Sprout Sprout Sprout
When the Dog-Headed People arrived at the store, they found it nearly empty.
"Hey, look, there aren't many people at the store today." Takenoshita No arrived at the store and looked around curiously.
"It's the end of the month today, so everyone probably doesn't have any Credits left, and there won't be many people here. There will be more people tomorrow. Okay, can you help me find where the matches are? Let's go back after we buy our things, otherwise it will get dark soon."
As he spoke, Ibena Sui walked up to a vending machine, his eyes fixed intently on the screen, while he recalled the operating instructions his teacher had taught him in class.
These shops were specifically designed for Dog-Headed People by humans, so naturally, they weren't staffed with manual vendors. The entire store consisted of vending machines, with the goods stored in shops behind the machines.
The exterior is decorated with glass, allowing a view of the displayed merchandise. Customers select and purchase items from the vending machine, which is then transported to the exit by an internal mechanical device.
Looking at the vending machine's display screen, Ibena Sui secretly calculated the usage process: I remember the first step is to select the product, the second step is to place the student card in the vending machine's sensor area, then enter the correct price, and the third step is to wait for the product to be dispensed.
He remembered the usage process very clearly, but the first step stumped him.
Although the vending machine allows users to select items on the screen, it only displays names, not pictures. As an ordinary Dog-Headed People, Ibena Sui had never learned to write before, and despite a month of study, he didn't recognize many words.
"No, come help me take a look." Ibena Sui saw Takenoshita No still staring blankly at the merchandise displayed behind the glass, I immediately called out.
"Water, you want to buy something? You don't even know the names of the things?" Takenoshita No reluctantly looked away, walked to the Ibena Sui, and looked at him incredulously.
"I only decided to buy matches because you asked me to come. I wasn't prepared beforehand," Ibena Sui with an embarrassed expression.
"Then why buy a hammer? I only recognize the name of the flashlight among these products, I don't recognize the others!" Takenoshita No complained.
The products are very tempting, and every Dog-Headed People likes them, but buying them is a painful process because the products displayed in the glass only have the actual items, not names, and the catalog on the vending machine screen only has names, not pictures.
Therefore, if you want to buy the product you want, you must know the name of the product in advance and remember the price. If you don't remember the price, you may lose more Credits because you miss the price.
While you can get the goods even if you lose extra Credits, the difference won't be refunded. If you enter Credits value lower than the price of the goods, the vending machine will prompt an error message. After three errors, the vending machine will deduct 5 credits as a penalty.
These inhumane vending machines were deliberately created by humans to allow the Dog-Headed People to quickly master language and mathematics.
"Alright, then I'll just have to wait until after the exam tomorrow, and then I'll be ready before I buy it," Ibena Sui sighed.
The so-called preparation means looking up the corresponding product name in the dictionary in the classroom and copying it into your hand or on a piece of draft paper.
Unable to buy anything, the two Dog-Headed People had no choice but to turn back and head down the mountain path.
As they walked, Takenoshita No looked at the student classrooms next to them and said, "Mizu, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live in a house like this? I've heard from noblemen that even the King's palace isn't as beautiful as this."
Takenoshita No was in a good mood after seeing the flashlight she had been longing for, and now she started daydreaming again.
"This was created by the God of Light. How can the King's place compare to the God of Light?" Although Ibena Sui was not in a good mood because he didn't buy anything, he didn't say much.
Takenoshita No looked on with admiration. "I heard that as long as you get good grades, you have the opportunity to live in the God of Light's Kingdom. Once you arrive in the God of Light's Kingdom, you can not only live in a house like this every day, but you also have the chance to receive the blessing of the God of Light and live to be a hundred years old."
Ibena Sui: "Who told you that?"
Takenoshita No: "It's all over the streets and alleys of the capital, and you didn't know!"
Ibena Sui: "Hmph, of course I know."
Takenoshita No: "You already know, why are you asking me?"
"I'm just testing you."
"Come on, even though you scored 50 points higher than me last time, I'm telling you, I'll definitely surpass you this time."
"By the way, speaking of exams, I heard that you have to study for six years to get into a secondary school. Is that true?"
"What do you mean 'heard'? This is all written in the school rules and regulations. You just can't understand the words of the God of Light."
Upon hearing about the writing of the God of Light, Ibena Sui suddenly grabbed Takenoshita No and revealed his palm, showing her the square characters he had secretly seen from a certain device and written on his palm. He whispered, "These are the writings of the God of Light. Only those who have reached the God of Light's Kingdom are qualified to learn them."
The Dog-Headed People chatted about school, their figures slowly disappearing down the stairs.
There are elevators for going up and down the mountain, but they are reluctant to spend their Credits on them.
There were many other figures similar to the two of them, discussing tomorrow's exams, the wonders of the goods, the requirements for admission and further education, and what they had seen and heard during their time at school.
These Dog-Headed People had been in contact with human things for some time, but the more they did, the more awe and curiosity they felt. Almost everything in the school was something they had never seen before.
Cement stairs, cement floors, whitewashed walls, glowing screens, automatic elevators, even matches, flashlights, and flying drones—all of these are things they cannot comprehend.
If the Dog-Headed People harbored awe and curiosity towards human creations, then at this stage, they felt only awe towards humanity itself.
Because in their eyes, humans are the image of Tactical Armor giants who are fifteen meters tall, and are God of Light.
This impression is naturally due to the fact that humans are simply unable to adapt to the planet's environment, so that they always appear wearing Tactical Armor.
Humans are aware of this misunderstanding among the Dog-Headed People, but they don't seem to care much. After all, even if the Dog-Headed People discover that the human form is smaller than the human form itself, that would probably be a century from now.
Moreover, the Dog-Headed People who followed humans into space at that time were certainly frozen, and the moment they were awakened would inevitably be the moment when humans gained control of the Mind Imprint.
The idea that the image of the God of Light was damaged was simply unfounded, since it was probably the nth generation of Dog-Headed People back then.
At this stage, it is a great honor for the Dog-Headed People to be able to come to the school to study, because for them, who are short of means of production, this place is paradise, the kingdom of gods.