#### **Scene 1: The Price of Memories**
Lin Feng stood in the Shattered Expanse, a wasteland of broken realms. Above him, the sky flickered with jagged cracks—gateways to the Void. Mei Ling's voice echoed in his mind: *"Burn memories to fuel your realms. Or burn yourself."*
He gripped the **Memory Orb** she'd given him—a swirling mix of his first kiss and his college graduation.
"This is insane," he muttered.
Xiao Bai gnawed on a floating rock. "Insane? Last week, an Architect tried to build a realm out of his *tax returns*. Now *that* was insane."
**[System Alert: Quest Reminder!]**
**[Build a Stable Realm in 24 Hours – 19:59:32 Remaining.]**
**[Failure: Toe Removal by Void.]**
Lin Feng glared at the orb. "Fine. Let's burn this one."
The memory ignited—a flash of his mother's smile, her hands guiding his as he drew his first blueprint. The orb dissolved, and energy surged into his fingertips.
**[Memory Integration +1!]**
**[New Realm Blueprint: "Mother's Workshop" – Stability 7/10.]**
Xiao Bai whistled. "Not bad. Now build it *before* you cry."
---
#### **Scene 2: The Workshop of Regrets**
Lin Feng sketched the realm in the air—a cozy wooden workshop with sunlit windows and shelves of drafting tools.
**[Design Mastery Activated!]**
Walls rose. A hearth crackled to life. But as the realm solidified, shadows crept across the floor.
"Why is it… *darkening*?" Lin Feng asked.
Xiao Bai's fur bristled. "You forgot something."
*Flash*: A memory surfaced. His mother's funeral. Rain tapping on her coffin.
**[Emotional Stability -1!]**
**[Realm Stability: 4/10 – Collapse Risk High!]**
"No!" Lin Feng slammed his palms on the floor. "Stay stable, damn it!"
The realm shuddered. Tools melted. The hearth spat embers.
Mei Ling materialized, arms crossed. "Pathetic. You cling to pain like a child to a blanket."
Lin Feng snarled. "You told me to burn memories, not *cherish* them!"
"I said *burn*, not *wallow*." She flicked her wrist, and the realm froze. "Try again. And this time—*let go*."
---
#### **Scene 3: The Auction of Souls**
To gather spirit stones for Mei Ling's contract, Lin Feng ventured to the **Bazaar of Echoes**—a marketplace floating on a fractured realm. Vendors hawked bottled emotions, stolen memories, and "lightly used" souls.
"Step right up!" A wizened merchant waved a jar of laughter. "Pure joy! Harvested from a bride on her wedding day!"
Xiao Bai sniffed. "Fake. That's just cheap euphoria mixed with pickled radish."
Lin Feng paused at a stall selling **Realm Cores**—glowing orbs that hummed with trapped energy. The vendor, a hunched man with ink-stained fingers, grinned.
"Interested, young Architect? This core holds a *sunset*—perfect for romantic realms."
"How much?"
"For you? One memory. A *happy* one."
Lin Feng hesitated. His happiest memory—a summer day with his father—glowed in his mind.
**[System Warning: Trading Core Memories Reduces Emotional Stability Permanently.]**
"No deal," Lin Feng said, backing away.
The vendor's smile turned venomous. "You'll be back. They *always* come back."
---
#### **Scene 4: The Uninvited Guest**
As Lin Feng left the bazaar, a figure blocked his path—a man in opulent silk robes, his eyes sharp as broken glass.
"Lin Feng, was it?" The man smirked. "I'm Luo Yan. Heard you're Mei Ling's latest… *project*."
Xiao Bai hissed. "Luo Yan. Third-rate Architect. Known for plagiarism and bad breath."
Luo Yan ignored the jab. "Let's make a trade. Give me your Realm Guardian, and I'll teach you *real* power."
**[System Alert: Hostile Intent Detected!]**
Lin Feng's fists clenched. "Xiao Bai isn't for sale."
"Pity." Luo Yan snapped his fingers. The ground cracked, and a **Voidspawn**—a writhing mass of teeth and shadows—lunged at Lin Feng.
"Run!" Xiao Bai screeched.
---
#### **Scene 5: The Hollow Sanctuary**
Lin Feng fled through collapsing alleys, the Voidspawn's screeches echoing behind him. He spotted a dilapidated temple—a half-built realm labeled **"Sanctuary"**.
"In here!" Xiao Bai dove through the crumbling door.
Lin Feng stumbled inside. The temple's walls pulsed with weak energy, its altar cracked. A statue of a robed woman loomed overhead, her face eerily familiar.
"Mei Ling…?" Lin Feng whispered.
Xiao Bai shuddered. "She was the temple's Architect. Until she abandoned it."
The Voidspawn slammed against the door. Lin Feng pressed his hands to the altar, pouring his remaining energy into the realm.
**[Emotional Stability -2!]**
**[Realm Stability: 2/10 – Critical!]**
"Hold together!" Lin Feng begged.
The statue's eyes glowed. A voice echoed: *"Creation requires sacrifice. Always."*
The door exploded.
---
#### **Scene 6: The Mentor's Gambit**
As the Voidspawn lunged, Mei Ling materialized in a storm of ink. Her brush slashed through the air, carving runes that seared the creature to ash.
"Pathetic," she spat at Luo Yan's fleeing form. "Using Voidspawn as pets."
Lin Feng collapsed, trembling. "Why… why did you save me?"
Mei Ling crouched, her gaze unreadable. "Because you're *mine* to break." She tossed him a new Memory Orb—this one, pitch-black. "Next lesson: build a realm with *this*."
**[System Alert: New Quest!]**
**[Build a Realm Using "Forgotten Sorrow" – Reward: 2 Talent Points.]**
**[Warning: Stability Below 3/10 May Erase Memory Permanently.]**
Xiao Bai groaned. "We're doomed."
---