school, I was the leader of our small-animal-care group. Those two Black Plume Sparrows on the mountain behind our academy were fed by me…”

She turned to her shoulders, speaking proudly to her Guardians: “Right? Haven’t I taken good care of you two?”

Plain Boiled and Salt Baked nodded solemnly in reply.

Irene jumped in shock. “Wait, these two dumb-looking featherballs actually understand you?!”

Before she could finish, Plain Boiled and Salt Baked soared into the air, each dive-bombing Irene’s head and knocking the little doll flat onto the table.

Completely caught off guard, Irene rolled across the tabletop in a daze before flying into a rage. She leaped up and immediately engaged the two chickens in a furious battle, shouting angrily, “See?! I told you these guys had bad intentions!”

Foxy was startled too, quickly jumping up to rescue Irene while insisting on accuracy: “But…you did insult them first…”

Yu Sheng had just finished stir-frying in the kitchen when he heard a commotion from the dining room. At first, he assumed it was just Irene and Foxy’s usual playful banter. But the sounds soon felt off, prompting him to quickly turn off the stove and hurry out to investigate. He was greeted by the surreal sight of Irene pinned down by Plain Boiled, who pecked furiously at her head, while Foxy desperately tried to shove Salt Baked back into her tail.

Yu Sheng stared blankly at the chaos, speechless. “…”

When things finally calmed down and the events were explained, Yu Sheng could only sigh and stare helplessly at the doll, who was angrily fixing her hair. “So…you insulted them first, got into a fight with two chickens, and ended up losing?”

Irene hopped up angrily. “You didn’t have to emphasize the last part!”

She quickly added indignantly, “Besides, what do you mean by losing to chickens?! Have you ever seen normal chickens flying with auspicious clouds, diving at you with lightning bolts? You try fighting that!”

Yu Sheng felt nothing but admiration.

“I—I’ll discipline them carefully from now on,” Foxy quickly said, mistaking Yu Sheng’s silence for anger. She lowered her head apologetically. “They’ve just begun transforming; they don’t fully understand the rules yet.”

“No worries, no worries,” Yu Sheng waved cheerfully. “Let’s just eat first. I’ll bring out the dishes.”

Foxy jumped up instantly. “I’ll help!”

Yu Sheng promptly pushed the demon fox maiden back down. “Stay right here. If you carry even one dish, you’ll have to wash plates before reaching the kitchen door. If you help, we won’t get to eat today…”

Foxy’s ears drooped sadly. “Oh.”

Soon, the dining table overflowed with delicious dishes.

Although Irene didn’t need food, she insisted on securing her spot every mealtime. Now, standing on the table, her eyes widened with excitement. “Wow—what special day is it today? Why’s the meal so extravagant?!”

“The Special Affairs Bureau transferred the money—the reward for discovering Mistbound City and rescuing those citizens,” Yu Sheng announced happily. “Also, I just got word that the subsidies for settling the Fairy Tale members were approved too, though that money will take a bit longer since the sum is large and some Council paperwork is needed. Either way, we’re not short on money anymore, so today calls for celebration.”

“Yay!” Irene clapped enthusiastically, then quickly paused. “Wait—when did you even buy groceries?”

“Just now, while cooking,” Yu Sheng answered casually. “Whatever ingredient was missing, I bought directly from the market. Plus, this huge pot of rice was taken straight from the Special Affairs Bureau cafeteria—borrowed the pot from their serving window, so we’ll need to return it later.”

Irene stared blankly for a long moment before finally blurting out, “…Your Door-opening skills have truly reached perfection.”

Foxy had no time for compliments—her head was already buried in the cooking pot.

Luckily, Yu Sheng had the foresight to serve himself a bowl first. Otherwise, the whole pot might not have been enough to satisfy the Demon Fox Maiden’s appetite.

When the meal finally came to an end—which basically meant Foxy had moved on to enthusiastically licking everyone’s bowls—Irene, who had been daydreaming atop the table, suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, Yu Sheng, make me a new body.”

Yu Sheng, who had just been peacefully enjoying the sight of a Fox Immortal delicately licking the dishes clean, looked up in surprise. “Huh?”

“You mentioned before that you’d make me another body when the chance came. And didn’t we just gather all those top-tier materials from the Special Affairs Bureau…?”

“Ah, true, I did say that. But why are you suddenly thinking about this now?”

Irene replied with utmost seriousness, “Make me one that’s stronger. If possible, one with normal dimensions.”

Yu Sheng nearly dropped his bowl. “…Just because you lost a fight with two chickens?!”

Irene’s serious expression instantly shattered. She sprang to her feet, angrily pointing a finger at Yu Sheng. “Who said it was because of that?! Do you really see me as someone that petty?!”

Yu Sheng didn’t dare nod directly, instead replying solemnly yet evasively, “Yeah.”

“It’s because I lost to that stupid C-type Buckle Doll!” Irene’s eyes widened, genuinely furious now. “It’s humiliating! A disgrace! I’m a proud ball-jointed Doll—how could I lose to some junk doll with C-type Buckles?!”

Yu Sheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “…Is that really the important point here? Plus, I seem to remember that ‘Artificial Saintess’ wasn’t entirely built with C-type Buckles. Her mechanical structures were actually quite complicated—like that exploding hatch, for example.”

“You see? We both have grudges now! Me because I lost the fight, and you because you got caught in her self-destruct trick. In the end, it all comes down to those evil Buckle Dolls.” Irene walked closer, patting Yu Sheng’s arm gently. “They’re incredibly dangerous, you know. We’ve only encountered one so far, and it was stronger than many Dangerous Entities. Imagine if we ran into more of them? What if we meet two next time? Or worse, something even stronger?”

The little doll’s voice carried unusual gravity, and even Yu Sheng found himself becoming serious.

“I have a feeling we’ll keep encountering tougher enemies and trickier situations. Even the Special Affairs Bureau Director said that trouble always finds you… Don’t get me wrong; I’m perfectly fine with that. Adventuring with you is loads of fun. But losing fights isn’t fun at all. We can’t always open Doors to escape or let you charge in just to get chopped up.”

Irene plopped down cross-legged on the table’s edge, her gaze steady on Yu Sheng before turning briefly to the Fox Immortal, who was utterly absorbed in her bowl-licking task.

“Your body keeps getting stronger every day, and you’re mastering those strange abilities of yours faster than ever. Foxy—she’s powerful to begin with, and she’s growing stronger rapidly too. Now she’s even managed to raise two battle-chickens… Well, the chickens might’ve been unexpected, but the point stands: she’s formidable and will only grow stronger.”

Irene pointed at herself solemnly.

“As for my body, sure, it’s made of rebar—sturdy enough, I guess—but clearly not sturdy enough. It’s good for surviving the battlefield, but my speed and offensive capabilities during the fight with that Doll were hopelessly inadequate. Frankly, I barely have any offensive power at all.”

Yu Sheng nodded earnestly. “Yeah, your whole body’s smaller than one of that Artificial Saintess’s fingernails.”

Irene leaped up and slammed a headbutt directly into Yu Sheng’s chin. “Screw you, Yu Sheng!”

Yu Sheng yelped loudly, startling Foxy from her diligent bowl-cleaning routine. Rubbing his jaw, he quickly appeased Irene, “Alright, alright, I get it—I totally get your point. You want a finely-crafted body this time, to properly fill that gap in your combat capability.”

“Exactly,” Irene stood before Yu Sheng with hands proudly on hips, her eyes gleaming with fiery determination, as if prepared to wage war against every C-type Buckle Doll under the heavens. “This time, I’ll instruct you on using a higher-level Soul Imbuement Rite. We’ll use the best materials available, create the most robust skeleton, and the finest filling materials. We’ll seal up every loophole from past rites to ensure I finally manifest my true strength. I promise you, I’m incredibly powerful. A true Alice Doll should never lose to some mass-produced counterfeit created by a bunch of Heretic Cultists…”

Her voice trembled with renewed resentment. This time, Yu Sheng refrained from any teasing. Instead, he gently patted Irene’s head.

“Fine. Special Affairs Bureau won’t have results anytime soon anyway, and we’ve got nothing else pressing. Let’s get busy crafting Irene Pro Max!”

“…What kind of terrible name is that?!”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation