Chapter 440: NO. 23: The Soul Can Be Said to Weigh 21g, a Fragmented Soul Can Occupy 3KB

NO. 23: The Soul Can Be Said to Weigh 21g, a Fragmented Soul Can Occupy 3KB

Half a month had passed, yet the night view of the Boundary Gate District visible from the balcony window remained the same familiar sight.

He had known this familiarity for over ten years; even if he occasionally changed his angle or position, he could still confirm his whereabouts from it.

This familiarity was, in fact, a kind of steadiness that allowed him to relax his mind a little, and so fatigue came upon him unexpectedly.

He was indeed a bit weary.

The tortuous gift‑giving, the special treatment, the sudden battle, and the abrupt rise to fame.

The ambush during the retreat, though sigh‑inducing, was not in vain, and the serious discussion after Miss Jun Chuan's complaints only added to his headache.

He always felt that whenever he thought his life was relatively easy, when he had some free time, reality would find someone to give him extra work.

But this time, the people targeting Miss Morgan had clearly been planning for not just a short while, even including his visit in their scope of use—this was a long‑standing plot.

It couldn't be called a sudden ambush, so there was no blaming luck, which left Aomo somewhat regretful.

If all the unhappiness in the world could find an outlet in lifeless things, life would be much more fulfilling.

But regrettably, some vexation always comes from others, or even from oneself.

Just now there was talk of a pent‑up feeling—a tangled, hard‑to‑untangle vexation; confiding in others would be meaningless.

Tracking down those Clock Tower culprits might feel satisfying, but considering the attackers the plane had lain in wait for were those stitched‑together monsters—Kaimer Star People mages—Aomo found it quite troublesome.

This group of aliens, with advanced medicine and an average lifespan of five hundred years, still crave healthy, vigorous bodies, thus placing their hope of "living a second life" on other races; this behavior itself also represents a special disguise.

Aomo could be certain that the opponent possessed both mage and Kaimer Star People knowledge, which allowed him to briefly hold the Hei'an Ring while also thinking of using it on Aorte's material.

The rigid mage mindset was blown apart by the alien's brain; the result of this fusion is that, even if mistakes remain, the mind becomes harder to trace.

It would require more time and thought, which he currently lacks.

For example, the competition preparations for his three subordinate horse girls that need to be settled at the start of the month.

For example, intensity‑boosting training to keep the horse girls in competition condition.

Likewise, the office‑rank promotion exam this month, for which he has long been preparing.

Besides that, there are sundry matters; when added up, the schedule is quite tight, enough to make him give up meddling in the Clock Tower affair.

After sending the clues and his simple guess to Ge Lei and telling her to pass them to her teacher and that "Holy Mother", he went on to prepare dinner as usual for the high‑end game.

Only now did he have the leisure to come to the balcony and catch the breeze.

Usually those who enjoy a night breeze grow more alert, but he was blown into a bit of fatigue.

Perhaps he should go back and play a round of monster fighting; the recent event tasks seem to yield parts of the Ultraman‑made mech Sai Luo, offering a chance to assemble this civilian‑tier T0 frame.

Not only are its stats top‑tier nowadays, but it also has that eerie D4 radiation, which power‑seekers simply cannot miss.

But grinding the event tasks is a hassle…… even if you can skip the story, it's still a pain.

After all, it's merely a reskinned replay of the Sai Reibu Luo development process, not like directly grabbing someone else's finished product through a QQ life‑form portal.

Moreover, lacking the license to simulate the Zeta series, he can't fight Jia Gu La and Zeta in the game; only knock‑off Ultraman and monsters are available, which makes the event's reception mixed.

Better to just forget it… after all, his warehouse isn't short on power‑house monsters; even the lowest‑version Lu Ge Sai Te could last at least two seasons……

Huh?

A sudden footstep broke Aomo's train of thought about game development; he turned toward the unlatched balcony entrance and saw a black‑clad figure followed by a reddish‑brown one rush in.

"…Trainer." Manchester Chazuo held a tray with two cups of coffee and one cup of milk.

The milk belonged to Mei Pu Bo Fang; a warm cup before bed seemed to be her hometown's wisdom.

"Master."

"Thank you," Aomo said, taking the slightly larger coffee cup as usual, nodding slightly at Chazuo, then glancing at the uncommonly present Bo Fang and asking, "Aren't you going to rest?"

The daytime‑schedule keeper in this house was Mei Pu Bo Fang, famed for her unwavering early‑to‑bed, early‑to‑rise habit, which once earned the hostile stare of the most decadent‑scheduled Xin Tiao.

"Being able to reliably sleep at 10 p. m. is dangerous even for a horse girl! Is she really a cyborg? Little snake!"

Aomo, who had reviewed 《Artificial Person Computer Black Magic》 with her that day, didn't feel like entertaining such a jokey question.

"Qian and Suzi team members are building a machine for the Trainer; they asked if I wanted to join, so I came to consult Master."

"…Are you interested?"

Aomo truly hadn't expected those two to go ask Bo Fang; he himself had never considered Bo Fang, after all—that kind of dangerous, complex creation. Although cyborg horse girls talk and wear gear that are very cyber, they are still flesh‑and‑blood horse girls and know nothing about mechanical crafting.

—Of course, she had recently been studying mechanical knowledge, even requesting to disassemble and assemble some irrelevant appliances, as if intentionally developing in that direction.

If she managed to put together a few screws without stripping them, that might count as talent…… Aomo likewise never really stopped her.

Result……

Could Qian and Suzi be a bit desperate, grasping at straws?

Aomo wondered whether he should loosen their deadline, seeing what he had driven those two girls into.

Can dismantling household appliances and making a card‑recycling device be the same?

Although you could argue the latter is also a household appliance, it's still about as odd as going from a debut race straight to the Arima Memorial.

"I also want to help Master."

"You've been helping me in the kitchen lately, haven't you?"

"Master doesn't want to?"

"Not exactly—if you're interested, just go ahead."

Finding it hard to counter the cyber horse girls' blunt, single‑minded chatter, Aomo readily gave the go‑ahead.

"Thank you, Master."

"There's no reason to thank someone for helping," he said, watching Bo Fang turn to leave, and added, "Don't forget the milk."

She turned back, took the cup, and bade farewell to the two of them again; her hurried departure looked quite excited.

"…Even I can see Bo Fang's excitement and joy." Chazuo set down the tray, walked over to Aomo with his own coffee.

"Those who often commune with spirits—high‑achievers of the spirit‑calling school—are naturally more sensitive to mental and emotional fluctuations." Aomo took a sip of his coffee; his fatigue lifted considerably, and he turned to see the other's upright twin ears and the silver cowlick swaying in the breeze.

Having subtly grown a few centimeters, Aomo has already crossed the 1.8‑meter mark, while the 1.5‑meter horse girl, even with her ears erect, still can't keep her sightline level.

I think it's only natural that you could tell.

"... That trainer… would you be willing to share your worries with me?" The plain-spoken horse girl didn't lift her head to meet his gaze, but instead turned her eyes to Aomo's pocket.

"How could that be called a worry?" Aomo helplessly shook his head after taking out the special card case from his pocket and placing it on the balcony railing.

In the world of demons and spirit mediums, the shape of that card case is inevitably a bit too ferocious, and it also carries a harsh sound effect, repeatedly bellowing words like "symbol," "freedom," "moon goddess," and so on.

If you simply regard it as a recorder, it's not so bad as to be equally guilty as Agamaus.

"I was just thinking about video games."

"... The trainer is quite cunning."

"It's rather sad that telling the truth isn't believed; I suppose I don't usually lie."

"... Why would the trainer… bring it with him?"

Obviously he hadn't been carrying it on his person before, but in the presence of beings with sharper perception, this thing feels overly sinister—even the earlier Bourbon didn't stand too close to Aomo.

"Consider it an added memory file for easier reference."