Although Lin Lan harbored a strong dislike for the Tianou Consortium, he found himself rather approving—after a long observation—of these so-called "third-generation" robots.
That's why he told Sun Dewang to send all these household robots to the Western Continent Institute of Technology for research.
As long as these robots could one day be used by his own household, that was enough.
Previously, there had only been two generations of robots in the Orland United States.
The first generation was similar to Sui Qiong-type hegemonic mechs—massive machines equipped with artificial intelligence, mainly used for heavy assault operations.
After the war with the Natlan Empire ended, all surviving hegemonic mechs were sealed away.
However, Orland never ceased its development of AI technologies.
Soon, the second generation of robots was born—primarily the service-type robots now commonly used in Orland, as well as AI systems for self-driving cars.
However, AI systems of that era still required large amounts of physical space.
As a result, these second-generation robots were either still large and slow, or relegated to vehicle-mounted or ship-mounted systems, mainly used for navigation and radar functions.
When the Siren Disaster broke out, AI development was halted due to the widespread destruction of cities and political instability in the Orland United States.
The Tianou Consortium had now developed a third generation of robots—without any media coverage—making this the first time Lin Lan had heard of them.
Since he would only be staying in this villa for a week at most, household robots weren't really necessary, so he let Sun Dewang take them all away.
Watching Sun Dewang get these robots—dressed in butler uniforms—lined up with just a few words, ready to walk out the front gate, Lin Lan turned to the curious Akashi beside him and said:
"Do you want to take one back and study it? Maybe upgrade the Muscle Manjuu units a bit?"
The little green-haired merchant Akashi circled a butler robot for a while, then giggled and said:
"Not a bad idea, nya~ I graciously accept your offer, nya~"
With a wave of her paw, Akashi stashed one of the robots into her rigging's storage space.
As Lin Lan watched these household robots in butler outfits, his mind suddenly turned to the Royal faction's maid corps.
Compared to these robots, real maids were just… more alluring.
Hehe, my Belfast, my Dido, my Sirius, my...
Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, Lin Lan turned to Sun Dewang and said seriously:
"Alright, come pick us up again tonight. Be sure to explain everything clearly to Jian Qian'ou, and have him make all the post-operation arrangements tonight."
Sun Dewang quickly nodded in agreement. After scheduling to pick him up at 8 PM, he left the villa.
Tonight they were going to eliminate Director Yang—an event with major consequences that required thorough preparation, or else Tian'ou Group could fall into chaos and panic.
After watching Sun Dewang depart, Lin Lan turned and sat down on a sofa in the villa's grand hall.
The Ironblood shipgirls and Sui Qiong had gone upstairs to check out the rooms, leaving only Akashi by Lin Lan's side.
"Akashi, ahem… the wedding dress I asked you to prepare for Sui Qiong—do you have it ready?"
Lin Lan looked over at the green-haired little merchant sitting beside him and asked.
"Nyahaha, of course I didn't forget the commander's request, nya~ Not only do I have Sui Qiong's dress, I've also got your suit ready too, nya~"
While flicking her cat ears, Akashi pulled a phone from her oversized sleeve and handed it to Lin Lan.
"Here you go, commander. Take a look—if you don't like this style and prefer something Dragon Empery or Sakura Empire themed, I can do custom orders too, nya~"
Lin Lan took the phone and saw a picture of a brand-new black tuxedo.
Scrolling down, he also saw the white wedding dress and matching accessories prepared for Sui Qiong.
"Not bad. You've got good taste."
Lin Lan smiled and handed the phone back to Akashi.
"I'll need your help today—go ask the nearest church if they'll rent it to us for a day. Don't worry about the cost. Just make sure they clean it thoroughly."
"Nya~ leave it to me!"
Akashi tucked the phone away and flashed Lin Lan a mischievous grin:
"I've got tons of experience officiating oath ceremonies, nya~ As long as the commander is willing to spend a little money, I can guarantee everything will go perfectly, nya~"
Lin Lan chuckled and patted Akashi on the head.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you then. Money's not a problem."
After all, the one thing he didn't lack right now was money. If it could be solved with money, it wasn't really a problem.
And Akashi just so happened to be the kind of dockyard merchant who could do anything—so long as you paid enough.
"Commander~ come upstairs and take a look! These rooms are so beautiful~"
Just as the two wrapped up their conversation, Roon's voice rang out from the villa's upper floor.
"Coming! They're just rooms—how pretty can they be?"
Lin Lan shouted back, heading upstairs with Akashi.
But the moment he stepped onto the second floor, he inhaled sharply.
"Whoa… this is actually kinda high-end…"
The entire second floor was a holographic projection!
Despite being indoors, the space appeared to be a sun-drenched, expansive grassland. Unless one looked carefully, it was impossible to even tell where the walls were.
Lin Lan had already seen a holographic bathing room at the seaside villa in Yalang City before.
But here in this luxury villa in Yunhai City, the holographic space covered the entire floor.
And this simulation was clearly on a whole different level—it perfectly mimicked sunlight warmth, the fresh scent of grass, and even the gentle breeze.
Roon and Ägir stood on the lawn nearby, waving at him. Lin Lan, holding Akashi, quickly walked over to join them.
"This is amazing, commander. Look at this."
Roon, the pink-haired big sister, smiled gently and pushed her hand toward the air. Instantly, a sofa, table, and bed appeared on the grassy field.
Bathed in sunlight, it didn't look like a bedroom at all—but rather like furniture that had just appeared out of thin air on a meadow.
"Pretty impressive. Judging by the screen effects, this is almost on par with a Mirror Sea."
Though he knew this simulation couldn't match the Mirror Sea, the fact that the Orland United States could independently develop holographic tech of this caliber still shocked Lin Lan.
"Akashi, did you ever finish developing the holographic system I asked for in our dockyard bathhouses?"
Looking around, Lin Lan suddenly remembered his request back in Yalang City and turned to ask Akashi.
"Ugh… nya, I haven't had time to develop it yet…"
Akashi dropped her ears in embarrassment.
Lin Lan wasn't surprised. Most of their energy had gone into the Muscle Manjuu units and Sui Qiong.
Not getting around to the holo-tech was understandable.
"No worries. When we go to the Western Continent Institute of Technology, I'll have them give you a copy of all their research data."
Lin Lan said casually. It was just a matter of transferring resources from one hand to another—not a big deal.
He was just about to step out of the holographic bedroom when two arms draped themselves over his shoulders from behind.
"Commander, what's the rush?"
"?"
Lin Lan turned around—only to meet the smoldering, lip-licking gaze of a golden-eyed girl with silver hair tinged red.
"Ägir, you've asked for it the most during this trip. Aren't you satisfied yet?"
"Hehehe, I am the Goddess of the Wild Seas. My desire to claim you is greater than anyone's~"
Ägir smiled wickedly. But Roon beside her wasn't about to back down:
"Ägir, if we're talking about claiming the commander, I'm confident I'm no less passionate than you."
"Oh? Are you serious?"
Seeing the sparks fly between the two, Lin Lan gulped nervously and tried to quietly retreat.
But just when he thought he'd made it out of the holographic room, his back bumped into a soft body.
"Commander, where are you trying to go?"
"Hehe, for a familiar to dream of escaping its master—that's not very obedient, is it?"
Ulrich and August's voices came from behind, drawing Roon and Ägir's attention.
Feeling all their gazes fall upon him, Lin Lan sighed helplessly.
"…I haven't eaten today. I'm hungry."
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