After the meal, under the guise of testing Sauce's IQ and cultivating its potential, Fuli and Kiana sneakily arrived at the bridge.
Bronya, having just finished taking her anger out on her brother's skull, released her mouth. The tiny girl lay on Fuli's back, craning her neck to see exactly what these two living comedy routines were planning.
Fuli and Kiana exchanged a glance. The former took out a button and pressed it.
[Time to eat. Time to eat.]
A pleasant synthesized female voice echoed across the bridge. A moment later, the electric doors slid open, and Sauce, in its Husky form, came bounding in happily.
"Mmh, Sauce is a good boy."
Kiana first vigorously rubbed the Husky's head, then pulled a compressed Honkai energy crystal from her pocket.
The overflowing aroma made Sauce go cross-eyed with desire. Seeing Kiana toss it, the dog jumped without hesitation, swallowed it in one gulp, and then looked at its masters with a face full of anticipation, wagging its tail and waiting for the next reward.
"Very good."
Kiana took out another piece with satisfaction, and Fuli pressed the button in perfect sync. [Time to eat. Time to eat!]
Sauce opened its big mouth and swallowed it whole again. After waiting a while and realizing nothing else was coming, it wagged its tail and turned to leave.
"It looks like the conditioned reflex has been formed. As long as we press the button, it comes running."
Seeing it leave, Fuli held his breath and composed his expression.
"In other words, we can initiate the final plan."
Kiana solemnly accepted the lemon he had just cut. She squeezed it slightly.
The juice, sour enough to make teeth fall out, soaked her palm. Just looking at it made Bronya's mouth water.
[Time to eat. Time to eat. Time to eat.]
The summoning bell rang once more. In moments, Sauce came rushing over with high spirits.
"Catch!"
Kiana tossed the lemon in her hand into the air. Sauce jumped up almost without thinking, opening its mouth in a fluid motion to catch it—
"AWOOO-WOOF!!!"
The juice exploding in its mouth instantly numbed Sauce's sensitive taste buds—engineered specifically for tracking. The expression on the dog's face could only be described as a work of abstract art.
What is this?
Huh?
"Did you get it? Did you get it?"
"Got it, got it! Come look!"
"Hahahaha, no way, this picture is too artistic! My stomach hurts from laughing!"
The conspirators, Fuli and Kiana, immediately huddled together. Looking at the snapshot they had just taken, they erupted into deafening laughter.
As the saying goes: If you see a normal Husky, you better be careful of its owner.
Bronya watched, the corner of her mouth twitching. Sauce was indeed not human, but you two were real dogs.
She looked at Mei, who had arrived at the bridge unnoticed. "Aren't you going to manage them?"
"Let them be."
Watching the two idiots hugging each other and laughing, a look of slight indulgence appeared on the girl's face.
"You just spoil them."
Hugging Sauce's fluffy head as the aggrieved dog came over for comfort, Bronya sighed. "The last bit of trust between dog and dog is gone."
The current Sauce was like a macho man biting a handkerchief in tears—huge and resentful.
They really were birds of a feather; ten years of playing Gold Miner wouldn't dig up two weirdos as precious as Fuli and Kiana.
However, looking at the vengeful look in the robo-dog's eyes—which screamed, *'I have a million-dollar home renovation plan!'*—and recalling the scene just now, the girl couldn't hold it back either.
"Pfft!"
It seemed the joys and sorrows of the Ural Silver Wolf and the Cyber-Mech Dog were not interconnected.
Kiana put on a serious face. "So, clearly, since it couldn't even pass a Turing Test of that level, Sauce is obviously unqualified as an artificial intelligence."
Duckie pierced through her high-sounding excuse. "It's obviously just Big Bro and Idiot Kiana wanting to play. And how does that count as a Turing Test? Don't just use random words you see on the internet."
Fuli argued plausibly, "If you don't play with the dog you raise, isn't it a waste of a dog?"
Kiana, meanwhile, began to comfort her dog. "Sauce, if you forgive us, give a 'woof'. If you don't forgive us, then recite: 'The Late Emperor had not yet finished his great undertaking when he passed away in the middle of his journey. Now the world is divided into three, Yizhou is exhausted... this is truly a critical moment of life and death.'"
"Woof???"
"See, see? He forgave us."
Bronya didn't want to talk to them anymore.
"As for the Artificial Intelligence..."
Fuli stared at Kiana, thinking for a moment. He stared until the girl squirmed with embarrassment, then suddenly clapped his hands as if realizing something. "I have it!"
"What? This Lady has it?"
The white-haired Tuna was shocked. "Ah Li, you jerk, when did you master the dangerous skill of impregnating someone just by staring at them?"
"Oh no, oh no, what do I do?"
She paced back and forth anxiously. "I have to give birth to it, it's a tiny life after all. But if I give birth, This Lady can't raise it! I'm only sixteen, I don't want to live the life of a wife and mother already! Give me at least another ten years!"
"Ten years? Doesn't exist!"
Fuli laughed wickedly. "This Young Master orders you to give birth right now! Become a slave to your child for the rest of your life, thinking only of the cub every moment with no self left—Ouch!"
Mei, retracting her slender hand, glared at him. "It's one thing for Kiana, that yellow Tuna, to have a dirty mind, but don't follow her train of thought and scare her."
"It's the person who gets the wrong idea from a single sentence who isn't normal, right?"
Bronya, teasing Sauce, spoke casually. "Unless Idiot Kiana has actually been thinking about similar possibilities all along, and Big Bro's words just triggered a stress response—Ugh."
Sensing the atmosphere on the bridge suddenly becoming less than friendly, the girl let go of the husky and obediently curled up into a small ball.
Fuli didn't think so. "You're clearly underestimating this girl's brain circuitry. Her neurotic brain, filled with crap, cannot be measured by conventional standards. Randomly associating things to that level isn't a problem for her."
"Who has a brain full of crap?!"
Kiana Cat flew into a rage and pounced to scratch his face.
"Then let me ask you, what does 'Bu Fen Bo Zhong' (Indistinguishable) mean?"
"Indistinguishable? It means you can't tell who is first or second, a metaphor for being about the same, hard to judge who is better!"
So far, so normal.
"It is said that Sun Ce and Sun Quan looked extremely similar. After Sun Ce died, under Sun Quan's vigorous pursuit, Da Qiao eventually submitted to Sun Quan. It's just that whenever they were enjoying themselves at night, Da Qiao would always shout the wrong name. One moment it was 'Bo-fu' (Sun Ce), the next it was 'Zhong-mou' (Sun Quan)."
And then, it became completely abnormal.
Really? I don't believe it.
Bronya wanted to say that, but the gazes of the wrestling duo and Mei on the side all landed on her from time to time, as if saying this topic ends here.
Arms can't twist thighs; the little girl could only pretend not to know anything while secretly lamenting that she should be under the car, not inside the car.
A moment later, Fuli, scratched into a disjointed mess, finally broke free from Kiana's entanglement.
He rubbed his face and steered the topic back to AI. "There is indeed a top-quality Artificial Intelligence in the Schicksal database. And it's the top-tier type that was originally data but gradually developed self-awareness during program operation."
"And that AI's name..."
Fuli paused. "Is Kallen Kaslana."
This was something Bronya had told him in the previous loop.
According to the girl, after the Third Eruption, Kiana, who had just joined St. Freya, failed her history exam.
To help this idiot memorize the knowledge points more deeply, Bronya took her to hack into the Schicksal database's records of the Middle Ages, using virtual diving to personally experience the events of that time.
Unexpectedly, the virtual Kallen, who should have operated according to data, awakened self-consciousness. Before they left, she even asked Kiana to help deliver words she never had the chance to say to a girl named Yae Sakura before the original Kallen died.
With the support of Honkai technology, AIs were by no means rare in the Current Era.
From super AIs like Fermirins that governed Anti-Entropy, down to idiots like Sauce who couldn't dodge a lemon slice, there was everything one could imagine.
But to forcefully awaken a self from pure data calculation, breaking through the original shackles to become a brand-new life...
To use an imperfect analogy: Super AIs like Fermirins were like lords in a high-magic world. Their talent, opportunities, and foundations were top-notch; a wave of their hand could set off storms across half the world, and only big shots of the same level were qualified to compete with them.
And Virtual Kallen?
She was equivalent to an anomaly who forcefully cultivated supernatural abilities in a magic-less world. She broke the underlying logic of the universe; she was truly something created from nothing.
Placing such a freak in a high-magic world might not seem special at first, but her subsequent growth would definitely be gratifying. Praising her as having "the posture of a Great Emperor" would not be an exaggeration.
Besides that, another purpose of Fuli diving into the virtual space was that if he was lucky, he might obtain the Oath of Judah/Binding Stigmata of the Kaslana clan.
Clearly, not everyone in the Kaslana clan was qualified to awaken stigmata—at least right now, Kiana, a purebred, hadn't awakened hers.
But Kallen, the strongest Valkyrie of five hundred years ago, obviously had the aptitude.
The system panel notes clearly stated that there would be a surprise if he collected the highest-ranking stigmata corresponding to the thirteen Herrschers. After obtaining the Thunder Stigmata, Fuli was already treating this as his main quest.
After cherry-picking the content and telling the girls what he could, Bronya was the first to raise an issue. "You need Bronya to assist in hacking Schicksal?"
"Can't do it."
She shook her head. "Even for Bronya, to hack into Schicksal's database without being discovered would require clearance at the Vice-Minister level or higher."
Fuli was surprised at first, then suddenly realized that the little girl before him hadn't joined St. Freya like in the previous loop.
Without the permissions temporarily lent by Theresa, even the famous 'Metal Gear Haxxor Bunny' couldn't possibly invade the central database guarded by Eiwa (Ada).
He tentatively asked, "Not even with Alice?"
Bronya thought for a moment and said, "We can try."
"Why go through all that trouble?"
Kiana rested her chin on her hand, crossing her long, snow-white legs. "Why doesn't This Lady just go find Auntie and ask her to help get permission!"
"Unless absolutely necessary, I don't really want to owe favors to others."
Looking at what Fuli had acquired so far—the aerial battleship from the deal with Cocolia, the initial supplies exchanged for the merit of killing a Herrscher—one could see that the boy, who had suffered losses growing up, was practicing a principle: Never ask for help if you can solve it yourself, never owe a favor if you can avoid it; and if you encounter a problem, spend money rather than wasting hard-earned favors.
Because whether buying or selling, free things were always the most expensive.
Even if Theresa would eagerly lend her Headmaster authority the moment he asked to deepen their connection, unless the situation was desperate, he absolutely wouldn't do it.
Moreover, Fuli hadn't forgotten Durandal's words. Theresa had been shielding him from the Council of Elders' warrant earlier; he already owed her a lot.
He didn't want to owe her things day after day until the interest compounded beyond his ability to pay, leaving him with no choice but to become a plaything in Theresa's boudoir.
"Yuan is right."
Mei expressed her support immediately.
Hah, previously Theresa dared to slash the price of the magazine expansion service to 30% of the market rate. If they borrowed her authority now, Hyperion's future trades with St. Freya would really be at a disadvantage.
The girl didn't want to work for free for others. The only person allowed to leech off her was Fuli.
"Oh."
Kiana, whose external brain had come online, couldn't be bothered to think about the twists and turns. Seeing Fuli and Mei reach a consensus, she simply lay flat and let them play.
At this moment, Bronya finished contacting the chunibyo. She let go of her earring. "Ding! Alice says no problem, but the remuneration needs to be tripled."
"Expected."
Invading the Schicksal database wasn't a trivial matter. Raising the price on the spot was just human nature.
"Also, she asked me to ask Big Bro a question."
The girl deliberately hesitated, then whispered in a volume everyone could hear, "What made you hide the dark history of selling your ass to Durandal in the past?"
"Shit-posting literature is attacking me again, damn it!"
Fuli didn't even need Kiana's brain to know that Alice was teasing him about the rumors of him and Durandal being boyfriend and girlfriend that were flying all over the place!
Considering that as an intelligence broker she wouldn't wake up early without profit, she might even be relying on her connection to him—an 'Official Source'—to fabricate gossip and sell it!
Wait!
Fuli leaned in close to Bronya, holding the girl's soft, fragrant little hand. "Tell her, selling is fine, but the money earned must be split 50-50!"
He instructed earnestly, "And tell her to think of a way to collect copyright fees in my name from those other rumor-mongers. If she can get it back, I'll split it 30-70 with her!"
As Kevin Durant once said: If you can't beat them, join them.
Since the momentum was unstoppable, he might as well join in, hype up the atmosphere, and make a profit!
It couldn't be helped; Hyperion was poor.
Organizational development, research investment, training drugs, raw materials for production—all these things cost money.
He hadn't even paid the Trio their salaries yet! His excuse was still the damn "Wages are paid on the 15th of next month"!
To develop Hyperion quickly, Fuli, as the head of the household, could only 'sacrifice' his reputation and hype up a CP relationship with Durandal, the gallant blonde knight-princess.
Since the decision was made, the next step was intense preparation.
Bronya went to coordinate the hacking progress with Alice, while Mei began explaining Schicksal's past to Fuli and Kiana (who just happened to have failed her history exam).
However, compared to the past, Fuli and Kiana cared more about Mei's appearance after she returned.
Her dark purple hair, flowing like stardust, was tied into a high ponytail. Narrow eyeshadow perfectly accentuated the corners of her eyes, and her long lashes were coated with volumizing mascara, giving her beautiful eyes an indescribable, soul-snatching allure.
A tight white shirt vividly displayed the girl's sexy and charming figure, while a tight pencil skirt outlined her perky peach-like ...while a tight pencil skirt outlined her perky, peach-like bottom. Beneath the skirt, a pair of legs, exquisite and slender like jade, were wrapped in sexy black silk stockings that clung tightly to her skin, making her entire presence even more bewitchingly enchanting.
"If we're doing make-up lessons, naturally I must dress a bit more formally."
Mei, looking for all the world like a teacher walked straight out of an anime, raised a cool, charming eyebrow. "Silent? What? Not satisfied?"
For some reason, the buttons that should have been fastened across her chest were undone, exposing a magnificent scale, revealing a seductive depth, and radiating an alluring luster.
"No, no, no, no!"
Kiana swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on the soft curves revealed beneath the stockings, unable to move an inch.
Fuli, on the other hand, was much more direct.
"Report!"
"Speak?"
"Teacher Mei! This outfit is too lewd; I'm in no mood to study!"
"Sexually harassing the teacher? Don't leave after class; I'll have to punish you properly~"
She dragged out the word 'punish,' and combined with the teasing curl of her lips, the tip of her tongue lightly grazing them, and her eyes misting over with ambiguity, it looked nothing like a proper student-teacher game.
The ahoge atop Kiana's head stood straight up as she realized her base was about to be stolen from both sides.
She cleared her throat lightly, put on her glasses, put away her fangirl look, and said seriously, "Student Fuli, remember that we are promising youths here to learn knowledge."
Under the table, a small hand latched onto his waist without a trace, thumb and forefinger applying just a little bit of force.
"Hiss!!!"
The assault on the soft flesh of his waist instantly sobered Fuli up. He turned his head, about to say some polite words, only to be crowd-controlled again.
It was Kiana with glasses!
A long-straight-white-haired student sister Kiana!
A dancer on his XP!
AWSL (Ah, I'm Dead)!
The unlucky guy, crit-hit once again, slammed face-first onto the desk with a bang. Using his last ounce of strength, he extended a trembling finger, pointing forward.
Kiana understood instantly.
She cleared her throat: "Kimo no Hana~"
"It's the Flower of Hope!"
[T/N: A reference to the ending theme 'Freesia' (Kibou no Hana) from Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, often meme'd during dramatic death scenes. Kiana changed 'Kibou' (Hope) to 'Kimo' (Gross/Creepy).]
After a bout of enviable frolicking between adolescent boys and girls, Fuli sat upright with two tissues stuffed in his nostrils.
"Although... well... I don't think I need a history lesson on Schicksal."
He said confidently, "I'm just going in to grab a person. The whole thing will take one or two hours, tops."
"Really? I don't believe it."
Mei expressed that given a certain someone's trouble-magnet constitution, if this trip to the virtual space didn't result in some kind of incident, she would take his surname from now on.
Then again, even if he does cause trouble, I could still take his surname.
Fu Mei... that actually sounds quite nice?
The girl's eyes curved into crescents.