The golden short hair hung down straight to her shoulders, strands of water droplets dripping from the ends. Her delicate face carried a soft and shy expression, large clear eyes like still spring water in pure innocence. The loose clothes she wore revealed pale neck and collarbones beneath, while small bare feet peeked out below.

Undoubtedly, this wasn't just some cute boy - it was an exquisite girl. Lin Luo hadn't expected that his casual rescue would result in finding such a beautiful girl. More embarrassing still, he had mistaken her for male beforehand. But really, who could blame him? The girl's disheveled appearance had been so unattractive before. If this were the old Lin Luo, no matter gender disguise could have fooled him with his sharp eyes. Yet now... well.

Lin Luo stared at the girl blankly, not because of her beauty exactly. While she was undeniably pretty, compared to Higure Alice's peerless charm there remained a noticeable gap - though there was something uniquely lively about her aura that set her apart.

His daze stemmed from how suddenly everything had turned around. But what perplexed him further was the girl's reaction. She first glanced down at the ill-fitting clothes clinging awkwardly to her frame, then looked up and asked softly, "Take them off?"

Damn it! What did she take me for?

Lin Luo inwardly scoffed but responded aloud, "Go ahead." The girl hesitated briefly before beginning to peel off her garments.

"I was joking," Lin Luo quickly waved his hands. He'd had the opportunity to indulge with countless mature beauties without batting an eye, yet this underdeveloped, malnourished child was hardly worth considering. Still, he wasn't so depraved as to take advantage of someone defenseless - especially not when she actually started undressing.

"Oh," the girl simply replied before standing silently in place.

"What's your name?" Lin Luo asked.

"I don't know." The girl shook her head.

"How old are you?"

"Don't know."

"Do you have parents?"

"Don't know."

"Where did you live before?"

"There," this time she pointed vaguely toward the slums without saying 'I don't know.'

Through careful questioning, Lin Luo gradually pieced together her origins. Though the world enjoyed prosperity with infrequent wars and mostly peaceful living conditions, shadows still lurked beneath every nation's bright facade. The slums were precisely such a place - where countless people unable to sustain themselves were abandoned by society, surviving only on government-issued scraps.

The girl had been deposited in the slums at an early age; her parents remained complete mysteries. A kind elderly man took her in, though their 'adoption' was merely sharing shelter while subsisting on meager rations. Though life there was bleak, at least they formed a semblance of family.

Slum dwellers were forbidden from entering mainstream society, with death the consequence if discovered. Time and names held no meaning for slum residents, hence why she had neither name nor age. Her only stability came from the elderly man who died recently - his passing left her vulnerable to constant harassment by nearby slum-dwellers.

Sexual desire is human nature, even among destitute vagrants. With limited options in such conditions, an isolated girl became prime target. Though she fought back instinctively when attacked by several men, her small frame was no match for them.

After escaping through relentless flight out of the slums, she stumbled upon Lin Luo's home near the outskirts where few lived. Without witnesses, hiding there posed minimal risk - unlike other possible encounters that would have either returned her to the slums or led to execution.

Understanding this history, Lin Luo felt uneasy about systemic injustices but held no interest in political debates. Yet rescuing her meant making decisions. Returning her to the slums equated to condemning her again; handing her over to authorities was similarly futile. Keeping her posed risks too - slum residents bore identifying marks that could endanger both of them.

As Lin Luo pondered, the girl watched him intently with anxious eyes awaiting judgment. Though his current pursuits required avoiding distractions, abandoning her felt wrong despite rational objections.

"Your appearance is quite childlike," he sighed finally, "I'll call you Xiao Xiao."

Tears of gratitude welled in her eyes as she abruptly knelt to bow deeply, "Thank you for granting me a name, master."

"Don't get too excited," Lin Luo's expression hardened instantly. "My protection comes with conditions - no troublemaking or I'll abandon you immediately. And if you expect free meals, you'll have to work hard."

He pointed toward some materials nearby, "See these items? I'm currently crafting automata. There are tedious steps involved that..." His voice trailed off as he realized her inexperience might render tasks impossible.

"Read this manual first," Lin Luo handed over the automaton manual but hesitated mid-sentence - slum survivors rarely knew how to read.

What an utterly useless child, he thought irritably. Was she truly only capable of menial chores?

Then suddenly, "Master, there's a typo on page one," she said earnestly.

Lin Luo froze. He took the manual and indeed found a minor miswording that had escaped his notice through multiple readings. The girl's keen eye had caught an error he'd overlooked - surpassing him in this particular skill despite her background.

"Absurd! That word is perfectly correct," he denied, face burning with embarrassment while grasping at straws to salvage his dignity.