Abby said discontentedly, "Who's food? Abby's not food!"
"I think Rover's right. This Rover's Speaker robot absolutely can't replace the Tethys System!"
"Otherwise, it'll definitely cause chaos at the Black Shores!"
"Not to mention, the Black Shores are connected to various regions. If we let Rover's Speaker replace the Tethys System…"
Thinking of this, Abby shuddered. "I can't even imagine it!"
Rover's Speaker sneered. "Coward. I can imagine it."
Abby: "?"
Abby noticed Shorekeeper staring at him intently. Frowning, he retreated behind Lucian. "What's with that look? Never seen such a cute Echo before?"
Lucian nodded slightly. "Abby's indeed adorably silly."
Abby's little paws patted Lucian's shoulder. "This Abby is neither food nor silly! Stop slandering me! Or else…"
Lucian asked curiously, "Or else what?"
Abby fumed, "Or else I'll go on a hunger strike to show you!"
Lucian's eyes lit up. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"No, wait—if you go on a hunger strike, wouldn't that save the Fractsidus money? Abby, you absolutely can't go on a hunger strike!"
Abby: "???"
Shorekeeper mused thoughtfully, "Abby…?"
"He can recognize the form of frequencies. This creature…"
"It's true, as he said, Death Star's frequency composition is very complex."
"Are you feeling any discomfort in your bodies?"
Lucian was taken aback, then frowned slightly. "I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable."
Rover asked in confusion, "How? Death Star didn't affect me. Where are you uncomfortable?"
Shorekeeper shook her head slightly. "You misunderstood. I meant, do you feel any discomfort when dealing with this creature?"
"Mr. Lucian, are you feeling uncomfortable about Death Star?"
Lucian shook his head slightly. "I'm not talking about Death Star either. It's Abby!"
Abby said, puzzled, "For real? You never mentioned feeling uncomfortable before?"
Lucian pondered for a moment. "Abby eats too much, costing our friends at the Fractsidus a fortune. That makes me a bit uncomfortable. What if they stop footing our bills in the future?"
Abby: "?"
Noticing Shorekeeper's confused expression, Rover explained, "You'll have to get used to him being like this, always so unreliable."
"That's exactly why I don't recommend you spend too much time with Lucian."
"I used to wonder if artificial intelligence could replace humans—until I met Lucian."
Shorekeeper: "…"
Lucian sneered. "I think if all artificial intelligence were like Rover's Speaker, they might actually have a shot at replacing humans."
Rover's Speaker hurriedly said, "Rover's Speaker is very well-behaved!"
Shorekeeper mused thoughtfully, "From a human perspective, Mr. Lucian's behavior can be described as 'not playing by the rules.'"
"But if that's the case, I think I should interact with Mr. Lucian even more."
Rover's gaze sharpened. "Why?"
Shorekeeper gave her explanation. "Only then can I learn more."
"After all, human language, emotions, and behavior are all very complex."
"If I can adapt to Mr. Lucian's actions, I shouldn't be surprised or troubled by other humans' unusual behavior in the future."
Rover's Speaker chimed in with an assist. "Your reasoning is absolutely correct. Mr. Lucian is indeed different from other humans in every way."
Lucian said humbly, "It's probably not as great as you make it sound, right?"
Rover's Speaker shifted tone. "For example, normal humans generally don't make their enemies pay their bills or dance before fighting Tacet Discords."
Rover: "So that's the kind of difference we're talking about?"
Lucian's lips twitched. "Thanks for understanding me so well."
Shorekeeper nodded slightly. "Since none of you are feeling discomfort, let's set him aside for now. He's not important at the moment, but I'll keep an eye on him."
Abby immediately protested, "Hey! How is this Abby not important!"
Lucian echoed, "Exactly, Abby's got the important job of bankrupting the Fractsidus!"
Abby: "?"
Shorekeeper continued, "We've already obtained Death Star's singularity. Next, we just need to bring it to the Modulation Hall."
"…For the rest of this journey, please let me walk with you."
The group took the elevator out of the containment facility and emerged outside, following a long corridor to a mysterious garden.
A black robot was watering a flowerbed, muttering to itself, "I think… therefore I am?"
"How do we understand what's correct and true?"
Rover's Speaker rushed forward. "I think, therefore I am. Regarding this question…"
Just as Rover's Speaker was about to launch into a lengthy speech, Lucian stopped it in time.
The robot, KU-Rogue, holding a watering can, accidentally splashed water on Rover's Speaker's face.
Rover's Speaker: "?"
"Good thing I'm equipped with top-tier waterproof technology."
KU-Rogue quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry. I got distracted because I heard someone else curious about this question…"
Lucian asked, "Where is this?"
KU-Rogue explained, "This is the Eidoscope, the garden leading to the Tethys System."
Lucian looked at the Shorekeeper lying on a lounge chair in the center of the garden, her eyes closed. "That's your main body?"
Shorekeeper nodded slightly. "Yes. This place has existed since the Black Shores were founded. It's the eye that gazes upon the stars."
"Though it's called a garden, my true purpose here is to participate in the Tethys System's computations and observe the entire starry sky."
Lucian glanced at the serene Shorekeeper in the garden's center, her slender legs gleaming even whiter under the moonlight.
He then looked at the puzzled Shorekeeper beside him, and a spark of inspiration hit him. "Hey—I've got a bold idea!"
No sooner had he spoken than his ear was pinched. Rover gritted her teeth. "For your bold ideas, Jinzhou has a complete set of laws."
Lucian winced in pain. "But this isn't Jinzhou."
Rover raised her boot and kicked Lucian. "Even without Jinzhou's laws, you've got my Rover's family law to deal with!"
Lucian: "…"
The group reached the center of the garden, and Shorekeeper stepped forward to merge with her main body.
In the next moment, the Shorekeeper, whose eyes had been closed, slowly opened them. Dozens of delicate butterflies appeared around her, dancing gracefully around the group.
Immediately after, a blazing scene of fire unfurled before their eyes.