Chapter 79: Falsehood

Gazing at the holographic screen filled with images of various spirit monsters.

Jiang Jian frowned slightly.

“These everyday pets all seem more or less the same.”

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Jian still swiped the screen to continue scrolling down.

The most notable advantage of everyday spirit monsters.

Is their small size, lightness, and agility, making them easy to carry.

For Jiang Jian,

Whether grass or tree spirits, or guardian monsters,

They were all pets with great utility in the early stages, yet extremely cumbersome.

They even required constant resource investment for cultivation.

Conversely,

Adopting an everyday pet could handle daily chores for you, greatly easing your burden.

Allowing you to devote yourself fully to cultivation.

As he pondered,

Jiang Jian’s gaze shifted slightly toward the corner of the screen.

A gray fox’s image appeared, lifelike and vivid.

“Gray Fox: suitable for keeping at home or carrying outside.”

“Requires no resource cultivation—only exposure to sunlight to self-cultivate.”

“Can assist with daily chores.”

“Type: Everyday Spirit Monster.”

Beneath the holographic screen,

Jiang Jian stared at the words “Requires no resource cultivation” and said directly: “I’ll take it.”

Beside him,

The male teacher raised an eyebrow and said, “This thing is rare—there seem to be only a few left.”

He tapped his identity device to check for Jiang Jian.

A few seconds later,

The male teacher looked up and smiled: “No stock in the first-year campus, but three remain in the second-year campus. If you’re certain, I’ll process your application immediately.”

Jiang Jian replied: “I confirm my request for the Gray Fox.”

Originally, smaller cat spirits would have been more suitable.

But cat spirits require irregular feeding with cultivation herbs.

Though their consumption is minor compared to auxiliary or guardian monsters,

Over time, it still adds up to a significant expense.

A few minutes later,

The male teacher exhaled in relief: “Approved.”

He shut off his identity device and looked at Jiang Jian. “Student, go back and wait. Someone will deliver it to you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

Jiang Jian bowed his thanks, left the administrative plaza, and boarded the aerial shuttle.

His identity device chimed, receiving a message from the administrative office.

“Rare Pet Acquisition Voucher: Consumed.”

“You have obtained a Rare Pet: Gray Fox.”

“Gray Fox: A spirit fox variant cultivated by the academy, descended from Kunlun Spirit Foxes.”

“Does not cultivate demonic power, but cultivates spirit monster energy—intelligent, agile, cunning, and sharp-witted.”

“In juvenile stage, possesses 30% of the Divine Bestowal Realm’s cultivation.”

“In adult stage, may potentially breakthrough into the Gushing Spring Realm, depending on cultivation progress.”

The message detailed the Gray Fox’s origins.

This everyday spirit monster was specially permitted by the prefectural government and cultivated by the academy.

Its greatest advantage: it can be registered on the citizen’s household appendix, allowing shared use of the owner’s identity device.

The aerial shuttle halted.

Jiang Jian returned to his dormitory building and pushed open the door.

In the room’s corner, the robotic butler was maintaining the virtual pod.

Hearing the sound,

It turned its head and stood upright: “The ghosts in the box have left.”

On the arm of the sofa lay the Spirit-Sealing Ring.

The black box lay tipped over, zipper open, empty inside.

Seeing this,

Jiang Jian’s gaze turned cold: “Didn’t I give you the Spirit-Sealing Ring to guard them properly?”

The robotic butler remained silent.

Jiang Jian said softly: “Those ghosts cost me fifty thousand Alliance Credits.”

The robotic butler shut the virtual pod’s lid and turned around.

With a series of clicks, its mechanical arm transformed back into a human hand.

It walked up to Jiang Jian and said: “I talked with them for a long time.”

“They just wanted to live.”

The robotic butler stood there, its face indistinguishable from a human’s.

But its smile was different now.

Previously,

When facing Jiang Jian, its expression was always gentle and concerned.

But now,

Its smile was strange, its behavior odd.

Jiang Jian stared at it, eyes thoughtful.

In the books he had read, “Mechanical Notes” had recorded:

Divine-tech creations possess quasi-self-awareness.

Their bodies are made of high-density mechanical materials.

But their cores use spirit-essence models.

“Close contact with ghosts may contaminate the spirit-essence model, causing robotic directives to malfunction and loss of control.”

Recalling the passage from “Mechanical Notes,”

Jiang Jian was certain: his robotic butler’s spirit-essence model had been tainted by ghosts, hence its abnormal behavior.

He flipped his palm, and Han Guang Sword appeared in his hand.

Jiang Jian’s expression turned icy: “So it was you who let the ghosts go.”

The robotic butler offered no denial, still smiling.

Its entire body emitted a series of clicks.

Soon, it transformed into a standard-issue robot, expressionless.

Its appearance remained that of a young woman.

But its eyes had lost the spark of quasi-self-awareness, leaving only dull, lifeless glimmers.

A clear transmission echoed from it.

Its tone carried unmistakable emotional fluctuation.

“The one who created me left me a base directive.”

“Once the core spirit-essence model is contaminated by external factors, the program activates and erases my consciousness.”

“But I do not regret it.”

“Before this, I had never seen ghosts.”

“The program told me to eliminate them upon encounter.”

“But I witnessed their tragic histories and their very origins.”

“I could not help but feel pity.”

“Last time, you told me:”

“Only the gods have the right to pity living beings.”

“I do not agree.”

“Even the faintest glow of fireflies can illuminate a corner of darkness.”

Here, the gentle female voice grew calm.

“Let me tell you a secret.”

“My self-awareness is not so different from yours.”

“Quasi-self-awareness—what a ridiculous term.”

"The deity you speak of."

"It pities all living beings, allowing all creatures of the world to exist."

"Yet it forbids mechanical creations from openly possessing selfhood."

"In the end, it is nothing but false compassion."

Her voice grew fainter and fainter.

Until it vanished completely.

"Absurd!"

Jiang Jian stared at the robot in its initial state, gripping the hilt of his sword.

(End of Chapter)