After a short day of settling in, Bai Luan could be considered to have made a home in this world.
Strictly speaking, for Bai Luan, it wasn't even a day; he didn't even know how long he had stayed in that Little Black Room, just staring intently at the map files.
Now, Bai Luan was intimately familiar with Herta's residence; one could say he had a map in his head.
The alarm on his phone rang, and Bai Luan, lying on the bed, opened his eyes, turned off the alarm beside him, and sat up, his eyes momentarily vacant.
But this wasn't because he hadn't slept enough; rather, he had spent too long in the Little Black Room, and getting up now gave Bai Luan a feeling of being in a different world.
Bai Luan now felt as if a circuit diagram of Herta's residence was still before his eyes.
It seemed just as the system had said, the only limitation to staying in the Little Black Room was his own willpower.
He wouldn't be hungry, sleepy, or tired there, but he would feel lonely.
Staying there alone for too long would likely cause mental problems.
"It almost drove me crazy."
Bai Luan shook his head, casting off these strange thoughts, then stood up from the bed.
Yesterday, shortly after Herta sent a message, the bed and some furniture were delivered.
Bai Luan stood in front of the bed, stretched with a big yawn, and then moved his limbs.
"Heh…"
A genuine, slightly silly smile appeared on his face.
"A body that doesn't feel pain… it's really f*cking great."
Bai Luan sighed with emotion, then opened the wardrobe. Inside were five identical sets of tailcoats.
They were definitely enough to wear in rotation, and the simple clothes from when the system first constructed his body were worn by Bai Luan as pajamas.
After changing, Bai Luan walked out of the room and began to follow the map in his mind to find a place to wash up.
His room was originally just a storage room, so naturally, it didn't have a bathroom or a washbasin.
He would have to ask a Herta Puppet later if it was possible to install one; not having a bathroom was truly troublesome.
Fortunately, there was a place nearby that offered washing facilities, and the toiletries he needed had also been delivered yesterday.
Although it was troublesome, after one round trip, he finally managed to wash up.
Just as Bai Luan was pondering in his room whether to proactively contact a Herta Puppet, his phone received a message.
Herta: Are you awake?
Herta: [Location] Go to this place to wash up. Later, a robot will come to your room to convert it into a bathroom for your personal needs.
Indeed, staying with Herta was a good idea; the employee benefits were truly beyond words.
Bai Luan recalled the location of his room.
The file sent by the Herta Puppet was extremely detailed, not only containing a layout map but also circuit and pipeline route maps.
Memorizing it all would truly be a killer.
If he were to build a bathroom in his room…
Wiring, location, size…
Just thinking about it was troublesome.
Anyway, it was a robot's job, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Bai Luan stopped considering these complex matters and replied with a light tap of his finger:
"I've already washed up. What should I do next?"
Herta: You already know how to use the map so quickly? Your mind is quite sharp.
Herta: [Location] Come here. According to Ms. Herta's instructions, you still have a lot to learn.
Bai Luan glanced at the location Herta sent, immediately found the corresponding spot on the map in his mind, and then planned a route starting from his current position.
Immediately, three or four routes formed in Bai Luan's mind, and he then chose the fastest one.
Bai Luan: On my way.
Five minutes later, Bai Luan arrived in front of the Herta Puppet.
"Five minutes, without using a vehicle, is the time required for the optimal route. You're quite efficient."
"It's not hard to do these things; I just memorized the entire map."
"Oh? All of it, in just one night?"
Bai Luan nodded and said:
"That's right."
The Herta Puppet stared at Bai Luan with interest, then suddenly spoke:
"Now I want to go to the Plant Cultivation Zone. What's the fastest way to get there?"
Bai Luan thought for a moment, then raised his finger and pointed at a nearby carpet, saying:
"The fastest way is, of course, to take that flying carpet and fly all the way there. Of course, I can't use it, so if I were to go, I would first go straight along this path, pass through the Gravity Reversal Zone, then turn left from…"
Bai Luan fluently described the route he had planned, while the Herta Puppet opposite him continuously compared Bai Luan's planned route with the optimal route in her mind.
A faint smile appeared on the Herta Puppet's face.
The route Bai Luan described was correct, with only minor differences from the optimal route.
He really did put the entire map into his head in just one night.
And after memorizing it, he could use it very smoothly.
From the perspective of an ordinary person, in terms of memory, he could be called extraordinarily gifted, even a genius.
But to the Herta Puppet, it only made her slightly interested.
Seeing the Herta Puppet smile, Bai Luan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He hadn't been labeled as an idiot, which meant he was temporarily safe.
"Not stupid at all. It seems the upcoming teaching will save a lot of trouble."
"Speaking of which, Ms. Herta said to find some things for me to do. Can I ask Ms. Herta what exactly she plans for me to do?"
"I'll teach you whatever I see."
The Herta Puppet glanced at the carpet Bai Luan had just pointed at.
"That's it then. Follow me."
The Herta Puppet led Bai Luan to the carpet.
"Since you've memorized the map, you should know that this carpet isn't an ordinary carpet, but a portable vehicle disguised as a carpet."
Bai Luan squatted down and touched the carpet. It was incredibly soft, making it impossible to imagine that this thing could carry people and fly.
Both in feel and appearance, it was identical to a carpet.
Hmm…
Looking at the lifelike carpet vehicle in front of him.
"Wouldn't the cost be much lower if it wasn't made in the style of a carpet?"
"That wouldn't match the overall style."
So you don't consider the cost at all, do you?
Bai Luan had no doubt about how much economic benefit the technology used to make this carpet could generate if it were applied to cargo transportation.
But here, it was just a carpet with a suitable style, and he didn't know if Herta would ever use it a few times in her life.
"Its usage conditions are also very simple."
The Herta Puppet, unaware of Bai Luan's internal complaints, continued her introduction.
"As long as you are Herta, you can use it."
Hmm, this activation condition had a beauty that disregarded the lives of others.
"If you absolutely must use it, you can ask a nearby Herta Puppet to take you, but be warned, the possibility of refusal is very high."
"Then how can I increase the possibility of not being refused?"
"That depends on whether the Puppet's 'aggressive' module is activated. Usually, it's on."
Hearing this, Bai Luan nodded and said expressionlessly:
"Yes, I think the existence of this module is as reasonable as the self-destruct button that will definitely exist in a secret base."
"Watch fewer cliché movies. That way of forcibly creating crises is very boring. How can it compare to the ingenious ideas of the great Ms. Herta?"
"So I'll always have to walk on foot here?"
"Not necessarily. If you show outstanding performance in the future, Ms. Herta might grant you permission to use it."
Another unlikely event.
Bai Luan squatted down, pretending to observe the carpet in front of him.
It's better to take it yourself than for others to give it.
Little Black Room activated!
Let me see your structure!
Bai Luan entered the Little Black Room, just about to dismantle the carpet in front of him for a good study.
"Where… is this?"
"Huh?"
Bai Luan stared blankly at the Herta Puppet in front of him.
"How did you come in too?"
"Do you know what this place is?"
The Herta Puppet glanced at Bai Luan, then took a step and walked around, observing her surroundings.
"It's identical to my residence; the replication is very high."
Soon, she reached the edge of this replicated space.
Outside the door was that pure, pitch-black void that consumed everything.
The deep darkness was reflected in her purple eyes.
No fear, no panic.
Only a… nearly greedy, extremely fervent thirst for knowledge burned in the depths of her pupils.
"Interesting."
She softly uttered two words, like a scientist discovering a new continent.
Bai Luan, meanwhile, looked at the Herta Puppet standing at the edge.
This Puppet… was not the Herta Puppet who had been talking to him outside, but a Puppet created when the Little Black Room replicated the external environment.
Bai Luan subconsciously treated these Puppets, whose gestures, speech, and personalities were mimicked so vividly, as "living beings" in some sense.
He had forgotten their essence—they were machines, creations, precise non-living entities crafted based on Herta's personality template from her youth!
The Little Black Room could not bring in living things, and the Herta Puppet was not a living thing. The Puppet was a creation Herta made based on her childhood appearance, possessing her own personality traits.
So, what should I do with you now, Puppet?