Ever since little Ronnie learned about his grandfather Ronnie's existence, his heart had wandered beyond the Eagle's Nest, yearning to follow in his ancestor's footsteps. He approached Afastin and said, "Dad, I want to leave this place and explore the wider world outside."
"No way. You're too young. We can discuss this when you're sixteen." But little Ronnie didn't give up. At midnight, he quietly slipped out of the Eagle's Nest with his robot dog. In the deep of night, surrounded by silence, he turned to his robot and said, "Blockhead, it's so dark out here. Use your night vision to lead the way." The robot dog barked once and projected two beams of light from its eyes, like car headlights. It chose a direction and ran forward, with little Ronnie hurrying after it.
Afastin didn't discover his son was missing until noon the next day. Daechir checked the security footage and found that little Ronnie had escaped through passage number one. "Go after him, quickly!" Afastin shouted at her. Daechir didn't move, responding calmly, "It's good to let him go out. He's not an ordinary child."
"Have you lost your mind? He's only eight years old!" Afastin cried.
"Mr. Ronnie was only nine when he began wandering around. Why can't his grandson do the same?"
"But he had his sister Alice with him. Little Ronnie only has a robot dog."
Daechir replied coldly, "I'm not going. If you want to find him, go yourself." She turned and walked away. Afastin was furious, "You insolent robot! You're increasingly disrespectful to your master." If anyone else had insulted Daechir, she would have beaten them to a pulp, but with Afastin, she could only shake her head.
By this time, little Ronnie had traveled more than fifty kilometers, riding on Blockhead's back whenever he got tired. By afternoon, his stomach was growling with hunger, but he had no money. He spotted a middle-aged man walking ahead and approached him. "Sir, could you spare some food?"
Surprised by the voice, the man asked, "Are you a robot?"
Little Ronnie was wearing a mask that made his voice sound mechanical, so the misunderstanding was natural. "I'm human, not a robot," he clarified, pointing at Blockhead. "This is a robot dog."
"Why are you out here alone? Where is your family?" the man inquired.
Afraid of being sent back, little Ronnie lied, "I'm a poor orphan, and this dog is my toy."
The man pulled fifty shillings from his pocket. "Here, this is all I have."
Little Ronnie accepted it happily. "Thank you, kind sir." After the man left, he climbed onto the dog's back and commanded, "Blockhead, let's go find food!" Following its orders, the dog ran forward. After sprinting three kilometers, they reached a village.
At the village entrance, several children were playing. When they saw someone riding a dog approaching, they became extremely curious and gathered around. Little Ronnie dismounted, stood tall, and announced loudly, "I am a god! Whoever offers me sacrifices will have one wish granted."
"What's a sacrifice?" a small boy asked.
"Silly, it means food."
"What kind of wishes can you grant?" another child asked.
"Any wish at all."
The first boy then asked, "Can you let us ride your dog?"
"Of course, but you must bring me food first."
"Alright, wait here." With one taking the lead, the others scattered, running home to fetch offerings. The first to return was a little girl who had only a single piece of candy.
"Here you go," she said, offering it to him.
"Just this? Go get more," little Ronnie refused. The girl lowered her head. "I don't have anything else."
"You're even poorer than I am!"
"Can I give you something after my wish is granted?" the little girl asked softly.
Intrigued, little Ronnie asked, "What's your wish?"
"I want my parents to come back to life."
"They're dead?"
"Yes," the girl nodded. As they were talking, the other children returned. Some brought half a flatbread, others eggs.
"Tell me your wishes. Line up and speak one by one."
The little girl was first in line. "I want to resurrect my mom and dad." Little Ronnie simply ignored her. "Next!"
"I want to ride your dog, just three circles," said a chubby boy.
"All those who want to ride the dog, step forward."
Everyone except the little girl wanted to ride the dog. Blockhead ran more than twenty laps around the village entrance before the task was complete. "Why don't you take a couple of rides too?" little Ronnie suggested to the girl.
"No, I still want my parents back."
"But you only have one candy. That's too small an offering."
The little girl took his hand. "Come to my house. You can choose whatever you want."
By now it was getting dark, and little Ronnie thought this would be a perfect opportunity to find lodging for the night. "Alright. Who else lives in your house?"
"I have a grandmother, but her eyesight is poor."
"Is she blind?"
"The doctor says she has glaucoma."
Only then did little Ronnie notice that the girl was barefoot and dressed in tattered clothes. Her home was the third house from the village entrance—a brick building of decent size. Following her inside, he had barely stepped through the door when he was hit by a strange smell. "Your house stinks!"
"Really? I don't smell anything," the girl replied.
While the exterior of the house looked passable, the interior was quite sparse. The bed consisted of a few wooden boards covered with tattered clothes and rags. In one corner stood two wooden buckets and various miscellaneous items. On a table across the room sat a chipped cup, a red comb, and a book. "Where's your grandmother?" little Ronnie asked.
"She's probably out looking for food."
"Even with her bad eyesight?"
"Yes." The girl looked around. "Take whatever you need."
Seeing how poor they were, little Ronnie shook his head. "I don't want any of your things."
The girl became anxious. "Please, God, help me!"
"I'm not a god. I just wanted to trick people into giving me food. I can't help you bring your family back to life. Please forgive me."
"That can't be true. You look so strange and have a dog that understands human language. You must be a god."
"It's because I'm wearing a mask, and the dog is a robot." As he spoke, little Ronnie removed his mask.
The girl looked at him and asked, "Are you a monkey?"
"People say I look like a gorilla."
"Then you're even more pitiful than I am." It was the first time little Ronnie had heard someone call him pitiful, and he burst out laughing. "I really am pitiful. I don't even have a place to sleep tonight. Can I stay here?"
"Of course! As long as you don't mind how messy it is."
Little Ronnie placed the food he'd collected on the table and said generously, "Here, eat this. Consider it payment for my lodging."
"What's your name?" the little girl asked.
"Since you thought I was a god, just call me Ares."