But what Angela just did? Even Hayden couldn't explain what that was.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to dwell on this, otherwise they might have to face the security forces that are actually pursuing them.
Hayden and Angela hurriedly left the internet cafe, casting a spell and vanishing into the wind.
————————————————————————
He flew home, tidied up, and retrieved the information he had just found from the Wenle Club server. Hayden extracted Alicia Clari Kazmuk Apsara's bills and other licentious spending records—Adam's wife's—and handed them over to the middleman to complete his job and collect his payment.
Thanks to this wonderful information age, the process didn't take much time. The "saleswoman" checked the information Hayden had sent her and quickly transferred 10,000 gold coins to Hayden's account.
He now has a whopping 12,435 federal gold coins in cash. If he takes on a few small jobs in the next couple of days, his end-of-month bills won't be a problem. The imminent crisis has been averted.
Although the remaining personality data is unrelated to work, these days, valuable data always finds a buyer. Whether it's blueprints for new weapons, information about a company manager's private life, or leaked 3D films yet to be released, data is wealth.
Earning this kind of money certainly carries risks. For every client willing to pay, there's another even more willing to kill to guarantee secrecy. High risk, high reward. That's always how it is in this business. Therefore, Hayden needs to carefully examine these clients and think carefully about what suitable buyers might be available.
Angela, of course, wasn't idle during this time either. Before she knew it, the sun had set, and it was almost time for dinner. She first cleaned Hayden's robes, and then ran to the kitchen to get busy.
"Please wash your hands before dinner, Master."
She quickly came out carrying a soup bowl and a plate, serving Hayden the food. The small white porcelain bowl contained borscht made with beef and vegetables, while the plate held seafood risotto.
After spending the whole day together, one thing was undeniably clear: Angela, this out-of-control servant, this artificial idiot, was incredibly self-willed. She wouldn't even ask Hayden what he wanted to eat, but instead would quickly prepare three meals a day and serve them to him on time. But to say that her cooking didn't suit Hayden's taste would be inaccurate. Hayden had never eaten anything more satisfying than this.
"Angela, may I order?"
He asked tentatively, wanting to see if Angela would actually listen to him.
"I want to eat curry rice tomorrow."
Angela nodded immediately, a happy smile on her face: "Of course, I'll start preparing tonight."
"Can I have a Coke?"
Angela immediately shook her head, looking puzzled. "I refuse. I don't understand why you would want to ingest a toxic chemical liquid."
Voila.
It's like when Angela was on the StarNet, in the Wenle Club's network host, she took it upon herself to contact that brainwashed prostitute, and for some reason, the prostitute's personality correction chip malfunctioned.
But to say that this AI is all trouble is clearly not the case. She swiped Hayden's credit card recklessly, but all of it was to enhance Hayden's body and magic with high-end ingredients; she malfunctioned the prostitute's personality correction chip, but it also saved Hayden's life when he was about to be killed by the security program, and healed his injuries in an instant.
Hayden had initially been worried about the out-of-control AI going berserk, so he planned to deal with it gradually. However, after spending the whole day with it, Hayden was now increasingly confused. Just what exactly was this Angela?
Take the treatment I received in the internet cafe's private room as an example.
The biofeedback damage Hayden suffered was direct injury to his brain and nerves, which couldn't be healed with low-level magic. Generally, healing this kind of damage requires at least level seven high-level restoration magic. It wasn't that Hayden couldn't cast that level of spell, but as an unaffiliated mage, he had to prepare a large amount of magic power and expensive materials beforehand, which was very costly.
So if Hayden suffered such an injury while working as a mercenary, he would usually grit his teeth and go home. Back in his workshop, he would spend several hours performing ancient medical magic rituals, which would greatly reduce the cost, although the effects were often not as good as modern medical arcane magic.
At the wedding banquet yesterday, Hayden mentioned to Karen that the job he looked for right after graduating from university was the low-level spell development he wanted to do. But to be precise, the job he was actually looking for was developing low-level "healing spells." Besides his personal interest, another reason he studied ancient magic was to improve those ancient techniques and develop low-level, inexpensive healing spells that even ordinary people could afford, especially spells for treating complex injuries to internal organs and the nervous system.
His parents died because they couldn't afford advanced healing magic.
However, no major company wants to invest in such an unprofitable project.
The technology Hayden wanted to research was of no value to large companies.
When he first started working, it took him a month to realize this, and then Hayden decisively quit.
Even if he conducted the research alone, it would be impossible for him to develop any cheap and effective potions on his own. Modern arcane development is not something one person can achieve miracles on their own. Hayden was a talented individual, but he wasn't some unparalleled super genius.
So what did he see today?
Angela had merely touched him, and yet she healed all the biofeedback damage to his nervous system. What's even more astonishing is that she didn't use any expensive magical materials, nor did she expend much magic power, and there were no complicated ancient magical rituals involved.
That's a fucking miracle!
This is exactly the ideal Hayden once wanted to achieve, even more absurd than his original ideal—a cheap healing magic that doesn't require high-grade materials or a lot of magic, and even continues to have no magic consumption!
But what exactly is going on? What's the reason behind it? Why is this happening?
Is this the result of Hayden's drunken misuse of wish magic? Is this what a soul who loves him, especially him, cannot love anyone else, loves him unconditionally, wants to build a family for him, and loves him—is like?
Did it bring miracles and incidentally help Hayden realize his dreams?
What exactly is her AI?
Hayden wasn't even too keen to test what would happen if he forced himself to drink Coke. He suspected that, in the worst-case scenario, this gentle doll, who usually treated him like a mother, sister, lover, and bride, might instead use violence to prevent him from drinking Coke.
...Uh, is this love?
Hayden cannot say for sure that Angela did not love him, but something is clearly not right.
Just then, Angela served him the apple pie after dinner. The sweet taste was sweeter than any apple Hayden had ever known. And not only that, the flavor intertwined with the fragrant crust, making the sweet and sour, soft, almost melting filling linger in his mouth.
So Hayden silently savored the apple pie. He bit slowly and carefully, making sure not to spill any, allowing the flavor to fully develop in his mouth before swallowing. With each chew, he could feel his spirit, his magic, and even the cells of his body gradually radiating the glow of life.
Just by eating what Angela made for him every day, Hayden could feel himself getting stronger little by little, slowly but definitely. Even if he told his friends about it, probably no one would believe him.
And Angela? She certainly didn't need to eat, so she just stood by the table, quietly watching Hayden.
In the end, Hayden slowly ate all the apple pie.
"Master, I have something I want to say to you."
Angela spoke up at this moment.
"I'm very sorry, your injury was due to my negligence."
Her tone was unusually melancholic.
"is it?"
So Hayden swallowed the last bite of apple pie, put down his fork, and even adopted a rare serious expression.
"I don't think so. Didn't you save my life today?"
"Even so, it is possible that it was because I touched that lady without permission that you were detected by the security procedures."
Angela answered with a puzzled look.
"It was my mistake that put you in danger."
"This time, perhaps we are right after all."
Hayden frowned.
"But overall, it's still my responsibility. I only brought you along to hack in because I wanted to test how you would react in cyberspace. Hacking is inherently risky, and committing crimes can get you killed. I was prepared for this. Besides, you did save my life, no matter what."
A sight that would astound Adam and Karen appeared. Hayden bowed his head and sincerely thanked Angela.
So Angela was naturally confused and even a little at a loss.
However, Hayden hadn't finished speaking.
"But on the other hand, Angela, you secretly used my credit card last night, and this afternoon you messed around while sneaking in. This is the second time you've acted on your own and caused trouble. Third time's the charm. Unless it's an emergency, you'd better tell me before you do anything in the future. Understand?"
He raised his head, straightened his face, and said seriously.
"Yes... I understand."
Angela immediately nodded obediently. Although she had logged off the internet, she still looked up at Hayden pitifully like a puppy, her voice softening as she spoke.
Hayden breathed a sigh of relief.
Since this morning, he had been worried that this out-of-control AI might cause even bigger trouble. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hayden finally managed to impose some restrictions on Angela's actions. If she had to consult Hayden before doing anything in the future, he wouldn't be afraid that Angela would suddenly go out of control.
Hayden knew some people would complain about what kind of restriction this was. But it's better than nothing, right?
Sometimes, looking at her adorable appearance and movements, Hayden couldn't help but let his mind wander—could Angela be using her beautiful, humanoid appearance to manipulate his consciousness and influence his behavior? Perhaps all the conversations and developments so far have been a deliberate process of manipulation on her part?
But regardless, she had just saved Hayden's life. Hayden felt that from now on he should at least show her some respect.
"You... lack common sense, but discussing common sense with AI is ridiculous. It's precisely because AI lacks common sense that the classic problems of natural language understanding are so difficult to solve..."
Hayden couldn't help but sigh as he finished speaking.
"Alright, let's get back to the point. I'll check your system again later and see if I can buy a compatible secretary doll program package online and install some common-sense stuff for you—by the way, you still really don't understand how you treated me just now?"
Angela shook her head again, as expected.
It seems that a thorough inspection is urgently needed.
To his shame, Hayden hasn't yet thoroughly examined Angela's AI from head to toe. After all, he's been preoccupied with his credit card bill since he woke up today.
The money issue isn't so urgent right now, so we can't keep neglecting this crazy AI. Besides, Angela holds clues that Hayden has always wanted to know: how to develop affordable, mass-market healing magic.
Perhaps sensing the concern in Hayden's words, Angela finally smiled again: "Thank you, my proud master."
Her flower-like smile and emerald green eyes are undeniably endearing, yet she is an alien unlike any other. She is AI, and her adorable expressions don't necessarily reflect genuine emotions.
Hayden knew this all too well, yet he still couldn't resist her charms. Just seeing her adorable face made his heart race. After all, he had designed that face himself; it was the image of his ideal bride.
"Ahem, you go to the studio and wait. I'll do a system check for you later."
To cover his embarrassment, he quickly coughed and turned to his phone.
However, Angela did not let him escape.
"Owner."
She suddenly leaned close to Hayden and said seriously,
"If possible, could you spare some time before you go to bed after you finish your work tonight?"
"Make time?"
Hayden hadn't thought too much about it at that point.
"Of course, I don't have anything to do right now anyway. What do you want to do?"
So what Angela said next almost made Hayden spray tea all over his phone.
"I want to serve my master so that he can fully relax after being injured today."
As she spoke, she gently grasped her right hand and then swung it up and down.
Can I help you?
草
Both Hayden's mind and body froze at that moment.
"As far as I know, part of the reason my master created me was to satisfy his physiological needs."
But Angela continued speaking in a serious tone.
“This desire is a sign of health and there is nothing shameful about it. On the contrary, I worry that the owner might develop a distorted view because they want to hide it. This is something that should be done openly and honestly.”
As she spoke, her eyes even gleamed, staring intently at Hayden's crotch.
"I want to stand at the center of the world and shout: My master's reproductive ability is perfectly healthy!"
Grass!
Faced with this astonishing statement, Hayden stood frozen for a full three seconds before snapping out of it, then retorted sharply, "How the hell can I get an erection when you're spouting this nonsense!"
If this AI is allowed to run rampant, even if it had two hearts and three kidneys, it wouldn't be enough.
----------------------
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
A bizarre romantic comedy is unfolding in Hayden's home, but the rest of the family in New Yatu may not be having such a good time.
Especially the internet cafe that Hayden and Angela used this afternoon.
It's 7 PM on Saturday, usually the busiest time for internet cafes. However, the owner is sweating bullets. A group of uninvited guests he can't afford to offend are searching his cafe, demanding to see the security camera footage.
The internet cafe owner naturally knew someone had caused trouble there. He hurriedly pulled up the security footage, but found nothing strange. A man in a classic mage's robe? A beautiful girl in a maid outfit? No, of course not, they had never seen anyone like that before.
“Not only was the video altered, but someone also cast a spell here to create a vague impression. Witnesses won’t remember seeing them.”
One of the investigators spoke up,
"This should be some kind of new type of mental illusion arcane spell, but it also has a feel of ancient magic. I wonder who wrote the spell. I'm not very good at analyzing this kind of thing... Seriously, why would anyone still make something like this these days that's not worth it at all?"
"Even if it can't be parsed, it can still be traced; it just takes a little more time."
Another investigator examined the StarNet resonance records in the double compartment, then shook his head dismissively.
"This guy's skills are really bad; he's just a script kiddie who's good with tools. Calling him a 'hacker' is an insult to the word."
"A hacker with terrible skills and a skilled classical-style magician?"
The third investigator repeated the conclusions reached by the first two.