After finishing breakfast, Rrakavasha entered the most secretive folded space within his research room.
Here lay his painstaking work, currently unfinished creations displayed in quiet arrangement.
Breathing in the faint lingering scents of solder and lubricant, Rrakavasha circled around large equipment flickering with standby indicator lights, stopping before a spacious alloy workbench.
Under cold white light, the limb he'd half-completed last night exhibited a special texture.
The originally cold, rigid metal had been integrated with a high-strength composite skeletal structure and biomimetic muscle fibers.
Special materials used for the finger joints ensured exceptional flexibility, while the delicate sensory dermal layer covering the fingertips could perfectly simulate human touch.
The arm's lines flowed smoothly, seamlessly integrated, its internal independent transmission system in dormant mode.
Rrakavasha issued commands, testing whether the complete arm could precisely execute specific movements.
Grasping, punching, palm strikes, finger snaps, elbow strikes...
Every motion humans could make, this arm could replicate flawlessly.
And movements humans couldn't make, such as bending finger joints ninety degrees in the reverse direction, posed no difficulty either.
Such results earned a gentle nod from Rrakavasha, his face bearing traces of satisfaction.
Refine the remaining details, and once final testing passed, it could be put into automated production.
"Now then..."
Rrakavasha looked toward the lower limbs on the other side.
Compared to the complete arm, testing the legs was undoubtedly much simpler; there was no need to test each toe's various functions, like with the fingers.
The results were gratifying, all exceeding expectations.
After properly storing the completed mechanical limbs, Rrakavasha looked into the distance.
There sat a mechanical skull.
The cranial cavity lay wide open, exposing intricate neural interfaces and circuitry.
On a bracket to the workbench's left hung a semi-transparent crystal core.
For Rrakavasha, this component currently presents the least technical bottleneck or difficulty.
After all, he wasn't creating highly intelligent inorganic life that appeared indistinguishable from living beings with action logic identical to humans.
Exiting the folded space, Rrakavasha received a message from Clarice.
"Good morning, Mr. Rrakavasha! The fruit shop near our neighborhood got in a really delicious fruit yesterday. I bought two pounds, let's see if it suits your taste~"
...Judging by the subtext, she intended to visit today.
Rrakavasha smiled faintly, replying with a simple word.
"Good."
"Aren't you going to ask when I'm coming?"
"Knowing a friend comes from afar is enough."
"It's not really that far. At least my car can drive to the Moonford River..." Clarice's delicate face wore a gentle smile.
The bamboo house where Rrakavasha lived in seclusion sat in the deep mountains beyond a river that seemed to divide two worlds, with no bridge capable of accommodating land vehicles.
To cross the river, one could only ferry oneself across.
"Bundle up and be careful on the road."
After replying to her, Rrakavasha prepared to head to Ruan Mei's house for cleaning.
Houses without the breath of life accumulated dust much faster.
Winter sunlight filtered through sparse bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows in the grove.
In deep winter, bamboo leaves not yet withered and fallen to earth would mostly transition from emerald green to a deep, somber dark green.
Bamboo tips hung with a layer of light frost, slowly melting into clear dew under morning light, washing the world clean and pure.
The silver-clad bamboo forest, with its intermingling greens and whites, composed a living landscape painting.
A faint fragrance mixed with the scent of earth and morning dew rushed forward, more pure and crisp than spring or summer.
Taking a deep breath, his mind felt refreshed.
Even Rrakavasha's body, already worn and deteriorated within, seemed to gain a few degrees of vitality from thin air.
Vegetation on both sides of the path had fallen silent like hibernating creatures.
During this season, Rrakavasha didn't need to labor over the dense growth on either side.
Arriving at a fork in the path and seeing that graceful silhouette standing elegantly in the silver-white world, his face couldn't help but pull into a faint smile.
"...You little rascal, you're already here this early."
"Just arrived~ I mainly wanted to give you a surprise, hehe..."
Clarice's voice carried a touch of softness, her smile charmingly adorable as she walked quickly toward Rrakavasha.
Actually... she'd been here for a while.
Drawing closer, Rrakavasha saw clearly what she wore today.
A pale purple academy-style fitted sweater with a dark, fine velvet scarf tied at the collar, accentuating the young woman's delicate, snow-white chin.
A matching pleated skirt with its hem past her knees revealed slender calves wrapped in warm white stockings.
Generally speaking, few eighteen-year-old young women could pull off purple.
But on Clarice, it was unexpectedly fitting; far from appearing aged, it instead conveyed an indescribable quality while highlighting the vitality unique to young women.
Her bright, sparkling eyes brimmed with liveliness, and beneath fluttering long lashes, she radiated a distinctive charm.
"You've been waiting for about ten minutes, haven't you?"
Based on certain subtle traces, Rrakavasha arrived at a fairly accurate judgment.
"Really haven't! I arrived just as I sent that message..."
Clarice shook her head, raising the transparent, fresh-keeping fruit container in her hand and opening it, changing the subject.
"Here, Mr. Rrakavasha, try some on the way~~."
The young woman knew that Mr. Rrakavasha went to clean that residence daily, so she'd come early deliberately.
Waiting one more minute meant one more minute of anticipation before seeing him.
The fruit in the container was quite distinctive, resembling a peeled apple in appearance but about the size of a plum.
Most memorable was its color.
Half red, half blue.
The flesh was plump, its surface showing crystalline water droplets, clearly carefully washed by the young woman.
"The fruit shop clerk said this fruit has a simple, straightforward name: Red-Blue Crystal Fruit. It has no pit and comes from a world called Wonwacq."
"The shell is also special; it feels like peeling shrimp shells. I already peeled them all, so you can eat them directly~~."
Clarice really wanted to pick one up and feed it to Rrakavasha, but she restrained herself.
Perhaps... in his heart, she hadn't reached a stage where they could be that intimate.
"Thank you, Clarice."
Rrakavasha picked up a Red-Blue Crystal Fruit and put it in his mouth.
Hearing the obvious mid-sentence correction and seeing Rrakavasha's relaxed expression, the young woman's smile grew considerably sweeter.
"It's delicious, right?"
"Mm... very sweet."
Eh?
Hearing Rrakavasha's evaluation, Clarice instinctively paused, though she didn't think much of it.
"...If you want to eat them in the future, just send me a message. I'll... buy them for you as fast as possible."
"That's not necessary. It takes you half an hour to get here; running back and forth isn't convenient."
"How could it not be? Let alone half an hour, even half a day... I'd be perfectly willing..."
The words barely left her lips before Clarice seemed to feel they were too obvious, hastily adding:
"You are our family's benefactor. One should repay even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude!"
The two walked along the frost-covered path, entering an area the morning sun hadn't yet reached.
Yet within Rrakavasha's heart, the young woman's words stirred a trace of warmth.