Character: Ereshkigal (Part 3)

Long ago, there was such an event.

Ailei built herself a walking mechanical body.

But due to a lack of materials,

it collapsed and disintegrated after barely taking two steps.

Various metal parts scattered like raindrops in a storm, clattering and crashing heavily onto the steel floor.

Spinning.

Messy.

Her electronic eyes flickered, revealing a cold, vacant confusion.

"Did I fail...?" Amid the inertia of her rolling, Ailei's electronic eyes could no longer perceive anything, succumbing to damage and shattering.

Then, light poured in, and her perspective shifted upward.

Xu Xi cradled the shattered fragments of Ailei in his hands.

He pieced her back together, giving her a new body.

That moment, that scene, replayed endlessly in the heart of the mechanical servant, becoming an indelible memory.

She longed to repay that warmth.

That desire, that impulse, pulsed and surged within the hollow alloy framework of her chest, cycling relentlessly.

Yet.

Until fate reached its conclusion.

The mechanical servant never managed to repay Xu Xi.

She tried, with trembling, ruined hands, to piece together Xu Xi's life—but it was nothing more than forcibly dragging back a withered flower. Nothing could be saved.

"Ailei, you've already done your best."

On the sickbed,

the man forced a weak smile, comforting the mechanical servant who had failed time and again.

He remained as he always had been.

Unwilling to blame or reprimand.

Simply lying there, smiling, stroking Ailei's head, bidding her his final farewell.

From then on, the love-chasing machine ceased to grow, her heart frozen in time—until she reunited with him once more, finally thawing into warmth and fervor.

"Master, I love you."

"I love you so much."

"I love you more than anything."

"More than anyone else, I adore you."

"Even if you don’t love me, I will always love you."

Earth.

Yanshan City.

Downtown movie theater.

The lights dimmed, the crowd buzzed, and on the screen, the romantic film reached its climactic confession scene.

But right then, right there,

the audience turned their wide-eyed gazes toward the back rows,

faces alight with excitement,

witnessing an unexpected live confession.

No matter how dramatic the film’s plot, it paled in comparison to the raw emotion unfolding in reality.

"Say yes!"

"Say yes!"

The crowd had no idea what was happening.

They simply cheered,

raising their arms, shouting in delight.

Only Xu Xi stood stunned, unsure how things had escalated like this.

"Ailei, what are you—?"

"Does this trouble you, Master?"

"Not exactly, just... surprising."

Xu Xi took Ailei’s hand and quickly escaped the encircling crowd, retreating to the small mall beneath the theater.

Bright lights.

Noisy chatter.

Xu Xi asked Ailei why she had suddenly said those words.

Her reply was simple: "I wanted to, so I did."

She wanted to express her love for Xu Xi—the love suppressed in her heart, accumulated over countless cycles of time.

The love laced with guilt, regret, sorrow, and yet immeasurable joy.

That love surged forth with her memories,

spontaneously rising through her throat,

breaking past her lips, spoken aloud for Xu Xi to hear.

"Master, what do you think?" Ailei asked, her silver-blue eyes fixed on Xu Xi, awaiting his reaction to her confession.

"It feels a little heavy, but at the same time—"

Xu Xi paused, a smile forming. "I’m also happy."

Ailei smiled too.

The midday sun blazed outside, but its light couldn’t penetrate the mall’s interior. The cool breeze from the AC lifted her black-and-gold hair.

Her lips curled slightly, tracing a radiant arc.

Clad in black-and-red attire, Ailei wrapped her arms around Xu Xi’s right arm. "Master, let’s keep walking."

"There’s still time left for us today."

In the present-day Earth,

Xu Xi had already surpassed the other girls in strength, ascending to the pinnacle of supremacy, unifying countless transcendent possibilities.

Yet, life with them remained unchanged.

The flowers blooming in mundanity still folded back into simplicity, only to bloom again.

The girls seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement.

No interference, no encroachment.

Xu Xi didn’t know the specifics—only that today was Ailei’s "time."

"Alright, let’s go further ahead," Xu Xi said with a smile, entwining his fingers with Ailei’s slender ones as they moved forward.

The bustling crowd flowed around them.

Store advertisements flashed brightly.

Due to the resurgence of the supernatural, the goods sold in the mall had changed drastically compared to before.

Take [milk tea], for example.

Nowadays, the number of available toppings alone exceeded a thousand.

Ailei had no interest in milk tea, nor in movies, nor in shopping. A soul born from cold metal, even in a flesh-and-blood body, struggled to enjoy human pastimes.

But Xu Xi was here.

The mechanical servant loved Xu Xi—and thus, loved everything that stemmed from him.

Therefore.

Ailei loved watching movies with Xu Xi.

Loved strolling through malls with Xu Xi.

Loved sharing a cup of milk tea with Xu Xi.

"Ailei, did you order too little?"

"No, Master."

At the mall’s center was a grand fountain.

Water sprayed, dyed in vibrant hues.

Standing outside the milk tea shop, Xu Xi held a chilled, light-brown drink in his right hand—but it had two straws.

So,

he asked Ailei

if she had forgotten to order a second cup or accidentally taken an extra straw.

Ailei shook her head earnestly, insisting she hadn’t made a mistake.

"Master, I’ve calculated it. Sharing one cup between us ensures no waste."

Logical.

Irrefutable.

Or so it seemed.

Xu Xi hesitated briefly, meeting Ailei’s silver-blue eyes—and glimpsed a flicker of anticipation within them.

In the end, he accepted her proposal.

"Then... alright."

The milk tea was ice-cold, its chill seeping into his hand. Though it didn’t affect Xu Xi’s body, the mechanical servant still fretted.

Xu Xi’s hand held the cup.

Ailei’s hand clasped over his.

With utmost seriousness, she declared she was helping him stay warm.

Xu Xi looked up at the mall’s unfamiliar ceiling, feeling that today’s Ailei was being unusually assertive.

He didn’t recall

ever teaching her this.

Self-taught?

"Super AI—truly terrifying," Xu Xi muttered in genuine awe.

A tug at his sleeve drew his attention. Ailei pointed to a small shop labeled [Self-Service Photo Booth].

"Is it like those sticker-photo or instant-print things?"

Seeing Ailei’s interest,

Xu Xi followed her inside.

The entrance was narrow, but the interior was slightly more spacious.

Embedded in the far wall was a self-service photo machine—a hybrid of cultivation arrays, magic runes, and modern technology.

"Master, can we take a photo together?"

The girl turned back to ask.

"Of course."

Xu Xi agreed.

Ripples shimmered in Ailei’s silver-blue eyes, like stones dropped into a lake, stirred by his answer.

Ailei made her move.

Her fingers interlaced with Xu Xi’s, palms pressing together.

As the photo machine activated—

On tiptoe,

she leapt into his embrace.

"Click—" The moment froze in a snapshot.