After spending two days combing through every database he could access, Kraft failed to find even a scrap of information related to the Maggia's experiments.
The only thing remotely connected was a mention in intelligence reports from several official agencies, including the police, of an attack that had taken place on Maggia territory seven years ago. However, there was no information at all about who had carried out the attack.
Kraft considered it for a long time but ultimately chose not to have Haro forcibly breach the databases of intelligence organizations like the FBI. With Haro's abilities, even if the intrusion failed, they would not be able to trace it back to him. But aside from those intelligence agencies, Stark and several mysterious forces possessed network capabilities that made Kraft wary. He wasn't sure whether they might cut off his retreat while he was hacking in.
So after thinking it over repeatedly, Kraft gave up on the idea. His skills would continue improving over time anyway, and there was no need to expose himself over such a minor matter. He had already waited seven years; a little longer would make no difference.
Since gathering intelligence had yielded nothing, Kraft turned his attention back to the inventions in his dreams.
Previously, because he had needed to guard against Martin's so-called business rivals, Kraft had been continuously strengthening the workshop's defenses. Now that he had some free time, he began a test he had long wanted to conduct.
Could other people replicate the unscientific equipment from his dreams?
He had never found an opportunity to test it before because of confidentiality concerns. But now that he had Alice, his obedient little sister, she naturally became the most suitable candidate.
The most suitable item for testing was Professor Agasa's voice-changing device. It wasn't particularly technical and wasn't difficult to operate. Even Alice, adorable as she was dimwitted, could imitate it well enough to make one herself.
The test results left Kraft both pleased and troubled.
The voice-changing device made entirely by Alice performed roughly as Kraft had expected. It wasn't nearly as miraculous as the ones made by Professor Agasa or Kraft himself. But as long as Kraft participated in the process to a sufficient degree, the finished product underwent a qualitative leap, changing from an ordinary scientific creation into some utterly unscientific and wondrous gadget.
Moreover, if one of the miraculous devices made by Kraft was taken apart and then reassembled exactly as it had been, its miraculous effects would vanish.
At the very least, this meant Kraft did not need to worry about his technology being leaked. On the other hand, mass-producing these miraculous devices was nothing but wishful thinking.
Overall, though, Kraft was fairly satisfied with the results. Technology only had value when it was monopolized. Besides, it wasn't as though he couldn't mass-produce anything at all. Even stripped of their unscientific effects, many of the devices were still good products in their own right.
Take the solar-powered skateboard Kraft had recently learned from Professor Agasa. Remove its unscientific speed that let it chase down cars, and its highly efficient use of solar energy was still an incredibly impressive technology. Its conversion efficiency was at least two or three levels higher than the solar devices currently on the market.
As for Da Vinci's solar-powered flashlight, which also relied on solar energy...
Kraft had no idea how that idiot managed it, but no matter how he adjusted it, the electricity converted from solar energy was only enough to light the flashlight's bulb—never more, never less. That probably counted as another unscientific phenomenon of dream technology.
As the Demon Gang members gradually withdrew from Hell's Kitchen, Kraft no longer needed to hole up in his workshop every day. Under Martin Lee's urging, he reluctantly returned to school.
However, he did not abandon his research because of that. Besides constantly absorbing newly appearing knowledge from his dreams, he also handed over technologies such as the solar energy conversion technology he had mentioned earlier to Martin Lee for development. This not only secured funding for his own research, but also allowed Martin to quickly recover the losses from their earlier attack on the Maggia.
"Too bad I still can't replicate inventions with special powers."
Kraft glanced at the magical core on the table that had failed yet again and sighed helplessly. He hadn't had many dreams lately, and they had all involved either mystical subjects or heavy industrial products requiring large amounts of manpower and equipment.
Kraft did not want to attract the attention of America's official agencies just yet, so heavy industry was out of the question. He could only keep trying to make mystical creations, but unfortunately, every attempt had failed.
The only technology he had managed to grasp recently was a mechanical prosthetic limb. Its technological content wasn't particularly high either; only the neural connection technology at its core was somewhat interesting.
In fact, Kraft was more interested in the technology called alchemy used by that freely moving armor. Unfortunately, the protagonist of that dream had been a young woman installing a prosthetic limb on a little kid. There had been no books related to alchemy in the room at all. Kraft had tried copying the alchemical array drawn by the Armored Man, but nothing happened. Some core technology probably hadn't been shown in the dream.
"If only I could dream about that Armored Man or that little kid... Or dreaming about another unscientific scientist like Professor Agasa would be fine too."
After tidying up his workroom, Kraft ruffled his messy hair with his hand, then swayed his way home.
"I'm home~"
When Kraft pushed open the front door, he saw Alice sitting on the living room sofa, munching on snacks and laughing uproariously at a soap opera on TV.
"Ah, welcome back~"
Alice patted the snack crumbs off her hands, flashed Kraft a silly grin, then trotted toward the kitchen in tiny steps.
"Dinner's ready! I'll bring it out right away!"
"Ugh..."
Kraft pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. Alice looked so leisurely—who would ever think she was a robot?
"I'll have her enroll next semester..."
The thought of himself suffering through school while Alice stayed home comfortably having fun made Kraft feel terribly unbalanced. He had originally planned to have Alice start in high school, but now he decided she would start eighth grade alongside him!
It was only a year earlier, anyway. There was no real difference.
Yet when Kraft told Alice about his decision, she looked extremely happy.
Kraft: ???
There really was something wrong with this robot! She actually liked going to school!
No matter how astonished Kraft was by Alice's bizarre hobby, they still had to eat. Though Alice usually acted adorably dumb, her talent for cooking was surprisingly excellent. At first, she could only follow recipes to make average meals, but now she had evolved to the point where she could develop dishes on her own, and they tasted no worse than the food made by the cook at Fatty Liao's place.
So after all that effort, I just made myself a cooking robot?
After wolfing down the delicious dinner Alice had prepared, Kraft patted his belly in satisfaction.
Well, it works out. At least I won't have to keep urging Martin to find me a mom.
After dinner, the two washed the dishes together, then sat in front of the television to play games.
That was one good thing about America: there was practically no homework.
Although Kraft's memories told him he had only attended schools in America, his subconscious kept telling him that he had once gone through a period of study burdened by heavy homework. It was probably his lost memories acting up. He had experienced similar feelings more than once or twice, so he paid them no mind.
They played until the show Alice followed was about to start. Then Kraft returned to his room, finished the pitifully small amount of homework he had, washed up, and lay down in bed.
Although the next day was the weekend, Kraft still went to bed early. Aside from research, games, and good food, sleeping was his greatest hobby. After all, dreams had everything, and they were far more interesting than those soap operas on TV. Besides, dreams appeared without any pattern, so every time he went to sleep felt like scratching a lottery ticket.
There was an old saying: what you constantly longed for would eventually answer you.
Perhaps because Kraft had been talking about her for so long recently, little Dr. Shinonome appeared in his dream once again.
The invention in this dream was even more unscientific than the robot Nona.
It was a simple red triangular scarf, and Dr. Shinonome had made it in only a few hours.
And the scarf's effect was—making animals talk.
What the hell was this supposed to be?!
No matter how he looked at it, this scarf was just an ordinary cloth scarf! There were no chips inside, no magic or Immortal Arts. How the hell did it make animals speak?!
And from Kraft's observations, the scarf did not merely allow animals to talk. It also enhanced their intelligence to some extent. Or rather, it not only gave them the ability to speak human language, but also gave them thought patterns close to those of humans.
This was simply too unscientific!
Although the invention was unscientific in every possible way and seemingly had no practical use for Kraft, the moment he woke from the dream, he jumped out of bed and wanted to rush to the pet store to buy a pet.
No matter how it worked or whether it was useful, Kraft was definitely making it!
Because it was just too interesting, wasn't it?
"Huh? Big brother, you're up really early today."
Alice, who was preparing breakfast, poked her head out of the kitchen when she heard the movement and greeted him.
"Is wonton soup okay for breakfast?"
"Anything's fine, anything's fine. I'm heading out first!"
Kraft hurriedly changed into his shoes and was about to run outside.
"Where are you going, big brother? Isn't it the weekend today?"
Alice looked puzzled.
"I'm going to buy a pet. Alice, what kind of animal do you like?"
Thinking that he probably would not have time to care for a pet himself and that the responsibility would ultimately fall on Alice, Kraft felt he should ask her in advance. Nona, who came from the same source as her in his dreams, seemed to like cats, but who knew whether changing the place of origin would cause any differences?
"Huh? A pet?"
Alice looked extremely happy. She lightly tapped her lips with a finger and thought for a moment.
"Cats and dogs are both fine. I like anything fluffy, but..."
Alice raised her right hand, revealing the electronic watch hidden on her wrist. Then she tilted her head and reminded Kraft, "At this hour, the pet store probably isn't open yet, right?"
Kraft: ...
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