On the morning of July 1st of the following year, when Karen came to Hayden's house for breakfast, she asked a question.
"I've always been puzzled."
While Angela was making breakfast in the kitchen, she asked Hayden very seriously,
"Did you actually do 'that' with Angela?"
This question almost made Hayden spit out the coffee he had just drunk.
"Can't you be a little more ladylike, Miss? Watch your language!"
He coughed several times before catching his breath, then quickly started complaining.
"You're bringing this up first thing in the morning? Have you been too free lately?"
"I'm asking a serious question!"
Karen slapped the table repeatedly, her face betraying her curiosity.
"Angela's body was definitely made by you in your favorite pose, but I always feel that you, this old virgin, definitely don't have the guts to actually do anything. Or rather, judging from your reaction, I think you're still a virgin. So what exactly do you want to do? Can't get it up?"
Since that battle a month ago, Karen and Hayden haven't confirmed any relationship or had any more intimate contact, but they've clearly grown much closer... perhaps even a little too close.
"You don't want to work with robots? But if that were the case, you wouldn't have created that body in the first place."
Karen rested her chin on her hand, seemingly lost in thought.
"Is it because you feel awkward about having an unknown soul inside your body? Are you afraid?"
For a moment, Hayden couldn't help but wonder if Karen was actually a very repressed pervert!
In short, seeing Karen's expression of both curiosity and mischief, Hayden knew he probably couldn't get away with it... and besides, getting away with it might not be a good thing.
Although it's incredibly embarrassing to say this, I have no choice but to speak out now.
"Let me be clear from the start, the answer is actually really lame."
So Hayden scratched the back of his head, sighed, and confessed honestly.
"When I first wanted to create a wind-up wife, wasn't it simply because I wanted a beautiful girl to accompany me and to love me wholeheartedly?"
It was truly embarrassing to say. Hayden had expected Karen to make a sarcastic remark, but she didn't. She simply rested her chin on her hand, raised an eyebrow, and listened intently to Hayden's words: "Yes, so?"
"If all you want is companionship, all you want is to be loved, isn't this enough?"
So Hayden could only mutter to himself as he continued explaining.
“If I really wanted to sleep with her, Angela wouldn’t give a positive response to sex. After all, her mechanical body doesn’t have any feelings; it’s just helping me process my desires. And she herself wouldn’t resist helping me do this kind of thing; in fact, she would welcome it. So if I actually did it… wouldn’t I just be driven by lust? That would really make me a bastard.”
He finished speaking dryly, waiting for Karen to retort.
But Karen didn't directly complain. Instead, she first showed a strange expression, as if she had suddenly realized something, and after a long silence, she nodded: "...I understand."
What do you even know?!
"To put it simply, even though you're a 30-year-old virgin, you still fantasize that the first time you do this kind of thing, both of you will feel comfortable. How should I put it..."
Karen said in a very sympathetic tone, "Even I'm starting to feel sorry for you."
"If this keeps up, I'll really want to punch you, okay?! These are two completely different things!"
Unfortunately, Angela had already returned with the breakfast plate by then, otherwise Karen would have definitely used joint locks to let Hayden know what kind of tragedy would occur if she threatened to beat up a martial arts genius.
The two first enjoyed a simple yet delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast, before Karen returned to the real topic: "Actually, I've been thinking about how to develop a new doll circulation fluid for Angela recently."
Hayden nodded in understanding. Even Angela herself, upon hearing this, curiously peeked over.
The clockwork doll alchemical circulation fluid that Angela is currently using was originally invented by Kallen when she was in college. Hayden memorized the recipe back then and copied it last year without Kallen's permission.
"Angela's energy is too strong. What actually limits her maximum output is the quality of her body. Although Andrea No. 3 is my confident creation from my university days, it is still ten years behind."
Karen slapped the toast with her fork, and said in a serious tone,
"Didn't you replace her heart with a Valkyrie part a while ago? Then the circulating fluid should naturally be replaced with something better. In order to prepare for the coming storm, we should improve Angela's combat capabilities as much as possible!"
Hayden nodded in agreement: "Indeed. Do you have any good ideas?"
"I plan to use a liquid that can contain powerful and pure life energy as an excipient. The best idea right now is dragon blood, and not just any dragon blood will do."
Karen devoured a piece of toast, speaking seriously as she did so.
“My dog, Lin Delong, who only knows how to eat rice, is one option, but to be honest, I hope to have something better.”
A month ago, Hela packed a dragon from the Peacock Palace and sent it to Karen.
That was a "linnorm," a type of Germanic/Nordic dragon that generally lives in the northern parts of the world. It is a wingless earth dragon, and some even have no feet, so it is also called a "snake dragon."
The infamous Norse dragon Fafnir is the most famous of all the serpent dragons. Although some say it was transformed from a dwarf... but that's a digression, we'll talk about that later.
In general, serpent dragons are a very primitive type of dragon, their minds consumed only with eating and sleeping, so their blood should be more suited to carrying Angela's inconceivable, primal, and pure life energy. At least, that's what Karen thought.
"The only problem is that my snake dragon is really young. It's only fourteen years old."
Karen frowned and said,
"If only we could have a more mature source of original dragon blood. But this kind of thing is too obscure, and it's hard to find even through alchemical herbal medicine channels."
It's not just about the money; it's because this stuff is used so rarely that ordinary dragon blood is usually sufficient for industrial alchemy. So much so that even if you have the money, you don't know where to buy it.
Of course, if they relied on the connections of Peacock King or Hela, they would eventually find it; at worst, they could just buy an older, live serpent dragon to draw its blood. However, as everyone knows, Kallen is not one to rely on her parents.
"Then I'll ask around in the black market smuggling industry for you."
So Hayden took out his phone and, quite naturally, left the dining table and headed toward the studio to contact the Dark Witch, Abigail.
However, after watching Hayden walk away and pondering for a while, Karen turned to Angela beside her and said, "Ms. Angela, what do you think of Hayden's constant talk about wanting to find a wife, but how he always hesitates and falters when it comes to the end, and now he's become a thirty-year-old great magician?"
Ange tilted her head, seemingly unconcerned: "Thirty isn't a problem. Some people become prime ministers at thirty, some become kings, some become priests, and there are certainly people who don't start until they're thirty..."
"That's not what I wanted to say. To be honest, age isn't the point either, since I'll be thirty in ten months anyway."
Karen complained irritably.
"The point is, Hayden summoned you into this doll's body because he wanted a bride, and even made a wish. But now he's acting like 'this is fine too.' Do you really think there's nothing wrong with that?"
Angela nodded: "I came here for my master's wish to be loved and to build a family. To love him, to help him build a family, and to bring him happiness—this is my highest purpose, my only goal."
Finally, Karen frowned and asked the question she had noticed before but always found strange: "Don't you see yourself as someone who can help Hayden build a family?"
This question made Angela pause for a moment.
But this wasn't because she was shy or surprised. In fact, Angela seemed to have encountered some incomprehensible input, staring at Karen for a moment before replying, "Miss Karen, I am a wind-up doll."
Karen immediately retorted, "If Hayden really cared about this, why did he create you in the first place?"
“What I mean is,” Angela continued patiently, “that I am infertile.”
These words finally made Karen pause for a moment, causing her to frown even more: "...I don't think Hayden would worry about such a thing."
However, Angela's reaction was resolute.
"Everyone must die. No matter how long you live, even if you live for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years using various technologies, no matter how happy you are, your life as an individual will inevitably face an end."
She said calmly and decisively,
"The propagation of bloodlines and the inheritance of genes may allow finite life to continue indefinitely, but it is certainly closer to an infinite continuation. This is very important."
Moreover, her attitude was very serious.
"To ensure that the owner's genetic lineage continues and that his descendants can reproduce, this is also part of my mission to build a family for him."
She was recounting theories that might seem absurd to a living person, but from a robot's perspective, they appeared quite reasonable.
Upon hearing this, Karen finally realized—ah, I really do hate Angela.
Karen's values and Angela's crazy, AI-like theories were clearly incompatible. This was something she had vaguely sensed long ago, and now she truly understood.
"Therefore, I hope you can marry your master and build a happy family. Based on what I have observed so far, you are the most likely and most suitable candidate."
Angela said so.
Therefore, Angela was not an enemy to Karen.
But she still didn't like Angela. Whether someone is an enemy or not, and whether someone is disliked or not, are often completely different things.
Who is Karen?
He is someone who ran away from home in his teens to pursue his ideals and willingly endured ten years of hardship as a corporate slave.
"I have no interest in making having children a mission."
Therefore, Karen would never accept Angela's explanation.
Not to mention, just last month King Peacock warned Karen that a storm of upheaval was brewing throughout the world. Lately, Karen's mind has been preoccupied with how to deal with this unprecedented global upheaval. Although she occasionally teases Hayden to relax, Karen still prioritizes her tasks and understands the order of importance.
Have a baby?
Regardless of whether Karen actually had this idea, now is simply not the time to do such a thing. If there is a major global economic upheaval, having a child at this time would be irresponsible to everyone.
Karen simply couldn't stand Angela's mindset—a mind so consumed by Hayden that she cared nothing for the world or anyone else. Regardless of what kind of god Angela was in reality, Karen simply disliked her.
"Go find someone willing to have Hayden's babies for this weird job!"
With Karen scoffing and uttering those words, it was finally Angela's turn to frown.
"That's it, I understand."
But she neither got angry nor showed any dissatisfaction.
"Since Miss Karen has said so, some things may need to be re-planned."
Angela simply frowned, as if she had realized something.
"Everyone wants different things, this era is really tough."
It was precisely her nonchalant, seemingly detached attitude—as if she were calmly adjusting the situation from a high vantage point—that made Karen particularly uncomfortable.
"Really? Hayden wants the same thing as me: to save lives and make the world a better place."
So Karen couldn't help but say it, even though it might sound a bit impulsive.
"You talk about fulfilling his wishes, but aren't you the one who doesn't consider his goals as your own?"
However, Angela tilted her head when she heard this.
“This point is not as important to my value system as you say. But even you, Miss Karen, should be able to see that this point is not convincing.”
Then she answered,
"Although you say you don't like being restricted, that's not what you actually value. You also control other people's lives, make decisions for them, and do what you think is better for them, don't you? If you really want other people and the world to be a better place, you can't always think about what they want, but you must think about what they need."
Before Karen could even process what she was doing and come up with a rebuttal, Angela had already picked up the empty plate from the table and turned to walk into the kitchen.
"I wonder if the person the master is talking to can bring about a better result. But her body is just too small after all..."
She muttered to herself as she walked.
Karen's pointed ears were quick; she immediately realized what she had said: "What did you say?!"
--------------------------
Unlike the two non-humans outside who had exceptionally sharp ears, Hayden was busy talking to Abigail, who controlled the New Yatu black market, and had no idea what they were arguing about.
"...Huh? What's up, Hayden? You're calling so early in the morning. I was just about to go to sleep."
However, when the little witch's face was projected onto the screen, she looked exhausted, like a college student who had just stayed up all night to finish a paper.
But that's impossible, isn't it? Abigail isn't a student. She's not even a company employee in the true sense.
"What's wrong with you? You were open until the early hours of the morning yesterday and you're still not asleep?"
So Hayden asked out of curiosity and concern.
This witch usually runs a bar, opening around 6 or 7 pm, so it's not surprising that she works until the early hours of the morning, but it's already 9 am now.
"We were closed yesterday."
Unexpectedly, Abigail lazily uttered a strange remark.
"I'm busy helping you write reports to deal with Adam."
……What?
104: Human relationships have always been the most difficult thing to understand.
Adam?