A Curious Friendship and a Magical Feast
To be honest, Ryan is very curious about Alice's father. He doesn't understand how a person can make his daughter hate him so deeply and yet love him so madly.
Alice could sense Ryan's confusion from his expression. "I can feel that my father truly loves me from the bottom of his heart, and he sees me as important as his own life. I'm also proud of his achievements in alchemy."
"But since I was old enough to understand, he's been constantly busy with work, and I rarely get to see him throughout the year. He's also concerned about my safety and doesn't allow me to leave here when I'm alone," Alice continued, sounding a bit frustrated.
"Wait a moment, I can find you a companion," Ryan suddenly thought of something and said, "but I need to leave for a while."
"That's okay, I can read a book," Alice replied, picking up a book from the nearby shelf to start reading. Ryan quickly opened a portal to the Radiation World to fetch something, and it wasn't until half an hour later that he emerged from the portal.
When Ryan emerged from the portal, he saw Alice still sitting with the same book open on her lap, but he could sense her nervousness from the fact that she hadn't turned a page.
Hearing the noise, Alice raised her head and was surprised to see a cardboard box standing beside Ryan, taller than a person.
"What's this?" Alice put down the book and walked over, examining the box with curiosity.
"Inside this box is Mr. Handy," Ryan pointed to the large box they recently discovered when his subordinates were searching an underground warehouse. "It's a robot that can do household chores and chat with you, similar to alchemical golems in your world. In our world, they often serve as household servants or nannies."
With that, Ryan gently waved his wand, and the box automatically opened. A three-eyed robot resembling an octopus appeared before them.
"Well, let me see the instruction manual." Ryan took out a small booklet and, while reading, guided Alice on how to make the robot recognize her as its owner. After all the verification procedures were completed, the robot suddenly activated its hovering jet propulsion system.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Alice. I will be your most loyal companion. You can call me Miss Helen," the robot greeted Alice in a soft, feminine voice.
"Her accent reminds me of Curie," Ryan thought as he looked at the robot speaking in French.
"Can I really be friends with her?" After chatting with the robot Helen for a while, Alice turned to Ryan and asked, "To be honest, I've never had a round, plump friend like an octopus before."
"Of course, it's not a problem. Friendship is about connecting with someone on the inside, and appearance doesn't matter much. I have a similar friend," Ryan said, taking out a photo of him and Curie taken in her laboratory after she arrived in the Commonwealth.
"Look, this is my friend. She's a very good doctor. When she's less busy, you might have a chance to meet her because she's very curious, and if she hears I've found a new place, she might come to visit."
"That's amazing, but wouldn't it be a bit selfish to leave Miss Helen at home like this?" Alice asked with a somewhat uncertain tone.
"You're a kind-hearted girl, but you don't need to worry about that for now. These robots don't initially have independent souls; they only develop their own identity after prolonged contact with humans. It takes time for them to understand what love and self are, just like my friend. She's over 200 years old, and her soul developed because her three previous owners spent their whole lives communicating with her, helping her gradually understand love and self."
"Oh, I see," Alice nodded. "My father once told me that many top-tier alchemical golems, when created, have souls, but they are incomplete. Only by living closely with humans and understanding what it means to be human can they gradually complete their own souls and become true beings."
At this point, there was a rumbling sound from Alice's stomach. It was no wonder, as she hadn't had much of an appetite after getting sick, even though she received a nutrient injection to replenish her nutrition. Despite that, she was hungry after chatting for so long.
"Ah, that's a bit rude of me," Alice, born into a noble family, felt a bit embarrassed. Her face turned slightly red. "By the way, it's time for dinner. Ryan, you should join us."
Following Alice to the dining room, she took out one plate after another from a splendid copper enamel box next to her, each dish at just the right temperature. Seeing Ryan's surprised gaze on the box, Alice proudly said, "My father invented this specifically for me. Any dish placed inside can be preserved for a year, and it comes out exactly as it went in. Every time my father returns home, he brings me delicious food from various places."
Ryan politely smiled and thought to himself, "Alice's father does love his daughter, but he doesn't seem to know much about raising a child. What's the difference between this and wealthy families ordering takeout every day? In this situation, Alice hasn't turned out spoiled and still maintains a heart as pure as gold; it's truly a blessing."
Soon, the table was filled with plates of food. It was a standard French classical feast consisting of 13 courses. However, Alice had brought all the dishes at once, not following the traditional order.
"Oh, sorry," Alice stuck out her tongue. "I'm used to doing this when I eat alone at home."
"It's okay; I'm not a nobleman who's particular about these things. But in the future, you can tell Miss Helen about these matters. Once you teach her, she can handle it for you," Ryan suggested.
After Ryan sat down, he realized that the French feast was prepared for him. Alice, after placing the plates, pulled the door open to leave. Seeing Ryan looking at her, Alice smiled and said, "My father told me not to eat oily food when I'm sick, so these days I've been boiling potatoes and eating them with yogurt." It was no wonder she had been unable to move in bed earlier; a lung infection coupled with malnutrition was a recipe for disaster.
With that in mind, Ryan took out his wand and cast a warming spell on the dishes on the table. Then he stood up and said, "Let's go to the kitchen together."
Soon, the three of them arrived in the kitchen on the ground floor (Helen followed them along the way). Ryan saw several large bags of potatoes piled in the corner of the kitchen and asked, "Aren't there any other vegetables?"
"But it's winter now, and there really aren't many vegetables available. The few vegetables my father stored have already been used up," Alice said, somewhat puzzled. In her world, there were indeed no vegetables to be had in winter. Ryan looked out the window and saw a snowy landscape outside. The trees and ground were covered with a thick layer of snow. He then remembered that Alice's father was an alchemist, not a druid. It was perfectly normal for him not to cultivate winter vegetables, especially in the time of Louis XV. It was common knowledge that fresh vegetables were unavailable during the winter in that era, and people of that time didn't think much about it.
"Eating only potatoes won't do; I'll go find some vegetables for you," Ryan said, and he opened a portal to the world of Plants vs. Zombies.