Angela smiled brightly and answered cheerfully.
"You must be hungry after last night's exhaustion. Please brush your teeth and wash your face before having your meal."
Before he could finish speaking, Hayden smelled a sweet aroma of food.
From that moment on, he began to realize that something seemed off about the AI of the Clockwork Bride.
But at that moment, he hadn't thought too much about it.
So he actually dragged his stiff body out of bed and obediently brushed his teeth and washed his face. The furnishings and utensils in the bathroom were now as clean as if they were brand new, but having experienced yesterday, Hayden didn't find anything strange at this point.
When he got to the dining table, he finally saw what Angela had prepared for his breakfast.
At first glance, they are nothing special. On the plate lie golden scrambled eggs and crispy bacon, along with warm bread and butter, and next to it is a bowl of salad with sauce and a glass of warm milk.
Nothing special, right?
But Hayden had barely taken a sip of his milk when he immediately sensed something was wrong: a force surged into his body like lightning, activating his weary central nervous system and reviving his body, which had been stiff just a second before. Magic and life force flooded his cells, rapidly replenishing the energy he had expended in the primal magic the previous night.
This stuff isn't as effective as the expensive wines that Heden drank at his wedding banquet yesterday.
But this stuff is definitely not synthetic milk.
“Angela,” he said, trying to soften his voice, “where did you get the milk?”
"While I was asleep, I tried to research that so-called 'network' and discovered how to order food and ingredients from it. I then spent the whole night completely overhauling your cooking appliance!"
Angela immediately launched into a long, enthusiastic monologue, appearing very happy.
"Although the operation has become a little more complicated, that cooking device can now help me process all kinds of natural ingredients at the molecular level!"
Hayden then peeked into the kitchen. His synthetic food cooking machine was gone, replaced by a clockwork device about the size of a refrigerator, composed of a bunch of drive screws, conveyor belts, pulleys, gears, springs, and other clockwork parts. Its structure was so complex that it was painful to look at.
How on earth did she manage to transform an old cooking machine into this mess? And all of this without even waking Hayden?
"Then I ordered some ingredients and flew out to sea before dawn to catch a fresh fish for you, Master. Don't worry, I took care to avoid detection and scanning magic along the way. How about we have fish for lunch today, Master?"
As Angela spoke, she pointed to the floor next to the new cooking machine. There sat something that looked like a salmon, frozen inside a huge block of ice. For some reason, it was still alive, staring blankly at the wall with astonished fish eyes.
But upon hearing this, Hayden finally began to carefully examine Angela from head to toe once more. Her body and clothes weren't wet, which wasn't surprising; she must have found a way to keep herself dry. However, Hayden, being her creator, immediately noticed that the pulsating emerald light emanating from Angela's body had dimmed somewhat. She had expended a great deal of energy.
I see, that makes sense, it's logical, and it's very convincing. Now Hayden only has one question left:
"How did you pay for these things?"
So Ange pointed to the coat rack by the door: Hayden's clothes, which he had casually taken off after returning from the wedding banquet last night, were now hanging neatly and cleanly on the rack. In fact, she had already cleaned the entire house.
"When I was paying, I saw that I needed something called a 'credit card,' and I found it in your pocket. Large payments require your magical signature, but luckily my magic is directly linked to my master's, so I just imprinted it on."
She finished speaking in a singing tone, looking at Hayden with hope. Her bright, watery eyes gazed at him like a cute little puppy looking up at its owner.
As she stated, according to the traditions of classical magic, magicians are sometimes metaphysically directly connected to certain things. For example, a magician and his familiar, or a magician and... his lifelong partner.
So Hayden picked up his phone and checked it, only to find that Angela had already spent 69,999 federal gold coins on his credit card online. The bill was filled with all sorts of random mechanical parts and materials, as well as high-end fresh and natural ingredients.
Incidentally, Hayden's monthly food expenses used to be around two thousand federal gold coins.
So after looking at his phone, even though he was usually easygoing and carefree, he couldn't help but rub his temples.
"What's wrong, Master? Did you not like breakfast? I can tell you're in pain."
Angela immediately noticed Hayden's change in mood and leaned closer with a worried expression. Her facial expressions and motor skills were extraordinary, but since Hayden had developed them himself, there was nothing wrong with them.
What makes her actions for Hayden, those things that clearly shouldn't have happened, are all the more intriguing.
Strange, what exactly is going on?
Hayden couldn't help but wonder: What kind of weird thing did I create?
Is this really artificial intelligence? Would AI really think of modifying a food cooking machine on its own, sourcing fresh, natural ingredients for its creator, and then maxing out the creator's credit card? Hayden had never heard of such a thing. Current AI behavior is strictly governed by rules; it's impossible for it to act on its own to this extent.
“…Angela, pour me a Coke.”
He said tentatively.
Angela looked confused upon hearing this: "Are you referring to those toxic chemical liquids stored in plastic containers in cold storage? For your health, I'm afraid I cannot comply. If you are going to conduct an experiment, please wait until after the meal and prepare appropriate safety precautions."
To be honest, Hayden felt like he'd been stabbed in the back. Not only did it act on its own, refusing to accept previous standby commands, but it could even completely ignore its owner's requests. What kind of artificial intelligence is this?
“Angela,”
So, like any AI developer with a sound mind, he raised the platinum-haired bar key in his hand toward the doll and gave the command.
"Enter hibernation mode."
The doll tilted its head, but nothing else happened.
"...Shut down."
The result is the same as above.
Hayden began to realize that things were not going well.
The fact that the shutdown command issued with developer privileges was ineffective means that Hayden now has no means to control the robot.
Should we take a hard line? To my shame, based on the current overall performance, Hayden suspects that this robot is stronger than him.
Safety device? The wind-up key in his hand is the safety device, but it's clearly not working now.
Call the police? First of all, the police in New Seattle wouldn't bother with something like this, and secondly, it would be incredibly embarrassing. Besides, if the police and military actually came and smashed the doll to pieces, wouldn't that also mean losing Hayden's savings of seven years?
After much deliberation, Hayden finally decided to proceed cautiously for now. Cooperating a little with this insane AI shouldn't cause any harm.
After all, the toast right under his nose smelled incredibly good.
The bread was incredibly soft, still warm from the oven, and subtly sweet. Hayden finally picked up the toast first, took a bite, and immediately the genuine aroma of wheat filled his mouth—far superior to the "bread" he usually ate made with yeast, algae, and synthetic organic compounds. One bite was enough; he couldn't stop eating.
"Delicious food not only has nutritional value, but it can also provide spiritual healing. Filling your stomach with delicious and nutritious food is a shortcut to happiness."
Angela watched Hayden devour the breakfast she had made, smiling as she spoke. Although the automaton didn't need to eat, her expression was just as blissful as if she were eating it herself.
She might not be an artificial intelligence at all, maybe she's a demon pulled from the ground by primal magic, or a Frankenstein-like monster... but whatever, the breakfasts she makes are just too delicious.
What's more, this robot went to great lengths to ensure Hayden had such a breakfast. She not only spent an entire night modifying his cooking machine without waking him, but also ventured to who-knows-how-farthest depths of the ocean to catch fish. These days, the only places to find high-quality natural ingredients are either the most dangerous wilderness or the meticulously cultivated farms of the elite. Just how much effort did she put into all this?
Quick and decisive action was Hayden's motto. Since things had already come to this, let's at least finish this meal first. Even before beheading someone, shouldn't we at least give them a good meal?
So he finished off the bread, bacon, salad, and scrambled eggs. The natural vegetables were very fresh, large, and crisp, bursting with juice with every bite; the bacon was only fried, but because the ingredients were so good, the sizzling aroma of the meat filled his nostrils, and each chew was a delightful experience; the scrambled eggs fully absorbed the flavor of the bacon that had rendered its fat at the bottom of the pan, making Hayden realize that he was indeed a carnivore.
Before long, everything on the plate had disappeared into Hayden's stomach. The fatigue from casting primal magic last night had vanished, and Hayden even felt his entire body filled with magic, immersing him in a near-trance-like state of exhaustion.
Although he could never forget how extravagant his meal had actually been, nor how much debt Angela had racked up on his credit card in one night, he still had to sigh with satisfaction.
This crazy AI is right. Humans easily feel happy as long as they have delicious and nutritious food to fill their stomachs, even when they are burdened with a huge amount of credit card debt. It's just a biological instinct.
"I'm so glad you're so happy."
Seeing that Hayden was enjoying his meal, Angela's face also broke into a happy smile.
"Happiness must be built upon a sound body, mind, and soul. For the sake of my master's happiness, I will always prepare food that will satisfy your heart and keep you healthy, no matter when or where."
This artificial intelligence is both infuriating and adorable. If it weren't for the fact that she maxed out her credit cards, Hayden wouldn't feel like she had anything to complain about.
"It shows how much I have to pay this month."
He spoke into his phone. The phone immediately buzzed and projected an image.
Hayden's credit card limit is 70,000 federal gold coins.
This card now owes 69,999 Federal Gold Coins.
The minimum amount due this month is seven thousand federal gold coins.
In addition, he also has other living expenses to pay before the end of the month, such as water, energy, and internet bills, which add up to more than 600 federal gold coins.
To make matters worse, there's another small problem: although Hayden's shanty was in a terrible location and was in poor condition, he still bought it with a bank loan—who can afford to buy a house outright? So Hayden still had to pay the bank over five thousand dollars in mortgage payments every month.
With a snap, the mobile app quickly informed Hayden that he needed to gather at least 12,700 federal gold coins by the end of the month; otherwise, the best-case scenario would be having his water and internet cut off, and the worst-case scenario would be the bank coming to foreclose on his house and forcing him to sleep on the streets.
Incidentally, the app also thoughtfully informed Hayden that he currently only has a little over nine hundred yuan in cash in his account.
Moreover, it's 3 AM on March 27th now, and there's not much time left until the end of the month.
"Well, that's life."
Hayden put down his phone.
“Angela, now that you’ve maxed out my credit card, you’ve got to come with me and earn some money back.”
————————————————————————
[Federal Gold Coins]
The official currency of the Federation of America. Despite its name, it is no longer a gold coin, and even paper money is now rare—unless it's for a special transaction where no online transaction record is desired.
Centuries ago, genuine gold coins were the legal tender of the Union of America. Anyone could exchange paper money for an equivalent amount of gold coins at a bank at any time. However, with economic development and changing times, about a hundred years ago, the exchange between paper money and gold coins gradually became decoupled. What we now call Union gold coins are either digital on the internet or paper produced by printing presses.
But people still trust their value, just as they trust real gold.
004: The Man Running Wild in the Shadows of the Metropolis
"A credit card is actually a form of borrowing money!"
After breakfast, Hayden finally explained to the AI what kind of money she had spent the night before.
"I'm so sorry, Master. I thought I used money you already had yesterday. If I had known it was borrowed, I would never have done that!"
After hearing Hayden's explanation and realizing that swiping a credit card is actually borrowing money, Angela was finally taken aback and even seemed a little flustered for the first time.
"So using a credit card is like borrowing money from a bank... I thought banks were like places where you deposit gold coins in a vault and get a storage fee every year..."
All the money I kept in my vault was used to build you.
However, Hayden didn't say that directly. He simply asked with some curiosity, "If I already have money, can I spend it however I want?"
Angela immediately replied, "If it can be used to strengthen the master, then it's appropriate to spend the money."
Her views on money and her concept of banks are really... interesting.
"But borrowing money is different from using money directly. Since I've burdened my master with such a huge debt, I have to find a way to repay it!"
However, Angela seemed very serious about the debt, and was even getting agitated, clenching her small, white fists.
"Master, please let me go to work and earn money for you!"
However, after hearing her words, Hayden retorted, "Do you know what kind of work can make money?"
Angela thought for a moment and replied, “I know that by cultivating the land, sowing seeds, carefully nurturing them, and growing crops, one can sell them for money; by grazing cattle and sheep on the land, one can sell their milk, hides, and meat for money; and by crafting various materials such as gold, iron, wood, and stone from the land into works of art for sale, all of these can be exchanged for money.”
To be honest, the more Hayden listened to her talk, the more puzzled he became about where this AI had come from. What era was she talking about? Unfortunately, even if he asked her, Angela herself didn't know the answer. She seemed completely unconcerned about where she came from.
"What you said isn't entirely wrong, but unfortunately times have changed, child."
So Hayden decided to put those aside for now and deal with the immediate bills first.
"There are no farmers cultivating their own land anymore, nor are there herders raising their own cattle and sheep. There are still craftsmen, but most of them are just poor, exploited employees of companies."
Angela, however, still couldn't fully understand what he was saying and looked completely bewildered.
It seems Hayden needs to teach her what the world is like.
“Very well, Angela. I’ll show you what kind of work I do to earn money. You have to earn back all the money you swiped by the end of the month.”
Hayden pulled out his phone, tapped a couple of times, and selected a video call. A few seconds later, the phone projected a 3D image showing a brown-skinned dwarf grinning. He was dressed head-to-toe in denim, with a jacket with the sleeves cut off, and even had a magic tattoo on his biceps that read "I love violence"—it was incredibly tacky.
"Haha! Look who's here? Long time no see, Hayden!"
The image of the dwarf cowboy is shown with his arms outstretched, striking a friendly pose.
"How have you been lately?"
“Not so good, Mr. Todak,” Hayden replied with a slight smile. “I need a job that pays me by the end of the month. Do you have any big-money opportunities?”
The dwarf cowboy, Todak, immediately spread his palms: "Of course! Amigo (friend), you're the best lone wolf in the Bay Area. Lately, I only have small-time thugs around who'd be scared even with a knife to their throat. How could I not have a good job for you?"
But in reality, the work he left for Hayden wasn't very good.
————————————————————————
The sky above the port was like a blank television screen.
It's raining in New Jersey today too.
Alchemical acid rain returns pollutants concentrated in the clouds to the earth, making the streets even dirtier.
Those upscale neighborhoods have their own customized weather services. As long as they pay, the company can make sure it's sunny 365 days a year—or whatever weather they want.