Ark Simulator, don't I have no physical form?

"This last 1%..." She finally stopped, turned her back to Suri, and asked, "What conditions are required?"

Suri walked to her side, and the two stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the awakening Poshan Town in the distance: "To be honest, I'm not sure either. Maybe it's some decisive moment, or..."

"Or what?"

"Or a heartfelt statement." Su Rui turned to look at her, sunlight dancing on his eyelashes, "like why you insisted on drawing my form, why you were afraid I would disappear, why..."

"Enough!" Xi interrupted him, her face as red as the morning sun. "I...I need to think."

Volume 9, page 545: The Body That Was Drawn

Just then, a familiar voice came from the stairwell: "Excuse me, sir."

Li appeared at the top of the tower at some unknown time, holding an exquisite black jade box in her hands. Her monocle gleamed in the morning light, and a knowing smile played on her lips.

"Li?" Xi frowned, "How come you..."

"I've come to deliver a gift." Li walked gracefully to the two of them and opened the box—inside was a bottle of ink shimmering with an eerie blue light. "'Memory Ink,' a modified version of the formula you taught me. It can temporarily stabilize the consciousness's form, at least... enough to complete that final 1%?"

Xi stared at her in shock: "You were eavesdropping on our conversation?"

"Want to eavesdrop?" Li smiled and pointed at Xi's face. "Your expression is more eye-catching than any billboard, Artist."

Suri took the ink bottle and shook it curiously: "How long will this keep me going?"

"It depends on the dosage," Li said meaningfully. "If it's just ordinary activity, it'll probably last three days. If it's some... particularly intimate contact, it might only last a few hours."

Xi almost choked on her own saliva: "Li!"

"I'm just stating the facts~" Li blinked innocently. "By the way, Saga asked me to tell you that she and the Rhodes Island operators will be waiting at the teahouse until noon. If anyone wants to demonstrate a 'new form,' there's a good audience seat there."

After speaking, she gracefully bowed, turned and went downstairs, leaving Xi and Su Rui standing in the morning light, separated by the bottle of shimmering ink.

"So..." Suri slowly unscrewed the bottle cap, blue light reflecting on his face, "Want to try it?"

Xi looked at the bottle of ink, then at Su Rui's expectant eyes, and finally at the roof of the teahouse in the distance—there, Saga, Kross, and Yan Rong were indeed sitting in a row, and even a banner that read "Go for it!" was hung up.

"...Idiot." Xi finally muttered, but reached out and took the ink. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she touched the bottle, but her eyes had become firm.

"This is the last time," she warned, but her tone had softened. "Don't disappear again."

Suri's smile was brighter than the morning light: "Yes, Master Painter."

When Xi's brush touched that special blue ink, strange ripples appeared in the sky above the entire painting world, as if anticipating some major change that was about to occur...

The moment the brush touched the paper, the entire world on the painting fell silent.

Xi dipped her paintbrush in the blue ink given to her by Li and drew a final arc in the air.

This stroke was slower and more deliberate than any of the previous ones, as if it carried a thousand unspoken words. When the tip of the pen finally touched Su Rui's taking shape, a visible ripple spread out from the point of contact, sweeping across the entire sky of Poshan Town.

"This is..." Xi's question was cut short by the sight before her.

Suri's body is undergoing a miraculous transformation—what were once simple human-like outlines are now being replaced by more refined and vivid details.

Beneath his smooth skin, faint dragon scale patterns emerged, shimmering with a bluish-black light in the morning glow. His hair became even softer, yet the ends possessed a gradient effect reminiscent of ink painting, much like Xi's own long hair.

But the most striking change occurred on its head—a pair of black jade-like dragon horns were slowly taking shape, with elegant and powerful lines, almost identical to Xi's horns, only slightly shorter, with a newborn roundness.

At the same time, a long dragon tail extended from his tailbone, swaying nimbly a few times, the scales colliding and making a soft, chiming sound like wind chimes.

"It worked..." Suri looked down at his new body, his voice filled with unbelievable joy. He tentatively touched the dragon horns on his head, then curiously grabbed the tip of his tail and pinched it. "Wow, this feels amazing!"

Xi stood there motionless, oblivious to the paintbrush slipping from her fingers.

She had seen countless exquisite works of art and created countless lifelike beings, but the dragon Su Rui, whom she had "raised" stroke by stroke, made the organs in her chest beat wildly uncontrollably.

His dragon horns gleamed warmly in the sunlight, his tail swayed gently with his breath, and his entire being (or rather, his dragon) exuded an aura that drew people in—both familiar and novel, powerful and endearing. Xi's fingers twitched unconsciously, a strong urge rising to touch those newly sprouted horns, to confirm if they were as smooth and warm as they appeared.

"Xi?" Su Rui tilted his head to look at her, a gesture that made him appear exceptionally innocent and naive, his newly grown dragon horns tilting as he did so. "Do I look...strange?"

"No..." Xi's voice was softer than expected, "It's...good."

She could barely recognize her own voice anymore. Where had that always-sharp-tongued artist gone? Who was this stuttering, flushed person?

Suri took a step forward, grinning mischievously at Xi, whose ears were flushed red, her dragon tail swaying merrily behind her: "Just 'very good'?"

"I..." Xi's gaze wandered, finally settling on a tiny line on the tip of his nose, "I like you the way you are."

These words came out without any embellishment or pretense, as simple and straightforward as a drop of ink falling on rice paper, instantly spreading an irreversible stain.

The moment the words left her mouth, Xi regretted them. Her dragon scales practically stood on end in embarrassment. What kind of kindergarten-level confession was this?! She was a dragon who had lived for countless years, a painter capable of creating worlds—how could she act like a lovesick teenager...?

"Really?" Suri's eyes lit up, and he took another step closer, now only an arm's length apart. "I'm so happy."

Xi could feel her horns getting slightly hot from nervousness. She wanted to back away, to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, to immediately stuff Suri back into the painting and repaint her—but her feet seemed rooted to the spot, frozen in place.

"Because..." Suri reached out, her fingertips lightly touching Xi's dragon horns, a gesture that sent a shiver down her spine, "I prefer the person who made me this way."

His fingers slowly traced the curve of the horn, the movement as gentle as caressing a precious work of art. Xi's breath caught in her throat—dragon horns were among the most sensitive parts of a dragon's body, usually reserved only for the most intimate...

"Hey! How long are you two going to keep gazing at each other so affectionately?" Saga's voice suddenly came from the roof of the teahouse. "My sake is almost finished!"

The teasing remark was like a bucket of cold water poured over Xi's head. She took two steps back abruptly, only then noticing that all the residents of Poshan Town and the Rhodes Island operators were standing in front of their windows and on their rooftops, watching the scene on the tower intently.

Klose even waved a small flag she'd found somewhere: "Miss Xi! Young Master Suri! Congratulations!"

Volume 9, Chapter 546: The Entanglement of the Tail

"We didn't...we didn't..." Xi tried to explain in vain, but her voice was drowned out by the sudden applause and cheers. It turned out that the townspeople had spontaneously organized a celebration at some point. Some people started setting off firecrackers, while others brought out their treasured wines. The whole town was instantly immersed in a festive atmosphere.

Suri couldn't help but laugh at Xi, her newly grown dragon tail slapping the ground happily: "Looks like we're being watched."

"It's all your fault!" Xi said through gritted teeth, but her flushed cheeks and darting eyes rendered the accusation powerless. "And that ink Li gave me... it must have had something weird added to it..."

"Like a love potion?" Suri winked playfully, quickly adding before Xi could get angry, "Just kidding. Reaching 100% completion depends entirely on you, Xi."

He reached out, this time not to touch the dragon horns, but to gently grasp Xi's fingers: "Thank you for drawing me again and again, thank you for not giving up, thank you... for liking me the way I am now."

Xi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She should shake off that hand, should leave with a cold face, should... but in the end she only squeezed it back lightly, and then quickly let go.

"Idiot, you fool..." She turned around, unable to hide the smile playing on her lips. "Now that you have a physical form, you must abide by the rules of the world within the painting. First of all, you're not allowed to touch my horns!"

"Yes, ma'am~" Suri replied with a smile, her tail secretly wrapping around the tip of Xi's tail. "How about this?"

"Su Rui!"

Their shadows intertwined in the morning light, their dragon tails entwined, their horns clinging to each other. In the distance, Li leaned against the pawnshop door, satisfied with the effect of the ink she had given away; Saga had finished his second jug of wine and was enthusiastically telling Kross and Yanrong about the dragons' courtship customs; the townspeople sang and danced, as if this were not an ordinary morning, but some major festival.

On the tower of the painted world, the newborn dragon and his painter stood side by side, gazing at the world they protected together, their tails still quietly intertwined, neither of them truly intending to separate.

"Oh, right," Xi suddenly remembered something, "now that you have a permanent physical form, does that mean..."

"Does that mean I can stay with you forever?" Suri replied, her smile brighter than the sun. "Yes, artist. From now on, you can't be driven away no matter what!"

Xi gave a soft hum, but did not deny it. Her tail tightened slightly, entwining itself more closely with Su Rui's. In this world she had created, on this unexpected morning, something had quietly changed—like a drop of ink falling into clear water, the resulting stain would never disappear.

The celebrations in Poshan Town were in full swing. After a few rounds of drinks, Klose's cheeks were flushed with a lovely rosy blush. She skipped over to Suri, curiously examining every detail of the newly minted dragon—his gleaming horns, his agile tail, and...

"Wow! Young Master Suri, your arm!" Klose suddenly widened her eyes and pointed at Suri's forearm, which was exposed as he rolled up his sleeve.

There, from wrist to elbow, there are delicate ink patterns winding and spiraling—resembling neither dragons nor clouds, with lines so smooth that they seem to take flight from the skin at any moment.

"What's wrong?" Suri rotated her wrist, making the pattern more visible in the sunlight. "Doesn't it look good?"

"It's not that it looks bad..." Kroos bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted, "It's just... the Doctor might be unhappy if he sees it."

"Doctor?" Suri didn't react for a moment.

"It's Young Master Su Rui's 'mother'!"

Klose explained earnestly, "Although I've never encountered this situation before, I doubt the Doctor would like people with tattoos, right? Will he be angry with you or something?" She lowered her voice and asked cautiously.

Su Rui was taken aback at first, then the corners of his mouth slowly turned up. He didn't explain immediately, but turned to look at Xi, who was pretending to study the tea set beside him.

"Well..." Su Rui drawled, her gaze fixed on Xi's slightly reddened earlobes, "You'll have to ask my 'other creator'."

Xi's teaspoon clattered into the saucer. She glared fiercely at Su Rui, but her flushed cheeks rendered the threat harmless.

Klose's gaze darted back and forth between the two, then suddenly realized, "Ah! Was it Miss Xi who drew the tattoo for Young Master Su Rui?"

"It's not a tattoo!" Xi immediately retorted, her voice eight octaves higher than usual. "It's a natural scale pattern! Unique to the dragon race... her voice trailed off, until it was almost a mumble.

Suri kindly added, "Xi means that this is a scale pattern she deliberately added when designing the body. Right?" He deliberately shook his tattooed arm, letting the pattern shimmer in the sunlight.

Xi's dragon tail slapped the ground irritably, kicking up a small cloud of dust. She knew, of course, that Su Rui was teasing her, but what annoyed her even more was that she couldn't deny it with conviction—it was indeed she who "deliberately" designed these patterns for Su Rui, almost exactly the same as her own natural ones.

"I just feel..." Xi turned her face away, her voice barely audible, "Since they're both dragons... they should be matched..."

As soon as those words were spoken, Saga, who was eavesdropping on the roof of the teahouse, spat out a mouthful of wine; Yanrong, who was helping the townspeople carry wine, slipped and almost dropped the wine jar; Kross covered her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise.

Suri's smile widened. He deliberately rolled up his other sleeve, revealing his symmetrical tattooed arm: "Perfect match, I love it."

Xi's tail unconsciously curled up, though she maintained a forced serious expression. Klose, looking at their almost identical arm tattoos, suddenly clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Wow! These are couple tattoos! No, they're couple scale tattoos!"

"Kross!" Xi and Yanrong called out at the same time to stop her, but for completely different reasons—Xi was embarrassed and annoyed, while Yanrong was afraid that this outspoken junior would be turned into a mural by the painter in a fit of anger.

To everyone's surprise, Xi did not fly into a rage. She simply took a deep breath and then... revealed her long, slender arms.

There, meandering patterns of ink, identical to those of Su Rui, only more ancient and more mysterious, each line seemingly containing a thousand-year-old story.

"I had these when I was born," Xi said softly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the lines, "...proof of my bloodline."

Su Rui quieted down and stared intently at the patterns. He reached out, paused just before touching Xi's arm, and asked for permission with his eyes. Xi nodded slightly.

As his fingertips lightly touched the patterns, a faint blue light flashed at the point of contact. Surprisingly, the "replica" on Suri's arm also lit up at the same time, as if in response.

Volume 9, Chapter 547: Evening Reminder

"Wow!" Klose exclaimed, "They glow!"

Yuya was stunned: "This...this shouldn't be. I only drew it based on its appearance..."

"Perhaps when you painted it, you poured more into it than you imagined?" Saga appeared behind them unnoticed, saying meaningfully, "Like... a drop of your heart's blood?"

Xi immediately pulled her sleeve back, but everyone noticed her bright red ear tips. Su Rui, on the other hand, generously displayed her glowing pattern: "It seems the connection between me and the artist is deeper than I imagined."

"Shut up!" Xi snapped habitually, but her tone had lost its usual sharpness. She looked at the pattern on Su Rui's arm that echoed her own, and a strange, indescribable emotion swelled in her chest.

Klose suddenly remembered something and asked worriedly, "What about the Doctor...?"

"Don't worry," Suri explained with a smile, "Although the Doctor is indeed my mother, this body was entirely created by Xi. So..." He deliberately nudged Xi's shoulder, "Shouldn't my 'guardianship' now belong to Xi?"

And the doctor shouldn't get angry over such a small thing, he shouldn't.

"Who wants your guardianship!" Xi retorted immediately, but her tail unconsciously wrapped around Su Rui's. "...But since I drew it, you have to follow my rules."

"for example?"

"First rule," Xi held up a finger, "You're not allowed to show the pattern to others casually." Su Rui didn't care that she already had one herself.

Suri pretended to think, "What about the second one?"

"The second point... I'll think of it later!"

Saga laughed so hard he almost fell over, while Kroos nodded, seemingly understanding, "So this is the dragon race's 'complementary' ritual? How romantic!"

Yan Rong finally couldn't help but drag his junior away: "You should go help clean up the altar..."

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the setting sun cast long shadows of the two. Suri looked at the still faintly glowing patterns on her arm and asked softly, "These patterns... are they really just because you wanted a 'matching set'?"

Xi was silent for a moment, then said very softly and quickly, "...It's also a mark."

"Um?"

"Marking you is the mark of the dragon I created." Xi's voice almost blended into the evening breeze, "That way... no one will mistake you for someone else."

Suri's heart felt as if it had been soaked in warm ink. He gently took Xi's hand, letting their arms, which shared the same pattern, rest together. The blue light shone again, brighter and longer than before.

"Great mark," he said with a smile. "I'm honored."

Xi did not pull her hand away. In this world she had created, in this evening as the sun set, the shadows of the two dragons merged into one, the patterns on their arms reflecting each other, like a destined contract, inseparable forever.

Then, Yu's finger drew a smooth arc in the air, and the passage to the real world closed swiftly with this movement, isolating Klose's exclamation and Saga's laughter in the world of the painting.

Just before the last sliver of a crack disappeared, Xi seemed to suddenly remember something, turned back, and uttered a sentence:

"The Mo Liang are afraid of the sound of firecrackers."

As soon as the words were spoken, the passageway closed completely. The hustle and bustle of Poshan Town vanished instantly, leaving only the tranquility of the room filled with the aroma of incense.

"So you just left them there?"