She couldn't be 'born with knowledge' like Saber in Fate, and due to her model, she couldn't directly learn how to operate various vehicles by downloading information like the communication-enhanced 9S. However, as an intelligent android, 2B could still learn various mechanical operation skills in an extremely short amount of time.
All she needed was to read the instruction manual and flip through the operation guide.
Just like Jarvis controlling robotic arms to assemble and disassemble armor for Tony Stark, after mastering the operation process through 'external input,' 2B could immediately elevate her skills to a 'meticulous' level, without needing to accumulate experience through continuous practice like humans.
"Alright, it seems I won't be needed," Happy said, witnessing 2B's capabilities firsthand and giving her a thumbs-up.
Leaving a quick 'Have fun, you two,' Happy, with good sense, disembarked the yacht and returned to Stark to report.
"Shall we set off too?"
"Let's go, let's go~! Oh~~!"
Shifting his gaze, Shi Xiaolei raised his fist, matching the adorable cheer from the little girl, Conna.
Starting the engine again, 2B smoothly controlled the helm, steering the yacht away from the dock and out into the open sea.
"Xiaolei, Xiaolei, so many birds~~!"
"Ah RRRRRRRR~! Giggles, giggles, giggles~~~!"
"Oh, that cloud is so fun, it looks like a steamed bun~."
"Yo ho, hello there~!"
Excited by the seagulls following the boat, shouting into the sea breeze with a string of tremolos, involuntarily laughing happily at the clouds in the sky, and always politely greeting other small boats in the distance... Throughout the journey at sea, the little girl was bustling with energy, not idle for a moment, frolicking happily like an energetic little husky.
The weather was excellent, with no worries about rough waves. At the little girl's request, 2B drove the yacht seven or eight nautical miles offshore, into the 'outer' sea south of Long Island.
While controlling the direction, 2B constantly monitored the images on the sonar... Although it wasn't a professional fishing boat, as one of Stark's personal collections, this boat was also equipped with many highly professional instruments. For example, the sonar used for detecting fish schools was even more effective than those on proper fishing boats.
"Fish schools detected."
"Oh? Then let's stop."
"Understood."
Activating the autopilot function that Stark had personally installed on the boat, ensuring the yacht wouldn't drift with the current, 2B left the helm and joined Shi Xiaolei and Conna on the aft deck, closer to the water.
Taking out his own fishing gear, Shi Xiaolei taught Conna while baiting the hook: "Look, like this, after piercing it, follow the curve of the hook and bend it a little…"
Compared to artificial lures made of plastic or wood, Shi Xiaolei was more accustomed to using live bait.
Whether it was effective or not remained to be seen, but little Conna, looking at the live shrimp, involuntarily started to drool.
"Xiaolei, Xiaolei," unable to resist, Conna reached out her small hand, grabbed a lively shrimp, and looked at Shi Xiaolei with her bright, watery eyes: "Can I eat one? It looks so delicious…"
"No, you can't," Shi Xiaolei said, chuckling helplessly and pinching the little girl's nose, incredibly suppressing the urge to say yes: "You can't eat it raw, you'll get a stomach ache. If you want to eat shrimp, I'll make some for you later. Creamy shrimp balls? Or eggplant shrimp? Which flavor do you prefer?"
"I want the creamy one~."
"Okay, I'll make it for you later." As he spoke, the bait was ready. Shi Xiaolei placed the fishing rod into the little girl's hands and gently pushed her back: "Go on, let Silvia teach you how to cast. I still need to bait two more."
"Mm~."
Remembering that there was a fishing mechanic in 'NieR: Automata', Shi Xiaolei naturally assumed 2B would know how to cast a rod.
The result was... "Huh?" Looking up at Conna, then at 2B, who wore an apologetic expression, Shi Xiaolei looked surprised: "You don't know how?"
"Mm," 2B nodded sheepishly: "I only know how to fish with a Pod; I've never used a fishing rod."
It had been too long since he last played, and with 2B's reminder, Shi Xiaolei suddenly recalled that the fishing method in the game was quite unique—no fishing rod, no bait. The androids would simply designate a body of water and send a Pod to catch fish... Indeed, when reeling in, one could clearly see that what was attached below the Pod was not a hook, but a claw.
"Alright then, wait for me for a bit, okay?"
After baiting the other two rods, he stood up, brought the two (one big, one small) to the boat's railing, and demonstrated a few times while explaining the key points.
This wasn't river fishing or rock fishing, so there was no need to aim for casting distance; just ensuring the bait entered the water and the line didn't tangle was enough.
"Did you learn it?"
"Mm-hmm~." The little girl, Conna, thought it was very simple and nodded vigorously: "I learned it."
"Alright, try it once and let me see."
"Mm."
Mimicking the motion she had just learned from Shi Xiaolei, Conna first swung the fishing rod back, then forcefully cast it forward.
She only thought about using force, forgetting how strong she was, and with that cast, the bait flew almost a hundred meters... "..."
"Xiaolei, Xiaolei, is this right?" The little girl turned her face and asked excitedly.
"..." After a moment of silence, Shi Xiaolei smiled wryly and nodded: "That's right, but next time you can use a little less force, okay?"
"Mm, I know~."
Although there were a few minor incidents, as time passed, the atmosphere on the boat gradually returned to peace.
The little girl had pretty good luck, catching a small fish almost every fifteen minutes. Watching her playing so happily and excitedly, and then seeing the warm interactions between 2B and the little girl, Shi Xiaolei felt a sense of inner peace.
'Ah, I almost forgot about the main business.' After an unknown period, Shi Xiaolei suddenly remembered that there was another important reason for going out to sea today.
"Silvia, you play with Conna for a bit, I'm going inside." Putting down his fishing rod, Shi Xiaolei stood up and gave 2B a look.
Having heard from Shi Xiaolei last night that he had another purpose for going out to sea today, 2B returned a 'I understand' smile and nodded: "Okay."
Inside the cabin, ensuring they wouldn't be observed by satellites overhead, Shi Xiaolei sat on the sofa and immersed his mind into his sea of consciousness.
"Redeem a blind box."
There was no display interface, but he could feel the sign-in value decreasing. As the value dropped to just 10 points, a golden box appeared in Shi Xiaolei's sea of consciousness.
Taking a deep breath, Shi Xiaolei secretly gave the command in his mind: 'Open it.'
"Hmm?"
Unlike the first time he opened a box, where he saw a blood-colored light cluster floating before him, and unlike the second and third times where a 'summoning' magic circle about a meter in diameter appeared, the only change this time was a subtle, ethereal connection that formed within his sea of consciousness.
Suppressing his inner apprehension, Shi Xiaolei closed his eyes and calmed his mind, carefully examining the reward from this box opening.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes in surprise and delight, involuntarily blurting out a curse: "Holy cow, it's the Ark? You've got to be kidding me~!"