"Wait until it's finished, then you'll see."
She replied calmly, reaching out to take the seaweed. With her right hand, she conjured a small flame, holding it at just the right distance—not too close to burn, but close enough to dry the seaweed quickly.
Once the seaweed was dried, she piled it up and began to spread it out flat. Recalling the weaving techniques she had learned from the locals, she carefully folded the seaweed together, working slowly and methodically.
[Hey, what's she doing?]
[Family, I looked it up on Baidu—seaweed houses really did exist, but a long time ago, during battles with the insect tribe, the last remaining area of these cultural relics was destroyed by them.]
[I know, but this technique has been lost for ages. Otherwise, seaweed houses wouldn't just be a faded memory in history, with only photographs left behind.]
[Yeah, it's also linked to the extinction of certain plants. I remember an old man once cried looking at photos of seaweed houses, saying that if humanity keeps being so reckless, more than just plants will disappear.]
...
Kazel watched as Mu Qingyun's fingers folded and twisted the dried seaweed, quickly turning it into long, spiraled strands.
Curious, he leaned in for a closer look, but her movements were too fast for him to catch.
"What technique is that? Slow down so I can watch properly."
"Why, are you going to help me?" Mu Qingyun slowed her hands and glanced at Kazel.
"Of course not. We already have a bet—if I win, you owe me a good amount of money." He said that while casually taking a piece of seaweed and chewing it.
"I've figured it out."
Mu Qingyun snorted and pushed the seaweed on the shore towards herself. "You're not helping and you're eating my seaweed."
"Hmph, I was the one who brought it up here." Kazel muttered softly.
"Mu-ge!"
Xiong Ruoyou's voice suddenly came from behind. Mu Qingyun looked up and saw the four people from the cave had come out together.
"Just in time," she smiled faintly, waving the seaweed in her hand. "Come help."
"We're here!" The four rushed over and gathered around her, looking at the woven seaweed with amazement.
Su took a woven piece, tugging hard. He had to admit—the seaweed was as tough as steel wire, impossible to tear.
"I'll teach you. Help out so we can finish quickly and have a place to live." She grabbed a few strands, about to demonstrate, but Kazel splashed water on her by flicking his tail.
"Are you crazy?"
She glared coldly at Kazel, a flicker of anger in her eyes.
Kazel wasn't afraid at all. He looked up at her with a slight smile. "I want to learn too. Come closer so I can watch."
"If you want to watch, come here yourself. You can't expect the instructor to come to you." Su said casually, then quickly put on an innocent smile when Kazel and Mu Qingyun's eyes turned towards him.
"That's right, come learn yourself." Mu Qingyun nodded in agreement.
Hearing that, Kazel's eyes darkened for a moment. Supporting himself with his arms on the shore, he flipped onto land.
He didn't change back into human form, still keeping his fish tail. He took a few steps to Mu Qingyun's side. His shimmering tail lightly tapped the ground behind her.
Feeling the fish tail behind her, Mu Qingyun glanced sideways, her hands continuing the weaving motions.
[Wow, Kazel really likes Mu-ge, huh? Oh my God.]
[Look at that tail—it's totally seducing her on purpose.]
[Haha, so sweet, it's killing me.]
[Wait a sec, did Su just get jealous? Why else would he say that to Kazel?]
[Yeah, Su seems to have some weird hostility towards Kazel. Haha, this is the drama I live for!]
[Unbelievable, I love it. Let me grab some snacks and watch this.]
Su glanced at the comments on the screen and forced a helpless smile.
They misunderstood him. He wasn't jealous—his orientation was female all along.
His hostility toward Kazel came from suspicion. He believed Kazel had ulterior motives; in this world, no kindness comes without a purpose.
They were teammates. Aside from spending half a year together, even when hunting virtual creatures, they couldn't harbor any ill will.
But Kazel's friendliness was sudden. Unless Kazel truly fell for Mu Qingyun at first sight, Su had no choice but to be wary.
After Mu Qingyun finished teaching, everyone caught on quickly. After watching her weave a few pieces, they practiced themselves and were soon weaving the seaweed quite skillfully.
[Damn, why are they all so smart? Why can't I learn it?]
[Same here. I've replayed it several times and still can't figure out where Mu-ge put that part.]
[Maybe it's because we don't have seaweed ourselves, so we can't practice.]
[Yeah, definitely because we lack materials, not because we're dumb.]
...
Meanwhile, at a prestigious university, the dean and professors watched Mu Qingyun's livestream repeatedly, eyes behind glasses or furrowed brows fixed on the screen with amazement.
"He knows a lot of lost skills. He's trended many times before."
The dean pushed up his glasses, looking at the short-haired Mu Qingyun on the screen. "I called you all here today to discuss something."
"Please, dean."
The other professors turned to him.
"When Mu Qingyun finishes the military academy trial, if he comes out alive, we will offer him a special appointment at our university to start a program in intangible cultural heritage preservation, as professor and lecturer."
The dean looked pleased, rubbing his chin with satisfaction.
"I agree."
"Me too."
Without exception, the professors raised their hands in support.
Their university was one of the best on the planet, alongside the Empire University.
While the Empire University had great resources thanks to imperial support, their university excelled academically.
This intangible cultural heritage program was unique to them. If successful, it could make their university the top on the planet.
However, their lively discussion caught the attention of the Empire University's dean and professors, who seized the opportunity.
"Your Majesty, this is our proposal. Mu Qingyun is remarkable, and the intangible heritage program could become a widely popular discipline."
The Empire University dean spoke earnestly to the emperor seated in the main hall.
However, as soon as the emperor heard Mu Qingyun's name, his expression darkened visibly.