Chapter 5

"Affirmative, host." The female voice replied to Maru.

"What should I call you, madame?" Maru asked tentatively. He doesn't want to offend the lady voice. She saved his life once. He owed much to her.

"You can call me anything you want, host." The female voice responded to Maru.

"Is that okay? Wouldn't you be offended by that?" Maru cautiously asked the lady voice.

"Affirmative, host. The system has no emotions." The female voice sounded.

"What are you?" Maru could barely comprehend about the things the lady voice was talking about.

"I am an Artificial Intelligence System, host." The female voice said to Maru.

"Okay. How come I can hear you?" Maru waded forward even without understanding what an Artificial Intelligence System was. He continued throwing questions at the lady's voice.

"The system has been integrated with your soul, host." The female voice replied to Maru.

"Integrated? Does that mean that you live in my soul?" Maru asked the lady voice.

"Affirmative, host." The female voice responded to Maru.

"How did this happen? Did my father send you?" Maru said to the lady voice. He was having trouble digesting all this information. There was only one person he could think of who would help him in his moment of need, his father. The only other people he knew were his mother and sister. Maru obviously knows that they couldn't have been responsible for this mysterious lady's voice to magically appear in his soul.

"Negative, host. I was sent by the Immortal Maker "Nameless One". He saw your plight and gave the system as a gift. It was both an act of his eternal pity and endless mercy. The master only wishes that you use it well so that you may live your life the way you want it to." The female voice answered in length towards Maru.

"Who is this Immortal Maker "Nameless One"?" Maru asked in curiosity.

"Immortal Maker "Nameless One" is the Lord of the Realms, host." The female voice replied to Maru.

"Okay. What can you do for me, madame?" Maru didn't understand what those vague terms mean but he was not willing to linger on such unimportant things. What he wanted to know was how this mystical lady voice could help him.

"I will do anything you command me, host. The system currently has a realm wide scanning technology pre-installed for the host's advantage. In my database are the entirety of the technological advancements and breakthroughs of every territorial realm owned by Immortal Maker "Nameless One".

"Scanning technology? Does that mean you could find anybody in this area?" Maru asked in wonder to the lady's voice.

"Affirmative, host." The female voice replied to Maru.

"Can you find…" my father? Was what Maru wanted to add. But he did not find the courage to continue uttering the question. If he found out that his dad already died, he would be sad. Not for him but for his sister. And if he would find that his father was now living the dream with his new wife and family, Maru would hate his father more.

In the end, it was better not to know. Yet. Maybe when he grows up just like he promised Uwyn, Maru would eventually get enough confidence to know the truth. But now it would be best for things to stay as they were. After all, they have survived without him throughout these years.

"…food?" Maru asked instead.

"Affirmative, host.

System scanning…

1%

2%

3%

99%

100% complete

Found 746,129,672,337,998 places with abundance of food in this world. The forest east of your position is the nearest viable option for a food source, host." The female voice answered Maru.

"That place is dangerous. I can't go there. Do you have other ways of getting food, madame?" Maru asked again to the lady's voice.

"Affirmative, host. The system has a technology called the Food Fabricator. This device can produce all foods and beverages available in the system database." The female voice replied to Maru.

"What?! How can I get that food fabricator?!" Maru exclaimed to the lady's voice. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from the lady's voice. If he could have that thing, then they wouldn't starve anymore. He would also not risk his life again in the city while playing a deadly game of hide and seek with the people of the slums.

"You need valuable and precious metals, host. The components to make one are gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, nickel, tantalum, cobalt, aluminum, tin, zinc, neodymium, …" the female voice answered Maru in length. It was almost three minutes until she had finished listing the requirements of making a food fabricator.

"Okay. Is there no other way to make one, madame?" Maru asked after he patiently waited for the lady's voice to stop her enumeration of the needed materials. He thought it would be impolite to interrupt even if all he recognized from those were only two, gold and silver. He had heard of merchants talk about this thing in the market. Even if he hadn't seen one, he concluded that they were precious and expensive judging from the conversation he heard about them.

"Affirmative, host. You could make use of world energy as a replacement for the parts needed to build a food fabricator." The female voice replied to Maru.

"You mean that thing you used to cure me of my wounds?" Maru asked the lady voice.

"Affirmative, host." The female voice responded to Maru.

"Wait! Can you use that world energy you mentioned to heal my mother also? Madame." Maru enquired to the lady voice. He was thrilled about the prospect of letting her mother be free of pain again. Seeing her in constant agony was like stabbing daggers to his young heart. His only wish was to let her smile again. To feel her warm hug and loving care once more. Maru would do anything to bring that back. He even added the last word hastily because his innocent mind thought that maybe by pleasing this mysterious lady with such respectful manner would make her help him more.

"Negative, host. The system cannot influence other people. You were only mended because of the system's connection with you through your soul." the female voice responded to Maru.

"How about that technology you said. Could it restore my mother's health?" Maru asked once again. The conversation about how to get food was completely forgotten. He did not care about that food fabricator at this moment. What was on his mind was only to hope for a possible cure for his mother. Even how little that hope was because it is human nature to always find fresh cause for optimism. No matter how small the chance was, Maru was not willing to let go of the possibility. For himself, Uwyn, and his mother.