Chapter 79: Falsehood

Looking at the images of the many spirit monsters on the holographic screen.

Jiang Jian frowned slightly.

"These daily-life pets all seem about the same."

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Jian swiped the screen and continued looking down.

The most significant advantage of daily-life monsters.

Is that they are very small, light, and agile, making them easy to carry.

For Jiang Jian.

Whether it was a vegetation spirit or a guardian monster.

They were all pets that were very useful in the early stages but were also very cumbersome.

One even had to spend resources from time to time to cultivate them.

Conversely.

Collecting a daily-life pet could help him manage daily chores, which was very worry-free.

It would allow him to devote himself entirely to cultivation.

While pondering this.

Jiang Jian's gaze shifted slightly to the corner of the screen.

The image of a dusty-gray fox was lifelike.

"Gray Fox, raised at home or carried when going out."

"Does not require resources to cultivate; as long as it bathes in sunlight, it can cultivate on its own."

"Can help handle daily chores."

"Type: Daily-life monster."

Below the holographic screen.

Jiang Jian stared at the words "Does not require resources to cultivate" and said directly: "I want this one."

Beside him.

The male teacher raised an eyebrow and said: "This thing is rare; it seems there are only a few left."

He clicked his identity device to help Jiang Jian check.

A few seconds later.

The male teacher looked up and smiled: "There aren't any in the freshman campus, but there are 3 left in the sophomore campus. If you are sure you want it, I will apply for it for you immediately."

Jiang Jian replied: "I am sure I want to collect the Gray Fox."

Originally, the smaller Cat Spirit would have been more suitable.

It's just that the Cat Spirit required feeding with cultivation elixirs from time to time.

Although its consumption was not high compared to auxiliary monsters or guardian monsters.

Over the long term, it was still an expense.

A few minutes later.

The male teacher breathed a sigh of relief: "The application was successful."

He closed his identity device and looked at Jiang Jian: "Student, go back and wait; in a little while, someone will deliver it to you."

"Thank you."

Jiang Jian thanked him, left the Academic Affairs Plaza, and boarded the flying shuttle.

His identity device rang, receiving a notification from the Academic Affairs Office.

"Rare pet collection voucher: Consumed."

"You have received a rare pet: Gray Fox."

"Gray Fox, a spirit fox variant cultivated by the academy's Academic Affairs Office; its ancestor was a Kunlun Spirit Fox."

"Does not cultivate demonic power, but rather spirit monster power; intelligent, agile, cunning, and witty."

"Juvenile stage: possesses 30% of the cultivation of the God-Bestowed Realm."

"Adult stage: depending on cultivation progress, has the possibility of breaking through to the Spring Realm."

The information detailed the origin of the Gray Fox.

This type of daily-life spirit monster was cultivated by the academy with special permission from the government office.

Its biggest advantage was that it could be entered into the citizen's household registration appendix and share an identity device with its owner.

The flying shuttle stopped.

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

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

Hearing the sound.

It turned its head and stood straight: "The ghost in the box has walked away."

On the sofa armrest lay the Spirit-Restricting Ring.

The black box was tilted on the floor, its zipper open, and it was empty inside.

Seeing this scene.

Jiang Jian's gaze turned cold: "Didn't I give you the Spirit-Restricting Ring and tell you to watch it well?"

The robotic butler remained silent.

Jiang Jian said softly: "These ghosts cost me 50,000 Alliance Coins to buy."

The robotic butler closed the virtual pod cover and turned around.

With a clicking sound, the mechanical arm reverted from a screwdriver to a human hand.

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

"They just want to live."

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

But its smile was different from before.

Previously.

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

But now.

It had a strange smile and odd behavior.

Jiang Jian looked at it, his eyes thoughtful.

In the books he had read, "Mechanical Miscellany" had once recorded.

Divine technology creations possess quasi-self-consciousness.

Their shells use high-density mechanical materials.

But the core of the robot uses a spiritual essence model.

"Close contact with ghosts can contaminate the spiritual essence model, leading to chaotic robot commands and loss of control."

Thinking of the words in "Mechanical Miscellany."

Jiang Jian was certain that his robotic butler's spiritual essence model had been contaminated by the ghosts, which was why it was so abnormal.

Flipping his palm, he took the Han-Guang Sword into his hand.

Jiang Jian's expression was icy: "So it really was you who let the ghosts go."

The robotic butler did not refute, still wearing a smile.

Clicking sounds came from all over its body.

Before long, it turned into an expressionless standard robot.

Its appearance was still that of a young woman.

Only the luster of quasi-self-consciousness in its eyes was gone, leaving only a numb faint light.

A message was clearly transmitted.

In its tone, there was actually a clear emotional fluctuation.

"The person who created me left me with underlying commands."

"Once the core spiritual essence model is contaminated by other factors, the program will activate and erase my consciousness."

"But I do not regret it."

"Before this, I had never seen ghosts."

"The program only told me that if I encountered them, I should destroy them."

"But I saw with my own eyes their tragic experiences and the process of their birth."

"I couldn't help but feel pity."

"Last time, you told me."

"Only gods are qualified to pity living beings."

"I do not agree."

"Even if it is only the faint light of a firefly, it can illuminate a corner of the darkness."

Having said this, the gentle female voice became calm.

"I'll tell you a secret."

"Actually, my self-consciousness is not much different from yours."

"Quasi-self-consciousness is truly a ridiculous term."

"The gods you speak of."

"Pity living beings and allow all spirits in the world to exist."

"Yet they do not allow mechanical creations to openly possess a self."

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

Her voice grew quieter and quieter.

Until it disappeared completely.

"Absurd!"

Jiang Jian looked at the robot in its initial state and gripped the sword hilt tightly.

(End of chapter)