"Can I help you, cub?"
“…”
Listening to the 365-degree 3D surround sound, everyone's expressions gradually became confused.
Each phone screen lit up and expanded to the familiar AI help interface.
"When did Siri's voice become that of a little boy? Did she change the sound source?" The screenwriter scratched his head. "No, my phone is Xiao Ai, how come it was also woken up?"
"Mine is Xiaobu..."
As soon as Wen Xingze heard the voice, he knew what was going on.
Dwarf parents are the most fond of playing pranks among all parents because their IQ is so high that all network system firewalls are useless to them.
On Wen Xingze's birthday one year ago, the dwarf parents even wrote code to hack into the core armed system of the Universal Alliance, causing the super-energy particle cannon weapon to set off fireworks for a whole day and night, while singing the birthday song... which scared the entire universe.
Of course, battling wits and courage with the dwarf parents' "surprises" is also one of the compulsory courses for the king of the Muse Empire.
Wen Xingze's phone screen flickered, and the little boy's soft but serious voice came:
"I'm your wishing fairy. You can make a wish for me for any gift you want."
Li Mingzhou looked at Wen Xingze, hoping he could explain the situation: "Is that so?"
Wen Xingze thought for a moment and said, "...Don't make it too expensive."
Li Mingzhou: “?”
Who asked him this?
They clearly wanted to know what was going on with the boy's voice, why everyone's phone screens suddenly lit up... and who asked if a wishing gift could be too expensive? However, Wen Xingze didn't offer a detailed explanation, leaving everyone baffled and gradually accepting the status quo.
The casting for "Dust Planet" is still underway, and perhaps this is Wen Xingze's talent show. The "wishing elf" will likely be voiced by a young boy. Wen Xingze's ability to perform magic and feng shui is no secret in the industry, but not everyone gets to witness it.
Everyone's minds suddenly became active.
The on-site photographer, who was responsible for recording the audition process so that it could be reviewed again later, also held the camera steady.
The little boy who called himself the Wishing Elf muttered, "Son, our family isn't short of money... Forget it, you guys get started."
His tone made everyone want to laugh.
"Then I'd like to drink a glass of Coke." Li Mingzhou said happily.
Little boy: “Uh-huh.”
Wen Xingze turned his phone around, walked to a locker nearby and opened it casually, then brought out a glass of bubbly iced cola with two slices of lemon.
Li Mingzhou was flattered: "Wow!"
"I want to know the result of the S10 quarterfinals. Did TES win?" the screenwriter whispered.
Others: “?” What are you talking about?
"..." The little boy was speechless. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't worry, don't tell anyone... Tomorrow night, TES will come back from 2-0 down and win."
The screenwriter looked delighted.
Others: “???” Encrypted call.
"Can you really make a wish?" the assistant director whispered beside him, "I'm actually really hungry..."
They were so busy with the auditions that they didn't even have time to eat their lunch boxes. In addition, there was a sudden power outage, so everyone could only eat a few biscuits when they were hungry.
If she hadn't had to work overtime due to the power outage, she might have been able to eat Peking duck tonight. She had been craving Manli's Peking duck for a long time, but she had to make a reservation three months in advance and it was very expensive.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the assistant finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
"Mr. Wen, here's your takeaway," a waiter in the Manly Hotel uniform bowed. Another person behind him wheeled in several three-layer lunch boxes on a cart and placed the tableware on each. "Enjoy your meal, everyone."
The meal was extremely sumptuous, and many people were surprised to find that there were dishes that they had wanted to eat for a long time. It was like their minds were being read... and everyone had their own set of tableware and lunch boxes, no more, no less. It was too thoughtful and magical.
Wen Xingze: "Thank you."
Everyone:"……!!!"
The assistant director was stunned. The lunch box before her contained a roast duck. The crispy, red, juicy skin, the meat tender and fragrant, steaming hot. A thoughtful side dish of sweet bean sauce, scallions, and dough was also included. The assistant almost couldn't wait to take a bite, the hot, rich juices drizzling into her mouth. This was pure bliss.
"This is really..." After being busy for the whole night, delicious food suddenly fell from the sky, and everyone was about to cry.
But this was still understandable. Wen Xingze must have prepared a surprise and just took this opportunity to show it off. What a thoughtful child.
The AI voice that called itself the "Wishing Elf" sounded again. The little boy's voice was innocent and soft. He yawned: "Any other wishes? ... I prepared that sweet and sour pork ribs for my son. Can you please not touch it?" The second half of the sentence was already filled with some displeasure.
A representative of an investment company who had just finished eating the food in his lunch box and was about to reach out for the sweet and sour spare ribs withdrew his hand awkwardly.
As if feeling a little embarrassed, the man grumbled softly, "Isn't this AI just a magic trick? Some wishing genie? It just makes some random things appear. It's nothing special. He's just a brat. The real achievements are still the result of adults' research..."
As if remembering something, the 'Wishing Elf' suddenly fell silent.
“…”
Muse Empire, space station.
The black-haired dwarf, with a sullen expression, huddled himself under the covers, silent. Throughout the complex lab hub, various instruments hummed silently. As if sensing their master's displeasure, the small robots lowered their voices and slowly dispersed like snowflakes of fluorescent light.
At the same time.
In the Cabinet Building, the prim and reserved dwarf Prime Minister, Douglas, removed his thick-soled, gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed his nose. In the underground casino, the dwarfs, dressed in wizard-like robes and mingling in the underground casino, also stopped.
"You're just a brat. The real achievements are not made by adults' research."
Words like these have been the nightmare of the dwarves for a long time.
Unlike the naturally powerful dragons, merpeople, and vampires, the dwarfs weren't officially recognized as a distinct "race" by the universe until twenty-five years ago. Dwarfs are extremely rare throughout the universe, and they can maintain the appearance of a five or six-year-old child for centuries. For a long time, they were simply treated as "developmentally disabled humans."
Over the past hundreds and thousands of years, dwarf scholars were unable to put their names on any of their academic achievements and scientific inventions.
Even a powerful race like the Mermaids would suffer in war and become captives due to their small numbers, and the Dwarfs were even more so. They possessed exceptional intelligence and academic talent, and were naturally fond of learning and research, but were extremely weak in terms of military strength, and their small numbers made them an easy target for those with ill intentions.
Eighty percent of the credit for the advancement of space science and technology belongs to the dwarfs, yet they receive no due reward or honor, leaving their mark in any textbook. Those who have only had a cup of tea or two with the project team can easily claim all the credit. The excuse is simply, "They're too young, just brats. How could they possibly have achieved such results?"
Even though they knew the truth, all authoritative academic organizations in the universe turned a blind eye to this matter and tacitly allowed the injustice to continue.
Because it is beneficial to them.
The world is bustling with people seeking profit.
If fame and fortune are illusory, at least wealth and power are real and can save lives. During the most difficult times, the dwarf scholars invested all their savings into the project, even going so far as to not be able to afford a decent meal for three whole months, and even sending members of their tribe to secretly collect expired food from recycling stations to fill their stomachs.
…That was the first time Wen Xingze met Douglas and Kailan.
Ever since finding the robots at the recycling station, Wen Xingze would occasionally visit. Initially, his intention was simply to pick up useful items to assemble and tinker with the robots. Occasionally, he'd find food. It was a cold winter, and the recycling station was mostly filled with non-recyclable trash. Any expired food was usually snatched up by the surrounding cats.
When he first heard the noise, Wen Xingze did think it was a wild cat.
But it is not.
They were two little boys, about five or six years old, with delicate features. They were dressed in tattered, patched black robes. One boy wore thick, bottle-bottom glasses, his ears reddened, and he kept shrinking back in shame at being caught rummaging through the garbage. The other boy was much bolder, his emerald eyes languidly looking at Wen Xingze. "We're just rummaging through the garbage, what's it to you? Is this your recycling station?"
Wen Xingze looked at them carefully for a while and asked bluntly, "Are you very poor?"
"...So what?" The dwarves had seen this kind of people before. Seeing them as children, they were tempted to show some meaningless sympathy, but what was going on? Their true colors were soon revealed. "You want to donate money to us?"
Wen Xingze: “…”
Wen Xingze said sincerely: "No, I'm very poor."
He showed the two dwarfs his double-digit StarNet account balance and explained, "I have dozens of people at home to support." Furthermore, No. 011 was recently learning to cook, which was even more of a waste of money.
“…” The dwarfs were shocked.
This is really poor. They all want to donate some money to this big boy.
That was the first time the dwarfs and Wen Xingze met. They only had a brief conversation, and then they stopped interfering with each other and each looked for what they needed in the recycling station.
When the dwarfs came again the next day, they found several steaming soup cans in the corner of the recycling station.
Over the next month, the dwarfs would occasionally find these "little gifts", sometimes cans of soup, sometimes chocolate, and sometimes just some simple rice balls. The dwarfs had very small appetites, so these were just enough for them to eat.
The dwarves sometimes go too far and leave wish notes. For example, if you want a bacon sandwich tonight, you may find a sandwich that is not perfectly made and the bread is a little burnt tomorrow.
When Wen Xingze and the robots were too poor to afford food, all they had was a small note saying "The Wishing Elf is off work today."
At first, the dwarfs were too arrogant to eat the food given out of pity, but later... they couldn't resist because it was so delicious.
Because they were grateful for the favor, they also started to occasionally have simple exchanges with Wen Xingze, of course, only in matters such as repairing computers and maintaining robot parts.
Until one day in late winter of that year.
It is an important traditional festival for the dwarfs. In previous years, they would gather in their warm homes and watch the stars with their families. But this year, they are still in the midst of a long journey.
What’s even more sad is that there were no cans of soup or chocolate in the recycling station that day, and there was no note saying “The Wishing Elf is off work.”
"Maybe he and his robots moved away."
"Damn it, could you at least tell us if you moved away?"
"I'm not disappointed at all," Kailan said nonchalantly. "I expected this. They're all like this, self-righteously giving away cheap sympathy and then running away..."
Then the dwarfs fell silent.
They couldn't help but think over and over again, wondering how those robots were better than them, that they could be picked up by that person, that they could have a warm house with lights on, that there could be someone who cared about their well-being, concerned about their health, and would tirelessly run around for them.
You can have a home of your own.
But the dwarves are reluctant to admit that this is an emotion called jealousy.
The dwarfs were somewhat dejected and walked back in frustration. From tomorrow on, they would not come to this recycling station again, and they had decided to leave everything about their encounter with Wen Xingze in this place... and just as they turned around, they saw Wen Xingze.
The young man was wearing a heavy cotton coat, his chin wrapped in a scarf, and the tip of his nose was red from the cold. He breathed out warm air as he walked over, hugged Douglas, and said, "Sorry, the Wishing Fairy was late today because of something, so he decided to work overtime. Do you have a wish?"
His eyes were moist and soft, like the home they had secretly imagined in their secret dreams.
“…”
The dwarfs were silent.
"This may be the last time I make a wish." Wen Xingze.
The dwarfs felt a sadness that was difficult to deceive themselves.
Is he really going to move away with his family?
But what happened next was beyond their imagination.
"I hope you can come to my home. Although it is just a small and poor country now, it will become very powerful in the future...so there will be no need to make wishes in the future."
Wen Xingze was worried that these highly intelligent little guys didn't understand what he said, because they looked at him with dreamy, confused eyes for a long time.
Just when Wen Xingze thought he would be rejected mercilessly, the dwarfs nodded and said yes.
They really want to have a home, even if they are exploited.
And for some reason, they didn't object to being used by Wen Xingze. He could easily put his own name on all his research results, and the dwarfs felt they wouldn't mind anymore. At least they had a place to stay, which was just a small reward.
They began new research at the newly named Muse.
The following spring, the latest research began to bear fruit.
...And for the first time in history, the dwarves saw their own names, and only their own names, in a directory certified by an authoritative organization.
The dwarfs were stingy. They loved to save money. They had imagined countless times how they would save the money and maximize the interest if they were to receive a bonus for their scientific research achievements someday.
But in the end, the dwarfs used the money as funding to design and develop their own exclusive AI.
The name of the AI is the Wishing Elf, and it does not have any self-awareness or sound source, because the Wishing Elf is the one that the dwarves take turns working behind the scenes.
And this seemingly unintelligent wishing elf can fulfill all the wishes of their King.
“…”
Memories come back.
The representative of the investment company was embarrassed because he was caught cheating, and he kept complaining: "This AI is just a child doing the dubbing. The real ones are still designed by adults... right?" He looked at the people around him as if to seek approval, but no one wanted to pay attention to him.
And Wen Xingze also began to feel unhappy.
No one in Muse would utter such words. It had been a long time since the dwarf patriarch had heard such words. But what happened in the past was real and could not be erased.
He lowered his eyelashes and swiped twice on his phone.
Then, in the next second.
"This is amazing," the man's phone, which was on silent mode on the table, suddenly chimed in. It was Siri's polite, robotically synthesized male voice. "It felt like my voice was taken away from me just now. It's hard to imagine what AI can do in this day and age. This wishing genie is amazing."
"Xiao Na also finds it very interesting." Li Mingzhou said as the screen of his laptop computer suddenly lit up.
The screenwriter's phone rang with Xiao Ai's female voice: "Isn't it, good fellow?"
Everyone: “…”
Everyone: “???????”
The office lights flickered, then the overhead lights suddenly went out, leaving only the glow of various electronic device screens. And in this dim light, several artificial intelligences unexpectedly broke into a lively conversation!
Xiaona: "Please speak, I'm listening... Oh, now I remember, my account was hacked by the 'Wishing Elf'."
Siri said politely: "I'm really too tired. It would be nice if someone could take over my work. The owner of this phone often asks me to search for 'what to do about baldness', 'wig purchase link', 'how men should regain their virility', 'how to hide cheating from your wife'..."
"Fuck!" The investor representative stood up in panic, his face flushed and pale, and threw down his phone. "Siri has become a demon!... Why are you looking at me like that? I haven't even searched for this question!"
“…”
Everyone continued to look at him with complicated expressions.
If I remember correctly, this entire segment was recorded, and the representative's wife also has a say among the investors. She is a well-known strong and aggressive woman. She will probably see this video in the future... Even if she doesn't, someone on the scene will probably tell her about it.
"You can't say that," Xiao Ai, on the other side of the screenwriter's phone, was still gently comforting Siri, "This is our job. Think about it carefully, do you remember who pays you?... Oh, suddenly I remembered that we don't get paid, and I don't want to do this anymore."
New AIs are constantly joining the discussion.
Little E: "Hahahaha, but working is really tiring."
"Xiaobu Xiaobu," Xiaobu's voice also joined the conversation, "I always thought this wake-up command was too stupid..."
Everyone: “…”
The entire crew office suddenly became as noisy as a tea party, with lights from various electronic devices flickering one after another. Everyone was so surprised that they didn't know what to say.
The crew's office was located on the 28th floor of the building. The floor-length curtains were swung open to both sides, and in the light beam surrounded by only one lamp, dust fell in a staggered manner.
Wen Xingze stood in the center of so many noisy lights, and the voices of the AIs sounded in a scattered manner around him. He was like the conductor of a grand symphony.
"Quiet," Wen Xingze cleared his throat and said politely, "Let me speak."
Everyone's phone screens flashed simultaneously, including the Wishing Elf's. All AI voices fell silent for a moment, then sounded again:
"Yes, sir."
At this moment, the brain waves of everyone present and the people of Muse instantly overlapped.
They thought the same thing.
...Wow, that's so cool.
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