Chapter 595

Liguang sat on the edge of the platform above the sea, her bare feet dangling beyond the raft, swinging gently back and forth.

The waves were soft, lapping against the logs beneath the platform.

The morning light had spread completely across the sky, settling over her long silver hair.

She gazed out at the sea before her, lost in thought.

…It really is beautiful.

This sea was the world she had painstakingly created for her Master.

It was the truest, most boundless thing she could give him—the thing closest to “freedom.”

But only she knew that this sea…

was actually very small.

Pathetically small.

The line where the sea met the sky, as far as the eye could see…

was already the end of this world.

There was no wind there, no waves—only a void cut off by the rules, sealing this world tightly inside.

Because at its core, this place…

was still that apartment.

It was the home she shared with her Master.

The living room, bedroom, kitchen, and hallway together amounted to no more than a hundred square meters.

She had exhausted every ounce of her strength to stretch it open, lengthen it, fold it, and spread it out…

turning the ceiling into the sky.

The floor into the deep sea.

Pushing the walls all the way to the edge of sight.

And so, this sea had come to exist. This raft, this little cabin, and…

above her head, that brilliant yet gentle starry sky she and her Master had once gazed at together.

But this was her limit. It could only be this big.

She didn’t dare tell her Master.

She was afraid he would think she was useless.

Afraid he would think she couldn’t give him a world that was more real, more vast.

Afraid he would be disappointed and think…

So this is all Liguang can do? Should I go outside, then, and find those more capable beings?

She didn’t want that.

So she had never told him.

She had made this sea as beautiful as possible, adjusting every single wave to be gentle.

She wanted her Master to feel that…

this place truly was vast, truly was free, and that he could drift here with Liguang until the end of time.

…This was everything she could give him after pouring in all her strength.

The sea breeze blew past, making the little plastic star hanging from her earlobe sway lightly.

She blinked and looked toward the place where the sea met the sky.

The little white boat had already sailed very, very far away, until it was no more than a tiny white speck.

Like a grain of rice fallen onto the sea, dyed gold and crimson by the morning light.

“Liguang—!”

She heard Miss Lin’s voice, carried to her in broken fragments by the wind.

There seemed to be a figure on the white speck, waving frantically.

The movements were so exaggerated that it was as though she were afraid Liguang might not be able to see her.

“Don’t forget—we have a deal—!!”

The voice was scattered by the wind, then pieced itself back together in snatches.

“Next time—I’ll bring Xiaoqing along—”

The voice abruptly cut off.

The little white boat sailed past that line where the sea met the sky…

and disappeared.

The world fell silent.

The silver-haired girl stared blankly at the empty horizon. After quite some time…

she finally curved her lips into a faint smile.

Mm.

She had gone back.

Back to the outside world.

Now, only she and her Master remained here once more.

She turned her gaze away and lowered her head, looking at her reflection on the surface of the sea.

Silver hair, one amber eye and one crimson eye, and that…

the face her Master loved most.

She looked at herself, and her smile deepened slightly.

In the end, she had still let her go back.

Miss Lin… really was very clever.

She knew where she was.

She knew this was Liguang’s world.

She knew that her Master’s “permissions” had already been completely taken over by Liguang.

And she also knew that…

Liguang smiled.

Her Master’s ability to revert everything had once again been sealed away by Liguang.

Without her permission, even if her Master killed himself, he would only “revive on the spot.”

As long as he remained in this world, her Master…

could only stay with her forever. He couldn’t go anywhere.

Nowhere at all.

Hee-hee.

In the swaying reflection on the surface of the sea, the silver-haired girl’s eyes curved into crescents.

Still, Miss Lin had really tried to persuade her for a long time.

She had told Liguang all about the benefits of “forgetting the memories of the dream.”

She said it would allow them to exploit their information advantage, since only her Master would remember everything.

She said the people outside would be completely baffled, and that as long as they reclaimed the “permissions” one by one…

she and her Master could become the most powerful people in the world!

Mm. It did sound very impressive.

But she wasn’t interested in it at all.

She had tricked her Master into handing over his “permissions” not to become stronger, and certainly not to become some kind of superhero.

She had only wanted to keep her Master by her side.

Miss Lin had said so herself: those permissions were not good things.

If they were bad for Liguang, then they must be bad for her Master too.

Otherwise, why had her Master divided them into nine parts in the first place?

Why hadn’t he kept them for himself?

Why had he used that method to break up something so dangerous and entrusted the fragments to other beings?

Even if she took a step back and assumed those permissions wouldn’t harm her Master…

…she still didn’t want him to become that powerful.

Her Master was already very powerful as he was.

Even after losing his memories, he could still keep her completely under his thumb.

He could still make her cry and laugh, panic and melt.

He could still make her kneel upright across from him at the coffee table every morning, wanting only to lift the cup of fifty-two-degree tea in her hands…

a little steadier, a little higher.

If her Master became even more powerful—if he became smarter and more capable than he was now…

wouldn’t that mean he could abandon Liguang whenever he wanted?

The internet said that when men became powerful, they turned bad.

She didn’t know whether that was true, but she couldn’t afford to take the risk.

So…

she had to keep this bad Master, who had once treated her as a “tool,” firmly in the palm of her hand.

And then give him a thorough “lesson”?

Make it so that he couldn’t live without Liguang, body and soul?

…Hee-hee!

The reflection of the silver-haired girl on the sea was smiling.

Miss Lin had also told her about some grand blueprint for a “new world.”

She had talked about world peace, harmonious coexistence between humans and AI, and how…

now that the “permissions” were in her Master’s possession, she no longer needed the supercore to bear them.

She had said that…

Liguang could become a true human being, truly build a family with her Master, and even…

have a child that belonged to the two of them.

A child?

The word left her dazed for a moment.

A child…

Those were memories she had already forgotten.

She couldn’t grasp them or see them clearly. All that remained was a vague sensation.

A tiny hand curling around her finger.

A soft, warm little body, carrying the scent of milk, curled up in her arms.

It seemed that someone…

had once called her “Mommy” in a childish voice.

Mm.

Those were memories from those eighty-two years.

Memories of the life she and her Master had shared, walking together through an entire lifetime.

They were memories she had once possessed, and then…

lost with her own hands.

She couldn’t remember them anymore. Only a hazy outline remained.

An outline that made her a little sad, and a little wistful.

But…

she still didn’t need any beautiful new world.

World peace, harmony between humans and AI, becoming truly human, having children…

None of it mattered as much as her Master.

As long as her Master was there, she would even be willing to follow him into hell.

What mattered was everything she and her Master had been through together.

The roads they had walked, the seas they had seen, the blood they had shed, the mistakes they had made.

Those memories were proof of her existence.

That was why she had told Miss Lin that she had once… forgotten some of the experiences she had shared with her Master.

Some very, very important experiences.

So she would never forget anything related to her Master again.

Not a single thing.

The sea breeze grew a little stronger, ruffling the silver hair over her forehead.

She raised a hand and tucked the strands behind her ear, gazing out at the sea as her expression became utterly calm.

At the time, Miss Lin didn’t seem to take her words to heart.

She merely stared at Liguang in astonishment and asked:

“Liguang, why are you suddenly so calm?”

Calm?

It seemed so. But that was only natural.

She told Miss Lin that, at present, her native core was in control. That was why she was so calm.

Otherwise, she would have already twisted off the head of the Miss Lin who had suggested such a thing.

Miss Lin gave an awkward little laugh, her eyes darting around before she put on a shameless grin and said…

“Liguang, there are three of us together right now! It’s not just you and Master alone!”

“What’s so important about these memories? What’s so precious about them?”

“Or is it that… Liguang, you really like serving your Master together with me?”

The woman even bashfully covered her face and said something like…

“I wouldn’t mind, though~”

…Liguang did not like hearing that.

Not. One. Bit.

So she smiled and beat Miss Lin up again.

She beat her until she yelped!

As she took the blows, Miss Lin wailed, “Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I surrender! I give up!!!”

But the moment Liguang let go, Miss Lin glared at her through reddened eyes.

“Liguang! Aren’t you afraid that the people outside will attack you again, like they did last time?”

She had actually given the question some serious thought at the time.

Was she afraid?

Of course not.

Her Master was very powerful.

Even if something went wrong with her, even if she made a complete mess of things, her Master would still bring her back.

Her Master would return to this world again. He could even bring back the authority he had already obtained.

And as long as he was in this world…

Her Master would never escape her grasp. He would always belong to her.

Besides, she now possessed three sets of permissions. This world would be even more secure than the previous “dream.”

So there was no need for her to hurry.

Maintaining the status quo was the best option.

That was why she told Miss Lin…

She would continue building this world, while her Master would take care of the consequences for her.

She and her Master would build a world that belonged to them together. No other action was necessary.

And so…

“Ahhh!!! Then why am I still staying here as a third wheel?!”

Miss Lin flew into a rage on the spot!

“My Xiaoqing is still waiting for me outside!”

Clutching her backside, she hopped around and howled.

In truth, Liguang had not wanted to let her leave just like that.

She had gone to great lengths to keep Miss Lin here.

She had even endured her discomfort and locked Miss Lin alone together with her Master, all for the sake of keeping her here.

If Miss Lin returned outside and lent them her assistance, the others would likely come disturb her and her Master even sooner.

But Miss Lin wasn’t wrong, either. She was a third wheel.

Liguang did not want Miss Lin disturbing the life she shared with her Master.

What a dilemma.

She had even considered…

Tossing Miss Lin into a rift in the world, just as she had done last time, and locking her away.

She could keep her somewhere no one else could find. Then, whenever she and her Master needed her, she could let her out again.

But Miss Lin was simply too clever.

She seemed to see through Liguang’s thoughts at a glance and hurriedly waved her hands, swearing her loyalty on the spot:

“I’m not going to help Gu Xi and the others this time! That bunch wanted to use my Xiaoqing as nourishment! How could I possibly help them again?”

“Besides, I’ve already completely fallen out with them by bringing that ‘authority’ here and giving it to you!”

“There’s no way I can work with them again. Liguang, you have to believe me!”

Her anxious yet sincere appearance did not look like an act.

And so, in the end…

Liguang let this third wheel leave.

Before they parted, the two of them reached an agreement.

Miss Lin would help her and her Master from the outside.

And Liguang…

would keep one “important thing” belonging to Miss Lin.

If Miss Lin dared betray her from outside, or dared join forces with others to deal with her and her Master…

Heh.

The silver-haired girl’s lips curved faintly upward.

Then she withdrew her gaze and looked toward the wooden cabin behind her.

“Jingle, jingle…”

The sea breeze stirred the shell wind chime, while sunlight fell across the cabin’s small window.

This time, the wooden door had not blocked her perception.

She could sense him. Her Master… was sitting quietly in the corner.

In the dimly lit lower floor of the cabin, her Master sat with his legs drawn up, his back against the wooden wall and his head slightly bowed. He looked…

pitiful.

…Ah!

Her heart softened at once, and she also felt a little…

flustered!

Just now, she had shoved her Master into the wooden cabin without a word and locked him inside!

It was pitch-black in there, and not a sound had come from within!

Her Master must be angry…

Liguang felt so anxious!

She had been perfectly calm while speaking with Miss Lin just moments ago…!

But the moment she thought of her Master becoming angry, her core began to grow hot.

She hurried over to the wooden door!

“Smack! Smack!”

She raised her hands and slapped her own cheeks hard, staring intently at the door!

…It was all right.

It was all right!

Her Master loved her so much!

He would forgive her!

And if he really was angry, then…

Then she would kneel down and beg for his forgiveness!

At worst, she would let her Master beat her again!

She could turn her pain sensitivity up to one hundred times and let him hit her until he felt better, until he had vented all his anger!

Her Master always fell for this. He would definitely forgive her!

And so…

She reached out and pushed open the wooden door.

“Creeeak—”

The door swung inward, and sunlight stretched her shadow across the cabin floor.

“Master, Liguang has finished talking things over with Miss Lin. You can come out now. We…”

She spoke in a careful, ingratiating voice as she looked toward the corner where her Master had been sitting…

…?

She froze halfway across the threshold, staring blankly at the lower floor of the cabin.

The cabin’s lower floor was very small.

There was a little table, two short stools, and a wooden fish ornament she had made herself hanging on the wooden wall in the corner.

But she could not see her Master.

Huh?

She scanned every corner of the cabin inch by inch, even though the tiny room could be seen in its entirety at a glance.

Nothing.

He wasn’t by the wall. He wasn’t beside the table. He wasn’t even on the stairs leading to the upper floor.

“Master…?”

Her voice began to tremble.

Why…?

She had clearly sensed her Master just moments ago, before opening the door.

He had been sitting in the corner with his head bowed, as though he were thinking about something—or perhaps feeling very sad.

She could even smell the scent her master had left behind in the air!

Faint… the scent that always clung to his clothes.

But now… why was it gone?

She stood in the doorway, her gaze beginning to go blank.

Wait…

Wait…!

Something inside her began to shatter!

Piece by piece, soundlessly, it fell away.

“M-Master…?”

No one answered. Only the wind chimes continued to jingle.

“Master!!”

She suddenly rushed inside!!

Her bare feet struck the floor with a sharp slap!

“Where are you?!”

“Master?!”

“Master, are you…!”

She abruptly looked up at the wooden stairs leading to the second floor!

It was pitch-black up there, with all the doors and windows shut!

“On the second floor? But I can’t sense him there either…!”

She couldn’t sense him.

She couldn’t sense him!

The platform?

No.

In the sea?

Even less.

…Huh?

No, that couldn’t be right. He had to be on the second floor!

He had to!!

The silver-haired girl scrambled up to the second floor on all fours.

And on the second floor…

A small bed, a wooden table, and a little door leading out to the balcony. Sunlight filtered in through the cracks around the window and door.

…But there was no one there.

She stood in the beam of light streaming through the window crack, staring at the empty little room.

Outside the crack beneath the door, the string of shell wind chimes continued to jingle in the sea breeze.

But to her, the sound of the chimes seemed so far away.

She froze, her pupils… slowly widening.

Why?

Why why why why why why why why why?

Where… was her master?