Chapter 431: I Was Here First!

In Yanshan City, skyscrapers loomed amidst the wind and snow.

They shimmered with a festive red.

That was the human warmth lit up by thousands of households as they rang out the old year and welcomed the new.

It was lively and boisterous, a cacophony of human voices.

The sound of bells rang throughout the city and beyond, amplified by supernatural power, washing away the weariness accumulated in people's hearts after a year of hard work.

However, Xu Xi never expected to receive an implicit confession from the Mech-Servant just after midnight on New Year's Eve.

"Ele." Xu Xi sat on the edge of the bed, meeting the Mech-Servant's clear, silver-blue eyes.

"You don't necessarily need to be a wife to be added to the household registration."

"Ele knows." The girl nodded gently, indicating that she had long been aware of this: "But I only want to be your wife, your spouse."

The former RTX-9090 was an Intelligent Machine, a domestic robot.

Even though her core held infinite emotions, she could not accurately understand or express them.

But now, Ele could understand, and she wanted to express it to Xu Xi.

In the bedroom, Xu Xi asked concernedly: "Ele, do you know what is most important between spouses?"

"Master, it is [Love]."

The lights were dim, casting shadows over the features of the Automaton Girl.

Her calm eyes were as bottomless as the ocean, possessing an inhuman indifference.

But when she looked at Xu Xi, ripples appeared, the indifference faded, and her eyes were filled only with tenderness.

"The love of companionship, the love of care, the love of acknowledgement, the love of concern."

"All kinds of love together make up a [Spouse]."

"Master." Ele suddenly smiled, her eyes curving into soft crescents: "A long time ago, I struggled with the definition of love, thinking it was very complicated."

"But now, I think I understand."

"You wiping my camera lens is love."

"You preparing a body for me is love."

"You enduring pain to accept my unreasonableness and willfulness is also love."

"You have always loved me. Once I realized this, I understood something very important—"

Tilting her head slightly, Ele rested it on Xu Xi's arm.

Looking at the window in front, her tone was as light as the wind: "I… also… love… you."

"I like it when you praise me."

"I like it when you care for me."

"I like having you by my side."

"I love your companionship, I love your gentleness, I love your quirkiness, I love every bit of you."

"Master," the Mech-Servant concluded, "we love each other, so becoming a legal married couple is a matter of course."

Although they lacked a legally recognized marital status, in the Mech-Servant's view, her feelings for Xu Xi and their long history of being together meant they were already true partners.

"That's my line! That's my line!!"

Wu Yingxue, hiding in the shadows, had her eyes wide open, anxious to rush out, but afraid of attracting her sister and the Hero.

Klisa was expressionless, her demeanor calm, her eyes still.

She looked at Ele outside, then at Wu Yingxue beside her, and reached a conclusion.

As expected, the greatest threat was still one of her "own kind."

"I must do something," the witch muttered to herself, contemplating how to lead Xu Xi away from the Mech-Servant's sinister clutches.

…

Courtyard, Xu Xi's bedroom.

Ele approached step by step, holding the household registration form, her entire body almost pressing against Xu Xi.

She was so close that Xu Xi could see himself in her deep blue eyes.

"Master, please sign it." "As long as you write your name, this form will take effect."

The winter cold could not diminish the Mech-Servant's aggressiveness.

She took Xu Xi's wrist, letting his warm palm cover her face once again: "Is that okay, Master?"

"Ele, I…"

Xu Xi clearly felt the heavy, weighty love coming from the Mech-Servant.

But at the same time, in the corner of the bedroom, Martial Dao Qi and magic elements were faintly boiling, threatening to tear open space.

The closer Ele got to Xu Xi, the more intense the boiling of space became; however, just as it was about to reach a critical point, a new incident occurred.

"Thump—thump—" "Thump—thump—"

A loud knocking on the door not only stopped the Mech-Servant's movements but also dissipated the boiling of the Martial Dao Qi and magic elements.

"Lord Wizard, are you asleep?" "I have something I need to discuss with you."

It was Sevia. On this special New Year's Eve, a fourth visitor had appeared.

"A coincidence?" Ele's expression was very blank; she had never expected that at this most crucial moment, someone else would interrupt.

After thinking, under Xu Xi's gaze—wanting to speak but stopping, stopping and wanting to speak again—Ele performed a familiar action.

"Master, please wait a moment, I need to leave temporarily."

She tore open space, creating a hiding spot.

Space-time shattered like a mirror, layer by layer, creating a dense web of cracks. Ele, who had intended to hide immediately, met with Klisa and Wu Yingxue inside.

Three Supremes. Three girls. At this moment, they fell into a deathly silence.

It was as if all the surrounding noise had vanished without a trace in a single instant.

"How are you…" The Mech-Servant's circuits were a bit shorted.

"I was here first." The witch continued to assert her sovereignty.

She then moved aside, allowing the frowning Ele to enter the hiding spot.

"Am I late?" Ele asked. "You shouldn't have come," Klisa replied.

The Supremes, possessing the same attributes, grew wary of each other, subconsciously ignoring the princess beside them.

Wu Yingxue: "…"

Accompanied by invisible spatial ripples, the shattered interlayer returned to its original state. The interior of the bedroom returned to normal, leaving only Xu Xi speechless and disheveled.

"Tonight's New Year's Eve seems a bit excessive…"

Xu Xi didn't dislike the girls, nor did he intend to deliberately avoid them.

It was just that the situation tonight was too chaotic; the repeated collisions had already caused the situation to veer completely into the unknown.

For some reason, Xu Xi had a sense of foreboding, as if a storm were coming.

"I hope everything ends peacefully…" Xu Xi shook his head, reached for the doorknob, and opened the door for the Hero.

"Lord Wizard, I'm sorry to disturb you."

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, and even in the dead of night, its platinum luster flowed smoothly.

Her eyes were like two deep green emeralds, shimmering with the vitality of life. This was the beauty unique to the Hero.

With an apologetic expression, Sevia walked into Xu Xi's bedroom, her face full of awkwardness and hesitation.

"It's no disturbance." "Sevia, what is it that you want to discuss with me?"

Xu Xi invited the Hero to sit down and poured her a glass of warm water.

"Ah, that…" Sevia held the water glass with both hands. Her gaze darted away, hesitating.

Finally, after taking a sip of water, she looked embarrassedly at the Collection Cabinet, then toward other corners of the room.

Her tone was wavering: "Lord Wizard, could you come back to Claufeel with me?"

"Regarding our engagement, my father and mother already know, and they said they want to meet you."

On the Hero's hands, which were holding the water glass, on the ring finger of her left hand, a ring gifted by Xu Xi was emitting a faint light.

This position symbolized love and marriage, usually a metaphor for being engaged or married.