Seeing the data storage device in Zhong Yan's hand, the sibling duo looked completely confused. Wise was the first to ask, "This thing… what is it?"
They didn't mind receiving a gift from Zhong Yan, but it was natural to be a bit skeptical until they understood its purpose.
Zhong Yan explained, "It's an AI that originated during the Old Eridu era—it's the same thing that was stored inside that safe. That ten million Dennies I spent earlier? It was for this."
The revelation made the siblings' eyes widen even more. But then, a new question emerged—why would Zhong Yan go through the trouble of spending ten million Dennies on something, only to turn around and hand it over to them?
Zhong Yan had already anticipated this and replied, "There are four such artificial intelligences in total. But this particular one isn't what I need. On the contrary, it suits you two better—or rather, it suits all Proxies."
"Out of all the Proxies I know, you two are the ones I trust the most. So, I figured, why not keep it within the family? It'll help ease some of the pressure you're under during future commissions."
Truthfully, Zhong Yan had considered keeping Fairy for himself. But the more he thought about it, the clearer it became that it wouldn't be of much use to him personally.
For starters, among the four main AIs, Fairy specialized in data indexing and real-time Bangboo generation—its speed was 270 times faster than the HDD system the siblings currently used.
But Zhong Yan didn't need Bangboos at all.
Fairy could also access at least 80% of New Eridu's smart infrastructure. It could even pull up footage recorded on Old Eridu's streets decades ago.
Still, for someone like Zhong Yan, that wasn't a game-changer. With the Sharingan, he could read people's memories—just one key individual and he could know everything he needed.
In terms of efficiency, Fairy might've had the edge. But Zhong Yan's ability to directly extract memories meant he didn't need to rely on external systems. Not to mention, there were still 20% of critical systems that Fairy couldn't access.
And if any of the other three AIs—especially Ghost, the so-called "Phantom" that could even hack into the Proxy Network—crossed paths with Fairy, it could get compromised.
If Fairy got hacked, any data it stored about Zhong Yan would be exposed—and that would be disastrous for him.
So, all things considered, giving Fairy to the Proxy siblings made the most sense. At the very least, he could trust them not to use it for anything shady.
Moreover, going by the current story events, their main objective was to find their missing teacher—who might just be trapped inside Hollow Zero.
With Fairy's real-time Carrot generation and safe-zone mapping, they'd basically have the perfect cheat code for navigating Hollows—even without wiping out every single Ethereal.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Fairy was tailor-made for them.
So, really, Zhong Yan couldn't think of a better use for it—and, honestly, he just wasn't interested.
"A gift worth ten million Dennies… isn't that a little too generous?" Wise looked visibly hesitant, unsure whether he should accept it.
It wasn't that he doubted Fairy's value—it was just that it felt wrong.
Zhong Yan had paid ten million to acquire it through their commission, and now he was handing it over for free? That basically meant they got paid and got to keep the commission target.
That just felt… unethical.
"At least let us give something back," Belle added. "Otherwise, it just doesn't feel right."
Zhong Yan thought for a moment, then suggested playfully, "How about… returning the ten million Dennies?"
Their expressions froze.
Giving back the money meant they wouldn't earn a single cent from the entire job—and considering how low their funds were to begin with, that would be a huge blow.
Worse yet, since the ten million hit their account, they'd gone ahead and splurged on some brand-new video tapes—which had cost a lot.
So yeah, returning that ten million now? Not happening.
"Well… maybe we can work something out," Belle offered. "Like… we give you nine million back first, and owe the last one mil?"
Zhong Yan chuckled and shook his head. "Weren't you the ones getting the gift? How'd this end up with you owing me money?"
What a ridiculous twist.
With a sigh, he said, "Alright, how about this—you can owe me a favor instead. I'll call it in when I need it. This AI is a huge asset for you, and honestly, I can't think of another Proxy who'd make better use of it. And… I wouldn't trust anyone else with it anyway."
The trust in his voice was unmistakable.
The siblings exchanged glances, now clearly unable to refuse.
"In that case," Wise replied, "we'll take it. And in exchange, aside from that favor you're owed, you have permanent, unlimited access to anything in our video store. Just tell Bangboo #18 at the front desk—no need to return anything or pay."
Compared to the value of Fairy, it was a paltry offer—but it was all they had to give for now.
"Let's activate the AI first," Zhong Yan said. "It's from the Old Eridu era. Could be more complicated than we think."
Wise smirked. "Well, this HDD system of ours might not be as simple as you think either."
With that, he walked over to the system and inserted the data drive without hesitation.
Zhong Yan's eyes fixated on the system, anticipation rising in his expression.
Let's see—what secrets await in one of the four legendary keys that could reshape all of New Eridu?