Chapter 166

You don't need to be good at this kind of thing at all, do you?

Wellington muttered a silent complaint.

"By the way, your gaze seems a bit strange, Duke Wellington. Did I just say anything strange?"

Zuo Jian blinked, seemingly puzzled.

"No... no, your idea is perfectly reasonable."

Wellington dared not say anything out of turn, so he could only nod in agreement.

"Reasonable?"

The former blinked, wondering why the other person was evaluating him that way, but he had other things to take care of right now.

[Zuo Jian -- Zuo Jian-- ]

Laurentina's voice came from beside my ear.

[What's wrong with you? I've been calling you for ages!]

"Sorry, sorry, I was just chatting with the Duke Wellington."

He scratched his head and responded to Miss Shark beside him.

Chapter 124, Is there really a child?! Who? Me?!

It failed.

We're doomed.

What did she do?

His commands were not properly carried out, and some even took actions that displeased Him because of meaningless things like "emotions".

In the end, He even had to personally intervene to stop Him.

It was absolutely a mess!

"Incompetent... incompetent... stupid... unqualified..."

In a corner of the warship, a small, thin figure stumbled and staggered out of the corridor, his steps trembling.

With each step she took, her flesh became increasingly distorted, as if her once human-shaped shell was transforming into a chaotic, proliferating mass.

It's all because... it's all because...

The fault lies with "emotions".

If it weren't for the birth of this meaningless thing, she wouldn't have become so distraught.

She was supposed to be a perfect being, faithfully carrying out His commands.

It's simply impossible to disappoint Him for such a reason.

It's all this thing's fault... it's all this thing's fault!

Clatter

Xiu Tina's body pushed open a door to a room, and then she collapsed into the room, with a large number of tentacles spreading out around her body.

Looking at the scattered paper and pens around her, she realized that this was the room where she was carrying out His command to "draw".

In a daze, her consciousness once again sank into her own space.

Xiu Tina saw it; in her current consciousness space, there was the library filled with the two Seaborn bishops who were once known as Lai Ke and Quintus.

Originally, she was created to faithfully carry out His commands, and when necessary, to search for information and imitate it in this library, which is interwoven with the souls and memories of the two people, based on the external situation.

But now... but now...

My gaze was drawn to something outside the unchanging library: a tiny, tender sapling, barely half a person's height...

When did it grow?

I remember now... it was when I was constantly drawing... a little girl would always come up and talk to me.

Her name is... Anita?

Was it around that time?

It's all this thing's fault... She doesn't need this thing... Just destroy it! She will become the perfect creation that the Lord desired! Just destroy it, and she can become that perfect flesh and blood who simply faithfully carries out orders!

Just as Xiu Tina reached out, attempting to destroy the newly sprouted "sapling"—

"Phew... finally found it."

Some familiar voices rang out from outside her consciousness, pulling her back to reality from that space.

Turning around, she noticed a figure behind her that was... somewhat familiar, yet also somewhat unfamiliar.

"... Second consciousness... Laurentina?"

"That prefix can be removed now -- um... let me see."

Laurentina stepped forward, looking at Xiu Tina with some delight, and said.

"It feels like ages since I last saw Xiu Tina. You've changed so much! No wonder Zuo Jian is having trouble keeping up."

Xiu Tina was a little stunned, but then she was greeted with a hug from Laurentina.

He then pulled her into his arms.

"I... I disappointed Him... didn't I?"

Disappointed? Why would you think that?

Laurentina blinked, looking at Xiu Tina was gradually becoming withdrawn.

"I failed to fulfill His request, failed to meet His expectations...and under His gaze...I disappointed Him!"

"I am a substandard creation!"

Her voice was broken, completely devoid of the composure she had displayed when facing the Inquisition in Iberia.

Laurentina blinked, looking at Xiu Tina's expression, as if she remembered something. After thinking for a moment, she sighed and patted the other's head.

Why would you think that, Xiu Tina?

"Or rather, why do you feel like a creation that obeys commands?"

"Because I was born because..."

"That's why I said you've changed so much... Look into your own eyes, Xiu Tina, what caused your failure?"

"Because... my emotions... are under His gaze..."

Xiu Tina lowered her head, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

"In reality, the moment you possess emotions, you are no longer a mere creation."

Laurentina spoke slowly.

"Xiu Tina, Zuo Jian and my flesh and blood constitute your body, and now you have emotions... which means you have gained a self."

Do you know what this means?

Laurentina placed her hands on Xiu Tina's shoulders and spoke earnestly.

"What does it represent?"

"You are a unique individual, you are... Zuo Jian's child."

Or rather... my child with Zuo Jian.

Laurentina thought to herself.

"Child..."

"Your mistake must have startled Zuo Jian, after all, in his understanding, creation doesn't make mistakes, but you're different; you're someone with your own feelings..."

People with emotional outbursts... that's why they make mistakes..."

"But I... even so... I still failed His... expectations..."

"I failed to meet His requirements! Isn't that... an even greater sin?!"

"Sin?"

Laurentina blinked, then pulled Xiu Tina into her arms.

No, that's not true.

"Actually, if it were him, he probably wouldn't force you to meet any requirements or targets."

As she spoke, she hugged Xiu Tina and slowly lowered her eyelashes, as if she had remembered something.

"Family members don't demand things of each other; that kind of behavior... is the attitude you have towards a tool."

"However, he probably didn't know you had developed self-awareness until he saw you again."

"After all... he rarely showed that helpless expression."

Zuo Jian: Is it really that little?

"Xiu Tina, if it were Zuo Jian (me), I would definitely not let my child bear or spread any inexplicable responsibilities, but instead choose to live a tomorrow that is always better than yesterday."

"I'm sorry, Xiu Tina, but until today I've been putting you in charge of everything that only a creator should bear."

"No... that's not it. I... feel incredibly happy to be His messenger..."

"Yeah..."

Laurentina herself didn't expect this.

What started as a joke actually came true... This child actually developed self-awareness... or rather... a personality.

It is no longer a mere man-made object that acts appropriately according to its surrounding environment; it is a derivative.

Or rather, a doll.

And in this way... wouldn't Xiu Tina, formed from Zuo Jian's flesh and blood... truly become their child?!

Laurentina hugged Xiu Tina again, but this time she was noticeably more excited than before.

"Um... a second consciousness..."

"What second consciousness? You can forget about that term! Xiu Tina, did you know that I was the one who named you?"

"Um... I do remember something about that part."

"The blood flowing in your veins... no, a large part of your flesh and blood also came from me."

"Is that so?"

Xiu Tina tilted her head in confusion, seemingly not understanding what the other person was trying to say.

"So, what do you think you should call me?"

Laurentina squinted, smiled, and pointed to herself.

The other person looked at her, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, Xiu Tina spoke with a look of sudden realization.

"I understand... Mother... mmm..."

The latter pinched Xiu Tina's cheek with a somewhat unpleasant expression, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.

"The last three words can be removed; just keep the first one."

"However, according to what I remember, the concept of 'mother' is generally used for—"

Laurentina didn't wait for Xiu Tina to finish speaking; she simply leaned closer and whispered something to her.

"If I'm your mother... then you can just call Zuo Jian your father~"

"?!!!"

Xiu Tina shuddered, and then all the tentacles around her retracted into her body. She then sat on the ground with her hands on her thighs, looking like a well-behaved girl.

Something feels off.