蝴蝶影院

By the way, internet trolling won’t work.

Now, what Duanmu Huai is facing is this test mode.

“I sense your presence, visitor.”

Along with a cold and hoarse voice, various parts hanging on the walls around him began to quiver, then they flew together and, in the blink of an eye, formed a puppet head that looked very similar to the man from before, staring intently at him.

“You have seen my past, what do you think of it?”

“You made a mistake, and you made amends for your mistake. That’s all I can say.”

Duanmu Huai quickly voiced his opinion. He knew that lying was pointless when dealing with a consciousness, only telling the truth would work.

“Yes, that’s what I think too. I’m just making amends for the mistake I made… Now then, young man…”

At this point, the Puppeteer Master’s tone became serious.

“Since you desire this power, what do you intend to use it for?”

“To fight, of course.”

Duanmu Huai answered unhesitatingly.

What a joke. If not for fighting, why would I come here? To make melancholic puppets at home as you do?

“Another fight!”

Upon hearing this, the Puppeteer Master was immediately furious.

“Do you have no other thoughts apart from fighting?”

“Well, I’d like to hear, what other thoughts do you have?”

Duanmu Huai crossed his arms, looking at the Puppeteer Master in front of him. These types of people were typically artists, and most artists were quite eccentric, with views completely different from ordinary people. He wanted to see what this Puppeteer Master had to say.

“Puppets are imitations of humans. However, they will be superior to humans. Once they possess souls, they will become even more splendid entities…”

“Uh, sorry for interrupting.”

Seeing the Puppeteer Master so worked up, Duanmu Huai decisively interrupted him.

“You basically wish the puppets to possess souls, and to have them become more superior than humans?”

“Yes!”

“And then?”

“……… And then?”

Upon hearing this, the Puppeteer Master was stunned, seemingly unaware of Duanmu Huai’s intentions.

“Exactly, once you say that it has a soul, it should be considered a living entity, right? It won’t be like the puppets you sculpted before, completed the moment you’ve finished sculpting. It will grow, get bigger, think, observe. It’s like a child. But one day it will realize that it’s not a human, not even a creature, and possibly the only being in the world that is different from others. What would it do then? Do you have any plans or arrangements for that?”

“This…”

Facing Duanmu Huai’s questioning, the Puppeteer Master was dumbstruck, unable to speak for a while.

Indeed, as Duanmu Huai mentioned, a puppet with a soul is no longer a straightforward piece of artwork, but a life that will grow.

Then, what is its purpose? What is its meaning?

Only at this moment did the Puppeteer Master astonishingly discover what he had done.

“What… Just what am I doing…”

“…………”

Looking at the Puppeteer Master’s bowed head, Duanmu Huai shrugged his shoulders without uttering a word. In truth, as a Judge, he also had taboos. When a player chose the character of Judge, several taboos will appear. One of them is that a Judge must not create any self-conscious AI or any similar soul race. Once the prohibition is violated, all the professional skills and properties of that character will be sealed. It would basically amount to the player having to start over from scratch.

In the past, players have ignored these rules and the results were always the same. It even caused a lot of debate on forums. Some players felt that creating life was their business, but some considered the irresponsible creation of life was indeed not a good thing. Duanmu Huai was relatively inclined to the latter. He believed that anything endeavored should have a beginning and an end. This sort of unaccountable behavior really ticked him off.

That’s why Duanmu Huai, though he loves kittens and puppies, has never kept any. He knows that whether it’s a cat or a dog, their lifespan is shorter than his, and no matter how well he takes care of them, they will still die before him. Instead of being heartbroken, he would rather watch cats online.

That’s why he despised artists like the Puppeteer Master from the bottom of his heart. To him, they were the kind to ride the tide of their fleeting passions as long as it satisfied them. After having fun, they never cared about nor considered the consequences of their actions. They were like those irresponsible individuals who, finding cats and dogs adorable, purchase them as pets. But then, considering the feeding process a hassle, they abandon them after a while. That was a display of utter irresponsibility.

So Duanmu Huai did not hide his thoughts. He also knew that, in this battle of wills, the opponent would certainly understand his thoughts. Hiding them would be meaningless.

“Perhaps, I really did make a mistake.”

The Puppeteer Master was disheartened for a moment, then lifted his head.

“I know what you’re thinking. Indeed, I’m not a suitable father. Perhaps when I brought her into this world, I hadn’t thought through this problem… So… I hope you can promise me, to take good care of her, no matter what.”

Faced with the Puppeteer Master’s requirement, Duanmu Huai furrowed his eyebrows.

“I can’t promise that just yet. You should know I’m about to face countless battles. There’s risk involved.”

“I understand. I hope you can guide her true heart, help her understand humans, experience the feelings of humans, experience herself…”

Upon saying this, the Puppeteer Master’s face bore a bitter expression.

“I’m sorry, this task should have been mine, but… I’m afraid I no longer have that opportunity.”

“………Alright, I might not be certain, but I’ll try my best.”

Duanmu Huai could only say this much. After all, he has never raised a child, has he?

After hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, the Puppeteer Master nodded, then scattered into pieces on the floor. Duanmu Huai advanced and reached out. With one grab, he got hold of the key.

The next moment, the entire room began to shake.

When Duanmu Huai opened his eyes again, he was back in reality.

“Good, it’s done… ”

Duanmu Huai lowered his gaze to look at the object in his hand, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

Finally succeeded!