Volume 2, Chapter 17 – With a Bang, the Door Fell Off

Allocable free experience -4000.

Apprentice Mechanic leveled up to Lv5 (0/7000).

Endurance +1, Intelligence +1.

After evenly distributing 3 attribute points among Agility, Endurance, and Intelligence, Anran’s attention shifted elsewhere.

What exactly was that glowing white crystal?

Lying on her bed, Anran stared blankly at the ceiling.

Its rough exterior did not look like the product of human craftsmanship.

That pure white light, utterly free of any impurity, hinted at how extraordinary it was.

The depth it displayed even while sitting there quietly seemed to tell the world of its long history.

Was it a crystal accidentally born from the side of science, or a gemstone nurtured by the side of mysticism?

No matter how much she thought about it, Anran could not come up with an answer. If she wanted to know the truth, it seemed she could only ask Colin.

But judging by how treasured it was to Colin, there was an eighty percent chance he would not say anything.

Better sleep.

Unable to figure it out, Anran could only put the matter aside for the time being.

…

The next day, Zhou Jieyu did not come to the repair shop. Her money-making plan had hit a slight snag.

Not a single quest she got that whole day rewarded Bilu. She could only rely on reselling some shady goods to earn a little middleman’s profit. After counting it all up, she had only made a bit over 20 Bilu. She had barely saved up half the money, so tomorrow she’d have to expand the range of her activities, Zhou Jieyu thought.

Zhou Jieyu had not come, and Anran was a little disappointed, but it was no big deal.

She had already been completely drawn in by that “hunk of metal” Colin had made.

Colin was still in the repair shop sewing clothes and dresses as if no one else were around, while early that morning the woman in the white coat had once again slipped into the workshop.

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A book lay open in front of Anran, and she flipped through it absentmindedly.

That middle-aged woman was a doctor, but what could a doctor possibly do to a “hunk of metal”?

Anran was very curious.

This time, the middle-aged woman stayed inside for quite a long time. It was only after three in the afternoon that she came out for the first time and called Colin in. The two of them then continued tinkering with something inside together.

By the time work was over, neither of them had come out yet. It looked like she would not see the result today.

Thinking that, Anran got up and clocked out.

Colin’s repair shop had a fixed closing time, so there was no need for Colin to remind her. Anran, who loathed unpaid overtime, slipped away on her own.

When she was almost at her front door, Anran reached into her pocket and pulled out a key.

“Oh no, I only brought the repair shop key. I forgot to bring the house key.”

Although she could easily smash the door open, considering the cost of repairing it, Anran decisively chose to go back to the repair shop to get the key.

The main door of the repair shop was already shut. Anran unlocked it with her key, only to discover that the lights inside were already off.

It had not even been ten minutes, right? Had Colin and that middle-aged woman already come out?

Her gaze swept across the room, and she spotted her key on the table.

She walked over in two quick steps. Just as she grabbed the key, a series of thumping sounds suddenly came from behind her.

“What’s going on?”

Anran turned around in confusion.

She discovered the noise was coming from the door leading to the workshop, and the lock on the door was still hanging there perfectly fine.

“Did someone get locked inside? Don’t tell me it’s Boss Colin?”

Anran walked over to the door and knocked on it. “Is anyone there?”

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There was no response from the other side, but the thumping only became more and more urgent.

What the hell was this? Why wasn’t anyone answering?

Anran was just about to knock again when she suddenly noticed a faint crack appear where she had knocked earlier.

With safety first in mind, Anran quickly stepped back.

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

Crash!

Starting from the crack in the door, a small section of the wooden board bulged outward. Then, all of a sudden, a pale, tender little fist punched through. A hole the size of a bowl was blasted clean through the wooden door, and shattered wood chips flew straight toward Anran’s face.

The moment she heard the first impact, Anran instinctively ducked her head. Luckily she dodged in time. Otherwise, with how fast those splinters were flying, her face might well have been ruined.

The big shot hiding behind that door was seriously fierce.

When Anran raised her head, the little fist had already withdrawn, but through the hole that had been smashed open, she could now make out the figure standing inside.

Though only a small part of her…

It was someone wearing a white outer garment, a young gi… no, after comparing, Anran realized she was much shorter than herself. She should count as a loli.

Against the white outer garment was a sky-blue sash, and there was even a small lace-woven bow at the collar.

Looking any higher, however, the door blocked the view, so she could only see a small pair of cherry-colored lips.

“…”

Anran casually used a scouting skill on her.

Obtained NPC template information:

Name: Aila

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Race: X

Gender: Female

Level: 16

Main Profession: ???

Side Profession: ???

???

Favorability: 40

The entire profession section was full of question marks, and farther down even the prefixes simply stopped showing up.

But Anran’s attention was not on any of that at all. Her eyes kept drifting back and forth between [Aila] and [40].

The final reward of the hidden quest had landed on this loli’s head?

At first, Anran had guessed that Aila might be referring to the middle-aged woman in the white coat.

Or perhaps that “hunk of metal” Colin had made.

Speaking of the “hunk of metal”…

Hm?

A possibility suddenly occurred to Anran.

Aila loli = a robot wearing the outer shell of a loli?

Anran lifted her head, just about to take a closer look, and the moment she saw what was happening in front of her, her eyes widened at once.

The door, which had originally only had a hole punched through it, was directly torn off. The iron lock had fallen to the ground, brutally snapped apart. As for the hinges holding the door in place, they had been ripped out together with the screws.

The battered, tattered door was being held by Aila, one small pale hand gripping each end.

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Aila, standing behind the door, paused for a moment, then loosened both hands. With a smack, the door dropped beside her.

“…”

What had this door ever done to deserve such cruel treatment?

Only then did Anran finally come face-to-face with Aila.

A delicate, petite face. Slender collarbones so tender they made one want to take another bite or two. Long silver hair naturally draped over her shoulders. Her bangs crossed in a slightly messy X shape, with several naughty strands lingering right in front of her eyes.

Those red eyes were full of curiosity as she looked at Anran.

After thinking for a moment, Anran said, “Are you called Aila?”

“Yiya?” Aila opened her mouth.

“Hm?”

“Yiya?”

“Emmm…”

“Yiya?”

Anran thumped her chest in frustration. She could not understand a thing. Hopeless. There was simply no way to communicate!

She wanted to try another method, but just then a gust of wind came from behind her. The moment Anran turned around, she saw Colin rushing in as he anxiously said, “How did you get out?”

To avoid any misunderstanding, Anran quickly pointed at the door lying on the floor. “She tore the door off and walked out by herself.”

Looking at the miserable wooden door on the ground, Colin fell silent.

Anran added, “I was talking to her just now, but no matter what I said, all she could do was say ‘yiya.’ Good thing you got back in time.”

Colin explained, “Aila was only just activated. I haven’t downloaded a language program for her yet.”

“…”