CHAPTER 168:The First Mechanical Follower

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It turned out to be this thing.

Shen He stared at the crimson stone that had silently appeared in his backpack, his expression unreadable. It gleamed faintly, pulsating like a heart—but instead of wonder, he felt conflicted.

Though its creation process was undeniably sinister, this gem was a treasure for alchemists. The problem was simple.

There were no alchemists in his group.

Everything he was obtaining lately seemed absurdly powerful on the surface, but utterly foreign to him in practical use.

Was this some kind of twisted feature of the mechanical life-form card pool?

Shen He frowned, eyes drifting toward the ten summoning stones he had left. He hesitated.

The last two attempts hadn't yielded a single follower. Logically, the probability of acquiring one now should be higher. It was the gambler's fallacy whispering in his ear again.

"Maybe it's better to do one more ten-pull than hoard them," he muttered, brushing his fingers over the screen.

In the end, he couldn't suppress the pull of that shiny temptation. The illusion that a follower must appear next clouded his reasoning.

His fingers tapped the button—one last ten-pull.

That made a total of forty summons from the mechanical life pool. If not a single follower emerged from that, maybe it really meant he was elementally incompatible with this domain.

For this final pull, he closed his eyes.

He counted the summons in his head.

One. Two. Three…

…Ten.

No system prompt. No triumphant jingle.

Nothing.

So miserable.

He sighed in frustration. Most mechanical lifeforms in fiction were adorable, capable, and often resembled cute girls. He couldn't even get a speaking cog.

"Master—" Jeanne's voice brushed past his ear. But her tone wasn't her usual gentle reassurance. It carried… tension.

He opened his eyes cautiously.

And was stunned.

Standing before him was a strange girl. About ten years old by appearance, human-like, but unmistakably inhuman. Long lavender hair cascaded over bare snow-white skin, revealing chrome plating embedded in her joints. Two thick cables extended from her lower back to the floor, like mechanical tails. Her ruby-red eyes were vacant, and her body unmoving, like a doll.

A follower?

No—there'd been no system announcement. No verification prompt. No consent or command trigger. Nothing.

Before Shen He could act, the girl's face suddenly shifted—from the stillness of a statue to the slow, jagged flutter of something waking.

"The machine cannot connect to remaining modules. Cause unknown. No singularity found in memory cache," she spoke mechanically, her ruby eyes still unfocused. "Identified a high-sequence command individual: 'Master.'"

"The probability of a human being qualifying as a high-sequence entity of the Kinkai species is statistically negligible. System integrity compromised. Initiating retrieval—retrieving... retrieving…"

Shen He blinked. Then blinked again.

She kept repeating "retrieving" over and over. Smoke began to curl upward from her head.

"Whoa—! Hey, hey! You're gonna fry your circuits if you keep that up!" Shen He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently.

"Received directive. Ceasing data scan. Machine has entered passive human-controlled mode."

The smoke dissipated.

Her gaze slowly locked onto him, unfocused eyes twitching. Her voice transformed, soft and delicate like a child imitating emotion.

"…Master, what are your orders?"

Shen He shivered.

"Drop that tone, please."

If a curvaceous, elegant woman used that voice, it might've been seductive. But this little girl—expressionless, almost deadpan—using such a tone made it downright disturbing.

"Incomprehensible," she replied. "Memory core simulations suggest this tone maximizes positive male human response and improves unit survivability."

Her voice reverted to flat monotone. But now, something was different—her subtle expressions had changed. She blinked, hesitated, moved with slight awkwardness… like a naturally dazed girl trying to learn.

She's adapting. Fast.

And when she mentioned "Kinkai"—Shen He immediately knew who she was.

Huby.

The mechanical lifeform from the No Game No Life theatrical universe.

A girl born from cold computation… but capable of understanding the heart.

"Your name is Huby from today onward," he said.

He pulled a spare black robe from Violet's gear stash and wrapped it around her delicate frame. It fit snugly.

"Confirmed. Designation changed. Identity updated to 'Huby.'"

"And your behavior protocols," Shen He added, voice serious. "You'll be more human—soft-spoken and introverted. No unnecessary machine jargon. Got it?"

"Simulating based on preset reference profiles," Huby whispered. She closed her eyes. A ten-second pause followed.

When she opened them, it was like staring at a completely different girl.

The cold precision had vanished. Her ruby eyes now sparkled with the cautious alertness of a small animal, looking up at him as though he might lash out at any moment.

"…Is this okay?" she asked, voice trembling slightly.

Shen He let out a breath of relief. "Yes."

He glanced at his gathered followers. "Everyone, this is our newest partner—Huby."

"Welcome," Jeanne stepped forward immediately, squatting to gently take Huby's hand in hers. "You must be cold. Let's get you dressed. Violet, she looks a bit like you. Mind lending her some clothes?"

Violet, ever silent and efficient, gave a small nod and followed Jeanne and Huby out of the room.

Shen He stayed behind. He looked out the window, mulling over Huby's arrival. A mechanical being with potential for growth—one that could learn emotion.

"You finally got a follower," said a voice.

It was the two rituals—Ryougi Shiki. She stepped into view, arms crossed.

"But you don't seem happy."

That was true. Shen He's usual gleeful reaction was absent.

From the corner of the room, Qi Mu Nanxiong quietly vanished with a teleportation pop.

He had no desire to get involved.

That left only Shiki and Shen He alone in the room.

"…Shi," Shen He said softly, head bowed. "Do you ever think of him—Kuroto Chiya?"

Her brows furrowed.

Not the elegant frown of a beautiful woman—but the scrunching kind, sharp and tight, just before she got angry.

"…Why are you asking that?"

There was no bite to her words. Just quiet tension.

"I used to. When I first felt hollow," she admitted after a pause. "But not anymore."

If Shen He hadn't suddenly mentioned it, both versions of the Two Rituals would have almost forgotten the name that once defined their past self.

"I ruined your marriage." Shen He finally looked up, his eyes meeting hers. "Had you followed the original fate, you would have become Hei Tong Ganya's wife and even had a daughter."

"What are you trying to say?" The Two Rituals interrupted him sharply. "You're really getting on my nerves."

Her clenched, loosened, and re-clenched fists made her anger painfully clear. She looked ready to throw a punch at any second.

"Sorry." Shen He gave a wry smile, shaking his head. "It's not just you. Joan, Violet... they've also been affected. But to be honest, I've never really struggled with these consequences. Especially Joan—if I didn't even have the guts to protect someone I liked, let alone act, how could I even say I liked her? But now Hubby..."

"She's different?" The Two Rituals finally relaxed her fists.

If Shen He had expressed regret about summoning them or revealed a wavering conscience, she might've really punched him to death.

"If there's one couple I'd never want to separate, it's them." Shen He sighed again. "Their love proved a race's path to salvation, demonstrated a miracle born from fragility. It proved that true love transcends physical form. By severing her original destiny, I admit, I was a bit selfish and conflicted."

Though he didn't know the precise coordinates of Hubby's timeline, even summoning her could have ruined a future meant to be saved.

After a brief pause, the Two Rituals suddenly lashed out. A howling gust of wind ripped through the air as her punch roared toward Shen He's cheek.

"What the hell?" Shen He flinched, caught off guard.

Due to the Command Seal's prohibition against harming the Master, the punch only lightly brushed him, but his body's instinctive reaction still made him uneasy.

"Tch." The Two Rituals pulled her fist back. "Fates that never happened are worse than fiction. You changed it—fine. So take responsibility."

"No need for violence, geez..." Shen He muttered, rubbing his face. "If it were Jeanne..."

"Jeanne d'Arc would've stabbed you in the eyes," Two Rituals said bluntly, glancing sideways before walking out. "You explain yourself."

Shen He looked at the chaos in the room and sighed again.

He had just wanted to discuss things with the Two Rituals—what the hell had he been thinking?

Later, when Jeanne returned with Violet and a well-dressed Hubby, Shen He had already worked hard to conceal the aftermath of the wind-swept explosion in the room. Now, he locked eyes on his only mechanical servant.

—Analyzed-type Hubby.

Due to the mechanical wing-like appendages extending from her right shoulder, Hubby couldn't wear tight clothing and had to borrow Violet's oversized hamster suit.

Long lavender hair, porcelain skin, small stature, and round, expressive eyes—

Adorably lethal.

Shen He's eyes sparkled. He couldn't help reaching out and gently pinching Hubby's soft cheek.

The texture was immaculate.

Those anxious eyes that mimicked a small animal only made it more irresistible.

Off to the side, Violet bit her lip, instinctively sensing danger.

Slap! Jeanne sharply knocked Shen He's hand away. "Master, really now—stop touching girls' faces like that."

"Alright, alright..." Shen He grumbled.

But then, Violet gently lifted Shen He's hand and pressed it against her own cheek.

Jeanne: "…"

"Hahaha..." Shen He laughed awkwardly.

The heavy feeling in his heart had vanished. No wonder people say a daughter is her father's closest companion—these cute little girls really did warm the soul.

Feeling better, Shen He quickly shifted back to business. Looking at Hubby, he asked:

"Hubby, I assume some of your systems are sealed, right?"

"Available spirit output has been reduced to below one percent of the original maximum. Computational, sensory, and analysis capacities are similarly suppressed," Hubby replied softly, then added, "Hubby is an 'analytic model' in the Flugel system. Compared to the combat-specialized 'Assault Unit,' Hubby's combat output is only 32%."

"That's fine," Shen He nodded.

Though the Ex-Machina race ranked relatively low among the eighteen in Game Life, it had considerable potential—often underestimated. Even one percent of Hubby's power could overwhelm most orc-level lifeforms.

Moreover, Shen He had acquired a classification-based system for mechanical servants. Unlike standard Heroic Spirits, these had a scalable power structure. With every mechanical heart and mana infusion, their tier could be enhanced.

He took out one such gear-shaped mechanical heart and placed it on Hubby's forehead.

"Enhance."

The heart merged with a subtle hum.

No external changes followed. The interface still registered her as a first-rank mechanical follower.

As expected—after all, he only used twenty mana points.

"How do you feel?" Shen He asked.

"Feeling..." Hubby tilted her head. "Master's hand is warm... and a little itchy."

"I meant your power level!" Shen He facepalmed.

To activate a mechanical heart, physical contact with an exposed mechanical interface was required—any location would do.

"Spirit output has increased to 1.34% of the original limit. All other attributes enhanced proportionally." Hubby responded flatly.

From one percent to 1.34%—an increase of 34%. Considering her original capability, that was not bad.

Encouraged, Shen He poured in all his remaining mana for the day to continue strengthening Hubby. Though she wasn't a five-star servant, only a four-star, in the Game Life universe, she could still become formidable.

"Strength recovery at 23.8%," Hubby reported quietly.

She remained silent during the process, but her small body reflected a composed dignity—not much, but very brave. A personality trait true to the original.

Yet Shen He couldn't help but feel something was off. Maybe it was her hesitation, maybe the faint anxiety in her eyes. After all, she had been wrenched from her world, separated from her kin, and now forcibly bound to someone else's will.

"Jeanne, help her get used to modern society," Shen He finally said.

In the original story, Hubby's journey toward understanding the "heart" began on her own.

Shen He didn't know if she would once again find that same spark, that longing for emotion, for identity. He didn't know whether staying by her side would allow her to realize it again. But as the Two Rituals had said—he changed her fate, so now he must carry that burden.

Responsibility.

Shen He exhaled slowly. A man who bears the weight of others can't live without that word—no matter what world he's in.

Even here, in a Marvel world bracing for alien invasion—it was the same.

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