“It’s minus five degrees Celsius outside. Are you sure you want to go out dressed like that?” Feng Ci raised an eyebrow. “If you catch a cold, I won’t be responsible.”
Berry had changed back into her Witch outfit—a linen dress under a black cloak, with dusty little leather boots on her feet. She looked as if a gentle breeze could knock her over.
She lifted her round head. “I won’t. Let’s go, let’s go.”
The tagalong Xiuxiu circled Berry once, first sniffing the air, then thumping the ground with a thud-thud.
“I didn’t use Magic to clean the clothes. It wasn’t me.”
Xiuxiu: Tap-tap?
Berry insisted firmly, “Impossible. He’s a Muggle. He doesn’t have Magic.”
Xiuxiu continued thumping the ground.
Berry wavered slightly but stubbornly held her ground. “I know he’s a good-looking Muggle, but he doesn’t know Magic.”
“…I’m a Muggle, not a corpse.”
He didn’t even bother hiding his sarcasm.
“How hard is it to guess?” Feng Ci, sandwiched between two beings whose combined intelligence didn’t even match his shoe size, said, “There are only two people and one stick in this house. If it wasn’t you two, then it must have been me.”
While she was drying her hair, her dirty clothes had been tumbling in the washing machine.
Hearing Feng Ci admit it himself, Berry froze for two seconds, seemingly busy processing a massive database.
“So you’re not a Muggle. You know Magic too.”
The child was as excited as if she’d met a long-lost relative, waving her hands and praising, “Not only can you make clothes clean, but you can also make them smell nice. Can you tell me how you did it?”
“You want to learn?”
“Yes! I won’t learn for free. I’ll trade you Fluffseed for it.”
“No need. I’ll teach you when we get back.”
The corner of Feng Ci’s lips lifted slightly. Having her as a free little maid would count as rent.
The future little maid rushed ahead to open the door, but Feng Ci stopped her. “Wait.”
He pulled a pet leash from his pocket, fastened one end around Berry’s wrist, and held the other end in his hand.
Meeting Berry’s puzzled expression, he said flatly, “To prevent getting lost.”
The little one fell silent, her delicate, bun-like face slowly scrunching up as she protested softly, “You might not believe it, but I’m actually not stupid. I’m very smart.”
“Who said you were stupid?” Feng Ci glanced at her. “It’s to prevent me from getting lost. Satisfied?”
“Okay.” Berry cheered up. “Then you have to keep up with me.”
“Let’s go.”
Feng Ci had thought it through carefully. He couldn’t stay indoors for a whole month just because of the kid. He wouldn’t be able to stand it; he’d grow moldy. Since he had nothing better to do anyway, he might as well take the kid out for a stroll to familiarize her with the modern environment.
The shops, buildings along the street, and the vehicles speeding by on the roadside left Berry wide-eyed.
She had never been to such a bustling, lively place before. People were everywhere, all dressed neatly, fair and plump, like nobles living in a king’s capital.
She had also never seen such huge and agile “carriages” before, moving so fast they were hard to catch with the naked eye, even faster than Grandma’s old broomstick.
Berry finally felt the reality of having crossed into another world.
On the way, they encountered a white robotic dog. Its strange appearance and odd gait kept drawing the child’s attention.
“What’s that?”
“A dog.”
“But it doesn’t have a head.”
“Exactly. It’s a headless dog.”
Berry shuddered in shock. “It can walk without a head?”
Feng Ci: “Yes. Five minutes of charging, two hours of walking.”
The child swallowed hard. "Will it hurt me?"
"Huh?" Feng Ci turned his head, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "Wishful thinking."
Three-year-old human toddlers are even disliked by dogs, let alone robot dogs. They're smart enough to steer clear of human toddlers from a distance.
City A is a cyberpunk metropolis, where robot dogs and robots are a common sight. Berry had encountered no fewer than five of those little monsters along the way. Seeing how clumsy and simple-minded they appeared, she gradually let her guard down.
The child trailed behind Feng Ci, chattering away with endless questions.
"How do headless monster puppies eat and drink?"
"Do they bark like 'woof woof'?"
"Oh, and do they like chewing bones too?"
"Don't know, never kept one." Just then, someone walking a robot dog approached from the opposite direction. Feng Ci stopped. "Why don't you go ask them?"
Berry looked at him eagerly, wanting to but not daring to.
"I'm socially awkward, don't count on me."
Berry sighed. Relying on others is never as good as relying on oneself. Summoning her courage, she took small, hesitant steps forward. "This is a Scarletberry, it's very sweet. I'm giving it to you."
The dog walker was a young girl, momentarily stunned by the little figure suddenly appearing before her.
"Little sister, are you selling fruit?"
"No, no." Berry shook her head like a rattle drum. "Big sister, can I talk to your puppy?"
The dog owner understood and smiled. "So you're giving me fruit to talk to my Xiao Du. Sure, you don't need to give me the fruit, keep it for yourself."
The little one was quite socially savvy. "I have plenty more. Please have this one, and thank you for letting me talk to the puppy."
The dog owner's heart softened, and she was about to reach out.
Feng Ci jumped in. "No way. You've been holding onto that fruit all night, it's all shriveled up by now. Plus, it hasn't been washed—could easily upset someone's stomach."
Fruit from another world hadn't undergone safety testing. If it made someone sick, things could get serious.
The dog owner paused and withdrew her hand.
Berry, indignant like a little calf, butted her head against Feng Ci. "The Scarletberry isn't spoiled."
Feng Ci easily held her in place with one big hand. "But it hasn't been washed, right?"
"It hasn't…"
"If it hasn't been washed, it's not clean. You can't give it to someone."
"Okay, but it's not a bad fruit."
"Whether it's a bad fruit or not, if it hasn't been washed, you can't give it to someone to eat."
The two, who looked strikingly similar, went back and forth, bickering like siblings to anyone watching.
The kind-hearted dog owner stepped in to mediate, having her dog perform a backflip, instantly capturing Berry's attention.
The little one's eyes were practically glued to it, clapping her hands excitedly while exclaiming, "Wow, it's a genius puppy!"
Feng Ci's eyebrow twitched, finding the phrase familiar.
Berry crouched down and looked up to ask, "Big sister, can I pet it?"
"You can pet it gently."
"Mm!" Berry promised solemnly, not only moving gently but also lowering her voice. "Genius puppy, please don't be scared. I'll pet you very gently."
The child's delicate fingertip touched the metal body of the robot dog. Instead of the imagined coldness, it felt slightly warm, oddly cozy.
It was just a bit hard—probably would hurt if it hit someone.
After petting the robot dog, Berry followed a cleaning robot for a while, observing it closely before her chatterbox tendencies kicked in again.
"Brother Feng, do they get paid?"
"No."
"Do they get rewards?"
"They get rewarded with charging."
"Is charging like food for them?"
Feng Ci: "For them, I guess it counts."
No pay, but meals are provided. Berry's eyes sparkled: "I'm really good at picking up trash. Can I join them?"