After eating breakfast, Qi Zhimu walked into the most hidden folded space of the laboratory.
Here, the works he had poured his heart and soul into, currently unfinished, were quietly on display.
Lightly sniffing the faint residual scent of solder and lubricant, Qi Zhimu bypassed the large equipment with flickering standby indicator lights and stopped in front of a wide alloy workbench.
Under the cold white light, the limb half-completed the previous night took on a special texture.
The originally cold and stiff metal had been fused with high-strength composite bone and bionic muscle fibers.
The special material used for the knuckles ensured excellent flexibility, and the delicate sensory skin covering the fingertips could perfectly simulate human touch.
The lines of the arm were smooth and seamless, with the internal independent transmission system in a silent state.
Qi Zhimu issued a command to test whether the complete arm could accurately perform specific movements.
Grasping, punching, palm striking, finger flicking, elbowing... every movement a human could make, this arm could replicate perfectly.
And movements humans couldn't do—such as bending the knuckles ninety degrees in the opposite direction—were no trouble for it either.
Seeing such results, Qi Zhimu nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face.
Once the remaining details were perfected and the final test passed, it could be put into automated production.
"Now then..."
Qi Zhimu looked toward the lower limb on the other side.
Compared to the entire arm, testing the lower limb was undoubtedly much simpler; there was no need to test various functions of the toes as he had with the five fingers.
The results were gratifying, all exceeding expectations.
After properly storing the completed mechanical limbs, Qi Zhimu looked not far away.
There sat a mechanical skull.
The cranial cavity was wide open, exposing intricate neural interfaces and circuits.
On a stand to the left of the workbench hung a translucent crystal core.
To Qi Zhimu, this item was currently the part with the least technical bottleneck or difficulty.
After all—
He wasn't creating a highly intelligent inorganic lifeform that looked no different from organic life and acted with the same logic as a human.
Stepping out of the folded space, Qi Zhimu received a message from Clarice.
"Good morning, Mr. Qi. A fruit shop at the market yesterday imported a very delicious fruit. I bought two catties; let's see if it's to your taste~"
...Looking at the subtext, it meant she intended to visit today.
Qi Zhimu smiled slightly and replied with a simple word.
"Okay."
"Aren't you going to ask when I'm coming?"
"Knowing that a friend will come from afar is enough."
"It's not that far, really. At least a car can drive up to the Crossing Moon River..." Clarice had a shallow smile on her small face.
The Bamboo House where Qi Zhimu lived in seclusion was situated deep in the mountains behind a river that seemed to sever two worlds. There were no bridges that could accommodate land transport.
To cross the river, one could only ferry themselves.
"Keep warm and be careful on the road."
After replying to the girl, Qi Zhimu prepared to head to Ruan Mei's house to clean.
Dust accumulates faster in a house without the atmosphere of daily life.
The winter sunlight filtered through the sparse bamboo leaves, casting mottled shadows in the forest.
In the depths of winter, most bamboo leaves that hadn't yet withered and fallen back to the earth would turn from emerald green to a deep, dark green.
A thin layer of white frost hung on the bamboo tips, slowly melting into clear dew under the morning light, washing the world crystal clear.
The silver-clad, blue-and-white bamboo forest formed a living landscape painting.
A light fragrance mixed with the scent of earth and morning dew wafted toward him, appearing purer and more piercing than in spring or summer.
Taking a deep breath, he felt refreshed.
Even Qi Zhimu's body, which was already rotting from within, seemed to gain a bit of vitality out of thin air.
The vegetation on both sides of the path had fallen into silence like hibernating creatures.
During this season, Qi Zhimu didn't need to worry about the thick growth on either side.
When he reached the fork in the road and saw that pretty figure standing elegantly in the silver-white world, a faint smile couldn't help but tug at his face.
"...You silly girl, so you were already here."
"I just arrived~ I mainly wanted to give Mr. Qi a surprise, hehe..."
Clarice's voice held a hint of softness, her smile naive and cute as she walked quickly toward Qi Zhimu.
In fact... she had been there for a while.
As she drew closer, Qi Zhimu clearly saw her outfit for today.
A light purple, academic-style slim-fit sweater, with a dark fine-velvet scarf tied at the neck, accentuating the girl's delicate, snow-white chin.
The matching pleated skirt fell past her knees, revealing slender calves wrapped in warm white stockings.
Generally speaking, few eighteen-year-old girls can pull off purple.
But on Clarice, it was surprisingly suitable. Instead of looking old-fashioned, it gave her an indescribable temperament, without losing the vitality unique to a young girl.
Her bright eyes were full of spirit, and with her long eyelashes fluttering, she emitted a different kind of charm.
"You've been waiting for about ten minutes, haven't you?"
Based on some subtle signs, Qi Zhimu reached a fairly accurate judgment.
"I really haven't. I arrived just as I sent the message..."
Clarice shook her head and changed the subject by opening the transparent fruit box she was carrying.
"Here, Mr. Qi, have a taste while we walk~~"
The girl knew that Mr. Qi would be going to that residence to clean today, so she had come early to help out.
Waiting for him for one more minute meant one more minute of anticipation before meeting.
The fruit in the box was quite unique; it looked like a peeled apple but was about the size of a plum.
The most impressive thing was its color.
Half red, half blue.
The flesh was plump, with crystal-clear water droplets visible on the surface, obviously meticulously washed by the girl.
"The fruit shop clerk said the name of this fruit is simple and direct: Red-Blue Crystal Fruit. It has no pit and comes from a world called Vonwacq."
"The shell is also very special; it feels like peeling shrimp. I've peeled them all in advance, so you can eat them directly~~"
Clarice really wanted to pick one up and feed it to Mr. Qi, but she held back.
Perhaps... in Mr. Qi's heart, she hadn't reached a point where they could be that intimate.
"Thank you, Little... Clarice."
Qi Zhimu picked up a Red-Blue Crystal Fruit and put it in his mouth.
Hearing the obvious mid-sentence correction and seeing the relaxed expression on Qi Zhimu's brow, the curve of the girl's mouth became much sweeter.
"It's delicious, right?"
"Mm... very sweet."
Eh?
Hearing Qi Zhimu's evaluation, Clarice was momentarily stunned, but she didn't think much of it.
"...If Mr. Qi wants to eat it in the future, just send me a message, and I will... buy it for you as quickly as possible."
"That's not necessary. It takes you more than half an hour to come here; running back and forth is inconvenient."
"How could it be? Let alone half an hour, even if it were half a day... I would be willing..."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Clarice seemed to feel it was too obvious and quickly added.
"Mr. Qi is a benefactor to our whole family. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring!"
The two walked along the frosty path, just entering an area where the morning sun had not yet reached.
In Qi Zhimu's heart, however, a hint of warmth arose because of the girl's words.