Xyrin Empire
Chapter 560: Idle Chat About a Certain Doll

Chapter 560: Chapter 560: Idle Chat About a Certain Doll

A structure standing at approximately 300 meters in height with a top side measuring 100 meters and a bottom side 200 meters, all in a trapezoidal shape. The building was a curious combination of silver-grey with streaks of blue crystal. This was the Time-Space Administration Headquarters, which had been erected just yesterday (friendship reminder: construction period was three hours). In terms of size, this place, holding an SSS-class strategic value, couldn’t compare with the colossal starports, yet it was the core of the most massive time-space monitoring network we’ve ever established.

The Time-Space Administration was officially established on the second day.

The super efficiency of the Xyrin people always amazes. They got the agency up and running in less than twelve hours. If it were in human society, a department would take at least half a month from conception to official operation. And if it were a national-level secret department, the establishment and perfection process might even take years. As for a superstructure like "Macro World," even with sufficient technological strength, I doubt humans could establish its administrative system before the demise of their civilization—with the efforts of the relevant departments, a plan of such scale was nonsense from its inception.

And those freaks from the Empire—by the next morning, they were already sending messages of congratulations from Cybertron, indicating that the node was in good condition...

"Our first step is to consolidate the links with the existing worlds and use them as a basis for testing. The military connections between worlds like Azeroth, Academy City, Vedis, and so forth are quite mature. They can serve as subjects for our Dimension Hub experiments. By transporting vast quantities of goods between them, I hope to empirically determine the upper limit of individual world traffic load that this temporary civilian Dimension Hub can withstand," Sandora said, plucking at strings amidst a pile of curvilinear graphs in the Time-Space Administration’s office, which was still growing and transforming in places. "Although it’s just a civilian channel, because it connects thousands of worlds at the same time, the ’Macro World’ network’s traffic burden and the complex technical demands might be even more stringent than our existing military channels. Moreover, it’s a huge system that must be managed with caution. Starting from midnight tomorrow, the first batch of ’hotspots’ will be connected. Oh, a hotspot refers to a space of about two hundred meters around a chosen individual from Anotherworld. The initial selectees include Shana, the Today and Tomorrow Sisters, Duke Saphnan, the Granellet Knight, Wugeng Liu Li, Aisia, C.C., and Jianshan Huangquan. These First Generation Reviewers will help us check the signal conditions of the newly established, large-scale trans-plane communication network. Currently, this network has limited capabilities. It can only roughly determine whether the target worlds are affected by external contamination by scanning the ’hotspots’ around the Reviewers, as well as aiding the Reviewers themselves and individuals they have chosen to perform cross-plane transmission. But soon, it will be perfected."

I got the feeling Sandora just mentioned a lot of names that catch one’s interest. Was it just an illusion caused by a poor night’s sleep?

Ah, last night... Upon reflection, it was a real trial of will, a prolonged battle of mischief and counter-mischief. And my opponent in this battle was none other than Mercury Lamp, who fluttered around all night without a wink of sleep.

If I’d known, I’d never have agreed to let her move that huge trunk into my room.

Unlike us professionals who are accustomed to going on long trips, it was Mercury Lamp’s first time traveling between worlds (not counting her mysterious arrival here). The result was that she couldn’t get over the jet lag within a day. Having slept for more than six hours in her own box during the daytime, she wasn’t able to sleep at night. Despite having perfect looks and immense popularity, I must say, the Chairman in certain situations is nothing but trouble. She was wide awake at midnight, darting around the room, and even suddenly jumping into bed. Her biological clock is just like the white cat kept by Uncle Wang, who used to live next-door to me when I was a child. Thanks to this utterly inconsiderate doll, I didn’t sleep a wink all night.

Although, with my physique and spiritual power, I normally wouldn’t mind losing a day’s sleep, the problem is—I’m still an injured person here! Even with Dingdang replenishing my energy (yes, I meant for your thoughts to go there!), I’m still recovering.

"Ah—Jun!!!" Just as I collapsed headfirst onto the desk again, Sandora finally seemed to lose her patience, tapping my head with the projection screen in her hands. The Queen muttered, "Ah Jun, what on earth did you do last night! You’ve been nodding off since thirty minutes ago!"

You’re mistaken, honey. In fact, I started dozing off an hour ago.

Forget the lack of sleep last night. Even if I had as much energy as Qianqian, I couldn’t withstand your tireless exposition for an hour straight! These graphs before me are no easier to understand than Little Baobao’s doodles, it’s so frustrating. Even Pandora, that explosive-minded girl, looked pensive and thoughtful!

"Uh—okay, okay, I got it," Sandora finally gave in, retracting the curves that had been projected all over the room, which somewhat revived my spirits. "Ah Jun will never understand these things. But at least the ’Macro World’ system is part of your plan too. You could show a little interest occasionally, right?"

No problem, I’ll pick out the bits I understand to guide the work.

...Why do I have the feeling that, with that thought, I’m now off the hook for doing anything?

"By the way, how is the situation with the Otherworldly People still in Shadow City? The evacuation work should be unaffected, right?" I thought it over and decided that being too hands-off as a boss was not a good idea. I should at least take an interest in the work.

"The resident evacuations are in progress alongside the construction of the Time-Space Administration, and the first batch of Reviewers will only register a hundred instances. The rest of the Otherworldly People are just candidates. They can go home to wait for our Special Envoys to test them or choose to stay here until the results are in. Either way, it won’t affect the normal evacuation process. Although, some unique transmigrators did encounter a few problems..."

Seeing the peculiar expression on Sandora’s face, I tensed up immediately: "Did the Saiyans start fighting with the Shushan Disciples again?"

"What a mess!" Sandora immediately gave me a glare, "It’s those Skytopians... our current Dimension Hub is specifically designed for personnel transport, and those big guys who look like Ultraman... eh, Ah Jun, I’m picking up your lingo. Anyway, they can’t get through the regular World Gates, the transport pods are too small, so those super-sized visitors are temporarily stranded. Now the Xyrin Technicians are busy adapting a gate originally tailored for small spaceships to accommodate the Skytopians, and it’s because of this that a few of the Skytopian visitors are feeling a little down."

I was conflicted for a moment and then hesitantly said, "I think I understand what Visca was muttering about early this morning."

Sandora: "?"

"That girl said, ’... Can’t they just be sent back in small pieces? Those damn big guys...’"

Sandora: "Ah Jun, chop that bit out and don’t broadcast it! It’s bad for the kids!"

After getting the update on the Time-Space Administration and the establishment of the "Macro World" network from Sandora, I figured there wasn’t much for me to do, so I tactfully expressed that I couldn’t make heads or tails of those reports and left the office under Sandora’s helpless gaze.

"Oh, stupid human, you’re out!"

Then, at the office door on the lounge chair, I came across a moody looking doll.

Ever since the grudge of my broken tooth, I’ve been in this delicate standoff with Mercury Lamp. When I say delicate, it’s like this: obviously giving me the cold shoulder upon meeting, either indifferent or hurling hurtful words, yet this petulant doll persisted in following me around, even when I was too busy with important stuff to pay her any attention—

"Have you been waiting here all this time?"

I reached out to touch Mercury Lamp’s hair, and she opened her mouth like a little cat ready to bite, but as soon as she revealed half of her broken fang, the gothic doll deflated and ended up grabbing my hand, using it to jump up and neatly land on my shoulder.

"Let’s go, my steed."

... Did that annoying doll just use a very peculiar noun?

"Actually, it’s not that complicated, just get a dentist to fix it," carrying Mercury Lamp, I left the strange, trapezoidal building of the Time-Space Administration and walked down the street when I suddenly remembered, "Our tooth-repair technology is different from human medicine, it’s a perfect organic reconstruction, just like your original teeth..."

"You’re saying the exact same thing as those dental clinic signs!"

"Heh heh, I was the one who came up with that advertisement."

"Don’t waste your breath on this," Mercury Lamp tapped my head twice, now the girl definitely didn’t dare to use her steel teeth. In terms of durability, Mercury Lamp’s teeth couldn’t even compare to Dingdang’s, "You wretched stupid human..."

"Yes, yes, yes," carrying Mercury Lamp down the street naturally drew the attention of the busy transmigrators passing by, but since it was peak commuting period, "Imperial Leader carrying a doll through the streets" didn’t cause too much spectacle, "The body bestowed by Father must not be damaged, right?"

"... Hmph, good that you know," Mercury Lamp seemed to pause for a moment before huffing a response, and the next second she opened her little mouth and started yawning, "The day has brightened, I’m so sleepy..."

Hey! You weren’t really Uncle Wang’s pet in your past life, were you? Hurry up and sync your biological clock to mine!

"Just go back to sleep if you’re that sleepy; you didn’t have to come with me."

"Nag nag nag!" Mercury Lamp immediately channeled Shana with a precision triple moe attack, followed by another yawn—I just don’t get what breathing does for a Rose Maiden, lubricate? Anyway, I seriously admire Luo Zhen now; from the perspective of a tech otaku, he’s really without precedent or successor, "Hey, mount, stop wobbling around, I’m going to sleep."

She dropped that line and, without giving me any chance to retort, Mercury Lamp firmly hugged my head, lowered it, and instantly dozed off.

I’ll have to find a cage to lock this one up tonight; otherwise, my biological clock will inevitably sync up with hers.

To be honest, I’m finding Mercury Lamp’s thoughts increasingly elusive. To me, this doll’s behaviors could almost be described as odd. Yet, she doesn’t engage with anyone nor explains her actions. As a result, most of the time, I can only try to guess her thoughts based on my understanding of her. But lately, that method has become largely ineffective: Something has clearly changed, making the doll girl’s thoughts more complex. She’s no longer solely focused on finding her "dad," but on something that’s troubling her.

That was already evident when we were in the Academy Apocalypse World; I noticed that Mercury Lamp would often sit and stare blankly into space. But the moment anyone got close to her, she’d immediately cover it up. I planned to ask what she was thinking, but I guess I’d probably just get my head knocked—though, for me, her strength is more akin to a relaxing massage.

With nothing better to do and a micro-miniature girl on my shoulder, light as a feather, I wandered aimlessly and found myself far from the city center, in the north, I guess. This area was yet to be developed by Shadow City; the tall, dense, yet eerily silent and lifeless skyscrapers retained the same state as in the Outer World. There were no Imperial military buildings or advanced Xyrin facilities, and even the majestic World Tree crown, which nearly covered half the city, appeared sparse here, revealing the azure sky of Shadow City and the massive standby icons floating in the sky.

...Should I go tell the kids their mom forgot to turn off the game console?

Everything in Shadow City was spotless. I randomly picked a bench in a nearby park, planning to take a power nap and discuss the re-education of the kid’s mom with Duke Zhou. Just as I stretched my arms and admired how Mercury Lamp could cling to my head so firmly even in her sleep, a gentle voice tinged with surprise suddenly came from behind, "Boss? What brings you back here?"

Turning around in response, I saw Rider in casual clothes—a snug sweater on top, jeans accentuating her slim figure, standing less than ten meters behind me.

Hmm, looks like I’m really not focused; I didn’t notice her even at this close range—though that’s probably related to Rider’s Heroic Spirit status. In Shadow City, rooted by the World Tree, these Heroic Spirits affiliated with Dingdang (...) are like elves entering a forest or a drop of water merging into an ocean, or Pandora entering the primary school section; they blend so naturally with the environment that it’s hard to distinguish them unless you look closely.

"Rider," I carefully tried to move Mercury Lamp to the side, but she clung to my head like a sloth; any movement would trigger a low growl from her, so I gave up, "Have you eaten?"

"...Yeah, have you, boss?"

"Yeah..."

Staring blankly at each other for a while, Rider finally sighed deeply, turning her face away with a mournful look that hinted at words like "dark history."

Indeed, even Big Sister R has gone astray.

"Did you take Mercury Lamp out for a breath of fresh air?" Rider posed the question as she sat down next to me, glancing at the small doll who was fast asleep on my shoulder, hugging my head tightly, with a touch of concern.

"No, I just wandered here—But what about you? Why are you in this deserted place instead of staying in Avalon?"

Rider smiled faintly and lifted the book she had been holding, "This is the quietest place, reading silently on the empty streets gives a very special feeling."

Ah, right, I almost forgot Rider had this "setting", a hobby of reading books which doesn’t quite fit with her identity as Medusa.

I had thought that under Bubbles’ influence, Sister R had completely transformed into some kind of handheld console demon, but to my surprise, in her quiet moments, she still cherished this peaceful hobby, which is really delightful and...

"These strategies are all so detailed, I really want to try competing with their authors!"

...Not paying attention to the cover was a big mistake of mine.

"Boss, your expression looks so strange!"

In a moment of distraction, Rider suddenly leaned in curiously, her peculiar square pupils rapidly enlarging in my line of sight, and then hovered less than ten centimeters from my face, "Did I say something weird just now?"

"No, I just think a Rider who loves handheld consoles and game strategies is weird, that’s all..."

I candidly expressed my confusion, and although a Rider with such an attribute is also adorable, the inexhaustible feeling of dissonance was simply frustrating!

"But I really like my current state," Rider shrugged her shoulders, "No bothersome issues to deal with, and I don’t have to live the miserable life of a Heroic Spirit like before. There are a lot of things to do, so many interesting friends, and even an employer infinitely more considerate than a Suppression Force. With nothing to do, I can play games, read books, or have frequent chats with Sakura. When there’s work, I join a bunch of equally amusing colleagues to noisily complete it, even though I don’t really like the liveliness... But I very much enjoy this kind of life."

Indeed, compared to the dire labor fate of traditional Heroic Spirits, those in Avalon could pretty much be described as idling until death—a hint of praise, mind you.

"Speaking of which, I heard that your relationship with this Alchemy Creature named Mercury Lamp was initially very bad, but now, the contrast is striking."

I glanced over at the confused little face on my other shoulder. The quiet Mercury Lamp always unconsciously reminded me of an Angel—mind you, distinct from Alaya—sigh, despite being such a lovely and kind child, how did she become so twisted?

"God knows what happened," I shrugged my other shoulder, now quite accustomed to this one-sided shoulder shrug that looked like hemiplegia due to the Mercury Lamp, "I thought arguing with her was pretty bad, but that girl has gotten even clingier."

"Arguing, huh..." Rider smiled ambiguously, "Maybe even you haven’t noticed the habitual care you give to those around you. But for some people, such inadvertent concern is a precious thing, as they’ve lived too long amidst coldness and loneliness..."

"...Can I admit that I don’t understand what you’re saying?"

Sister R was baffled at that moment.

"Okay, let’s try something you might understand," Rider sighed in resignation, with a defeated look, "Mercury Lamp also comes from the Otherworld, and now... it’s time for transmigrators to go home.

"She doesn’t have much time left with you."(To be continued. For further developments, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)