Quick Wear Dream Qiqi

Chapter 461 Human-Machine Love 3

The dome of the Moss Market is made of translucent "photosynthetic resin", which refracts a rainbow-like halo when sunlight passes through.

Meng Qiqi squatted in front of a stall filled with glass test tubes, looking at the string of zeros following the "Moonlight Nutrient Solution (Concentrated)" on the label, and couldn't help but gasp - five hundred star coins for five milliliters, enough for her to rent a tree house in the Green Island community for three months.

"Little girl, I see you're growing stardust trees, aren't you?" the wrinkled stall owner, an elderly woman, said, wearing mechanical prosthetic fingers that could automatically sort leaves. "This nutrient solution is imported from the Antares galaxy. Just one drop can help the seedlings absorb 30% more light energy."

Meng Qiqi pinched the only twenty star coins left in her pocket. That was all the belongings left by the original owner.

She had just used a static magnetic ring to accelerate the growth of the Stardust Tree yesterday, and now it needed a large amount of nutrient solution, but the price...

"It's too expensive," she shook her head, glancing at the other bottles and jars on the stall. "Is there a cheaper alternative?"

The old woman smiled and pulled out a plastic bottle with a "Three No" label from under the counter. "This 'Grassroots Growth Agent' is ten star coins a bottle. It's 15% as effective as Moonlight Nutrient Solution, but..."

She lowered her voice, "It can easily disrupt plant genes. Last month, a kid used it, and the stardust wood resin he grew turned completely black. He couldn't even sell it."

Meng Qiqi shuddered and waved her hands quickly.

She didn't dare take risks with the mission plants.

As he turned to leave, he heard the old woman mutter into the communicator, "Another poor idiot trying to get rich growing stardust wood..."

Walking to the energy fountain in the center of the market, Meng Qiqi looked at the balance on the computer and suddenly remembered the inventory in the space.

She took a deep breath and dodged into the nearby "Qiansi Teng Public Restroom". After confirming that there was no one there, her consciousness sank into a corner of the space.

Unlike the black soil in "The Happy Farmer Girl", the space in this world has an extra metal shelf, which is filled with "souvenirs" she brought back from various fast-travel worlds - Ming and Qing blue and white porcelain vases, 21st century smartphones, and even half a volume of medical books left by Shen Qinghuan in the previous world.

"Xiaojiu," she asked in her mind, "help me check how much these modern antiques can be sold for in the interstellar era?"

"Scanning..." Xiaojiu's system voice was excited. "High-value items detected: '20th Century Limited Edition Mechanical Watch', estimated value 8000 Star Coins; 'Song Dynasty Ru Kiln Celadon Glaze Bottle', estimated value 8,000 Star Coins; 'First Generation Holographic Projector (Unopened)', estimated value 5000 Star Coins..."

Meng Qiqi's heart beat faster when she heard this.

Any one of them is enough to buy hundreds of bottles of Moonlight Nutrient Solution!

She recalled the days when she was a "stockpiling expert" in the modern world. Every time she completed a mission, she had to exchange it for real supplies in the system mall. She didn't expect that it would come in handy today.

"But, host," Xiaojiu suddenly reminded, "the Federation has strict controls on 'ancient Earth items', especially products with obvious technological logos, which are easily targeted by the inspection team."

She stroked her chin, looking at the smartphone sealed in its vacuum box on the shelf.

The shopping app she had used before crossing over was still on her phone screen, and in the shopping cart were autumn clothes that she had not had time to pay for.

"I can't go through the formal channels," she muttered to herself, "I have to go to the black market."

I remembered someone mentioned the "Moss Dark Market" in the "Neighborhood Gossip" on the optical computer. It is open every Friday night on the third underground floor of the market.

She looked at the calendar on her computer and saw that tonight was Friday.

"That's it!" She chose a small, high-value item - a Victorian mechanical music box that can play "Für Alice" when wound up. It should be considered a rare "handmade work of art" in the interstellar age.

Just as I put the music box into the space, I heard a quarrel outside the bathroom door.

She quietly opened the door and saw Su Muyan being stopped by two men in black suits. One of them flashed the badge of the Federal Inspection Team and said, "Ms. Su Muyan, we suspect you are illegally developing emotional AI. Please come with us."

Su Muyan's face turned pale, and she subconsciously protected the backpack behind her - Meng Qiqi guessed that it must contain the core parts of 07.

What about 07?

She looked around anxiously and suddenly saw a flash of silver light from the ceiling vent.

"Wait!" Meng Qiqi suddenly pushed open the door, clutching the "anti-wolf stun gun" she had taken out from the space. She bought it in the modern world but never had the chance to use it. "Do you have a search warrant? What do you have to arrest people?"

The inspector was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting anyone to intervene. "Article 42 of the Federal AI Ethics Act authorizes us to investigate suspicious individuals."

"Suspicious?" Meng Qiqi stood in front of Su Muyan and deliberately raised her voice. "Everyone in Lvyu Community knows that Miss Su is a mechanical engineer? She carries spare parts with her every day. How can that be suspicious? Are you thinking she's single and easy to bully?"

Gradually, people gathered around to watch the fun.

Su Muyan tugged at the corner of her clothes, her eyes full of gratitude and worry.

Just as the inspection team was about to forcibly take Su Muyan away, a piece of pipe suddenly fell from the ceiling vent and hit one of the team members' feet.

"What is that?!" The team members were startled and looked up.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, 07's voice suddenly rang out from Su Muyan's backpack, after being voice-changed: "Master, hurry up!"

Su Muyan reacted very quickly and pulled Meng Qiqi towards the depths of the market.

The inspection team members chased after them cursing, but were blocked by the sudden influx of people - someone shouted "The federal inspection team is stealing things", and the entire Moss Market was instantly in chaos.

Meng Qiqi was dragged by Su Muyan through the bustling crowd, her heart beating wildly.

She glanced back and saw that 07 had jumped down from the vent at some point and was using his metal palm to quickly dismantle the energy lines on the stall, creating chaos.

His energy core flashed with a dazzling red light, obviously activating combat mode.

"Is he okay?" Meng Qiqi couldn't help but ask.

"07 has a self-protection program," Su Muyan panted, pulling her into an alley full of discarded parts. "Thank you, Meng Qiqi, if it weren't for you..."

"Stop talking," Meng Qiqi waved her hands and looked at Su Muyan's pale face. "Why did the federal inspection team suddenly come to our house?"

Su Muyan bit her lip and took out a burnt chip from her backpack: "When 07 overloaded yesterday, the energy fluctuations might have been captured by their monitoring station."

She paused, a flicker of determination in her eyes, "I must complete 07's emotional module as soon as possible. Only then can he truly 'survive'."

Meng Qiqi looked at the burnt chip and remembered the look in 07's eyes when he asked her if she liked it. She suddenly made a decision: "I know a place that might be able to help you get the parts you need - tonight's Moss Dark Market."

Su Muyan raised her head in surprise: "You also know about the dark market?"

"I just heard about it," Meng Qiqi touched the mechanical music box in her pocket, "It is said that there are all kinds of things there, including... things that are banned by the federal government."

The inspection team's voices came from outside the alley. The two men looked at each other and saw determination in each other's eyes.

Meng Qiqi knew clearly that she, a "passerby eating spectators", seemed to have been completely caught up in the storm of human-machine love.

And tonight's Moss Dark Market will be the key to whether they can continue.

She looked down at the jade bracelet on her wrist, and Su Muyan's anxious face was reflected on the surface of the bracelet.

Perhaps, in this interstellar age, in addition to growing stardust trees, she can do something more meaningful - for example, helping a pair of lovers who transcend races to preserve their love.

As for the mechanical music box that was going to be exchanged for star coins?

Meng Qiqi smiled. Perhaps it could bring her not only nutrient solution, but also the opportunity to change the fate of two "people".

The hustle and bustle of the moss market gradually subsided, and the setting sun filtered through the photosynthetic resin dome, dyeing the entire market a warm orange-red.

Meng Qiqi and Su Muyan hid in the pile of discarded parts, waiting for the night to fall and the opening of the Moss Dark Market.

At this moment, 07 was hiding in a corner of the market, his metal fingers drawing a complex circuit diagram on the ground, and the red light of the energy core gradually turned into a stable blue.