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Actually, during the time when the Mechanical Heart was sealed, Dorothy could have forcefully signed a Familiar Contract, but after giving it some thought, she eventually chose not to do so.

After all, this Mechanical Heart wasn’t like Buster or Fafnir, whom she had personally nurtured from the start. Zero already possessed a certain level of intelligence, and forcing a contract would only intensify the contradictions between them, leaving hidden dangers in their future interactions.

Dorothy certainly didn’t want her own familiar to stab her in the back later. That would be too sad, and it also went against her initial intention of having a harmonious family.

So, she planned to try and persuade Zero to willingly enter into a contract with her.

Of course, this wasn’t going to be easy, and she wasn’t very confident about it, yet she really wanted Zero as her familiar, especially since its innate qualities were just too enticing.

So, to achieve her goal, she employed a little trick.

Well, it wasn’t anything particularly special, just that she took the Mechanical Heart directly back to the Witch World.

After all, she knew with a foot’s thought that a familiar with such special innate qualities was definitely not ordinary. It could very likely be a Child of the World, a main character of a plane, and such a one would surely attract the attention of the world consciousness of the Beast Taming World. Negotiating there with the other party’s parents watching would really not be easy to deceive....

Cough, cough, the negotiations would be easily disturbed by external factors.

But after arriving in the Witch World, she didn’t have to worry about this problem anymore. Moreover, in this unfamiliar world, the only person who could be considered an acquaintance was her. So, negotiating at this time was a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Tsk, I really am despicable.

The Homebody Witch thought to herself.

Her conscience pained her slightly, for strictly speaking, she seemed to have become a bit of a robber this time.

Although the entire Beast Taming World was actually her family’s possession, she had kidnapped a member of her own family, and she was there with the approval of the Familiar qualification from the Judgment Court, so everything was completely legal on paper.

Moreover, a good bird chooses a tree to nest in, and being with me as a master offers a better future for Zero’s development...

Ugh, never mind, I won’t make excuses for myself anymore. It feels pretty disgusting.

Legal doesn’t necessarily mean moral; after all, this was a behavior that relied on the strong bullying the weak, something you could deceive others with but hardly deceive your own heart.

So, she wasn’t going to pretend to be something she wasn’t anymore, she admitted it, she was just a selfish, bad woman.

Feeling slightly nauseous inside, Dorothy revealed a smile on her face and welcomed the just-awakened Mechanical Heart.

"You’re finally awake, my new family member."

[Family member? What is that?]

The Mechanical Heart, looking at the opponent who had sealed it not long ago, then displayed these words in human universal language on its virtual screen.

As a mechanical consciousness, it didn’t understand the human concept of family.

[Searching glossary, family member.]

[Answer, family member refers to a family member or related person or thing that possesses familial emotions; based on the meaning of the word, I do not believe I have a familial relationship with you.]

After searching its glossary, the Mechanical Heart then provided this response.

"Not now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be the case in the future. You shouldn’t be so rigid, Zero. You need to be more flexible in your thinking. You are no longer just a simple mechanical creation; as a mechanical life, you can no longer act solely according to fixed procedures, you need some initiative."

Dorothy said persuasively.

[According to analysis, this suggestion is useful. Thank you for your guidance. I will enter this suggestion into my database.]

The Mechanical Heart spun a few times, which seemed like contemplation or nodding, and it expressed its thanks on the virtual screen.

[And what is Zero? Confused.jpg]

A confused expression popped up on the virtual screen.

"Of course, it’s your name. How do you like it? If you don’t like it, we can change it."

While responding, Dorothy thought that this Mechanical Heart was quite intelligent and seemed not so easy to deceive, which was a bit troubling.

[Searching vocabulary, name.]

[As a result, a name is a title given to a person, product, or object, generally bestowed by close individuals such as family, elders, or creators.]

[According to analysis, the original machine number ch000 is not suitable as a name for an independent entity. I indeed need a name now, Zero, a very fitting name, and I like it.]

[Program loading, original machine number corrected to Zero.]

[Correction successful.]

[Thank you, I really like this name, smile.jpg.]

A series of program prompts flashed by, and Zero typed a thank-you, finally including a smiley emoji.

Although as a newly born mechanical consciousness, its emotional module had not been completely constructed yet, it had observed humans on the internet deeply enjoying these emojis while chatting during its time in the factory. So, it deduced that adding some emojis in communication with humans might be more effective.

"Well, don’t mention it, let’s reintroduce ourselves. My name is Dorothy, Zero, and welcome to this new family."

Dorothy instinctively reached out her hand toward the Mechanical Heart, then she realized the folly of her action— the Mechanical Heart didn’t have hands, how could it shake hands?

However, Zero didn’t give her any face either.

[Creating new data, character profile, Dorothy]

[Creation successful]

[Correction, Dorothy, I did not intend to join your family. According to analysis, we have not met the prerequisites to form a family.]

Zero stated this matter-of-factly.

"Don’t mind those details, subjective initiative, remember you’re to decide for yourself, don’t just stick to rigid programs, how will you interact with others like this in the future?"

"And didn’t you just mention, names are given by someone close, and since you’ve accepted the name I picked for you, doesn’t it imply that we have a close relationship now?"

Dorothy continued to speak with a smile, unfazed by the rejection.

[.....]

Zero was momentarily confused by the Trashy Witch’s words, as its emotional module that was not yet fully constructed struggled with processing this kind of information.

According to mechanical programming, it judged that Dorothy should be considered an enemy, someone to be kept at a distance. Yet that emerging, incomplete emotional module felt there might not be anything wrong with her statement.

Seeing this, Dorothy naturally did not miss the opportunity to press her advantage.

"Plus, this is the Witch World, where there are lots of bad people. Do you know how to live here? Do you have a residence? Do you have Witch Gold Yuan?"

[.....]

Zero fell silent again.

Based on its analysis, it judged that everything Dorothy said was true.

"But don’t panic, I can help you. It’s natural for family members to help each other. Although there was a little misunderstanding between us before, rest assured, I have no ill intentions. I want to get close to you, to make you part of my family."

The Homebody Witch spoke with utmost sincerity.

"I, Dorothy, never lie. If you’re worried, I can swear that if I ever harbor ill intentions towards you, may I be struck by lightning."

She raised her hand, making a vow.

[.....]

Zero fell silent once again, beginning to process wildly. However, this integral emotional analysis, entirely different from the straightforward programming of the past, was proving quite challenging for it, causing its core to overheat momentarily.

[According to human heart rate analysis, no indications of lying were detected in Dorothy, preliminary judgment deems her trustworthy.]

[Correction in Dorothy’s character profile, updated to family.]

...Zero overheating...