"So how exactly did they manage to break the bitch chip? And how did the entire server break down for no reason?"
Nobody can answer that question. The data logs they saw were also strange. It's like some random thing touched a chip that was running, and then the entire server that was connected to the chip malfunctioned. To this day, nobody knows what happened.
Otherwise, how could a script kiddy have stolen such important top-secret information?
"Continue the investigation, take it slow and steady, it doesn't matter if it takes more time."
The fourth investigator finally spoke.
“We are a professional team. Since the employer is paying us to solve the problem, we must do the job well.”
012: Searching for Hypotheses
Angela's ambitions were ultimately thwarted by Hayden. He couldn't afford to be too intimate with a runaway AI created by a drunken spell. Besides, what if she accidentally broke his penis?
So Angela could only stand regretfully in the magic circle of the studio, waiting for Hayden to give her a complete system check.
Hayden drew a large and complex magic circle on the studio floor with chalk. The outermost circle was circular, the second layer was hexagonal, representing balance, perfection, and unity. The inverted triangles inside the hexagons represented water, followed by nine other runes, representing the three basic alchemical substances—sulfur, mercury, and salt—as well as the six metals—tin, gold, lead, silver, iron, and copper.
Mercury, tin, gold, lead, silver, iron, and copper also symbolize the seven celestial bodies: Mercury, Jupiter, the Sun, Saturn, the Moon, Mars, and Venus, respectively.
Hayden then added the symbols of the twelve constellations, or the twelve houses of the zodiac, to the outside of the magic circle to elevate the status of alchemy.
Angela stood at the innermost part of the magic circle, looking at it thoughtfully: "Master, you also know alchemy."
"Not as good as Karen. She's the real professional alchemist."
Hayden answered casually.
"Karen and I weren't in the same department in college, but we got along quite well because we were both in the Potions Club and took courses offered by both departments. We learned a little bit of what the other was good at. Besides, one of my interests is researching inexpensive medical magic."
Alchemy is an extremely expensive field. No amount of money could cover the expenses of an alchemist's research.
However, its subfield of potions is actually a relatively inexpensive form of medical magic—relatively speaking.
One of Hayden's ideals was to refine the rituals and formulas of ancient medical magic, eliminating the dross and retaining the essence, to develop affordable modern potions that could treat complex injuries to internal organs and the nervous system, even for ordinary people. Therefore, he naturally majored in Potions in college. In the past few years, while working as an urban mercenary, he also often brewed two bottles of potions for himself to carry with him, just in case.
Otherwise, how could he have smelled the medicine in the empty bottle in Karen's room and identified it?
To my shame, Hayden's interests were actually quite diverse. He would learn anything he found interesting or useful, and he was interested in everything.
This, of course, also resulted in him being mediocre in many areas, such as hacking, but it wasn't entirely a bad thing. After all, this is why Hayden was able to combine modern arcane magic and ancient magic in the same ritual. This is also why Hayden's workshop contained Norse runestones and several genuine Sumerian clay tablets, alongside hard-covered alchemical texts and videos of blood magic rituals from Central and South America.
Hayden was willing to learn anything that could achieve his goals, as long as it was effective. He would try anything that worked.
"A jet-black crow, a pale eagle, imperfect white and red, and bright, vivid peacock feathers."
Hayden closed his eyes and began to chant, facing Angela within the alchemical circle.
“Angela, Angela, I have named you. Become pure white and appear to me!”
He murmured incantations to Angela within the alchemical circle, repeating them over and over until a power began to brew, coalescing beyond physical senses and boundaries. Hayden gathered all his willpower, shaping it into a single entity with the power of words, and poured it into the alchemical circle.
Then the alchemy array burst out in a cloud of green smoke and exploded.
Hayden dropped the chalk and covered his face.
Angela stood innocently in the alchemy circle; she really hadn't done anything this time.
But Hayden's analysis using alchemy simply didn't work for her. Whatever Angela's secret might be, she clearly possessed some strange characteristics that rendered Hayden's alchemical array meaningless.
This is strange. It's as if her very presence can interfere with some magical effects. Like when she touched that prostitute in the StarNet club and then damaged the woman's personality chip.
"Master, would you like to try again?"
Angela asked curiously.
"Let's give it a try. We've run out of reagents. Help me wipe off the alchemy array."
Hayden picked up a glass bottle he used to hold emerald powder, only to find it was empty, and could only put it down dejectedly.
"We don't have enough money."
Research requires money; even identifying objects isn't as simple as casting a spell, but requires consuming various magical reagents. Just figuring out what's wrong with this artificial intelligence would probably cost a fortune.
"I'll check online to see if there are any suitable buyers, and then I'll look for a compatible secretary doll program package for you. You can help me tidy up the studio."
Dragging his weary body, Hayden moved back to the living room. He had barely sat down on the single sofa when Angela tidied up the studio like a whirlwind and even brewed him chamomile tea.
Perhaps because he was too tired today, he was drinking tea while staring at the 3D screen projected on his phone, saying he was looking for information on buyers, but his mind was actually wandering.
The examination of Angela yielded virtually no results. The only thing Hayden could confirm was that the thoughts constructing within Angela's doll body constituted clearly defined, highly developed mental activity. She possessed concern and interest in other things, exhibited high intelligence and cognitive-emotional connections, and had something that could be called a soul.
Aside from knowing that Angela might indeed have a soul, Hayden couldn't understand anything else. Was this soul something he'd accidentally created out of thin air using wish magic? Or had magic captured it from somewhere else? What was so special about Angela's soul that it could trigger so many magical anomalies?
Everything is a mystery.
Hayden is still unable to determine what this artificial intelligence is thinking.
Unsure of what she was going to do, and despite speaking the same language, Hayden had no idea what she was thinking, to the point that sometimes he even found her somewhat terrifying.
Angela possesses a soul and self-awareness. However, this awareness is ultimately different from that of normal living beings. Can this awareness comprehend human emotions? Even if it does, can it offer the corresponding empathy?
I don't know. But even so...
"Even if they're both man-made, your wife probably treats you worse than you do, buddy."
Looking at the spending records of Adam's wife at the Wenle Club on the projection screen, Hayden couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Adam and Hayden were good friends they met while studying at university in New Seattle. They often went out for meals and drinks together on weekends and made many plans for themselves to make something of themselves after graduation, at least for a while.
After graduating and joining the company, Hayden quickly discovered that not only was he unhappy with the job, but he also couldn't achieve his goals. So after trying it for a month, he resigned without hesitation.
Since suffering is inevitable in life, we should at least choose to live it in a way that we enjoy. This is Hayden's way of thinking, or you could say his way of life.
Adam Smith, however, was different from Hayden. His grades in college were slightly lower than Hayden's, but still excellent. So when he graduated and chose to become a salesman at Mitra Information Group, his professors and classmates were quite surprised. But it turned out that Adam's choice was correct: as long as you have the ability to consistently achieve results, being a salesman is actually an easy path to promotion.
probably.
Anyway, everyone knows now that Adam Smith Apsara has become the deputy business manager of the Mitra Group's New Yatu branch, which is quite an achievement.
In short, Adam and Hayden maintained their friendship for many years. When Hayden's parents died, Adam was there to get him drunk. When Hayden quit his job after only a month, only Adam knew that he had gone to become a mercenary, and he told him that even so, they would still be friends.
Hayden and Adam continued to keep in touch afterward. Not frequently, and without a fixed schedule, they would occasionally get together every few months to unleash their energy with alcohol. This kind of friendship doesn't require constant contact to maintain; it's the kind of friendship where you know that even after many years, the other person will still be there for you.
In that case, shouldn't he tell his buddy that his wife goes to high-end clubs to play around with young men, and in a really bad way?
Hayden had never had any experience in this area, and probably most people wouldn't either—how many people would discover that their friend's wife was doing something like this? So he hesitated for once about what to do.
Ironically, Hayden was even a little worried that telling Adam about his wife might actually damage his friendship with Adam.
He doesn't look that slender, does he?
So in the end, Hayden picked up his phone again and started a video call.
A few seconds later, Adam's handsome face appeared in the 3D projection.
He was an elegantly dressed man with a tall and upright figure. Ever since his university days, Adam had maintained a consistent exercise routine, developing muscles as handsome as those of an ancient Greek statue. His black hair was thick and glossy, and beneath his straight eyebrows were a pair of light brown eyes, calm and deep.
Upon seeing Hayden on the other end of the line, he immediately relaxed his brow and smiled: "Hey buddy, why did you call me so quickly? Did you forget something at the wedding banquet yesterday?"
Hayden could hardly bear to tell him what he had seen that day.
But he did eventually give a rough explanation of how, while working as a mercenary, he hacked into the server of an entertainment club and managed to find Adam's wife's spending records. He wasn't stupid, so he didn't go into the details of the commission, as keeping commissions confidential was standard practice; he also omitted the mention of the personality modification chip, as that was probably too dangerous.
Finally, he also sent Adam copies of his wife's bills and other spending records from the Wenle Club.
Needless to say, Adam's smile vanished quickly as Hayden spoke. He was now looking sadly at the documents Hayden had sent him. Hayden, seeing him like this, was momentarily speechless.
Hayden has no such experience, nor does he want it at all. Fortunately, Angela at least won't cheat on Hayden.
“Hayden, I know that Alicia and I had an office marriage. I know that I was a live-in son-in-law who became a project manager at the age of 29 because of this relationship.”
After a long while, Adam finally spoke slowly over the communicator, his tone sorrowful.
"But that doesn't mean my relationship with Alicia was all fake. Many people think that children of wealthy families would play wild games, but I did date her for more than three months. I know what she's really like."
What's the point of telling me this?
So Hayden rubbed his forehead and continued the conversation, asking, "What exactly do you mean by 'real'?"
“Do you think the children of wealthy families don’t have to compete?” Adam retorted. “Especially the third daughter of a high-ranking official? While we were burning the midnight oil studying magic at university, Alicia was busy learning literature and painting; while our hands were stirring beakers in the lab, her fingers were practicing the piano. She’s not some vulgar nouveau riche daughter. She’s part of the involution and competition just like us, except we’re into alchemical formulas, while she’s into poetry and beauty.”
Hayden stopped rubbing his forehead. He hadn't really considered the problem from that perspective.
But Adam continued speaking.
"She is actually a very lovely woman. Her vision, perspective, and upbringing are a thousand times better than the average woman, but sometimes she is as innocent as a child. I have seen her being cheerful, lively, and playful at the zoo. I have also gone to the opera house with her and seen her burst into tears when she was moved... She is not the kind of vulgar woman you might imagine who would go to a club to play around with young men."
Adam shook his head sadly as he finished speaking.
"Hayden, my friend, we're friends, don't say things like that again."
Damn it, you're ungrateful for my kindness—but Adam had already ended the call, leaving Hayden both annoyed and amused.
"Fine, fine. It's none of your business. I still have to earn money to support my family."
He glanced at Angela, who was directing the dust to dance and clean the room, and even though the call was over, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Making a living, wow, that phrase is surprisingly catchy.
With mixed feelings, Hayden quickly searched online again and finally bought a Housekeeping Doll Skill Pack from Wotan Mystic Technology Company for 799 gold coins after a discount.
This might not be the best, or even compatible with the Angela system, but he can't buy anything better for the time being.
Money, money, money.
Hayden needs to eat, and he has to pay for his internet, lighting, heating, and roof. Angela doesn't need to eat, but maintaining her body still requires magical energy, which also costs a lot of money to replenish. He also needs to find out what equipment and reagents can further analyze Angela's secrets, and see if there are any related studies or documents mentioning similar situations.
But that's pretty much it for today.
"Eight hours of sleep a day is essential for good health! Master, please go take a bath and go to bed now!"
Angela has already started urging Hayden to rest.
Did he create a wind-up wife or a wind-up mother?
013: I will lie down and sleep peacefully.
Robots don't need to sleep.
While no one knows whether robots dream, it is clear that robots do not need to sleep.
So after Haideng went to bed, Angela did not rest.
First, she used up the housekeeping doll skill pack that Hayden had bought for 799 gold coins after the discount, which was offered by Wotan Mystic Technology Company.
This doll-like skill software was obviously incompatible with Angela's system, but Angela could use a brute-force method. After decoding the skill package, she learned all the information as quickly as possible. She already knew how to do ordinary housework and even some miscellaneous things, but she lacked knowledge of modern society. So, after learning the part about family financial management, Angela truly realized how important money was in this era.
Magicians can perform magic, which sounds amazing, but magic is a resource, and resources cost money.
If you run out of magic, can you recover it by sleeping or meditating?
There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you don't eat and just sleep, you'll only starve to death!
Ancient magicians could draw energy from natural phenomena or the natural environment, but modern corporations have long since controlled and possessed all these resources, so ordinary spellcasters without permission naturally cannot access them. A free magician like Hayden, who also lacks powerful backing, can mostly only use his own magic to cast spells.
Eating ordinary food yields a limited amount of magic power each day. To produce more and better magic power, one must consume better consumables, which means more money. Even cows need to be fed grass to milk them; how can a living being produce magic power for free?
Money is power. The right to live, the right to use magic, the right to realize dreams.
After learning all this, Angela finally understood why her master was always worried about money. After all, technology is built with money, and it's amazing that her master has managed to save money until now.
The food she bought with her maxed-out Hayden credit card isn't finished yet, but it won't last more than a few days. Flying out to sea to hunt wild animals for food, like last night, might be feasible, but repeating the operation could lead to detection.
Making money is unacceptable!
So Angela started searching online—was there any way to make money that could be done at home without spending much time, with quick payments, and that was both legal and allowed to keep her identity hidden?
As it turns out, AI really does work, right? In the end, it actually found something similar...
Soon Angela started gesturing on Hayden's computer, fiddling with something, and worked on it almost until dawn.
However, just as she finally finished and sent the item out, Angela suddenly frowned and looked up.
It seems like we have some guests.
————————————————————————
Early morning is one of the quietest times in the jungle. The nocturnal predators have already gone to bed, while those active during the day are just beginning to emerge.
The same thing happened in the Bay Area of New Jersey, for similar reasons.
"What the hell is this house?"