Chapter 6

 "Affirmative, host. The system can produce medicine for any kind of disease provided that you build the technology it needs." The female voice answered Maru.

"Do you know what disease my mother has, madame?" Maru asked the lady voice.

"Negative, host. Do you want the system to scan your mother?" the female voice asked Maru.

"Yes! Yes, please!" Maru answered the lady's voice excitedly.

"Affirmative, host.

System scanning…

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The system found that your mother has polymyositis. This disease deteriorates all the muscles of the body and causes them to ultimately collapse making even simple motions extremely hard." The female voice reported her diagnosis to Maru.

"What technology would I need to cure my mother's disease, madame?" Maru asked the lady voice after he finally knew what was causing all of her mom's suffering.

"You need a Medicine Fabricator, host. This device contains cure for every known disease and viruses throughout the realms." the female voice answered Maru.

"Food fabricator or medicine fabricator. What do I get first? Hmmm. Let me check something first." Maru thought. He was conflicted on what to get. His mother would need the medicine fabricator to assuage her worsening condition. But that would leave them all in hunger. He could also get the food fabricator first to satisfy their most immediate need of sustenance. But that would also make his mom continue to suffer in silence with her disease. His brain was telling him to do the latter but his heart was moving him to choose the former choice of the two. Maru was in a quandary.

"How can I use world energy to make either device, madame?" Maru asked the lady voice.

"You need 1,000 world energy to make each of those devices, host. When you reach the required amount of world energy, you only have to command me for the task and the device will materialize before you if you wish it so. If not, it will be stored inside the system inventory for later use." The female voice informed Maru.

"How do I get world energy, madame?" Maru asked quickly. He wanted to know everything he could to acquire food for his family and cure his mother's sickness. He was not satisfied with one because what he wanted was to get both of those goals realized. For only a year of scavenging and begging, he was not tired at all. Seeing his mother and sister okay and having something to eat, even how little it was, brought immeasurable strength to Maru. His motivation unequaled and determination undiminished in his work.

He will have to die first before he gives up on them. Even if he had to face a thousand beatings from those bullies again, he won't ever cower from them all. Just for the chance to give what his mother and sister needs. No matter the odds and difficulties, he must get his hands on those two devices mentioned by the lady voice. For them, nothing was impossible for him. They were all that really mattered to Maru. After all, what are you without your family?

"Nothing." Maru answered the question in his thoughts.

"The system automatically absorbed world energy starting last night, host. You currently get 1 unit of world energy per minute. You now have 788 world energy available for use." The female voice answered Maru.

"If I get those precious metals you were saying earlier, could you combine both those materials and this world energy magic to produce a food fabricator or a medicine fabricator, madame?" Maru asked the lady voice. They were different things. He wished that both were possible to combine because if it did, he would have a faster way of creating those two important devices.

"Affirmative, host. The system could convert any of those components to world energy for your convenience. Would you like to apply the change to the default settings?" the female voice asked Maru.

"Yes! Please do that, madame!" Maru hastily replied. He was glad that his prayers were heard. This new helper has given him so much already. Its advantages were endless. Maru would use it wisely to live a life that he wanted. Just as the one who gave it to him desired.

"Affirmative, host.

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Changes to the system settings have been applied." The female voice reported to Maru.

"Thank you, madame!" Maru said to the lady voice. If she did not come on time, he would have long gone to meet his ancestors. His family would have been left alone and helpless. The thought of what could have been almost made him cry.

"You don't have to thank me, host. The system exists to serve you." The female voice replied to Maru.

"Is that true? Would you really obey my every command, madame?" Maru asked in surprise.

"Affirmative, host. The master designed and created the system. Its purpose is irrevocable." The emotionless female voice answered Maru.

"I see. But I don't want to use you like a slave, madame. I want us to be friends. From now on, you shall call me Maru. Host seems unusual to the ears. I don't like it." Maru said to the lady voice.

"Affirmative, Maru." The female voice replied.

"Good. Do you have a name, madame?" Maru asked once more to the lady's voice. He was curious about this woman.

"Affirmative, Maru. I'm an Artificial Intelligence System." The female voice responded to Maru.

"Okay. You shall be called Madame Ais." Maru told the lady voice. He just can't refer to her as madame forever. Maru believed that every living being should have their own names. It is what makes them who they are. This defines them as they take that name into what they want to be. He believed that a name is not just a simple word.

In the end, a name is a mark of how you lived your life in which all people would be remembered by their deeds and misdeeds. This was the reason why Maru was proud of his name. It has many meanings but he wanted it to be recalled by everyone as the one who never gives up. His name, just like everything that he was, only hopes to give his family a better life. This thought was what kept him going.

"Affirmative, Maru." Madame Ais replied to Maru.