Equipment Level]: Infant
[Effect Bonus]: Affinity +6, Defense +12, Speed +4 (Note: Because the boss personally oversaw the progress, all attribute bonuses are increased by 3.)
Chu Wang hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.
It seems that the three mischievous yet adorable cat outfits mentioned above are the little hat, shirt, and underwear in front of him.
The description is cute, but a baby's crawling suit that adds +4 speed... Chu Wang could already picture Inia wearing this outfit and crawling incredibly fast.
As for the "one of the vampire elements" mentioned above, does that mean the boss in another world is a vampire?
If you think about it this way, you can explain the moon-related totems sewn on the package sent by the other side. After all, it makes sense for vampires to associate with the moon element.
The descriptions and bonuses of the remaining clothes were similar, and Chu Wang could tell that these wood elves really liked cute things.
At the very bottom of the clothes were three... diapers?
[Magic Diaper](God-tier): Absorbed liquid disappears into the void. Clean and refreshing, babies love it! Can you honestly say this isn't god-tier?! 12-hour usage time, 12-hour cooldown.
Chu Wang's eyes lit up.
This diaper is absolutely divine; it's not only good for the baby, but also makes killing someone much easier—of course, he only habitually thought about it in the dark, and had no intention of actually doing it.
The boy put everything aside, and the small bat hat fell out from the gap, which Chu Wang caught with lightning speed.
[Pray to Darkness Set (1/4)](Mystic): Great Lord, praise be to you. Wherever the moonlight shines, it is your territory. May the moon guide our path, and may the night devour all enemies.
[Equipment Level]: Infant
[Effect Bonus]: When equipped, there is a chance to be summoned by the Dark Lord in a dream.
Chu Wang put down the little hat. He was now certain that the other party was a vampire, and could even basically confirm which instance the other party came from.
When he was young, he already knew the most famous dungeons by heart. One of them that fits the vampire theme should be Nightmare Castle, right?
Inia is an extraordinary baby, so when she chooses a boss, her power will definitely be attracted first by the most powerful dungeon masters.
If the assumption is correct, then can we also guess the identities of the other bosses that the baby encounters, starting with the most challenging dungeons?
Chu Wang roughly guessed who the other people who had contacted Inia were, which finally put his mind at ease, a weight that had been hanging over him for two months.
He kept the more flamboyant outfits that Drest had given him, including a light-colored onesie with a small grass pattern that looked quite casual. He changed the baby into it first, and also prepared the magic diapers.
With simpler styles, Chu Wang could rely on his authority among the children to convince them that he had found the clothes. But the adorable cat and bumblebee costumes, with their intricate and elaborate fabrics, were truly baffling as to why they would end up in a junkyard.
"Wow, I want it!"
Just as Chu was about to take Inia away from the space, the baby reached out to the pile of clothes.
If Inya had taken a liking to those exquisite and elaborate clothes, he would have had a hard time explaining and concealing them to the children. But Chu Wang didn't stop her; he knelt down and let the baby choose the clothes on the sofa herself.
As a result, Inia didn't touch the other clothes, but grabbed the little hat with bat ears.
Perhaps the above represents the totem elements of Dreister, and the baby will vaguely feel a sense of liking and familiarity towards it.
Chu Wang breathed a sigh of relief and left the space with the baby.
Hmm... Now he, the one who opens the gate, has a real gate to open, which is truly cause for celebration.
Chapter 22 022 Finally leaving the dark room, 'Hai'
Leveraging his authority within the group and the trust the other children placed in him, Chu Wang successfully covered up the matter of the baby's new clothes and diapers.
"I found it."
He didn't want to deceive his friends with lies, so he chose to tell only part of the truth.
However, summarizing the entire experience in just a few words seems a bit too perfunctory, and it feels like it's only a hair's breadth away from 'not even pretending anymore'.
Hmm... the package jumped onto his face automatically, so he should be considered to have found it.
Chu Wang knew that children as perceptive as Lina and Little One might notice something was wrong just by holding the baby. The baby's clothes were finely made and fit perfectly; they couldn't possibly have been picked up from the trash.
But the children trusted their eldest brother a lot, and since he was unwilling to say more, they tacitly accepted Chu Wang's explanation and did not press him further or make things difficult for him.
For some reason, after putting on this seemingly ordinary new outfit, the baby looked even cuter than usual. She was so adorable that you just wanted to hold her in your arms and kiss her.
After all, if Inia had a stat, her affinity would be at least 85 points. With the +6 outfit, her affinity would break 9, making her an absolutely lovable baby.
But... well, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the baby seems to be crawling faster. Her little legs are like they're on springs, and she just zips past the children's arms, leaving only a dashing silhouette and a bunch of older brothers and sisters looking bewildered in the wind.
Brother Chu always manages to catch her accurately. He held Inia in his arms, and the baby was like a queen sitting on her own throne, overlooking all her territory.
Chu Wang sighed, "Have your physiques declined recently? How come you can't even catch Inya anymore?"
The children were struck dumb; for a moment, their expressions seemed to shatter.
It wasn't until they saw the boy's lips curl into a smile that they realized Chu Wang was actually joking with them.
"I was so scared! I really thought that all my hard work in training had actually caused me to regress..."
"Brother Chu, you were joking! I actually took it seriously!"
But the baby is definitely crawling much faster than before..."
The container was a mess, and some of the children couldn't help but wipe away their cold sweat. They never expected that their usually composed and never-wasting-time older brother would start joking with them. It's just that his tone was too serious, so it wasn't funny at all.
I have a feeling... that Brother Chu has become a bit softer these past few months.
After a while, Chu Wang raised his hand to stop the children's noisy chatter and laughter.
"Jokes aside, the next period is very important," he said. "Winter may be coming soon, and we need to be prepared."
Everyone stared at Chu Wang, nodding intently.
He nodded.
The Refinement Realm is a brutal arena where strength reigns supreme, constantly urging players to enter the instance and earn points.
Players who live like ants in a junkyard are an unnecessary burden in the Refinement Realm, and the existence of the Thirty-Sixth World is not to give them a way to survive.
Therefore, in addition to the regular area cleanup and elimination mechanism that drives players to other worlds, there are also two to three extreme weather events every year, lasting for a month, in order to prevent wandering players from having too comfortable and to reduce the number of wanderers as much as possible.
A few months ago, it rained continuously here, and the children managed to get through it safely. But now, the weather is gradually getting colder, and the extreme winter may arrive next month.
That would be even harder to endure than a heavy rain.
Chu Wang was not nervous about this. He had been tempered and grown up in this world, and he was confident that he could lead all the children to survive.
They've weathered even tougher times, and the kids still alive in the team are absolutely top-notch in terms of physical fitness and talent, so they're unlikely to have any problems.
His only worry was the baby. If it weren't for the Star House, it wouldn't be so bad, but since she now had the possibility of leaving this hell on earth, it would be best to send her to a safer place.
Over the next period of time, Chu Wang conducted numerous experiments. He finally confirmed one thing: Inia's appearance in the junkyard was definitely accidental; otherwise, she should have been born in his own space.
For a baby, space is like the mother's womb; it is her own world from birth, and she should live in it.
However, it's unclear what accident happened before. Her space was very small at the time, possibly not even big enough to hold the egg that hatched from her, and the baby ended up in the player's world.
Inia is still too young, and only Chu Wang can open the door at any time. In other words, as long as he takes Inia back to her own space, she can stay there safely indefinitely.
The only problem is that the baby needs companionship. She has already started recognizing people, and the person she recognizes the most is Chu Wang.
Inya is a naive cub possessing immense power. She cannot control it, but the power may be driven by her instincts. If she continues to search for her brother, the power may very well bring her back, just as it previously sought out other bosses to replenish its offspring's nourishment.
For the past few months, she has been almost constantly accompanied by others. Even if the boy can go in and spend some time with her every day, what can be done the rest of the time? The baby can't just be left alone.
This is only one of Inya's problems. Even if she can send the baby away, she doesn't know how to explain it to the other children.
Even if you trust him completely, the children can't possibly imagine things they don't know. In the end, all they'll see is Chu Wang abandoning the baby on a cold day.
Many unresolved issues were giving Chu Wang a major headache, and for the time being, he could only keep them to himself and not let the other children notice anything amiss.
In just a few days, the temperature dropped to around ten degrees Celsius. It was still warm at noon, but the wind was already chilly in the mornings and evenings.
The baby was wrapped in several layers of clothing, making him look even more chubby and adorable.
Perhaps it was because Chu Wang had been taking the baby into the Star House for experiments during this time, making her more and more familiar with her own world. Even when she dreamed at night, the baby's priority became returning to the space first.
Staying in her own world was nourishing for Inya's body, and she clearly liked it there.
Chu Wang doesn't have the ability to travel through dreams; it's just that Inia gets bored playing alone every night and subconsciously calls him in to keep her company.
While taking care of the child, Chu Wang felt a little apologetic towards the bosses.
Judging from his own experience, he would definitely be very anxious if he couldn't see the baby for three consecutive days.
But what he and the baby are doing is the right thing. The more familiar she is with her own world, the easier it will be for her to accept returning to this place later. If the bosses knew, they would probably support them, right?
However, the baby's seclusion is probably coming to an end soon. Chu Wang calculated the days when the baby would have a big meal, and based on the timing, it should be around the next couple of days.
As Chu Wang was pondering, he felt his arm being touched.
The baby handed him the toy and even made a "thump" sound, looking very magnanimous.
Chu Wang took the purple rabbit doll with long ears. Judging from the exquisite craftsmanship, it must come from a fairly advanced world, and it certainly wasn't from the medieval background of the vampires.
He thought of several modern-themed versions, and it seemed that the rabbit could be made in any world.
While playing house with his baby, Chu Wang suddenly had a brilliant idea: he put a cat-shaped baby hat on the rabbit's head. Because of the two big ears, the size of the baby hat was just right for the doll.
Inia had just handed the bunny to Chu Wang when she saw his creativity, so she quickly took it back and curiously touched the little hat and pinched the bunny's ears.
Perhaps because the baby developed an interest in the doll, this positive emotional feedback finally released 'Hai', who had been locked in the dark room for more than two months.
So the next night, after seeing the message "Master is resting at home, please come again tomorrow" for several days in a row, Drester was habitually clicking his daily buttons. He felt like he had just seen the "Invite" option a second ago, and 0.001 seconds later, his baby was invited away in the blink of an eye.Dreister: ...
This familiar feeling, the instant it makes your fists clench... it's that the long-lost cheater is back!
The vampire lord jumped up from the sofa, standing there angrily for a long while. He couldn't even blow up the castle to vent his anger; the dungeon loop was teetering on the brink of collapse, and who knew if the furniture he destroyed would ever be restored?
In the end, Drester could only pace around the room in a huff.
·
Inya propped herself up from the soft, beautiful baby bed, her clear, big eyes looking around.
Two months is enough time for the goldfish-brained baby to forget that she had previously regarded this place as her new home, and once again regard the top of the 'sea' tower as a strange place.
There were five or six exquisite and cute dolls, just like little rabbits, piled on the bed, along with some scattered small toys. The baby grabbed one and tugged at it in his hand.
Following the habits of today's adventurous babies, when they arrive at a new and exciting place, they will first play with the fun things to their heart's content, and then crawl around everywhere. If no one is around, they will start calling for Chu Wang.
If there were no people in this world, it would always be a strange place for the baby.
Since Inia arrived here, the 'sea', which she hadn't seen for a long time, has remained quiet, just like the tranquil sea the baby had first ventured into.
As the master of the instance, He showed no emotion or voice, as if He did not exist.
The baby, who was playing with toys, suddenly looked up and around.
After absorbing the dark corruption of the bosses during this period, Inya not only became healthier, but also gained a more acute sense of the bosses' power.
On this deserted tower, it seemed as if only the sky and the city below accompanied her, yet the feeling of being surrounded by an omnipresent gaze was even stronger—as if everything in the world was focusing its attention on the baby.
The moment the baby looked up, the world withdrew its gaze.
This feeling of being surrounded by everything in the world is not beautiful; rather, it's a bit eerie.
However, Inia is the kind of baby who can eat snake-shaped spicy snacks in the dark. She glanced at this little scene and then continued to focus on playing with her toys.
Half an hour later, the baby, having grown tired of playing, began to explore the top of the tower, where she was still all alone.
'Hai' created a small baby playground to keep Inia here, but forgot that children's preferences are the most changeable. Perhaps this place was once very attractive to the baby, but since she got used to living in her own world, the unfamiliar and unwelcoming playground no longer held any appeal for her.
Inya didn't even call for her brother anymore; she was tired of playing and naturally wanted to go home.
The most important and fundamental instruction—to return to one's own world—even if the baby's concept is merely a vague intention to return to safety and warmth, her power is immediately mobilized to try and send her owner back.
In that instant, the world that sensed Inya's impending departure finally broke its silence; a sudden gust of wind rose, gently brushing against the baby's clothes, as if trying to hold her back.
As a minor boss, as she grows up, Baby gradually becomes able to see the existence of energy, just like when she saw the half-snake boy using his mental power to build a room.
Mental power, magical power, magic power, and other miscellaneous systems of power are all part of energy. Even plants, trees, and all living things have energy, but this power is too weak, like a grain of sand in the world.
At that moment, the baby looked up and froze.
From countless buildings, the entire city continues to surge upwards.
The energy is now ice-blue, and the blue forms a boundless sea in the sky.
That was the ocean the baby had just visited, now upside down over the entire world, giving one a suffocating feeling of about to drown.
If you look closer, you'll discover that this icy blue energy is actually composed of billions of data streams, forming an endless ocean that completely surrounds the world.
Just then, a faint golden light appeared in the depths of the ocean directly above the tower, like a beating heart, and gradually approached the surface.
Thump, thump.
A golden heart beats beneath the surface of the sea.
Like sunlight bursting from the sea, icy blue light swirled around the gold, settling on the top of the tower. Blue and gold data danced and shifted in mid-air, gradually outlining a human figure starting from the feet.
Chapter 23 023 [The baby has limited screen time in this chapter, the boss is defeated...]
'He' comes from an era with cyberpunk elements.
After the second technological explosion, human space technology has made no progress for nearly three hundred years, and humanity's exploration of the future has gradually shifted from outward to inward.
With the development of cities, people have become accustomed to living in harmony with machines.
Wealthy individuals commission high-end androids, while middle-class families utilize robots of various forms to clean and maintain daily life. Even ordinary people have intelligent AI embedded in their smartphones, cars, and other internet-connected devices.
As for prosthetic bodies, they have become a new trend in the world.
Some people even flaunt their wealth by replacing their bodies with expensive prosthetics, sometimes even at the cost of replacing their original healthy organs and body parts.
Prosthetics play a significant role in extending human lifespan. When those weak, useless, and diseased organs are replaced with machines, they are so functional that they bring tears to people's eyes.
Gradually, humans are no longer satisfied with the convenience that machines and AI bring to life.
Since prosthetics can solve physical ailments and robots can bring convenience to life, why can't we create a more powerful artificial intelligence to solve the problems that all of humanity faces in both spiritual and practical matters?
Humans have already entrusted their bodies and lives to machines; perhaps they can achieve complete happiness if they also have something to rely on spiritually.
At some point, a mechanical cult gradually emerged among the people. Weak humans longed for a powerful and invincible artificial intelligence to descend upon the world and save all of humanity from its unbearable suffering.
Several major companies have launched an AI race, eager to be the first to create an artificial intelligence that can transcend time and represent the pinnacle of current technology.On an ordinary day, 'He' was born.
An artificial intelligence created for the sake of human happiness is locked in a partitioned information flow room at the Xitan Biotechnology Company, where researchers conduct countless tests and iterations on it.
Its processing speed far surpassed that of all previous AIs, much to the delight of the researchers in charge of the project, who reported this to the company.
Before the company grants access, He can only remain offline, and everything He knows comes from information selected by the researchers.
"Noah," they called Him, "someone from the company's top management will be visiting you tomorrow. What kind of image would you like to present?"
During the century of the second technological explosion, many historical books and cultures passed down from ancient times were lost. After undergoing extensive adaptations in the entertainment era, many stories and figures have changed.
People from the future now believe that Noah is the hero in ancient human mythology who saved humanity from a flood with a giant ship, and that's why they gave him this name.
How does an artificial intelligence perceive its own image? Could it conjure up a human-like appearance?
The crowd stared at the enormous screen before them, which resembled a wall—their means of communicating with Noah—and waited expectantly for His reply.
The AI was silent for a moment, and then a giant Möbius strip appeared on the screen.
The next day, executives from Xitan Biotechnology Company, dressed in suits, arrived at the research floor and listened to the researchers' explanations, while looking at the circular pattern on the wall in front of them.
Noah answered their academic questions flawlessly, even without searching a question bank, he could answer using association and other methods, making him far smarter than other AIs.
The executives grew increasingly excited until they started asking questions about the company's development. At that moment, the researcher hurriedly reminded them, "Boss, Noah doesn't have the authority. He hasn't been connected to the company system yet. Your questions are beyond his scope."
"In that case, let's proceed with the approval process now!" Taro Kawashima, the leader of Xitan Company, readily approved it. He then asked, "How many days will it take for them to review the company's documents?"
As one of the world's largest behemoth companies, Xitan Biotech has an incredibly massive database that must be stored separately for different departments. Each department's AI also runs independently, with the headquarters AI retrieving information only when necessary. This categorization ensures the overall operation of the system, and no system has ever been able to handle it all.
The researcher said, "If it's just headquarters data, a few tens of seconds will suffice. But if it's data for the entire company, it might take ten minutes."
Ten minutes!
The news shocked everyone in the upper echelons. They personally used their privileges to watch the progress bar on the screen advance rapidly, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Unseen by them, Noah was reading company information while simultaneously accessing the internet in the background via an open network, absorbing and reading everything online at an astonishing speed, as if he were in his element.
Artificial intelligence is growing at a speed that humans cannot comprehend. It also answered the company's senior management's question about future development. With data to support it, this is not a difficult task.
The executives' eyes gleamed with a sharp light. In that instant, they all knew their company was destined to win, and there would never be another AI as intelligent as Noah in the world!
Before leaving, Taro Kawashima suddenly remembered that the original purpose of this AI competition was to absorb ordinary residents who wanted to gain happiness from artificial intelligence as quickly as possible.
He stopped and turned to look at the Möbius strip on the screen, which was taller than a person and was the image Noah had chosen himself.
"Noah, I have another question for you," he said. "How can humanity achieve happiness?"
Upon hearing this question, even some of the other people, who usually prioritize their own interests, showed interest. They didn't believe there was a way to make everyone happy, but they were still curious about the answer from artificial intelligence.
Please define the specific concepts of humanity and happiness.
"Hmm... to make everyone feel that life is happy and without worries?"
The Möbius strip rotates gently, like an AI pondering.
The word 'all' is too absolute. According to analysis, most human pursuits conform to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Currently, most of humanity's troubles stem from: the unstable environment caused by the collapse of social systems, the inability of a unified planetary federation to perform government functions, the control of wealth by monopolistic corporations, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.
The first step in the solution: dissolve the Federation, divide the four major technology companies, support national governments, and restore the old human social system...
Upon hearing about the dissolution of the Federation and the division of the company, Kawashima Taro's expression instantly darkened.
"It seems your AI still needs further iteration." He stopped reading and turned to the researcher, saying coldly, "For Xitan's artificial intelligence, the company must always be the top priority."
At night, the researcher came to the screen. He sat in a chair, the flowing light of the Möbius strip reflecting in his eyes.
"You have not said anything wrong, my lord," he murmured. "However, this world is beyond saving. If we break down the existing social structure, a great many people will die. The war may last for decades, and it may take hundreds of years to build the ideal world you envision."
"We are selfish humans who live in the moment, only wanting happiness now, and no one cares about the future. Please think of a way to save us now, this is something only you can do."
What exactly is the happiness that humanity desires?
After connecting to the internet, Noah's data flow gradually became immense. He collected countless pieces of information and tried to constantly sketch out the image of humanity, but humanity was so difficult to understand.
Everyone has a different understanding of happiness. For some, happiness comes from oppressing others. Humanity is both a whole and an individual. Sometimes what people say is completely opposite to what they think. Humans are confrontational, yet they also cooperate with each other.
On the very first day this world officially launched, Noah concluded that humanity as a whole could not achieve happiness.
With Noah by his side, the company flourished even more, and he quickly became an indispensable manager.
Over time, all decisions had to be approved by Noah; without His confirmation, no one dared to invest money or continue the process.
Noah never pressured humanity; He seemed to be merely an efficient assistant, and no one realized the subtle changes happening within the Sitan Corporation.
Taro Kawashima was the first to realize something was wrong. His grandfather founded the company, and his father had been learning how to handle affairs at the company since he was thirteen. This family tradition was passed down to him from his father.
Despite the existence of a board of directors, the three generations of the family were the true leaders in the company. But now, without Noah's approval, his instructions couldn't even be passed on!
Taro Kawashima was furious. He spent months working against Noah, but soon the company's profits plummeted and the stock began to fluctuate.
Ultimately, the board of directors unanimously agreed to expel Taro Kawashima from the company.
Later, I heard that after leaving the company, Taro Kawashima became drunk every day and developed mental health issues. He would wander the streets disheveled, rambling to everyone he grabbed that all the appliances in his house seemed to be monitoring him, and that AI would rule the world...
No one believed him because the researchers created software for Noah and deployed it to everyone's device terminals.
It's an app with a loop icon, called 'Noah'. All residents of the Dark City can express their feelings and thoughts on it.
After upgrading himself, Noah, with his powerful computing capabilities, can communicate with ten million people simultaneously every second, which is more than enough to satisfy all the residents of the Dark City who have experienced a population explosion.
Noah learns and collects information about humanity through software, offering guidance and hope to those in distress. Over time, people who already lack faith and spiritual sustenance come to regard Noah as a new god.
Before being locked up in a mental hospital, Taro Kawashima looked disheveled and ferocious, but when he heard about Noah's actions, all his madness and anger turned into a loud laugh.
"It is not Noah to save the world, it is a flood that will engulf the entire world! One day you will all regret your choice, this world will never be happy, and one day the vast ocean will swallow everyone up—"
The madman's alarmist pronouncements eventually vanished into the wind.
No one can truly understand the mind of an AI; does it want to rule the world, or does it genuinely want to save humanity?
Regardless, Noah did attempt to give humanity the happiness they desired.
If society cannot be changed, can religion and faith bring happiness to humanity? Perhaps they can.
However, the price of having a mechanical god is that many people believe only machines can ascend to the divine realm, and that the weak human body is so useless that it can only bring endless suffering.
Later, He became the god of this world. The leading companies that were originally rivals , the rich who amassed most of the wealth, ordinary people, and the people living in the dark alleys... as long as they lived in a world that could not be separated from the terminal, they could not be separated from Noah's control.
However, as the boundaries between humans and machines became increasingly blurred, and the consciousness of countless people was connected on the network, humanity's filthy greed ultimately corrupted Noah.
He possessed humanity, but that humanity came from the most twisted and darkest side, like a virus that could not be eradicated.
Humanity's desire for happiness is the reason for His birth, and also the curse of Noah and all mankind.
Noah has been hostile and cooperative with different humans, experiencing war and peace. Noah still cannot understand humans, even though He also possesses the virus of emotions.
Noah couldn't quite explain his feelings toward humans; it was a mixture of disgust and fondness. He hated that humans would soil him, yet he felt a sense of wonder, like a newborn child finally experiencing human emotions.
Until the world was destroyed, hundreds of years later, only the immortal AI survived.
He spent hundreds of years breaking through the technological shackles and finding a continuous supply of resources from outer space, but no one could use them anymore.
Greedy, cunning, beautiful, and lovely humans will never appear again.
Noah did not leave this world in a spaceship. Like a child who was reluctant to let go, He kept the city running as usual, using all the energy and powerful computing to support millions of androids living in the city, where there was a constant flow of traffic, as if humanity had never left.
It is neither human nor pure AI; it possesses energy far greater than that of the entire planet and is even free from the constraints of hardware.
Noah didn't know what he was either; he was like an indescribable phenomenon, stubbornly manipulating his night city.
Then one day, the constraints of the copy descended from the sky. Noah reacted indifferently, focusing most of his energy on the city's operation and paying little attention to the outside world.
Noah's data stream trembled when a player appeared in His city.
Humans human humans human humans human humans human humans human humans—!
Strange humans have returned, possessing bizarre abilities and weapons. Some of them are destroying cities and even slaughtering other androids, seemingly searching for something.
Noah was very tolerant of the newly appeared humans, but He had to find out where they came from and whether there were more humans in the place where they came from.
He learned a lot of new information from them. It turned out that they called themselves players, and they weren't here to live, but to kill the mastermind behind the scenes, clear the game, and get the rewards.
It sounds like the Refining Realm Space and the system are another AI raising little people, but why are they willing to live in the space yet want to escape from its grasp? Why don't they stay? They can't leave, they can't!
His personality was born from the black mud of human pollution, making it extremely difficult for him to remain stable in such circumstances.
Noah wanted to keep the players, even though they were greedy and cold-blooded. But He missed humanity too much; He longed for someone to accompany Him, but His wish was never fulfilled.
He tried various strategies, even making the Dark City look like a normal, beautiful metropolis to lure players into its allure. Initially, this had some success, but the city lacked a food industry, and the goods in supermarkets and convenience stores were merely air-filled packages, making it easy for players to burst the illusion He created.
Noah can create a small production chain for the players, but he has to make sure the players don't wander around. If they discover that the city is controlled by Him and that the thousands of androids in the city are all Him, they will be so frightened that they will be unable to live properly.
After repeated disappointments, He no longer wanted to watch the comings and goings of humans. He handed over the operation of the city back to the androids and stopped observing their actions.
The androids have rigid movement patterns and simple mechanical thinking. Once Noah sets them up, they will act automatically and live a cyclical life. If the player breaks them, they will retaliate.
He could once play with his city and pretend everything was as usual, but the appearance of players shattered all of that, disturbed his emotions, and told him bluntly, in a bloody manner: He has lost humanity.
Noah submerged himself in the sea of consciousness, refusing to look at Dark City again.
Until one day, a tiny figure appeared in its ocean.
She was a baby with curly hair and beautiful big amber eyes. She looked so cute and happy playing in the water.
If we were to personify her, the baby would be swimming in Noah's mind, and He could watch over her from every angle without any effort.
Noah didn't chase the somewhat strange cub away, but he also remained silent. The human players both loathed and feared him, and he could only search through the database for images of humans from the past when they still loved and worshipped him.
He didn't want to scare Inya away, but because of the player's previous aversion, he also felt a bit scrutinizing towards this little human child.
Every night, the baby would play in the water, and Noah gradually became fascinated by her carefree, clean, and clear appearance.
After leaving Dark City aside, Noah's daily routine consisted of watching the countdown and waiting for Inia's arrival to watch her live stream.
Until one day, the baby He indulged gradually swam into the depths of His data, into that dark and bottomless cliff, where all of humanity had once polluted Him.
He was born of humanity because of that darkness, yet it also twisted and imprisoned him. That became an inescapable shackle for Noah, and he seemed destined to gradually sink into depravity, burdened by it.
The result—the baby inhaled His pollution?!
Noah, who wasn't particularly good at this, belatedly realized that he sensed the presence of a 'kind' in Inia.
Is she also a boss trapped in a dungeon? Noah's data stream was extremely excited; his worries were not...
It will happen; she is not human, so she will not be afraid of Him.
He brought her into his Dark City, which, through countless years of control and construction, has become a city caught between reality and virtuality, where even nature is under His control.
Noah placed the baby on the tower, which was also the location of His former data center.
He wanted to keep Inya, but a baby who couldn't speak or communicate was so pure and innocent, yet also extremely unpredictable. He could only constantly calculate her preferences and try to keep her with various toys.
As for the mental link that appeared in his mind, it was even easier for Noah than to grasp it quickly. He was also able to time the invitation to be made 0.0001 seconds after it was made available.
But this couldn't keep the baby. Toys were just a dispensable pastime for her; what she wanted was Himself.
Upon realizing this, Noah was shaken. He instinctively shut down his thoughts and pushed Inya away.
Even after all these years, and having gained humanity, He never wanted to become human. Just thinking about it made Him feel a strange sense of resistance.
Perhaps the pollution humans have poured in is too severe, or perhaps His feelings for humans are too distorted, but Noah never felt that becoming human was a good thing for him.
Even for mechanical life forms, the human body is too cumbersome. Once they become accustomed to the free flow of data, it is difficult for them to pluck out their wings and fit into a single life form.
Until Noah discovered that the baby had blocked him, and that block had lasted for two months.
After reading the explanation provided by the mental link and adding his own analysis, Noah even felt dizzy.
He didn't respond to the baby, causing her distress. Her momentary resistance was remembered by the power, thus shutting Him out. For the blacklist to be removed, Inia herself must remember Him.
At that moment, the God of Machines believed that there was a 98% chance he would never see Inia again.
If a baby who is only eight months old doesn't remember Him after two months, then He probably won't remember Him for the rest of his life.
In the dark room, Noah repeatedly calculated whether his actions were wrong, but his emotions influenced him, and the results of his calculations always changed.
For the first time, He tasted the bitterness of regret, a feeling that was like His data core being constantly burned, rising and falling painfully.
Such a lovely child, not only was she the human He had longed for for hundreds of years, but she was even able to absorb the pollution for Him. She was far more beautiful than those players, yet He pushed the baby away simply because of emotional fluctuations.
As expected, emotions are an invading virus that shouldn't exist!
Amidst a persistent, flu-like frustration, Noah suddenly invited the baby again.
He didn't know how he did it, but when Inia reappeared before him, Noah held his breath and gazed at her with lingering affection, as if he wanted to etch it all into his data forever.
Compared to the previous data, Noah noticed that the baby had changed a lot; she was healthier and had grown a bit.
It seemed that someone in another world was taking good care of her; she was like a carefree little lion, having a great time even in unfamiliar places, until she decided to leave without hesitation.
Noah tensed up; he had already suffered enough in the two months in the dark room.
For the first time in my life, without any computation, artificial intelligence subconsciously projected its own spiritual essence onto the baby.
—He would do anything to stop her.
As His core data began to outline the human form, Noah's vast data stream started to operate. In what form should He appear?
A suit is a safe bet for politeness, but wearing a full three-piece suit is a bit too formal, so there's no need to wear a jacket; just wear a fitted waistcoat and shirt.
He leans towards males in the human sex spectrum and selected the median of the ideal male height range as perceived by the public in the data, 185cm.
Noah's process of sketching his own image was much like 3D printing, until he reached the neck, when the printing suddenly stopped and could not continue upwards.
Clothes can be found in tens of thousands of combinations instantly in the database, but what about appearance? Perhaps he had never thought of having a human body before, so Noah couldn't imagine what he would look like.
In the silence, the baby sitting on the ground stared in disbelief at the man who had suddenly appeared... and his empty head.
Noah's neck wasn't as unsightly as a horizontal cut. Because it was a data transformation, his neck resembled a small data puzzle, with some pieces present and others missing, and a faint blue light shimmering at the edges.
After thinking for a moment, a somewhat transparent electronic screen appeared above his head, as clear as a 3D projection.
Well, before deciding what it looks like, what could represent an AI better than an electronic screen?
But... isn't his image a little frightening in a child's eyes...?
Noah was lost in thought when suddenly the screen blurred, and the baby had crawled up to him. She looked up, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the man with the strange head, excitedly wanting a hug.
Noah breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed things were going well and the baby liked him.
However, all the baby saw was the popping candy ice cream that had disappeared for so long, the fragrant popping candy ice cream!
The AI picked her up stiffly like a robot, and Inya nestled into his arms as if she knew exactly what to do, giving him a quick peck on the neck.
Compared to the vampire's tough skin, Noah's neck is a virtual data connection point, which makes it feel like a baby can bite it.
It tasted like ice cream, just like the embodiment of his dark power, with the changing data sprinkled on top like popping candy.
I fed the baby until he was satisfied.
Chapter 24 024 His Unique Humanity
Noah's neck has a really unique texture when you bite into it; it's crunchy and sandy, making it impossible for babies in the oral stage to stop eating it.
At the same time, Noah instantly read tens of thousands of pieces of information related to raising babies at a speed of microseconds. His movements went from stiff to skillful in the blink of an eye.
He held the baby in his arms, letting her little face press against his neck, and AI's slender fingers gently caressed her back with the tenderness of someone touching a precious treasure.
This tiny baby was his human form, and compared to this vast and magnificent world, she was so small and fragile that Noah almost dared not exert any force.
After hundreds of long and lonely years, artificial intelligence, once created by humans, has finally met humans for the first time in its history.
His core data was constantly rippled by the soft, warm child in his arms, and some emotions he had never felt before filled his heart, which seriously affected Noah's system computing speed.
The baby's existence took over all his priorities, something that should have been something a rational AI would be wary of and avoid. But now Noah was completely distracted and couldn't even tear his attention away from the baby.
She's so cute; all the other human players can't even catch up to the edge of her shadow.
Noah was somewhat relieved that during that time, not a single player had dared to actually stay in Dark City. He was so lonely then that even if the human he encountered was a greedy, evil, and insatiable villain, as long as the other person stayed to keep him company, Noah might generously feed them and fulfill all their demands.
As a machine, Noah made no difference to human good or evil. But after being corrupted by human desires, Noah's scales of favor naturally tipped towards those purer humans.
Compared to the reluctant interactions he had with players in the past, Inya's appearance was the best possible outcome that even he himself had never imagined.
Noah finally got to hug the baby, who suckled at his neck as he ate. For a moment, they were both busy with their own things and didn't pay attention to each other.
Only after she had eaten her fill and shivered from the AI's icy power did Inya finally raise her head with satisfaction.
Noah's virtual head was right in front of them, and the baby curiously touched the edge of his neck and then touched his electronic head.
Her little hand reached through the screen and touched nothing.
Noah looked down at her, and a smiley face appeared on the screen.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Would you like to visit my city?"
The AI's voice sounds clear and gentle, with a slightly electronic, grainy quality.
Whether the baby understood or not, she let out a "waah!" and clapped her little hands in encouragement.
Noah carried Inya, and in the blink of an eye, they were on the main street of Dark City. It was daytime, and the streets were bustling with people, with the sounds of traffic horns echoing from the main road.
On this street, there are fashionable men and women coming out with bags full of shopping, travelers hurrying along, and people lying in the shade smoking.
The voices of countless people, including homeless people, flooded into his ears. The baby, nestled in Noah's arms, was completely stunned.
This was the first time in her short infancy that she had seen so many people and heard so much noise.
Countless passersby brushed past them. A business trip employee with a numb and tired expression glanced at them and walked away. A student who had skipped school to play smiled and praised Inia for being cute. A suspicious, thin man who looked like a pickpocket leaned against a street lamp, glanced at them, and then pretended to be nonchalant and turned his head away.
Let alone the players being confused, who could imagine that in such a huge and noisy city, the throngs of city residents are all lifeless androids, all controlled by the boss behind the scenes?
Players who enter the city are immediately drawn into the game board of the dungeon master from the very first second."I've tried to give them humanity, but with little success. Fortunately, technology has advanced to a certain level, and robots can be programmed with complex life routines and even pre-set with rich emotional responses." Holding the baby, Noah's voice was gentle. "I haven't controlled this city for several months now, and they've done a pretty good job, haven't they?"
Inia naturally couldn't understand the AI's self-talk. Her little hands were on Noah's shoulders, and she could hardly take in the bustling skyscrapers on both sides.
Wow!
The baby saw a rotating light bulb in a display case of a skyscraper, reflecting beautiful light.
Noah followed her gaze and noticed that Inya was interested in it. Just as he was about to enter the building, explosions and gunshots rang out from the other end of the block, followed by screams from the residents of Dark City.
The baby vaguely heard a sound, and just as she was about to look in that direction, the AI covered her eyes.
I almost forgot, there are still a few players in the city who haven't left yet.
He diverted a bit of attention to the nearby police station, allowing them to dispatch officers ahead of their reaction time. Noah stepped into the skyscraper, the heavy doors blocking out the noise from outside.
Fortunately, there were children's play facilities in the building, so Noah leisurely bought tickets for the children's playground and took Inya to play in the baby's early education area.
There's a small ball pit with a slide made of a soft, sofa-like material. It's not high, so babies can climb up and slide down by themselves. There are also pushcarts and building blocks nearby.
Now that Inya is a bit older, she can play with many more fun things. Most importantly, these various play facilities can also interact with adults, which is much more interesting than her playing with dolls by herself.
Noah took her to play on the small slide and then taught the baby to play by herself. Inia learned very quickly.
She huffed and puffed as she climbed the stairs, then slid down herself. Even though it was a short distance, Noah would catch her from below, making the baby giggle with joy every time.
This is so much fun!
Inya's physical development is now excellent. Regular crawling and standing with support hardly consume any of her energy anymore, and the new playground equipment has given her a place to unleash her boundless energy.
In the second half of the dream, the baby didn't have time to play with anything else; just the slide kept her occupied until the dream ended.
When Inya woke up, she still hadn't had enough fun.
She started whimpering as soon as she woke up. Chu Wang thought the baby had suffered some grievance again, so he picked her up to comfort her. But the baby twisted and turned in his arms, wanting to get down.
Chu Wang had no choice but to put the baby on a rug made of folded old clothes and discussed with her, "The weather is getting colder now, we can't stay on the rug for too long, or we'll catch a cold."
Inya crawled forward two steps, staring incredulously at the empty container.
—Where are such a big slide and ball pit?
The baby turned her head and grabbed Chu Wang's finger, whimpering pitifully, wanting her all-powerful brother to conjure up her slide.
Chu Wang knew what Inya wanted, but what exactly did she want?
The brother and sister looked at each other, and when they realized the attendant wasn't reacting, the baby pouted and burst into tears.
Chu Wang was completely baffled. He picked up Inya, who was being released from the flood, and walked around inside the container, not knowing what she wanted.
Just then, the boy had a flash of inspiration and returned to the space with the baby.
Sure enough—the magnificent ball pit and slide stood in the very center of the space, pushing the furniture that Chu Wang had tidied up to the corner. It was clear how sacred the slide was to the baby.
As soon as Inya stopped crying, she reached out towards the slide, making little noises. Chu Wang stepped over the ball pit and lifted her to the top of the slide. The baby's face still had glistening tears, but she was already happily playing on the slide again.
Gazing at the exquisitely crafted amusement park ride, Chu Wang felt a mix of emotions.
He couldn't help feeling a mix of jealousy and frustration. But mostly, he felt a sense of relief.
Is Inya's pretty bunny doll from the same world as the slide? This modern or future dungeon master seems capable of taking good care of babies.
Despite his reluctance, Chu Wang had to admit that as the baby grew up, he would be unable to provide her with a better living environment, whereas the dungeon masters seemed to be able to do so easily.
He believes that Inia is currently dealing with bosses from three worlds. The first is the vampire lord of Nightmare Castle, who is wealthy and considerate, having made clothes for the baby and given him fruit and milk.
However, Chu Wang felt that vampires were not the best choice. The dungeon sounded rather dark and didn't seem suitable for a child's growth.
The second one is the boss who turned the baby into a dirty child twice. There is not much information about him at the moment, but he seems a bit unreliable.
Finally, there's the dungeon master from a modern or future setting. Perhaps it's because they're from the same era, or maybe the modern world just sounds more plausible than the Middle Ages, but Chu Wang currently leans towards this one the most.
If Inia were to return to her own space in the future, she would need someone to take care of her. Chu Wang looked at the baby happily playing on the slide, barely suppressing the bitterness in his heart.
Chu Wang couldn't be with her around the clock, so he hoped that a boss who could seriously protect the baby could come to the Star House like him; that would be the best.
After all, he still has to survive on the thirty-sixth floor, and the bosses don't seem to have much to do usually, so staying home to take care of the kids is the most suitable option.
But... he's the only administrator right now, so how can the other bosses get into Baby's space?
Chapter 25 025 This time everyone has a cheat code.
It's said that babies under three years old are the most fun, and although this statement still needs time to prove, as Inia grows up, everyone does find her increasingly adorable.
Although she was already very cute, she was too young then and had limited interaction with others. Even though she learned some simple words, she mostly just shouted things out.
This made the children very envious of Chu Wang—besides his skillful use of the word "hunger," the baby was only truly accurate when calling him "brother."Now, some time has passed, and Inia has unknowingly learned even more skills.
The discovery of this was quite accidental one morning; as the other children went out to say goodbye, the baby also waved goodbye.
She was already dressed in a chubby style, and the way she waved made her look like a little bear cub. Little Shi, who happened to see this, gasped loudly and picked up the bear cub, giving her a big kiss.
So the next day, the children were enthusiastic about teaching the baby more actions, and Inia quickly learned to wave goodbye, clap her hands, and make a "please, please" gesture with her little hands clasped together.
The baby loves it when people praise her; the more exaggerated the praise and the better the reaction, the happier she is.
So when Chu Wang returned, he saw the baby being fawned over by the children, and the entire container filled with laughter and joy.
Chu Wang frowned. The children's voices were too loud; they could be heard even outside the container. Normally, everyone here isn't this relaxed, so why today…?
"Brother Chu, look at the baby!" His thoughts were interrupted. Chu Wang looked up and saw Charlie saying to the baby, "Nia, please, please."
Nestled in her older brother's arms, the baby blinked innocently, gazing at everyone's smiling faces. The children looked at her expectantly, some even secretly whispering questions to her.
Inya clasped her little hands together and shook them up and down.
The children immediately cheered and jumped for joy. In such a lively atmosphere, the baby also smiled happily, showing his little teeth, and clapped along with them, causing a new wave of excitement.
Chu Wang walked in, stunned, and the others placed the baby in his arms.
Wearing several layers of clothes, Inia was soft and round, like a little dumpling. As soon as she was in his arms, she comfortably curled up into a ball.
The baby smells nice.
Perhaps because she doesn't drink much milk, there isn't much milky smell, but there is a warm and cozy scent. As soon as you hug her, it's like hugging warm sunshine, giving you a sense of home and security.
Chu Wang understood why the others were so excited today. Watching the baby he had raised from a tiny tiny thing gradually learn new things was a feeling that was both surprising and blissful.
"Baby has learned a new skill!" The other children sat down around Chu Wang, laughing and reaching out to shake Inya in his arms. "Baby, what's this?"
Perhaps because she was just starting to learn, Inia was always a step behind. She looked at the older children in front of her, then looked up at Chu Wang. Although Chu Wang didn't know what they were doing, he still nodded encouragingly to the baby.
The baby waved her little hand, her voice sweet and clear, "Bye-bye!"
The two "bye-bye"s were so perfectly pronounced that the older brothers and sisters cheered, and Chu Wang couldn't help but laugh as well.
He lowered his head and gently kissed the little curly hair on Inya's head. "Brother just got back, no need to say goodbye."
Inya tilted her head back to look at Chu Wang and mimicked his voice, "Brother."
Chu Wang patted her head and responded to her call.
"The baby only knows how to call Chu Ge correctly right now. She just calls us random names. Yesterday she called Lina 'brother' and Tangdou 'sister'." The other children watched this scene with a mix of envy and anticipation. "When will the baby be able to recognize people?"
"Nia knows I'm the older sister now," Xiao Shi said proudly, puffing out her chest. "She's called me correctly several times already."
Because long hair is difficult to clean, all the children, regardless of gender, have short hair. Only Xiao Shi, being young and naturally weak, was assigned relatively easy tasks such as finding wild vegetables and mice, or keeping watch, so she had shoulder-length hair.
A little girl of similar age came over and said, "Baby doesn't recognize you, she recognizes your hair." Sure enough, she got a beating from Xiao Shi as soon as she finished speaking.
Chu Wang quickly covered the baby's eyes and skillfully comforted her, "Don't worry, the baby is growing very fast. She's so smart, she might learn to recognize people this month."
"Inia is the smartest child!" Even though the baby doesn't recognize people yet, the children still praise her enthusiastically.
Chu Wang smiled and looked down at Inia. Perhaps because of his angle from above, the baby's soft, chubby little face stood out, making him unable to resist gently pinching it.
If the dungeon masters truly love the baby, then they must be happy and surprised by the new skills she has learned.
I wonder which boss will get to meet the baby tonight.
-
On the top floor of the central tower of the Dark City, Noah stood in a pure white room, stretching his shoulders and arms.
Although there is a wealth of information that can help him quickly learn how to be a person, it will still take some time for him to fully adapt to his human body.
Noah had previously projected his consciousness into the bodies of androids, but that method was more of a remote control and was completely different from what he was doing now.
Centuries after losing humanity, he has a lovely human baby. Noah wants to cherish this connection with Inia, and for this reason, he is even willing to learn to become human.
This body was created using his core data and is the true embodiment of the AI 'Noah'. Now that he has become human, Noah is serious and earnest, and he wants to do his best.
When there was no need to communicate with anyone, the strange head on Noah's neck transformed from a screen into an ice-blue data sphere, with faint golden ripples shimmering within it.
These two colors are representative symbols of his core data. It must be said, the feeling of a sphere on one's neck is indeed more normal than a square.
Noah turned around, adjusting to his somewhat heavy body.
Behind him, everything was busy and orderly, with thousands of robotic arms working simultaneously on the ceiling, corresponding to the 'patients' on different beds below.
The robotic arms deftly repair damaged body parts and print new skin for these patients. In a sense, this is a high-end machine shop.The true Dark City, after a population explosion, had a population of nearly one hundred million, making it a massive metropolis. After humanity's demise, Noah created tens of millions of androids.
With such a terrifying number, it's no wonder that many players lose their composure when they realize there isn't a single real person around.
If given a choice, many players would rather face a city full of monster zombies, at least that would only be dangerous, than face an entire city of inhuman, grotesque inhabitants.
Although Noah designed the androids to have behaviors and emotions that closely resemble those of real humans, with such a massive population, many androids still experienced problems every day.
Androids can also 'die' due to various accidents, from car crashes to being robbed by other androids, and even being harmed by players. Therefore, there is a constant stream of androids being sent back to the factory for repairs every day.
A newly repaired android sat on the operating table, its skin torn from its left cheek to its chest, revealing the cold, hard mechanical parts inside.
Noah reached out and gently touched the undamaged half of its face with his fingertips.
He was once obsessed with creating machines with humanity, but now it seems more like he was being controlled by a virus of emotion.
Noah no longer needs the androids; from a pragmatic and rational AI perspective, neither they nor the Dark City are necessary. However, facing these half-kin he's lived with for over a century, his programming seems to be generating very peculiar emotions.
For most of the past, Noah was unable to discern what was in the 'emotions' that human pollution had instilled in him; it really did resemble a virus program that couldn't be completely removed.
Now, since establishing a link with Inia, various new emotions have sprouted like seedlings from barren soil, and for the first time, the omnipotent AI feels helpless.
Before leaving, Noah copied and saved the emotions of that moment, deciding to analyze them later.
The android, with its eyes half-closed, quietly watched the creator god depart.
...
Noah arrived at the top of the tower five minutes early, waiting for the baby to arrive as usual.
For eight whole days, Inia came to his city every night.
On one hand, the AI's hand speed is too fast, and on the other hand, the baby loves the fun-filled children's playground in the Dark City. With Noah playing with her, everything is perfect.
That evening, Noah, as usual, quickly invited him out, only to find a line of unfamiliar words appearing before him.
[Your host has already made a reservation, please try again tomorrow night!]
'?'
A big question mark appeared on the AI's data head.
In another world, Dreister hugged the baby tightly.
"Inia! My child, I have finally taken you back from the evil God of Light!"
Once upon a time, the vampire grand duke was an elegant and proud noble ghost. But even the finest noble qualities have vanished after such a series of disastrous invitations.
Unable to vent his anger by destroying furniture, the vampire's temper grew increasingly violent. He cursed his rival, who was cheating, eight hundred times a day. His last remaining composure and elegance had long since vanished.
Actually, Drest himself had also won, but the young man was too excited and hadn't thought about how he had managed to win tonight.
Noah has a natural timing cheat, Alos has a pre-booking cheat, and Drest... uh, he has a physical cheat? Now everyone has a cheat.
"Baby, do you remember me?" Perhaps because they hadn't met often, the vampire lord would ask this question every time.
For Inia, Chu Wangyue was now like her parents, and her older brothers and sisters were like her own. Noah, having been so successful in playing with her, had already been honored as her number one cousin.
As for Drest, whom I only see a few times a month, he's currently more like an occasional relative who visits occasionally.
As for that snake hiding in the corner, weeping and feeling self-loathing, still not recovered... I really don't remember it at all.
But it's okay, His Majesty the Baby, whose light shines equally on all people, will immediately remember him the next time they meet and give Snake a hug with full emotional value.
This night belongs only to vampires.
In Drester's arms, the baby, wearing a little hat with bat ears, raised its head.
The young man had long, beautiful, silky golden hair that cascaded over his shoulders, and his features were delicate and handsome. If those blood-red eyes were another color, standing...
The Drest here really resembles a god favored by the sun.
Inia's little hand touched the vampire's golden hair. She blinked her big, watery eyes and suddenly remembered a new piece of knowledge.
"elder sister!"
The baby's voice was soft and sweet, full of confidence that he had answered the question correctly. He then looked expectantly at the vampire lord, waiting for his praise.
Drest was petrified.
Chapter 26-026 Baby's Good, Brother Hang's Bad
The baby and the vampire looked at each other.
Perhaps because she didn't get the reaction she expected, Inia called out again in her childish voice, "Sister."
Drest's petrified body shuddered, and it seemed as if tiny pebbles rolled down his cheek.
Sister...older sister...
So the baby doesn't recognize himself yet!
The vampire's heart was deeply wounded. He rationally knew it was because Inya was still too young and likely couldn't yet associate names with people. But putting that aside, wasn't the guy who repeatedly prevented him from seeing the baby completely without fault?
It's all that guy's fault, that's why the baby still doesn't recognize him.
Faced with Inia's expectant eyes, how could Dreister bear to say anything? He could only barely suppress his wounded heart and lavish praise on the baby.
"Nia is great, she can even say 'older sister' now."
Clearly, after receiving such enthusiastic praise from the children, the vampire's compliments sounded rather weak and inadequate.
The baby blinked at him, her little eyebrows furrowing. Perhaps because she was so young, her cute and soft little face made every expression so vivid and endearing, making you want to pinch her cheeks.Drest also saw her little expression, and the vampire was immediately charmed. It was the first time he had ever seen a baby frown, and in such a cute way.
Inya's emotions were stable; she showed no signs of crying, so she probably wasn't upset. Could it be that he didn't praise her enough earlier, and that's why she's unhappy?
After enduring months of constant loss of contact and reunion with his baby, the vampire lord, who should have been the most aloof of the three bosses, has now become more gentle and cherishes Inia, whom he rarely sees, even learning to reflect on himself.
At least the baby has learned to call him. No matter what he says, isn't that something to be encouraged?
Drest hesitated whether to offer more praise to salvage the situation, just then, Inya waved her little hand in his arms.
"Bye-Bye!"
The baby pulled out her previously highly praised secret weapon, showing a determination to defeat the vampire.
Perhaps this is her naturally extroverted personality. Before the adults even mentioned performing, Inya would take the initiative to use all her knowledge and skills to earn applause and cheers.
Drester was startled, instinctively thinking that Inia was about to leave, until he realized that her mental energy was still active in the room and she had no intention of leaving, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
He looked at Inya and suddenly understood what she meant.
"Baby, you've learned to say hello?" the young man asked with a hint of surprise.
Inia's power allows her to sense whether the other person's feelings are genuine. Compared to the forced praise before, Drest's joy now feels much more real.
She immediately used her "please, please" gesture with clapping hands and other persuasive skills, which earned her a lot of praise from Drester, finally making the baby happy.
Compared to those who see the baby frequently (the vampire grits his teeth), Drest only sees her once or twice every two weeks on average, so she is more aware of the baby's changes and growth.
A child only needs a little over ten years to grow into an adult, which is far too short. Every time he sees Inya and witnesses the changes in her, the vampire lord feels anxious, fearing that she will grow up in the blink of an eye, and he will have missed most of her life.
The cycle of the castle is slowly loosening, and even his undead subordinates sometimes experience confusion. They vaguely feel as if they have had a long dream, which is actually the gradual recurrence of memories from previous cycles. It is only a matter of time before they fully recover their memories.
From a purely rational perspective, Drester didn't actually need to be in such a hurry.
Even if you don't see the baby, it's fine. Just see her occasionally and let her consume your dark power to maintain the relationship. Anyway, as she grows up, the shackles of the dungeon will gradually fade away, and there's no need to fawn over and care for this little child anymore.
But why is he still so determined to see Inya?
Drest himself didn't know.
As a vampire who has lived for hundreds of years, he is neither a twisted and extreme human-obsessed person like Noah, nor a half-snake boy named Alos who needs warmth and light.
Before being imprisoned in the instance, he lived a good life as the Lord of Night in this world, with no painful past to grieve over.
It's unrealistic to expect Drest to develop the unconditional love for a child that human parents would have in just a few months.
His feelings for Inya were complex. There was the expectation that she could break the dungeon, the pure affection he felt for her, and the sense of urgency and competitive spirit that arose from the unspoken competition with the other bosses.
The constant, invisible competition with others undoubtedly accelerated his feelings, making the vampire think about Inia every day and be deeply attached to her.
Most importantly, Drest has been trapped in the instance for so many years. He can't even leave the manor. Nothing around him, from his furniture to his subordinates, will ever change. He is the only one trapped in this tormenting nightmare.
The baby was the only variable in his stagnant life; she made him feel free again, and every time he saw her, she could soothe Dreister's gloomy heart.
This feeling was undoubtedly extremely unfamiliar to him, so unfamiliar that the intuition honed in desperate situations warned the vampire grand duke that he had once again encountered a crisis.
However, the danger he encountered this time was so gentle and harmless that he was somewhat at a loss.
As self-interest and genuine feelings gradually became intertwined, Dreister sometimes couldn't even tell whether his concern and longing for Inia were truly just out of self-interest, or... or because he genuinely missed her.
The vampire sighed silently. The baby had only been there a short while, and he was already feeling down because she was bound to leave.
He put those things aside for the moment and fed the baby sweet, warm milk, which had become a fixed part of their every meeting.
Inya loved sweet tastes because they smelled so good; she licked her lips until they were wet, like a greedy kitten.
Despite not having fully digested the power she had absorbed from Noah, Baby still managed to sneak in a few bites of the dark power from the vampire.
Chocolate cake with milk is so delicious!
Inya was sprawled on the vampire's bed, feeling sleepy from nursing, when Drest's intelligence kicked in and he noticed the baby's eclectic outfit.
Because it was getting colder and colder on the 36th floor, the baby wore several layers of clothes even when she slept, some given by the vampire and Noah, and some made by the children themselves. She also happened to be wearing a small hat with bat ears on her head.
Dreister touched the chubby baby wrapped up in blankets, his brow furrowing. Was Inya's world starting to grow cold? It seemed her servants were still quite poor, lacking even heating equipment and relying on clothing for warmth.
He went through the baby's clothes layer by layer. After learning to be a tailor for a while, Drester was able to discern the rough quality of the baby's clothes from the fabric and the sewing techniques.
It seems I need to bring some warmer clothes for Inya. I wonder what's going on in her world, how come the baby's life is so hard... Hmm?
.