Time flew by, and Xiao Mu and Na'er both turned nine.
Under Xiao Mu's influence, Xu Xiaoyan had also made cultivation as ordinary a part of life as eating and sleeping. But she was still lazy, and hadn't reached the second ring yet.
Xiao Mu had also made some initial forays into secondary professions.
But Xu Xiaoyan was timid by nature and had never undergone any Soul Master training, so she still couldn't shake the habit.
Now she didn't even dare touch Na'er.
That made Na'er feel like she was invincible.
At that moment, the three of them were in Xiao Mu's laboratory.
Xiao Mu sat at the workbench, typing code. Lines of characters scrolled across the screen, and its blue light reflected on his expressionless face.
He was writing an AI butler, and had been at it all afternoon.
Na'er stood behind him, tilting her head as she stared at the screen. She couldn't understand a thing. Reaching out, she poked Xiao Mu in the back.
"Bro, what are you doing?"
"Writing code."
"I know that, but what are you writing?"
"Making a lab assistant to help with experiments. You wouldn't be any use anyway." Xiao Mu didn't even turn around.
His words struck like a match, setting something ablaze.
Na'er planted her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and spoke with a defiant edge:
"Who says I wouldn't be any use!"
"They always say I'm dumb, but I'm not dumb at all. Most of the time, I'm as clever as they come."
Xiao Mu's fingers paused above the keyboard for half a second, then descended again. He turned his head and glanced at Na'er. After a moment's silence, he asked, "Then what can you do?"
"I can—" Na'er got halfway through before she stalled. Her eyes rolled around twice, then she declared with complete confidence, "I can cheer you on!"
"..."
"Bro, what's with that look? I can help you fetch things, too."
"There are mechanical arms."
"I can—" Na'er bit her lip, then suddenly leaned closer. "I can help you write your inspection report, too."
"Can you even read it? You're not a Level Three Mecha Repairman." Xiao Mu was speechless. That was the profession Na'er had chosen.
At Level Six, you could repair Battle Armor. It was a profession where years of steady accumulation finally paid off.
In the corner, Xu Xiaoyan sat cross-legged on a chair, holding a copy of Basic Mecha Theory. She looked over at the two of them, swinging her legs, then spoke in a lazy voice:
"Na'er, stop struggling. When you're no use to anyone, you might as well find a comfortable position and lie down."
Na'er turned and glared at her, cheeks puffed up. "Your secondary profession's only at Level Two, too. We're as bad as each other."
"Exactly." Xu Xiaoyan pointed at herself. "That's why I lie down flat. I'll take the civil service exam someday, land a secure government job, and then I can finally relax."
"You're just lazy."
"So what if I am?" Xu Xiaoyan leaned back in her chair. "Living is exhausting. That's why we're called human beings."
Xiao Mu ignored them and put his fingers back on the keyboard. He was almost done with his program.
Suddenly, the room flickered. The power consumption in the server room had spiked.
The three shadows flickered across the wall. Xiao Mu's fingers hovered above the keyboard, while Na'er and Xu Xiaoyan turned to look at the center of the room.
A mechanical voice came from all around them, as if it were speaking from the ceiling.
"System startup complete. Zero online."
The voice paused as the system searched, loaded, and confirmed. Then it spoke again:
"Three living beings detected. Two underage females and one underage male."
At that, Xiao Mu leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. It had worked, though it wasn't intelligent enough.
"Zero, get me a glass of water."
A faint mechanical hum came from the corner, followed by the sound of wheels rolling.
It reached for the kettle nearby and poured water into a glass on the table. The mechanical arm carried the glass back and offered it steadily to Xiao Mu.
"Sir, your water."
Xiao Mu took it, relieved.
After all, the code was full of bugs. Since it could run, he wasn't going to change it. Fixing it would be a nightmare.
Na'er leaned closer, eyes wide. "Can it get something for me, too?"
"Miss, what would you like?"
"Juice!"
"There is no juice in the laboratory. Only purified water."
"Water's fine, then!"
The mechanical arm turned toward Na'er and took a fresh glass.
It filled the glass and passed it to her. Na'er held it in both hands, utterly amazed.
In the corner, Xu Xiaoyan had covered her face with her book. She was just as curious. It was so convenient at Xiao Mu's place. Sure, she had a brother she could boss around at home, but he wasn't around every minute. "Can you get me a book? The one on my lap. My arms are tired from holding it up."
The mechanical arm rolled over, pinched the book's spine between its metal fingers, and gently lifted it above Xu Xiaoyan's face.
After Xu Xiaoyan took it, she complained, "Xiao Mu, this still isn't intelligent enough."
"I know. I'll adjust it bit by bit. Besides, it isn't powered directly by a Soul Spirit." Xiao Mu was helpless. He knew that the AIs of this era were basically all made using Soul Spirits.
"Let's go. It's about time you headed home."
The three of them left the laboratory. Xiao Mu gave his final order: "Zero, turn off the lights."
"Expand your knowledge."
The lights went out, and the laboratory sank into darkness. But the data stream had already spread through the network, reaching every corner of the Federation.
More frightening still, the Federation's communication stations had been built using Xiao Mu's technology.
There were no other buildings around Xiao Mu's house, just a vast stretch of open land. A black car was parked there, its hard lines giving it the look of a beast.
Xu Xiaoyu leaned against the car door with his hands in his pockets. The wind stirred his blue hair. He now looked about sixteen or seventeen, more mature than before, but his expression remained just as cold and aloof.
When he saw Xu Xiaoyan come out, he straightened up. But the instant his gaze landed on Xiao Mu, his expression darkened.
"Xiaoyan, weren't you going to play with Na'er? Why's Xiao Mu here, too?"
"He was just watching nearby," Xu Xiaoyan said, exasperated. Her brother was so strict with her. "We only talked a little."
Xu Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, still watching Xiao Mu warily. The guy looked shifty-eyed—obviously no good.
"Get in. We're going home."
Xu Xiaoyan climbed inside, then poked her head back out to look at Na'er. "Want to come over and play tomorrow?"
"Play? School starts tomorrow. You didn't move up a grade, but Xiao Mu and Na'er did. You won't see them tomorrow."
"Ah, the break's already over?"
"That's right."
Xu Xiaoyu didn't look at Xiao Mu again. He walked around the front of the car and climbed into the driver's seat. The car started up and quickly vanished into the distance.
"That was a real hurry to leave," Xiao Mu said, exasperated.
Na'er clutched Xiao Mu's hand, cheeks puffed out. "That guy's so annoying. Bro, why does he always glare at you?"
"Maybe he's got a jealous streak."
"Really?"
"Who knows?"
Even now, Xiao Mu couldn't figure out why Xu Xiaoyu thought he was interested in girls three years younger than him. He took Na'er's hand and started walking home. Na'er asked again, "Bro, where are we going to school tomorrow? Will we still see Xiaoyan?"
"Is there a second intermediate Soul Master academy to choose from in Eastsea City?" Xiao Mu asked in return.
"Is there only one intermediate Soul Master academy in Eastsea City?"
"That's right. There's only Eastsea Academy."
He wasn't particularly eager to meet the protagonist group. He was focused on building up the Federation's military industry.
Though every now and then, he'd stare at a map of the Federation and lose himself in thought. With guns and cannons at his side, he couldn't help wanting to do something earth-shaking—to change the world. He also felt an urge to dig through other people's family trees.
Was power the heart of strength?
He'd have to think more about Lord Niu's life in the future.
Then he stopped thinking about it.
He still needed to get to know Tang Wulin. If he had the chance, he wanted to get some of Tang Wulin's blood, since it could extend his lifespan.
Most importantly, he wanted to know just how much had changed in this world without his knowledge.
Would Gu Yue arrive?