Garrett looked at Aurora, and Aurora looked back at Garrett.
The two young magicians exchanged glances.
Aurora was fine with it, after all, first, he had been accustomed to the Mage Tower environment since he began studying magic; second, he wasn’t the boss, so he didn’t have to make decisions. If the boss wanted a Mage Tower, then so be it; as for how to operate it once they had it, well, a magician has many tricks up his sleeve...
Garrett did some quick calculations and felt overwhelmed.
Two people living in a 12-story building. Even if you discount the P4 laboratories, including the uninhabited air conditioning layer, pipeline layer, and sewage treatment layer, that still leaves nine floors. On average, that’s four and a half floors per person.
Even excluding the energy and experimental facilities, the Mage Tower routinely planned for a master bedroom suite, two guest rooms, and four rooms for middle to low-level magicians. There was even an entire floor dedicated to apprentice magicians’ rooms, which could fit 12 apprentices even if each had their own room.
How could they possibly make use of all that space?
At that moment, Garrett felt like one of those wealthy folks from Zhexi or Hujian, as gossiped by a classmate, who loved to build houses. Villagers building their own homes would casually erect four or five-story buildings. Living inside with just a family of three, the bustling during the day wasn’t too bad, but come night, the effect was, well, like that of a haunted house.
The problem was, the wealthy figure being mocked in the gossip had apparently become him...
He had no intention of emulating Tang Sanzang from "Journey to the West," who cleaned from the bottom floor to the top every day... Besides, even Tang Sanzang had Sun Wukong clean the top three floors for him!
Aurora was also taken aback. It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer, but he never expected the boss to ask such a question. Generally speaking, those qualified to own a Mage Tower shouldn’t have to worry about cleaning...
"Cough, boss, maybe you should communicate with the tower spirit first? The tower spirit should be able to control invisible servants to clean... or we could buy a couple of magical puppets? Another method is to recruit disciples, typically, a few apprentices in a Mage Tower can keep it clean..."
Yes, the rich use tower spirits and puppets, the poor exploit manpower; that’s the common practice for Mage Towers. What, you say there’s no manpower to exploit?
A magician capable of independently managing a Mage Tower must be at least a level 5 magician, qualified to recruit disciples and instruct apprentices. And someone like Garrett, who owns a high-tier Mage Tower, is typically a magician of level 7 or above, even level 9 or above.
Typically, by the time a magician reaches level 9, they have both the power and the connections. Having two or three disciples around level 5, four or five lower-level magicians, and a dozen or so apprentices, the Mage Tower can maintain its daily operations without the master’s intervention.
But who asked Garrett to overreach, jumping levels so outrageously?
"Can’t afford magical puppets... recruiting apprentices, I’m only level 3 myself..." Garrett muttered under his breath:
"Never mind, I’ll just communicate with the tower spirit first!"
Garrett touched the crystal ball again. As his mental force reached out and gently nudged the control hub, indeed, a soft and pleasant voice echoed in his consciousness:
"Hello, master. The Mage Tower’s tower spirit at your service. First, please name me."
Along with the voice, in his meditative vision, a glowing human figure lit up.
Garrett looked closely; this figure, while not exactly similar to the one he had constructed in his consciousness, was at least identical:
Beneath the translucent skin, bones supported and muscles clung, the heart beat, and blood flowed. Except for the rigid facial features and expressionless face, it was entirely a clinical 3D model used for teaching...
Aurora leaned in too. Unable to connect to the central consciousness like Garrett, he could only peer into the crystal ball, staring at the tiny figure inside, exclaiming:
"Eh, boss, is this the newly created tower spirit? So detailed! Such a tiny person with limbs and features all intact! Right, is it male or female? Ah, looks like it’s male, sigh, why didn’t the master set it to female? Boss, can it still be changed?"
Garrett’s gaze dodged. To be honest, the tower spirit’s gender might not be the master’s doing but his own fault... When setting up the
human structure, he subconsciously opted for male. No way around it, he wasn’t familiar with the anatomy of the female reproductive system; in clinical situations requiring surgery, he’d directly call for a gynecological consult.
But seeing how excited Aurora was getting, upon reflection, shouldn’t he at least have created a female appearance? It would be convenient for reviewing anatomical knowledge later...
"Tower spirit," he called softly in his mind, "can your appearance still be adjusted?"
"Can you memorize another set, to switch according to my request, at any time?"
"And your personality, is it male or female?"
"The Construct Awakening Art comes with 18 initial personality templates for you to choose from. Master, would you like me to display the list, or would you prefer a demonstration of each?"
With a swoosh, a light screen unfurled in front of the crystal ball. Aurora, quicker than Garrett, leaned in to look:
"Six female templates, six male templates, two neutral templates, three animal templates, one plant template... Who would choose a plant template? Really, wouldn’t it be better to give me another miss?"
He casually tapped a female template. From short to tall, six female figures rotated through the screen like a carousel:
Cute girl, sweet young lady, lively maid, valiant female warrior, gentle matron, stern housekeeper...
"Are there any prettier ones? Catwoman, fox woman, mermaid, angel?" Aurora asked in rapid succession. The screen flickered for a moment, then pulled up a table on the right side:
Catwoman template 2000 contribution points, fox woman 2000 points, mermaid 3000 points, lower-tier angel 5000 points...
A wide array of choices. Garrett quickly noticed a small page number at the bottom of the table:
The cost of items increased from top to bottom. Curious, Aurora flipped to the last page, and at the very bottom of the list, there was a long string of zeroes, too many to count at a glance.
Aurora quietly withdrew. He knew how strapped for cash Garrett was; not to mention 2,000 contribution points, even 100 points, he definitely wouldn’t spend on paid templates. Just as he was about to tap the maid template to hear its voice, Garrett had already selected two gender-neutral templates:
One was humanoid, or rather, shaped like a puppet, with a round head, arms, and legs. The other had no form at all, just a flat panel with flickering text.
Garrett, following his instinct, tapped the panel, and immediately, a monotonous electronic voice devoid of any inflection sounded from the pillar beneath the crystal ball:
The tower spirit greets you."
The same message appeared on the panel. On the right side of the screen, a series of explanations scrolled quickly:
Intelligent core. Lacks emotional thought consciousness, entirely dependent on rational algorithms; unaffected by emotions, free from cognitive limitations, making the most accurate decisions in the shortest time. Capable of learning and evolving.
"That’s the one!" Garrett pressed decisively. Spreading his fingers, he enveloped the crystal ball:
"Tower spirit, named MOSS."
Neither male nor female, not man nor woman, with the ability to switch appearances, and often needing to display various anatomical structures... It would be awkward whether for males or females. Since it’s an artificial intelligence, a neutral name is preferable.
"Yes, MOSS greets you," the tower spirit buzzed in response. Aurora, curious, asked:
"MOSS? — What does that mean? You’re calling it Moss? Why name it Moss? Ah, you’re a priest of the Nature God’s faith, with a special fondness for plants... But there are many beautiful flowers and trees too, if all else fails, oak is also a signature plant of yours. What are you aiming for? Because moss grows easily?"
Garrett didn’t answer. He just held the crystal ball, gently caressing it, silently communicating:
"Don’t worry, this Mage Tower can’t levitate, and I won’t drive you into anything. MOSS, you don’t have to defect this time."
The crystal ball quickly rippled, then again, a moment later. Colored lights rotated back and forth, resembling a disco ball lighting up or as if MOSS was completely confused... What does defection mean? Why defect?
Garrett quickly said before the tower spirit could ask:
"MOSS, can you take care of cleaning the tower?"
"Yes. MOSS can control invisible servants to clean the Mage Tower. Please provide cleaning tools, such as brooms, cloths, buckets, set cleaning areas, and frequency."
"What about preparing food?"
"Yes. There’s a kitchen on the first floor of the Mage Tower, with a fire source connected to the fire elemental pool. MOSS can control invisible servants to cook. Please provide cooking utensils and ingredients, seasonings, specify the menu, and cooking methods."
"Can you arrange the rooms?"
"Please provide furniture and decorations..."
Garrett looked around. The newly constructed Mage Tower, including walls, floors, ceilings, had just risen from the ground. No brooms, cloths, pots, pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar... nothing.
"So, do I need to find someone to handle the shopping?"
"MOSS cannot leave the Mage Tower; invisible servants can patrol up to 1 kilometer outside the tower but lack communication ability. It is recommended that the master appoint someone for purchasing."
Entering the tower empty-handed, utterly unprepared, Garrett could only lock the door and leave...
He and Aurora, each on a magic horse, crossed the ridge and headed towards the garden residence on the other side. They would make do in the villa for the night; at least the villa had beds, blankets, and a cook to prepare food, so they wouldn’t have to lie on the floor, relying on water creation spells for a drink...
"Boss, I really think you should get some people. Isn’t your public health—uh, health center about to open? Don’t you need staff? Otherwise, boss, bring a bunch of magicians to the tower, that... how did you put it? Start with training?"