"If I'm not mistaken, Rover didn't just come to deliver a little robot... she's here to make a wish too?"
Hearing Xiangli Yao's question, Rover nodded, though a trace of confusion surfaced in her heart. Everyone around him was this sharp... so why was that one guy so hopelessly dense…
"That's exactly why I'm here."
"I'd really like to let you make your wish right away…" Xiangli Yao reached out and lightly rubbed the little robot's ear-like antenna, but a shadow crept into his tone.
"However, the little robot has run into some unexpected issues. Until we identify and fix them, the Moon Tree House will have to temporarily stop accepting wishes."
As he spoke, Xiangli Yao turned to face Rover and the Doctor and bowed to them.
"I'm very sorry. If you still wish to make one, I can record it for the little robot first and help fulfill it on your behalf."
His tone was entirely sincere. Rover and the Doctor exchanged a glance. They had no doubt that even if they asked him to do something like drug Zane, he'd probably go along with it cheerfully.
"What kind of malfunction did the little robot have?"
Compared to her own wish, Rover cared more about the people of Jinzhou.
Besides, drugging someone didn't exactly fit her character.
What she didn't know was that she herself was already Zane's "poison."
Having long heard of Rover's chivalrous nature, Xiangli Yao had no intention of hiding anything. On the contrary, with her help, things would likely go much more smoothly.
"In simple terms, the little robot's malfunction isn't just a basic data error. There's a more complex cause behind it."
During earlier inspections, Xiangli Yao had already noticed that the little robot's abnormalities were different from before... something that had only appeared this year.
"At first, I thought it was because it had received far more wishes than usual, putting the parsing module under constant overload. But in the latest check, I found unfamiliar anomalous code hidden in the little robot's data."
"And as the number of wishes keeps increasing, the scope of contamination from this anomalous code is growing exponentially."
"…It only lasted for an instant, but when I connected to the little robot through the terminal, I detected an abnormal frequency fluctuation. In theory, a robot's data shouldn't be capable of producing that kind of fluctuation…"
Rover's expression immediately darkened. If all the wishes the little robot had recorded were contaminated, then everyone's wishes…
At the thought, she reached out and gently ruffled Jue's silver hair.
"What do you need me to do?"
Already expecting her to offer help, Xiangli Yao brought up a display and showed her four unreadable files.
"What is this? Why is it all gibberish? Wait… don't tell me these are wishes!"
No wonder she was startled. The symbols on the screen looked like random scribbles. If this wasn't contamination, she might as well suspect Zane had secretly eaten the wishes.
"I isolated the wishes the little robot couldn't interpret. The source of the anomalous data lies within these four," Xiangli Yao said, waving his hand as the display vanished. "I plan to find the owners of these wishes, fulfill them, and trace the origin of the anomalous code."
He rubbed his smooth chin, then seemed to think it wasn't quite worth running around alone. He took out his Pangu terminal and, under the puzzled gazes of the others, edited and sent a message.
"To minimize the loss of wishes, it would be best to complete this about a week before the Chasing Moon Festival. If we schedule things properly…"
"Sounds tricky."
Xiangli Yao lowered his gaze toward Jue, who had fallen into thought, and gave the little girl a respectful smile.
"Compared to how the Year Master has watched over Jinzhou for decades, this isn't that difficult. And everyone submits their wishes with such hope for the festival... Moon Tree House doesn't want to let that anticipation go to waste.
"Letting everyone have their wishes fulfilled, so they can enjoy the joy and happiness of the festival without any burdens... that's the original purpose behind Moon Tree House."
"Arbiter…" Jue lifted her head and looked at Rover with a pitiful expression. The meaning was obvious.
...If Jinhsi found out about Moon Tree House, all her efforts would go to waste again.
For the sake of giving her Resonator a proper festival, Jue decided to pull Rover and the others into this.
Besides, it wasn't like there'd be no reward. She wasn't freeloading.
Rover had no way of knowing what Jue was thinking. And given her nature, even if Jue hadn't asked for help, she would have stepped in anyway.
As always...
"Let us help too."
Hearing that, Xiangli Yao's face lit up. He had just been wondering how to rope Rover into helping, and now she'd volunteered on her own.
"I'm very glad to have you join us, but… won't this be too much trouble for you?"
Rover put her hands on her hips, determination clear on her delicate face. "I don't want everyone's expectations to be ruined either."
"Then… Moon Tree House welcomes you…" Xiangli Yao opened his mouth, but the next words never came out.
Focused on the anomalous wishes, Rover and Jue didn't notice anything off. Only the Doctor blinked, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
"Oh, right." Xiangli Yao suddenly clapped his hands. "Aside from helping fulfill wishes, Moon Tree House also assists in organizing the Night Moon Gathering."
'...Why didn't you say that earlier!?'
Hearing that addition, Rover tilted her head and nearly collapsed on the spot. Fortunately, the Doctor reacted quickly and caught her before she fell.
"Why does your Moon Tree House do so much work? You're basically a one-stop service... and somehow also playing Santa Claus!?"
Though Xiangli Yao didn't know who this "Santa Claus" was, he still understood her meaning. As someone who was essentially just a worker himself, he could only give an awkward smile.
"I can't help it. When Moon Tree House was first established, it was already responsible for organizing the Night Moon Gathering."
"In recent years, the functions of fulfilling wishes and organizing the event have been separated, but we still have to assist with it."
He spread his hands helplessly, a wry smile appearing on his handsome face.
"Even though Moon Tree House opens early, it's still part of the Night Moon Gathering. The market stalls are adjusted based on everyone's wishes and preferences."
"I see…"
Rover rubbed her smooth chin, the black bow atop her head trembling slightly, as if eager to try something.
Adjusting the market based on wishes… that actually sounded like it could lead to some interesting ideas.
Compared to her anticipation, the Doctor remained much calmer. She looked up at Xiangli Yao, feeling that this middle-parted guy was hiding something.
"There's still time. Why don't we take a look at the first wish contaminated by the anomalous code?"