Chapter 4
548words
While inventory came and went, the stream of customers never ceased. Each day brought new faces from every corner of the woodland, each carrying problems more bizarre than the last.
At that moment, the Forest Messaging Network erupted with frantic messages.
[Avatar: An ancient old house] Solune: "FURIOUS!"
[Avatar: An ancient old house] Solune: "I'm absolutely LIVID! Beyond furious!"
[Avatar: An ancient old house] Solune: "That interloper! Sneaked into my mistress's bedroom AGAIN!"
The group chat exploded with responses.
[Avatar: An angry orange flame] Pip: "Let's get him! Stuff his shoes with slugs! That'll teach him!"
[Avatar: A tearful wolf cub] Rufus: "I've got some itching powder I swiped from a traveler! Let's dust his entire bed with it! Show him who runs this forest!"
[Avatar: A majestic pine tree] Eldrin: (Delivered a lengthy, rhythmic incantation in Ancient Elvish that absolutely no one could understand)
[Avatar: A bunch of beautiful flowers] Grim: "Man! Danger! Will hurt mistress!"
These words triggered Solune instantly. The house spirit's flickering form expanded violently, nearly overloading the entire chat channel!
[Avatar: An old rustic house] Solune: "Exactly! I MUST protect my mistress!"
BANG!
Lilith massaged her temples, fighting off a headache as she projected her thoughts into the network.
"House guardians are forbidden from attacking humans without cause. The Elder Council will judge you harshly. Worse, if your actions make your mistress unhappy, you'll be expelled from the house permanently."
The network fell silent.
For a house guardian, expulsion was the ultimate punishment—a fate worse than death.
Solune's fiery aura extinguished with a hiss, its presence dimming considerably.
The other creatures immediately jumped in, all talking over each other to calm the house spirit Solune down.
Just then, a man walked into the shop.
He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, clutching a briefcase that seemed jarringly out of place among the magical merchandise. He purchased a bottle of restoration potion and several moss cookies, paid, then hesitated awkwardly.
After shifting his weight from foot to foot, he finally worked up his courage: "Excuse me, ma'am… I was hoping to ask for some advice."
Lilith raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to continue.
"My wife's house guardian seems to hate my guts," the man said miserably. "It's making my life hell. Coffee jumps onto my pants, I trip over nothing, my keys vanish right before I need to leave… Every time I visit her place, I end up looking like a complete disaster. What can I do?"
Lilith studied him, immediately connecting him to the "interloper" Solune had been raging about.
After a moment's thought, she said, "Clean the house. Top to bottom."
The man blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Ceiling to floor, don't miss a single corner. And you must do it yourself, not hire someone." She added, "If you've got energy left, make some improvements—new curtains, fresh flowers, that sort of thing."
Late that night, after hours of silence, the messaging network suddenly lit up.
Solune's light flickered weakly, no longer burning with rage but instead radiating something like… bewilderment and confusion.
"That man… today…"
"He cleaned the ENTIRE house… floors so shiny I could see my reflection…"
"And… he brought mistress new sunflower curtains. She was… really happy…"
