Dimensional Hotel-Chapter 236: After the Calm

The rumbling in the Valley lasted for a long time, then slowly died away.

A row of armored Titan giants stood on the small square at the edge of the camp. Boys and girls perched on their shoulders, arms, and heads, gazing into the distance where unimaginable changes had just occurred. Morning light shone on them like warmth after a dream’s end.

Smaller Cursed Children clustered around the giants’ feet, their eyes fixed on the sky with wonder.

A stretch of clouds—glowing with the colors of dawn—was rolling in from afar, something the Valley had never seen before.

Little Red Riding Hood stood on the shoulder of the Thunder Titan alongside the Long Haired Girl Princess. From this height, they could see far, far away.

They even spotted an entire Forest on the far side of the Valley—one that seemed to have “sprouted” in the blink of an eye, taking the place of what had once been a wide section of mountain terrain.

A faint buzzing came from overhead. Little Red Riding Hood glanced up to see Dorothy’s drone returning to camp. Not long after, another Titan nearby raised an arm—Dorothy came dashing along that Titan’s shoulder, excitement lighting up her face.

“Hey, Red! It really is your Black Forest! I saw the Little House—although the Forest looks different now, like there’s a spring and flower fields. It’s much prettier than before…”

“Yu Sheng said we shouldn’t go near places that are still changing,” Little Red Riding Hood reminded her with a slight frown. “[It might be dangerous.]”

“Oh, I just sent the drone! I didn’t go in myself.” Dorothy laughed brightly. “Anyway, I’ll send another one to the northern tower soon…”

“No need,” the Long Haired Girl Princess chimed in, waving her hand. “That’s definitely my tower. I know it by heart. It looks much nicer now—at least it’s not crawling with Demons or Hellworms spewing fire through the windows.”

Dorothy let out a disappointed sigh. “Too bad my drone’s control range is limited. And my own skills aren’t enough yet…I wanted to see how big the Forest was. Maybe if I sent out a reconnaissance plane—”

“Don’t cause more trouble for Yu Sheng.” Little Red Riding Hood shook her head. “The Valley has finally settled down. He should be back any minute.”

Just as she finished, a commotion erupted below.

The Long Haired Girl Princess glanced down to see a shimmering Door appear in midair at the center of the camp. A group of young children ran toward it in loud excitement.

“Oh! Our big Brother is back!” The Princess broke into a grin and leaped right off the Titan’s shoulder. Her long, golden hair billowed in the wind, weaving into a glowing slide. It stretched straight down toward Yu Sheng, who had just pushed open the Door.

Yu Sheng had barely stepped out before a sharp swoosh rang through the air. A golden-haired blur zoomed straight toward him like a human comet. He reacted on pure reflex—[I’ve dodged too many flying tackles at home]—and moved aside in a flash, leaving a faint afterimage behind.

He couldn’t help it. Living with three Dolls who might randomly pounce at him, plus a Cyber Fox Immortal who could pull off a lethal Sonic Headbutt, had honed his instincts. Maybe he wasn’t yet good enough to dodge Foxy’s headbutt, but a person-shaped projectile? That was second nature by now. By the time he realized who was charging at him, it was too late…

He watched as that golden blur whizzed right past and crashed into a dirt mound ten meters away.

But she was no ordinary girl. This was the Princess who could battle Demons floor by floor in a high tower. Yu Sheng didn’t have time to worry—she popped out of the dirt in seconds, spitting clumps of mud.

“Why’d you dodge me, old Brother!” she muttered, indignant. “I just wanted to say hi…”

Yu Sheng opened his mouth to speak, but someone else called out before he could respond.

Little Red Riding Hood approached, smiling. “Don’t mind her. She’s overexcited. Especially now.”

Yu Sheng turned and found himself face to face with the short-haired girl he knew so well.

Off to the side, the Titan giants were bending down one by one, lowering huge arms for the rest of the group. Familiar faces hopped off, laughing and joking as they made their way over. The smaller Cursed Children had already formed a tight circle around them.

A chubby tabby Cat stepped forward with a regal air, head held high. Its face was serious. “It’s all over?” it asked.

Yu Sheng lowered his gaze to meet the Cat’s eyes and slowly smiled. “Yes. It’s all finished.”

Everything fell quiet then, as though the whole world had paused.

After a few moments, someone let out a cautious whoop. Another person clapped, then stopped. The Cursed Children hesitated, almost confused. It seemed that ever since they had begun to understand the world, they had been waiting for this day—but now that it had come, none of them knew what to do. They didn’t even know what expressions to wear.

All their lessons and drills in “Fairy Tale” never covered this particular moment.

Then Yu Sheng raised his hand, breaking the stillness. “Smile,” he said, “just start smiling—and celebrate. Celebrate however you want.”

Scattered applause gave way to grins, which grew into laughter, and finally cheers. The youngest Cursed Children cheered first, then the older ones, and finally their Guardians. Everyone shouted and whooped, some even bursting into tears and laughter at the same time.

Yu Sheng cheered with them. After a good while, when the noise eased up a bit, the Cat “King” padded closer to him. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

“I am pleased, meow,” announced the Cat with a dignified nod. A hint of a smile seemed to touch its furry face. “In reward, I hereby name you the Belly Scratching Minister. From now on, you may rub my belly whenever you wish.”

“That’s the highest honor,” Little Red Riding Hood whispered in Yu Sheng’s ear. “It never lets me do that.”

The King cast her a haughty glance. “That’s because you smell like dog.”

She glared at him. “Wolf! I smell like Wolf!”

“It’s practically the same.”

“You’re begging to lose your whiskers!”

“Meow?!”

Girl and Cat bickered, clearly not for the first time. Nobody bothered to intervene; a few people even cheered them on.

Yu Sheng simply stood there, grinning, letting the happy noise wash over him. [These kids—no, all of them, really—every laugh and quarrel they have from now on, every breath they take, every step forward in life, feels like an extension of everything I’ve worked for.]

[It feels like I’m rooted here now, part of the meaning behind this moment.]

Raising his gaze, Yu Sheng saw more figures standing at a distance.

Adults—employees sent by the Council, along with engineers and security staff from the Special Affairs Bureau—watched from afar.

“We’re going to hold a grand celebration,” Yu Sheng said. “Everyone is invited.”

“Even Teacher Su?” a little boy nearby asked, eyes bright with curiosity.

Yu Sheng nodded with a laugh. “Of course.”

“Hurray!”

He ruffled the boy’s hair and then turned to face Little Red Riding Hood.

“Before that, though, let’s settle some business,” he said, trying to look more serious. “I need to fill you all in on how the ‘Fairy Tale’ Otherworld has changed. This affects your future roles, and the future of the Fairy Tale Organization.”

“All right.” Little Red Riding Hood was indeed the Organization’s most experienced Guardian. She instantly focused, nodded solemnly, then briskly called out the names of the others—White Snow, Long Haired Girl, King—summoning them to gather. “Everyone else, you’re dismissed. Go on, do whatever you like.”

“So where are we talking?” Yu Sheng asked, glancing at the circle of Guardians.

“Where else? The ‘Castle’ you built for us,” the Long Haired Girl Princess replied, pointing at a large structure at the far end of camp. “It’s huge. We’re officially making it our activity center. Great place to hold a meeting.”

Yu Sheng raised his head and spotted the building he had once conjured for the Orphanage’s Cursed Children—a fortress with a small courtyard gate. Someone had even hung bright, colorful flags on the roof, giving it a real “Castle” vibe.

They all headed across camp to the Castle. It now had electricity and running water, though only basic interior work. At least the entrance hall had a big mat on the floor so their feet didn’t clack against bare stone. Temporary lights hung from the walls and ceiling. A large round table took up the center of the hall, with chairs arranged around it. It was simple but looked surprisingly proper.

“We were going to bring in a long table, but King insisted we do a round one,” Little Red Riding Hood explained as she switched on the overhead lights. “He said that way it would be a ‘round table meeting.’ I’m not sure what difference it makes, but everyone seemed to like the idea, so we went with it.”

Yu Sheng reached out and fiddled with the big rotating platter that sat in the middle of the table. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “Well, for starters…I’m pretty sure that in a real round table meeting, you usually don’t put a giant spinning tray in the middle…”

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation