I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 14: Welcome to the Ark 4

After several hours, Oriana returned home with a meal kit provided by the Barrier Agency after finishing her report.

However, when Oriana tried to prepare the meal kit for Alice, who must have been hungry, she was deeply shocked to find that the vibration fryer was completely unresponsive.

She had recently paid the electricity subscription fee for all the appliances in her house, and just yesterday, they had all worked fine, but now none of them had power.

“Alice, should we just eat out instead?”

“…Okay, sure.”

Alice, who avoided meeting Oriana’s gaze for some reason, nodded obediently.

‘I feel bad. She’s at the age where kids need their parents or adults to take care of them…’

Alice’s hesitant response, coupled with her avoidance of eye contact, made Oriana feel guilty, as if Alice was disappointed about not being able to eat homemade food.

The truth was that Alice had consumed all the electricity in Oriana’s house.

“Well, let’s at least put this on, Alice.”

Since Alice’s appearance was rather conspicuous, Oriana handed her the navy blue coat she usually wore for patrols.

“Oriana, this is way too big.”

“That’s just right.”

Though the coat was indeed oversized, it was perfect for covering Alice’s appearance, like a hood.

The Kowloon Residential District alone housed a population of one billion.

In other words, it was a place overflowing with people, which meant human trafficking and kidnapping rings were rampant.

Young girls like Alice were often sold for the amusement of criminals or the wealthy, or for organ trafficking.

Some parents, unable to endure poverty, reportedly sold their children’s bodies directly to organ trafficking organizations.

Of course, Alice, who had slaughtered a Scrap Dragon, was unlikely to be kidnapped and suffer a terrible fate, but avoiding unnecessary conflict was always wiser.

With that, Oriana left the house with Alice.

“When we’re outside, don’t ever leave my side. And don’t get too startled.”

“Startled? Why?”

“You’ll see.”

The moment the door opened, a new world unfolded before Alice’s eyes.

“Wow…”

The sky and the earth seemed infinite.

The city was teeming with endless streams of people, and drones for trash collection, deliveries, and taxis filled the sky like stars.

‘The buildings and skyscrapers stretch out like the world trees of the elves’ realm. All kinds of strange things, whether robots or not, are flying everywhere.’

In her second life, the eternal forest where the elves resided was a dense woodland with trees that grew from the depths of the earth to the heavens.

Elves and fairies lived and thrived among those trees.

Here, instead of trees, buildings made of concrete and unknown magical minerals, along with prefab housing complexes, rose to unimaginable heights.

A forest of buildings.

A forest of steel, concrete, and dust.

At the highest building visible to the eye was a massive clock.

[2288/03/21-13:24]

The year was 2288.

Whether this was Earth or not was uncertain, but judging by the calendar, it appeared to be a near-future version of Earth.

Though it was entirely different from the Earth Alice remembered, it hadn’t advanced to the point of interstellar travel.

However, the previously nonexistent magic-based sciences, spirits, and the traces of mana detected everywhere suggested that, like her second life, this world also included supernatural elements such as magic.

Alice turned her gaze, noticing the ceiling and floor paths, more intricate than spiderwebs.

Everything was interconnected without regard for floors, and human dwellings were stacked tightly like bricks.

Seeing each brick occupied by a human, the city itself resembled a massive, mechanized cage housing chickens.

It was chaos and disorder, yet within that chaos lay a peculiar form of aesthetics, an order and rules of its own.

“Welcome to Ark, the final light of humanity, Alice.”

“Eek!?”

With those words, Oriana suddenly embraced Alice and leaped into the air.

“What are you—ah, you can fly?”

Alice, who was about to shout at Oriana for her sudden actions, soon saw a magnetic field emanate from Oriana’s body, defying gravity and allowing them to float midair, causing Alice’s startled shoulders to relax.

“Ha, I’d ask you to address adults formally, but since everything is new and hard to adapt to, I’ll let it slide.”

‘A magnetic field? It seems like she’s coating her skin with the power of an Artificial Spirit to repel nearby metals. Considering this place is filled with metals, it must be convenient… Can I do that too?’

【Answer: It is possible.】

‘Oh. Really!?’

【Given the current state, where all electricity from Oriana’s residence has been absorbed for the survival of the Main System, it is indeed possible.】

‘……’

Feeling a pang of conscience, Alice looked down again, noticing the countless narrow alleys packed with people.

Given her age, being carried like a princess was slightly embarrassing, but it seemed preferable to walking through that crowd.

The densely populated Kowloon Residential Zone exuded an unclean and suffocating atmosphere, just from being outside, but everything in this new world fascinated Alice.

Their flight didn’t last long.

What would have taken others two hours on foot, Oriana traversed in an instant by crossing the tiers.

Unlike the calm-looking residential tiers, the zone directly below them resembled a bustling downtown filled with glittering lights.

“There’s such a lively place just below.”

“Right below the residential tiers is the entertainment and downtown district. I live in an upper tier, so it’s quiet, but anyone living here probably can’t sleep without earplugs.”

Landing at a reasonable spot in the busy streets, Oriana looked around to find a decent restaurant.

Flying individuals weren’t an uncommon sight here; passersby simply made way and continued on their paths.

“Oriana, can you put me down now…”

“You’re not wearing shoes, are you?”

As Alice tried to get down from Oriana’s arms, Oriana pointed out that Alice was barefoot and refused to let her go.

“But my feet are metallic prosthetics…”

“No. Do you even know how contaminated this place is?”

It didn’t seem to weigh much on Oriana.

Well, being a First-Class Overseer, carrying one girl wouldn’t be a challenge for her.

Even considering Alice’s fully mechanical body, she felt absurdly light.

A body like Alice’s should weigh at least 70 kilograms of metal, but to Oriana, she seemed no heavier than 30 kilograms.

“Alice, do you have any allergies or adverse reactions to artificial meat or synthetic fried food?”

“What’s that?”

Alice tilted her head in confusion.

She understood the words but wasn’t familiar with them as common terms in her daily life.

“Ah, I see. So you really are a Returnee?”

“A Returnee? What’s that?”

Alice’s face filled with confusion as unfamiliar words kept appearing.

Oriana, realizing once again that this child was a Returnee, began to walk forward.

“Well, this seems like the perfect place.”

Carrying Alice, Oriana headed to a large family restaurant with a prominent brand inside the Ark.

“Welcome to Aldeliel!”

The polite demeanor of the server was neat and proper.

Although the outside world was the epitome of a cyberpunk dystopia, the interior of the restaurant was so clean and orderly that it gave Alice a peculiar sense of nostalgia, almost as if she had returned to Earth.

“Two people. We’ll have the standard full-course meal kit for two and two orange juices.”

“Would you like the juice synthesized or natural? The natural one costs extra, but we just got fresh ingredients from the deep agricultural layers of the Ark!”

“Alright, we’ll take two natural ones.”

“Understood! Your order is confirmed!”

Apparently, synthesizing orange juice in a factory was the norm, and orange juice made from natural ingredients was significantly more expensive than the standard product.

Alice wasn’t entirely sure if she had truly returned to Earth, but she could deeply feel just how much the world had changed.

“This is the only decent place to eat nearby.”

The food arrived quickly.

Synthetic pork cutlet.

Synthetic cream croquette.

Soup loaded with artificial sweeteners.

To Alice, the food was both familiar and unfamiliar, but a smile unknowingly spread across her face as she saw something entirely new in this life.

“…Thank you.”

“No need to feel pressured. Eat as much as you want.”

Expressing brief gratitude to Oriana, Alice straightened her posture and focused on the meal.

On the sizzling hot plate sat the synthetic pork cutlet.

The pleasant sound of sizzling filled the air, and even though she was essentially a metal-can android, her appetite was piqued.

Piercing it with a fork and looking at the cross-section, the evenly cooked meat glistened with oil.

Its appearance was more sensual than a seductress beckoning one to indulge in sin. She almost felt saliva—something she didn’t even have—pooling in her mouth.

She dipped the cutlet in the green salt instead of a sauce and brought it to her mouth.

She savored the rich, smooth aroma before placing it in her mouth.

The first sensation was a crispy texture.

Then came the oil.

The nuttiness.

-Chew, chew.

The nutty aroma and the burst of juices made the distinction between synthetic and natural meat irrelevant—it was simply delicious.

Chewing and savoring, Alice realized that the thick synthetic pork cutlet had completely disappeared into her mouth.

‘Ah, I’m grateful that my sensory organs are intact…’

【Commencing organic matter breakdown】

She felt a clockwork mechanism stir within her, only for the sensation to fade away.

It was probably some sort of digestion or organic decomposition process.

My auxiliary personality, Theresa, said that even if I ate food, it would be broken down and turned into energy for me, so there shouldn’t be a problem eating.

【Reporting to the Main System. The current physical output state is highly inefficient and requires continuous recharging.】

‘What, now? I’m eating! And didn’t I already drain all the electricity at Oriana’s house earlier? Do I need to recharge again?’

【It is not an immediate necessity, but it is recommended to fill the emergency battery with energy whenever possible.】

“Alice, does the food suit your taste?”

“Oh, yeah…”

Alice, who wanted to talk to Theresa, tried to act as if everything was normal in front of Oriana.

“That’s a relief. When I first came here from the Ark’s core, I couldn’t handle the water or food, so I survived on nutritional capsules.”

Alice nodded at Oriana’s words while secretly feeling frustrated with Theresa.

How was she supposed to find a place to recharge electricity with Oriana right in front of her?

【Plug confirmation.】

‘What? Wait a minute…’

-Pop!-

Before Alice could say anything to stop it, Theresa moved her body of her own accord.

It wasn’t even a big movement.

Theresa opened a module near Alice’s spine, extended a mechanical tendril, and inserted it directly into an electrical plug embedded in the wall.

The tendril was extremely thin, and the plug’s location was behind Alice, so neither Oriana nor any passersby noticed anything unusual.

‘Ha, ugh…’

With the artificial meat cutlet and the tingling, refreshing sensation running through her spine, Alice smiled blissfully.

“Oh my, is it delicious, Alice? Should I order more for you?”

“Ha, ha, uh… yes, please…”

Mouth full of cutlet.

Spine full of restaurant electricity.

She knew, at least in her mind, that this was wrong…

“Uh, uhehe…”

“Oh my, it must taste so good that it makes you laugh. I’m glad, Alice.”

‘I don’t care anymore. Restaurant electricity is amazing…’

【Charging initiated.】

The ecstatic taste and fulfillment coursing through her body and mouth were impossible to resist, even with a guilty conscience.