Volume 4, Chapter 56 – Starting Retirement Early

Accompanied by Feilian, Anran once again arrived at the Research Center.

Morton, who had received the news, stood at the entrance to welcome her with a smile. He went out of his way to appear friendly, and his warm manner made Anran shiver despite herself. She still remembered Gray warning her that Morton was by no means a good person.

“You can use this workshop. It has all the commonly used equipment. If Miss Anran needs anything else, just tell us. We’ll do our best to provide it,” Morton said with a smile.

Standing at the entrance, Anran felt somewhat emotional.

This was one of the places where she had first made her fortune. It was still the same familiar workshop.

“Thank you.”

The door opened, and Anran and Feilian walked in one after the other. Even the layout inside was not much different from what it had been several months ago.

Judging from this alone, Anran was quite satisfied with Morton’s arrangements.

“Feel free to ask for any raw materials you need as well, Miss Anran. If the Research Center has them, we’ll deliver them as soon as possible. If we don’t, we’ll immediately arrange for someone to purchase them.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you.” Anran looked around, handed Morton a sheet of paper, and then walked back out of the workshop. “I’ll come over tomorrow morning and start making the robots.”

She had only just arrived in Twinmoon City and still had many things to deal with. At the very least, she needed to find somewhere to live first.

After chatting for a little longer, Anran and Feilian left the Research Center.

“Where are you planning to go next?” Feilian asked.

“I’ll find somewhere to stay first. I have no interest in making the workshop my home.”

“You don’t need to worry about accommodation. Once Minister Lü learned that you were returning to Twinmoon City, he arranged a place for you in advance. It’s in the residential area behind the branch.” Feilian pointed across the road.

No. 97 Qiuyang Road, Nine Songs’ branch in Twinmoon City.

The place that had once been packed with players now had only one or two scattered players in sight.

“That’s rather thoughtful of him. Let’s go pick up Aila first, then.”

“Let’s go.”

The two of them got into the vehicle and went to pick up Aila.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

Two players passing along Qiuyang Road suddenly stopped.

“I just saw someone. I don’t know whether I was mistaken, but she looked a lot like Anran.”

“Anran? Where… Wait, did you say Anran?”

“She was in that vehicle.”

One of them pointed, but while they were talking, the off-road vehicle had already turned away.

…

“Anran, Anran, is this where we’re going to live?”

After pushing open the residence’s front door, Aila stared in surprise at the space inside.

Large.

It was truly large.

The living room alone looked to be more than fifty square meters, and the building was a two-story house.

This house was considerably larger than Eudora’s.

Since their births, neither Aila nor Anran had ever lived in such a large house.

“This place was originally intended for senior members of the branch,” Feilian explained.

“Not bad.”

Anran could not say much about the interior decoration, but she was very satisfied with the amount of space.

Now that she thought about it, she had been in this world for half a year. Looking back, she realized that she had never stopped to rest properly. She had constantly been running around, handling everything herself. Although every step she took had been steady, there were times when she genuinely felt tired.

“Aila, let’s move our things inside first.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Naturally, they could not trouble the physically impaired Feilian with moving their belongings.

When the two robots walked all the way from the vehicle into the house, Feilian’s eyes lit up. With robots this powerful deployed on the battlefield, those B’s from Morningstar would be nothing to worry about.

Then he saw Aila strolling easily into the house with a box in her left hand and a bag in her right, and he was immediately dumbfounded again.

Bang!

That was the sound of the box landing on the floor.

Clatter!

That was the sound of the bag being set down.

“Uh…” Feilian was speechless.

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“What’s wrong?” Anran asked.

“You sisters really aren’t ordinary people!”

“…”

Of course they were not ordinary. One was a transmigrator who had gone from player to NPC, while the other was a robot that had independently evolved into a Machina.

However, this secret could never be told to anyone else.

“Do you have any other plans after you finish settling in?” Feilian asked.

Anran pointed at Aila. “I’m planning to take Aila to see her mother, and then I’ll stay home.”

She turned around and added, “There’s no need to trouble you, Captain.”

With an ambiguous smile, she said, “You’re about to get married. Hurry back and spend more time with Anna!”

“Uh…”

Feilian had never expected there would come a day when Anran teased him. He still wanted to say more, but after Anran repeatedly urged him to go, he finally left.

Okay.

She locked the door.

“First, let’s figure out the layout of the house!”

Anran and Aila immediately got moving.

The bedrooms, the walk-in closet, the kitchen.

Aila quickly found the bathroom.

Naturally, she did not have to worry about where she would sleep. In the end, she would be sleeping with Anran anyway.

By the time they had put everything away, evening was already approaching.

Afterward, Anran took Aila to meet Eudora at Eudora’s house. Eudora had already been discharged from the hospital. Although she had not fully recovered, she had insisted on returning home to recuperate.

When she saw Anran and Aila suddenly appear in the yard, the watering can in Eudora’s hand fell straight to the ground.

“Eudora!” Aila called out happily.

Then Eudora rushed over and pulled her into a tight embrace. Tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes.

For a moment, Aila did not know what to do.

After that, Eudora invited Anran and Aila inside and kept them there for a long time. Only after dinner and another lengthy conversation did she reluctantly let them leave.

“Thank you for taking care of Aila.”

“I should be thanking you,” Anran said.

Eudora shook her head. “Compared with when I first met her, Aila has changed tremendously, both in appearance and personality. If this continues, one day she’ll become a real person, won’t she?”

In this world, a Machina that had fully grown was also considered a “person,” wasn’t it?

“She will.” Anran nodded.

Aila had changed greatly.

Anran, who had remained by her side all this time, understood that more deeply than anyone.

Aila was gradually revealing many emotions. Whether she was merely simulating them according to the situation or not, the fact remained that Aila, who had once possessed no facial expressions at all, could now display all kinds of complex expressions.

As for her appearance, Anran, who often bathed with Aila, understood the changes even more clearly.

Aila’s body was becoming increasingly feminine. Even her tongue, which had originally been nothing more than decoration, had now become just like a real one.

Anran had no doubt that once Aila understood the structure below, she would grow that part as well.

Her autonomous evolution was powerful enough to be frightening.

All of this was thanks to the Ancient Essence, that bizarre crystal which no one knew whether to classify as science or mysticism.

Sometimes Anran even wondered whether Aila’s consciousness had been born from that chip or from the Ancient Essence.

“Anran, Anran, was Eudora crying because she was happy just now?”

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Aila suddenly turned and asked Anran.

“Ah…”

Anran paused. The fact that Aila could ask such a question meant she truly understood what emotions were, didn’t it?

She replied, “Yes, that’s right. Those were tears of joy.”

Aila nodded, then said happily, “Am I amazing? I made Eudora happy!”

“Super amazing!”

Anran patted Aila’s head.

She stepped on the accelerator and drove toward their residence.

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“Anran, Anran, what did that uncle and big sister mean when they said they ‘did it’? Why do they have to get married after doing it?”

Without warning, Aila suddenly asked another question that made Anran stiffen. She nearly drove the vehicle into a ditch, but fortunately slammed on the brakes in time.

“Well…”

Anran thought about it and decided she should still explain the meaning to Aila.

Aila was not a child, so there was no need to be evasive when educating her.

“‘Doing it’ means… Oh, right.” Anran gave her an example. “Do you remember the video I showed you at the hotel that night?”

“I remember, I remember! The two pretty big sisters!”

“The entire process of what those two did after they took off all their clothes together is called ‘doing it.’”

Anran said it all in one breath. She felt that she was simply a teaching genius!

“But wasn’t that uncle called Feilian a man? Their sexes are different,” Aila questioned.

“Actually, two men, two women, or a man and a woman can all do it. The process differs slightly depending on their sexes.”

“Is that so?”

Aila lowered her head and thought for a while. “Then can Anran and I do it too?”

Pfft!

Hmm…

There was no water for her to spray out, of course. Anran stared intently at Aila and screamed inwardly, Don’t tempt me! Even if you’re a robot, I… I…

“Theoretically, yes.”

“Huh? Anran, Anran, then let’s do it when we take a bath!” Aila was full of enthusiasm, but her expression quickly became dejected again. “Mm, but right now I don’t have that part.”

As Aila spoke, she reached a hand beneath her skirt to feel around.

“Wait!”

Anran stopped her. With a serious expression, she said, “You can’t do that in front of other people in the future.”

“Oh!” Aila nodded. “Then can I do it in front of Anran?”

Hmm…

I feel like such a pervert.

“I just feel really happy.” Aila grinned and placed her hands at her sides.

Seeing that she had nothing more to say, Anran drove them home.

…

The next day.

Anran arrived at the Research Center very early, with Aila accompanying her.

Morton’s gaze did not linger on Aila for long before he smiled warmly at Anran. “I’ve already prepared all the materials. Miss Anran can begin whenever she wishes.”

“Let’s start now!”

Anran’s brisk and decisive manner made Morton smile even more broadly.

He watched Anran enter the workshop. Work hard. When the time comes, everything you make will become mine!

Rumble!

The door closed. Anran first surveyed the room. The equipment and materials were all ready, so she could begin work.

Previously, when she had manually built the Machine Gun Warrior Mk. I and Butler No. 1, it had taken around three days with the bonuses from her various talents and skills.

Now that she was using mechanical equipment, the efficiency bonus was slightly lower. However, because she could operate several machines at once and produce multiple components simultaneously, Anran estimated that, with an eight-hour working day, she could make three robots in roughly four days. At most, it would take fifteen days to complete Nine Songs’ order.

The Doomsday Lord had also ordered two robots. Since only a fool would refuse easy money, Anran planned to make those here as well.

Once she got in touch with Leading the Escape, the number of orders might increase again.

“Let’s make all the components for each section first.”

Anran was speaking to Aila. In mechanical manufacturing, Aila had already become an excellent assistant.

“Mm.”

Anran first taught Aila how to operate the equipment. Aila had already memorized the entire contents of the blueprints. Once she knew how to use the machines, she could independently begin producing the components.

The robot’s body was not the crucial part. The crucial part was the low-level intelligent chip that served as its core.

“Ten kilograms of steel.”

Aila walked toward the corner where the materials were piled. As she quietly murmured to herself, she reached out to pick up the steel.

She bent down, and a faint gleam suddenly flashed through her eyes.

Huh?

Aila curiously shifted her gaze back.

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As a robot, she naturally would not assume that she had seen wrongly. She was certain that she had noticed something unusual just now.

A faint light.

Aila saw it again.

“Anran, Anran, I found something that glows!”

Aila’s shout made Anran, who was standing nearby, walk over.

“What’s glowing?” she asked curiously.

“Here.” Aila began rummaging through the metal piled together.

Something that glowed.

However, Anran saw only metal reflecting the room’s lights. Still, where Aila was pointing, behind a gap between the pieces of metal, was the wall, and there was an electrical outlet there.

“Mm, it’s just light reflecting off the metal. You don’t need to worry about it, Aila. Take these two pieces of metal and put them on the table over there first.” Anran patted Aila’s head.

“Mm-hmm!” Aila picked up the metal and left.

Aila would not have seen wrongly.

Aila’s eyes were different from human eyes. She could see some things that humans could not…

Of course, she was not talking about ghosts.

Spying on me? So that guy resorted to this trick.

Without showing any reaction, Anran picked up several items and returned to a cutting machine.

Since cameras had been installed, the equipment had probably been tampered with as well.

Heh.

Anran calmly continued making the various components. She took no countermeasures and behaved as usual, as though she had discovered nothing.

Only after returning home that evening did Anran take out several more blueprints and give them to Aila. “Aila, make some of the things shown on these tomorrow as well. You don’t need to assemble them. Just make the components.”

“Okay, Anran,” Aila agreed. She was still working hard to eat the Lig Alloy biscuit in her hand.

She had to eat more to obtain enough energy to complete her evolution. Only then could she become like Anran.

Once Anran entered the workshop, no one disturbed her. During the day, she and Aila made robots inside to grind EXP. After they left the Research Center, Feilian and Anna would sometimes come to visit.

When no one visited, Anran played games with Aila.

Whether they were FPS games, MOBA games, or fighting games, playing games inside a game was psychologically an exceptionally delightful experience.

Furthermore, under the guidance of the gaming expert Aila, the two of them usually achieved the final victory.

The duo “AnAnAnAn” and “AilaLaLa” stirred up a storm on the ranked ladder.

Only when they played fighting games did Aila crush Anran beyond recognition. It was utterly miserable.

On the third day, Anran received a reply from Zhou Jieyu.

Without Anran realizing it, Zhou Jieyu had already followed an NPC faction all the way to the westernmost edge of the Canyon Continent.

Since she was advancing a faction mission, she would not be able to return anytime soon.

However, she agreed without hesitation to help Anran promote the robots.

Naturally, she had to do anything that could improve their relationship.

Anran very “cooperatively” raised Zhou Jieyu’s favorability to thirty-five.

Zhou Jieyu immediately felt that the deal was tremendously worthwhile.

Uhehehehe.

Anran continued making robots with a smile.

Time passed quickly. It was as though Anran had begun her retirement life ahead of schedule, and ten days went by in the blink of an eye.

At that point, all the components had been completed. All that remained was assembly.

“What? You’re moving all of these things to Nine Songs’ base?”

When Morton saw Anran summon a group of people, he was greatly startled, and anxiety appeared on his face.

“Mm.” Anran nodded calmly.

“Why move them to the base? You can assemble them here, can’t you?”

“I need to conduct physical tests during assembly. Only Nine Songs’ base has a suitable site. Thank you for all your help these past few days, Director Morton,” Anran said with a smile.

“…”

What else could Morton say?

He had no legitimate reason to stop Anran.

Having watched Anran finish producing all the components, he had also wanted to see exactly how she assembled them.

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After all, an accident during disassembly might damage the machines. Naturally, it would be best if he could see how Anran assembled them.

“…”

The vehicles drove into the distance. Morton’s mood was terrible. He returned to the Research Center with a dark expression, and everyone he encountered along the way was frightened into instinctively moving aside.

Heh…

After arriving at Nine Songs’ base, Anran was taken by Feilian to an open area.

“Why did you specifically come all the way here?” Feilian asked.

“Someone wants to steal my technology.”

Anran spoke as though it did not matter. She had no intention of giving Morton even the slightest opportunity. Therefore, while making the robot components, she had also produced many parts for quadrotors, ultra-durable pressure cookers, and three-axis mechanical arms. In short, she had mixed in a huge pile of unrelated components.

Over the next four days, Anran and Aila worked overtime and assembled all the robots.

They did not neglect the reconnaissance quadrotor drones they had previously made either.

One Machine Gun Warrior awarded 20,000 EXP, while one Butler No. 1 awarded 21,000 EXP.

Anran made six of each type.

Together with the 10,200 EXP provided by three quadrotors, Anran received 256,200 EXP all at once after lying low for fourteen days.

Including the EXP she had previously saved, she raised her level to Level 20 in one go and still had 3,200 Free EXP remaining.

I’ve struck it rich.

That was what Anran thought as she delivered the goods.

…

“Director, those two robots have been transported back!”

Morton breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. Ever since he had learned that morning that the robots were being delivered, he had been panicking like crazy.

“Let’s go. Call all the other experts. We need to move quickly!” Morton said.

Half a day later, two robots stood in the center of a brightly lit workshop, surrounded by more than twenty people.

They all looked delightedly at these two “war machines.”

As long as they could reproduce these two robots, their personal worth would immediately increase a hundredfold!

“Disassemble the limbs first. The most important thing is to locate the control chip,” Morton instructed everyone present.

They were somewhat unfamiliar with the process at first, but as the work continued, they grew increasingly proficient. The Machine Gun Warrior Mk. I was the first to suffer, dismantled until only its central torso remained.

“There’s a slot here. The chip should be inside.”

A middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the large screw beside him and placed the bit of an automatic screwdriver against it.

“Beep, beep. Beep, beep…”

Hm?

The robot suddenly began emitting rapid warning beeps, and red light started flashing across its body.

“What’s going on?” Morton squeezed forward from the back.

“Director, it started doing this as soon as I touched it,” the middle-aged man said awkwardly.

Morton leaned closer to inspect it but could not figure out what was wrong. He could only say, “Move the automatic screwdriver away and see what happens.”

The middle-aged man immediately complied. Sure enough, the alarm stopped as soon as the machine was moved away.

Morton picked up another screwdriver and placed it against the screw. The alarm sounded again.

After repeating this three times, Morton was still frowning when the alarm suddenly changed into a synthesized voice.

“Unauthorized attempt to disassemble the unit detected. Self-destruct program activated. Countdown: one minute!”

“Huh?” Morton froze.

A self-destruct program.

“Damn, it’s going to explode!”

“Run!”

“Don’t panic! Don’t panic! Take the other robot with us!”

“Quick, quick, quick!”

The workshop immediately descended into chaos.

One minute later.

With a soft pop…

The chip inside the Machine Gun Warrior Mk. I burned out.

“…”