Paper People Can't Stay by Your Side Forever

Shen Xingluo lives in a spacefaring age where people can raise paper-doll companions.

When he was six, Shen Xingluo struggled to wrap his little wings around a golden egg half as tall as he was, then slowly carried it back to his nest.

He knew that inside was the paper-doll companion he had spent a year waiting and hoping for, one with a perfect 100 percent compatibility rating.

Little Shen Xingluo waited and waited. Every day, he carefully bathed the golden egg with a little handkerchief and applied nourishing oil with a tiny brush. In summer, he fanned it with a small fan; in winter, he snuggled up with the cold egg beneath a little quilt.

At last, one day, the golden egg hatched.

The appearance of every paper-doll companion was unpredictable, and Shen Xingluo's was extraordinarily rare.

He was a tall, imposing man with a stern face and black hair, dressed in pure black ancient Earth garb patterned with golden serpents. A crown of purple gold and white jade adorned his head, his hair was tied high in a ponytail, and he even held a sharp spear in his hand...

The man wore an impassive expression. He cast a casual glance around, then fixed his eyes precisely on Shen Xingluo.

With casual indifference, he turned the spear around and gently lifted Shen Xingluo's chin with its shaft. He narrowed his eyes as he sized him up, his oppressive presence weighing on the air until it seemed hard to breathe.

Poor Shen Xingluo had no idea just how unlucky he was. The one he had summoned was an ancient Earth god of war, classified as danger level SSS+ and long since declared out of print.

He was also the only paper-doll companion in this world who absolutely could not be raised. If discovered, he had to be destroyed immediately...

Shen Xingluo, the only little one in his household, was naturally timid. After being frightened, he immediately flapped open his snowy white wings in a panic...

And wrapped himself up completely, turning into a cocoon.

Along with the shaft of a certain god of war's spear...

The god of war: "..."

It is said that winged beauties share one flaw: they have no idea how beautiful or powerful they are.

Shen Xingluo lived alone in a manor with the egg bound to him.

The winged race was naturally beautiful and powerful, and devoured every animal around them. No one in this world could, or dared to, become his guardian.

Ever since he could remember, whenever he was hungry, he went out to pick fruit by himself; when thirsty, he went to the pond. If he couldn't sleep at night, he would take a little fan and pat himself with it, soothing himself to sleep. When he grew older, he sang hymns to himself.

Despite the advanced technology of the spacefaring age, he still lived a primitive, lonely life.

Until his paper-doll companion hatched...

From that day on, a melon trellis went up in the desolate, primitive manor, vegetables and fruit trees of all kinds were planted, wisteria bloomed over the ancient walls, and the dilapidated mailbox by the entrance was repaired...

His god of war brought him unexpected color and vitality, and an endless flow of new life.

Everyone knows that paper-doll companions can't stay by your side for a lifetime.

Ancient Earth games shut down.

Spacefaring nurturing agreements eventually expire.

The naturally powerful, winged Shen Xingluo (keeping his pretty face taut, pretending to be calm): I'm the god of war.

The god of war himself, high-risk and facing imminent arrest (smiling as he strokes a certain little god of war's wing): Right. So am I.

That's why we are invincible in battle.

We can cross mountains and seas, break through dimensions, and journey to each other.

● A familiar story of mutual healing and growing up together, a fairy-tale romance.

● A work made to satisfy my own cravings, inspired by the title.

● Cover artist: @Bu Hui Hua Hua de anw

Theme: The one I love lies beyond mountains and seas, yet mountains and seas can be leveled.