Anomalous Creatures

After nearly an hour of research, Kevin finally confirmed one thing: his data terminal had no major issues but was plagued by minor ones. Even as a layman who had just come into contact with such high-tech gadgets, he could tell that there was something wrong with the system inside this small device. Many functions seemed inexplicable, and many materials had nothing to do with him. He even specifically asked the AI of the data terminal, but even the AI didn't know what these things were for. Anyway, Raven 12345 told it to install them, so it did.

Yes, it was Raven 12345 who ordered the installation, not a system default. Each data terminal issued from the headquarters of the Temporal Administration Bureau had actually undergone initialization. Logically, they should all be the same after being sent to the grassroots level. However, grassroots managers had the right to add some specially-purposed programs to these data terminals according to local conditions, such as local biological encyclopedias, local interstellar route maps, or guides for pregnant women specifically prepared for female censors, etc. Anyway, no matter how strange the item was, it could be found in the data library of the Empire of Xir'la, so the programs that could be installed on the data terminals were endless. And that's where the problem lay. Kevin's local supervisor was a woman (goddess?) with a screwed-up brain. She clearly didn't understand technological things but didn't know how to apply for more mystical equipment. On top of that, she was the type of person who liked to meddle in everything herself. After Kevin's data terminal was sent here, Raven 12345 played with it for half a day first...

Now Kevin and Weilili were stunned looking at the countless "PT-385 Universe Encyclopedia Series" (a set of 2,000 books) on the data terminal. He found that this headache-inducing thing couldn't be deleted. In fact, all the messy things installed by Raven 12345 on the data terminal couldn't be deleted, locked by high-level permissions...

"The machine suggests you make do with it," a line of text appeared on the data terminal, "The machine's functions are still complete. You have everything you need. You just need to suppress your OCD and get used to having a massive amount of junk information in your portable device. Because if you ask Supervisor Raven 12345 to replace the device, she will only give you one that is worse than the current situation. This is what the machine found after checking the local network message board. Everyone who has dealt with Supervisor Raven 12345 is complaining about similar incidents, and the repeated complaint rate is 100%. She is very good at breaking things."

"Forget it," Kevin waved his hand hastily. He was only upset for a short while before his optimistic spirit took over and he put the matter aside. "Anyway, you're the one managing the system's data. When I need something, I'll just ask you to help me find it. I'll ignore those messy things. Can't I just pretend they don't exist? Is that okay?"

A line of boastful text immediately popped up on the data terminal: "This machine has excellent performance and powerful query functions. Users need not worry."

In the near future, Kevin would definitely realize what a correct decision he had made today.

"Let's go down and eat," Kevin stuffed the data terminal back into his pocket and completely forgot about the incident. He then looked up at the impressive and handsome antique clock in the corner of the wall. "Lily has been gone for an hour. Why hasn't she made any noise? Did she get lost or something?"

"That big dog is such a pig. They serve a buffet breakfast here, and she'll definitely eat until she can barely walk," Weilili pursed her lips. "She has no manners. That's all she's good for."

Kevin shrugged silently and led Weilili out of the room, soon arriving at the restaurant located on the first floor.

England is a country with a slow pace. In many situations, it is filled with a slightly lazy and unhurried atmosphere. The locals' day generally starts at 9 am, including their breakfast. Kevin obviously hadn't adjusted to this schedule yet. He was still jet-lagged and first experienced an unprecedentedly deserted breakfast: There were only a few people in the huge buffet restaurant. So it was very easy for him and Weilili to spot Lily in the middle of the restaurant. The werewolf girl's presence was exceptionally strong. She occupied a large table and ate like a tiger, with three or four clean trays already in front of her...

Kevin blinked. "They say England is the headquarters of dark cuisine. Looking at Lily's eating habits... It doesn't seem as bad as legends say?"

Weilili was very dismissive. "She's just omnivorous. She was born not to be picky about food."

Kevin took his tray and walked around the long food counter. He was lucky to find that not all English dishes were as exotic as unknown substances. Of course, this might also be related to the nature of the buffet. Anyway, he successfully gathered the food he dared to eat among some strangely colored dishes and then brought his plate over to Lily. "Still not full?"

"Uh-huh," Lily's mouth was full. She struggled to swallow and speak clearly. "The vegetable salad here is delicious! The fruit is also good! I just don't like the roast meat here. It's not as good as at home..."

Kevin looked into Lily's eyes and murmured, "As a werewolf, aren't you ashamed of your diet?"

Lily was unapologetic. "Who told them they don't sell big bones here!"

Kevin felt that he couldn't communicate with this werewolf anymore.

Then he turned his head and saw Weilili sitting on the other side. He couldn't help but say a few words. "You just said she had no future. Where do you think you're headed?"

Weilili's plate in front of her could almost be described as a moving hill. She picked through several pieces of what Kevin considered mysterious food. The vampire girl, who was used to poverty, couldn't resist the excitement deep inside when she came to this buffet restaurant where she didn't have to pay. Just now, she had criticized Lily for being unpromising, but now she was acting more country bumpkin than anyone else!

"I've never experienced such good days before!" The vampire girl's mouth was quickly filled with a bunch of food, and the second half of her sentence was muffled, as if she were speaking ventriloquism. "If I don't eat quickly today, I don't know when I'll have the chance to eat like this again..."

Kevin was extremely grateful that most people in England start their daily life around nine o'clock. With only a dozen people in the entire restaurant, including the staff, he wouldn't have been able to afford the embarrassment of leading these two starving ghosts, otherwise.

While the three of them were busy with breakfast, a tall and slim man came over with his own food at some point. Kevin heard a very gentle voice from above his side. "Excuse me, can I sit here?"

Kevin looked up and found an unfamiliar man. The man was wearing a white thin shirt and black trousers. He was tall and slim, neat and tidy, with a spirited black short haircut. His appearance was not particularly handsome, but he gave off a very capable and reliable vibe. Of course, what was most noticeable about him was his Oriental face. Kevin glanced at him and almost immediately concluded that he was a Chinese.

"Oh, no one is here, feel free to sit," Kevin nodded as he noticed an empty seat across from him at the table. However, he also noticed that there were empty tables everywhere in the restaurant, and there was no need for the tall and slim man to "share a table" with them. So he instinctively felt curious and vigilant towards the stranger in front of him.

He still remembered his "top-secret mission," and his vigilance was much higher than usual.

With a stranger suddenly appearing, Weilili finally remembered the fact that she was a high-ranking vampire. So she quickly slowed down her eating speed and tried to put on a noble and refined demeanor with a stern face. If only she could wipe the oil off her face, it would be more convincing.

"It's not easy to meet a fellow countryman here," the tall and slim man sat down and spoke very cordially, not as difficult to communicate as his initial impression on Kevin. "Are you here for tourism?"

"Fellow countryman?" Kevin didn't expect he was right. Due to the existence of the translation program, he couldn't tell from the language whether the other person was speaking Chinese or something else. At this moment, when he heard the other person call himself a fellow countryman, he finally dared to confirm his guess. "Are you also from China?"

"A genuine Chinese, but I often travel all over the world," the tall and slim man chuckled. "It's hard to meet a fellow countryman here, so I came over to join you... I didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"

Kevin quickly waved his hand. "No, no problem."

"That's good," the tall and slim man nodded, and then casually said, "Are you looking for a place called Yorkfold?"