This was, after all, just his own guess; perhaps the situation wasn't that bad.
Maybe Jarvis didn't go to Screwllum, but instead visited Ruan Mei or Herta?
Although his genius brain instantly brought up several counterarguments.
Could he really talk with Ruan Mei all night?
Would Herta even bother with it?
Ignoring the most suitable Screwllum and going to consult other geniuses?
That didn't make logical sense either.
But Bai Luan still forcibly ignored these rational voices.
I'm not listening! I don't believe it! I don't want to!
Clinging to a last shred of hope, Bai Luan pulled out his phone and started messaging Ruan Mei and Herta.
Herta: Didn't come looking for me.
The light of hope in Bai Luan's eyes instantly dimmed by half.
He took a deep breath, holding onto hope, and waited for Ruan Mei's reply.
Ruan Mei: It came to me.
That's great! Hooray!
Bai Luan almost cheered aloud, his taut nerves instantly relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
He really hadn't expected it; Ruan Mei, whom he hadn't placed much hope in, had actually stepped forward at the critical moment!
Now, quickly bring Jarvis back...
However, Ruan Mei's next message followed swiftly:
Ruan Mei: It asked some questions about life forms and the origin of consciousness.
Ruan Mei: I gave some brief answers.
Ruan Mei: But I think it should discuss these more with Screwllum.
Ruan Mei: So I sent it to him.
Bai Luan: ...
How did you end up leading it there?
What a terrible move!
Doctor Ruan Mei!
Ruan Mei's reply was like a precise finishing blow, completely shattering Bai Luan's last self-deceiving fantasy, forcing him to face the cruel reality that Jarvis had been chatting happily with Screwllum all night.
If they hadn't clicked or enjoyed themselves, how could they have chatted for so long?
Coupled with Jarvis's exceptional learning and evolution capabilities... Bai Luan could easily imagine that Jarvis must have performed very well, probably so well that Mr. Screwllum would want to recruit it.
Thinking of this, Bai Luan subconsciously glanced at Lars, who was still out of the loop next to him.
Hmm... It probably wouldn't be taken directly by Mr. Screwllum.
It wouldn't want to leave those two, Lars and Olivia.
Bai Luan took some time to try and calm his complicated feelings, accepting reality.
Looking on the bright side, at least he now knew Jarvis's whereabouts.
He looked at Lars again, an involuntary hint of resentment in his eyes.
He suspected that Jarvis's instant burst move might have been learned from Lars.
It was truly surpassing the master, an advanced version — forming faster, timing more accurately, and bursting more fiercely.
Leaving no reaction time at all.
When Lars first found the curio where he hid the simulated universe dlc, it took him a considerable amount of time to figure it out.
Jarvis, on the other hand, just gave him a sudden, unexpected burst in one night.
Jarvis, oh Jarvis, of all the things to learn from Lars, why this? "I found Jarvis; don't worry about it. It should be back on its own before long."
"Really? That's great!"
Lars visibly relaxed upon hearing this.
It was indeed unusual for Jarvis to be gone for so long; this seemed to be the first time it had lost contact for such an extended period since it came to him.
"Don't just stand there."
Bai Luan pointed to the messy laboratory.
"Help me clean up. Mr. Screwllum will probably be here soon, and I can't have him standing in such a chaotic place to talk with me."
Hearing Bai Luan say this, Lars nodded and agreed.
As he helped organize the scattered items, he couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Station Master, how can you be sure Mr. Screwllum will definitely come soon?"
Bai Luan didn't explain much, just deftly stuffed a pixel glove into a storage cabinet and said without looking up:
"Not only do I know Mr. Screwllum is coming soon, I also know Jarvis will come with him."
"Really?"
Lars was even more surprised.
Bai Luan didn't reply again, just focused on his cleaning work.
With their combined efforts, the chaotic laboratory quickly returned to order.
But after finishing, Lars showed no intention of leaving.
He sent Olivia a message assuring her of his safety, then found a spot and stayed — he wanted to see with his own eyes if the Station Master's prediction of Mr. Screwllum's visit would come true.
When Bai Luan saw Lars wasn't leaving, he was secretly pleased.
Perfect, you can pay back part of Jarvis's instant burst debt for it first.
So, Bai Luan continued crafting curios while starting to play puzzle games with Lars.
Every now and then, he would casually throw him a problem, always the kind that perfectly piqued Lars's interest and made him unable to resist trying to solve it.
It's well known that for a top student to see a problem they can solve and are interested in, yet resist working it out, is as difficult as a cat ignoring a ball of yarn.
After a while, Lars, who had originally decided to slack off completely, was successfully activated into work mode by Bai Luan's bait.
He quickly immersed himself in the world of calculations and contemplation, temporarily forgetting the outside world.
Just as he was fully concentrated, about to overcome a crucial step—
The laboratory door slid open again, accompanied by a familiar faint sound.
Standing outside the door was indeed Mr. Screwllum.
And floating beside him was Jarvis, who had been missing all night.
He really came?
Lars couldn't help but look at Bai Luan, his gaze clearly conveying the meaning of 'That's absolutely incredible!'
Bai Luan, however, was not at all surprised by Screwllum's arrival.
After all, given Screwllum's personality, after such an in-depth conversation with Jarvis, he would definitely come to Bai Luan, its creator, to discuss related research topics.
"Alright, Lars."
Bai Luan timely interrupted Lars, who still wanted to continue researching.
"Jarvis is back safe and sound; you can take it home now."
He ushered Lars and Jarvis out of the laboratory together.
Station Master! I haven't finished the problem yet!
Standing outside the door, Lars felt an itch all over, like a cat scratching inside his heart.
He was only halfway through that problem, his thoughts flowing smoothly, and the feeling of being suddenly interrupted was like playing a game, reaching the final boss with its health almost depleted and victory in sight, only for the dog at home to chew through the internet cable!
And he hadn't even saved!
Lars scratched his head, muttering to himself:
"Should I just go back and start working?"
Jarvis heard this, flew in front of Lars, circled him several times, and even emitted a scanning hum.
After scanning, it said:
"What kind of alien creature is this, disguised as Mr. Lars so perfectly?"
"...Get lost, you. You were gone for so long without a word; just wait until you get back and Olivia lectures you."
After driving Lars out, Bai Luan revealed a smile of successful revenge.
Inside the laboratory, Screwllum's purpose for visiting was, as Bai Luan had predicted, direct and clear.
Screwllum wanted to investigate why mechanical constructs that Bai Luan had interacted with, or rather, guided by his hand, so easily awakened to a high degree of autonomous consciousness and emotion.
Was there some common, generalizable mechanism behind this?
Bai Luan, of course, knew the root cause — it was the Curious Foundry; I used the Curious Foundry.
But he obviously couldn't just reveal it, so he casually made up a reason without changing his expression:
"Perhaps... it's just because I'm quite the genius?"
He shrugged, his tone carrying a perfectly balanced hint of self-deprecation and certainty.
"Perhaps machines I personally debug or create are just more prone to enlightenment."
『Bro thinks he's an Automaton succubus』
Mr. Screwllum believed him, and even looked as if it should be so.
『Bro understands what I mean』
Mr. Screwllum said with a hint of genuine emotion:
"The Automatons born from your hands, as always, maintain their benevolent and excellent nature."
Bai Luan shrugged, attributing the credit to Jarvis itself and its environment:
"I merely provided it with a body that was easier to awaken, shortening the time required to evolve from a machine to an Automaton.
But what kind of Automaton it would become was entirely up to it.
It was every single interaction it had with Lars and Olivia that transformed it into the Jarvis it is today—one who likes to be a little clever and slack off, who seriously ponders what to eat for dinner, and who always solves problems from unexpected angles."
"Logic: This is indeed a perfect empirical demonstration.
Conclusion: This is undoubtedly an excellent experimental topic that perfectly illustrates how inorganic and organic life should coexist harmoniously and nourish each other."
Screwllum's tone carried appreciation, as if he were evaluating a beautiful symphony.
"Statement: Witnessing the entire process as a listener is truly delightful."
Afterward, Mr. Screwllum looked at Bai Luan and said:
"What a pity... I only met you after Ms. Herta."
Bai Luan's phone rang, meaning Herta had sent him a message.
Herta: ?
Herta: What have you done now?
Bai Luan: ...
Bai Luan: I haven't done anything.
After replying, Bai Luan looked at Mr. Screwllum, shaking his head with a smile:
"Please don't say such things, Mr. Screwllum, there's nothing to regret.
Precisely because I met Ms. Herta first, the person you met later is the current me."
Herta: Satisfied nod.JPG
"Logic: Agreed, there are no 'ifs' in life.
Conclusion: I made an unrealistic assumption rashly, and I apologize to you."
Screwllum readily accepted, but then added rigorously:
"But objective statement: I genuinely regret meeting you later than Herta."
Herta: ?
Herta: And you still say you didn't do anything?
Bai Luan: I really didn't do anything...
Bai Luan looked at Mr. Screwllum with a hint of helplessness and said:
"...Can we talk about something else? Like a topic that won't put the Simulated Universe Project Team at risk of falling apart? If we keep discussing this, Ms. Herta will start pressuring me."
Mr. Screwllum chuckled softly:
"Logic: Maintaining the status quo is indeed an efficient and pleasant choice.
Conclusion: If it can always be this way, that would be good."
"Yes, yes."
Bai Luan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed, his tone becoming relaxed.
"Let's keep the Simulated Universe Project Team together forever~"
『Little known fact: The person currently saying this, at the very beginning, dreamed of escaping this project team』
...
Author Note:
...I saw some readers telling me that the author replied.
Hmm... I knew I shouldn't have told you all in such detail. I'm too used to being rigorous as a Honkai Scholar; I can't change it back.
I thought you wouldn't dig him out from over ten thousand book reviews; that would take a long time.
I wanted to observe secretly for a bit longer.
This matter ends here.
From now on, for any fun mentioned in my leave notes, just enjoy it; don't bother trying to find it.
I know you're trying to vent your anger for me.
But I really don't need your help with this.
With my firepower,
How could I possibly be wronged?
Your 'group attacks' only increase my workload.
You are my readers, not my subordinates. I'm not worthy of being championed. Look at the content of my leave notes—am I not just a fellow MiHoYo fan who chats with you all?
What you should do is enjoy the work. Trivial matters outside the book shouldn't spoil your reading mood. I write these things just for your entertainment.
Although this is a MiHoYo fanfiction, don't even replicate the MiHoYo drama!
If I spend this time responding to such irrelevant matters, I might as well write a few more chapters; this can't be pre-made.
I'm already busy,
What if it delays updates?
By the way, regarding his reply, I'll reply one last time:
His reply seems to suggest I'm bullying a struggling author.
It made me, an author with a 6.5 rating for my original work, laugh.
Although it's nothing to be proud of, who isn't a struggling author?
I prepared that original book for a year, and there are still thirty thousand words of a discarded outline lying in my writing software.
To this day, I haven't had time to organize it and publish it to give the readers of that book an explanation.
Sigh, I'm ashamed and sorry to the characters in the book.
I can still recite the background stories of all the main characters in that book.
Those are all my children! (Sigh)
But that's reality. No matter how much I love that book, if no one wants to read it, it can only be cut.
I understand the feeling of being a struggling author.
So I generally don't sharply criticize other people's books as an author, because after entering the industry, you truly feel how difficult it is for authors.
If I do criticize sharply, I will write out the problems in detail, specifically referring to my Honkai Scholar segments.
Furthermore, I criticize as a reader.
In short, I've been careful with my words.
I think the worst thing about people is not realizing how bad their actions are.
He doesn't seem to realize how arrogant his tone of criticism was.
If I were to write him a similar book review in the same tone, he would definitely explode.
Isn't he exploding now?
But he himself doesn't realize this.
The reason I called him out was simply because I found it ridiculous that he, as an author, criticized me based on writing skills.
Of course, it was also because I was genuinely angered by him at the time. I've said it before, I'm not a magnanimous person.
Leave notes are also known as the grudge notebook; I'll remember, remember, remember... Moreover, the book review he wrote had no useful reference value at all, it was all generalized nonsense, which was the most infuriating part.
Does he really think he can criticize something others have worked hard to write without putting in any thought?
He's an author himself, yet he doesn't understand that no matter how good or bad something is written, it's something they put their heart into.
It's fine if readers don't understand; they don't have that obligation.
If an author doesn't understand, then they're just being ignorant.
Criticizing is one thing, but not even criticizing seriously is another.
And when criticizing others, especially those in the same profession, shouldn't you yourself have some substance first?
If you have substance, your criticism will be convincing.
Your criticism has no effect on me whatsoever.
My criticism, however, is a heavy blow to you.
You've always been a struggling author; how could that be my fault?
Did I force you to be a struggling author? Am I that idle?
Actually, what happened between him and me is easy to understand:
It's like B mocking A, who is holding a knife, in ancient times.
If A doesn't get angry with B, then B is fine, of course.
But if A really gets angry with B, takes it seriously, and pokes B a couple of times with the knife, what can B do?
Does B have a knife?
At this point, would B say:
"I didn't mean it; I didn't intend to mock you. I usually talk like this. I thought you wouldn't care. Why are you bothering with me?"
And A would put away the knife?
Isn't that ridiculous?
Gambling your life on someone else not caring?
Write this into a novel,
And see if anyone criticizes you for making your characters dumber.
Now you know, art comes from life—the plot where a weak villain jumps out to mock someone really happens in reality.
What?
You're asking if I feel like I'm bullying him by poking him with a knife?
Of course not.
The knife in my hand was forged by myself, not given by someone else.
I even feel that the one I forged is very handy to use.
If you don't like it, you can forge one too.
Now that the knife is at your throat,
Who can you blame?
What?
Are you going to blame me for not being magnanimous enough, for not letting you go, for holding a grudge?
Heh,
Then you're truly unlucky.
I've said it before,
I'm not a magnanimous person.
Deal with it.
Who told you to provoke me?
Why should I be magnanimous,
Instead of asking you to be careful with your words?
I'm careful with my words, so it's fine if I'm a struggling author.
You're not careful with your words, and when something happens, it becomes my fault instead?
I've seen good people being held at gunpoint,
But I've never seen anyone ask the person being held why they aren't a good person.