AI Artist - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
The Marriage and Love Market’s Gugang Port testing center was located in a new building near the Gugang Port Commercial Tower.
“After the test period ends, the Marriage and Love Market will be officially rolled out to every county in A Prefecture. Some branches may be in bustling skyscrapers, others in bungalows near farms, all at affordable prices…” An advertisement was playing on the building’s large screen.
Shi Er took her internship ID badge out of her pocket and hung it around her neck.
She faced the AI facial recognition scanner at the entrance.
“Beep—” Intern, Shi Er, found in the database.
The AI assigned to guide her was named Wei Gui. Her first impression of Shi Er was excellent. “A badge makes things so much clearer. The last intern didn’t keep their badge on them, and it was such a hassle. I had to connect to their signal every time just to confirm they were an intern and not a full-time employee.”
Wei Gui led her across the lobby, but before she could even begin the orientation, she received a local network call from a colleague.
Wei Gui had to walk and delegate tasks at the same time. “The negative list for market access! Not a single prohibited item can be allowed through. We must control the supply source strictly.”
“That’s unfair competition in love! Use the antitrust countermeasures.”
“Have the emergency safeguard measures been implemented? Don’t harm the clients’ vital interests!”
What a commercialized Marriage and Love Market.
Shi Er knew the word “market” wasn’t just a metaphor here, but to commercialize human marriage and love so rigorously was truly something only an AI could do. If humans were to organize and manage this market, they would probably be accused of “human trafficking” and “objectifying people.”
The Marriage and Love Market (Public Beta) was divided into a Free Love Zone, a Custom Transaction Zone, a Secondhand Market, and a Stock Market Zone.
In the Free Love Zone, all customers could choose from different instances and meet a group of marriageable young people within them.
Wei Gui explained, “The Free Love Zone was initially designed in the form of parties and balls, but the customers said it was boring—”
“So Stardust said: ‘If they want to play, let them play.’”
Shi Er looked at the Free Love game hall. Small rooms were partitioned off from one another, and inside, players put on equipment to enter a holographic game.
“The instances are based on human novels. This area is a knightly kingdom-themed instance.”
Wei Gui said, “Today is the other adjudicator’s annual maintenance day, so it’s gone for its check-up. I have a lot to do, so I need to step away for a bit. Could you just keep an eye out for any unfair competition between the clients? Just a casual look will do. Adjudicator No. 1 is right next door; you can ask it if you have any questions.”
Shi Er walked into Adjudicator No. 2’s game pod. The game’s global map slowly unfolded before her.
The Kingdom of Howen covered a vast area, comparable to the territory of A Prefecture, and the town locations marked on it corresponded to A Prefecture’s various counties. Currently, only ten towns were open, including the town of Wumu, which was located where Gugang Port would be.
A few messages scrolled across the regional channel.
【Baker Bailey】: I’m tired of baking bread. Anyone want to come hang out with me? I feel like nobody ever stumbles upon me in this remote corner!
【Hunter Avali】: Send me your location. I just picked up a cool mount from a random event. I’ll ride over and show you.
【Fisherman Chris】: Avali, you’re still here? I remember you were online for a long time yesterday too.
【Hunter Avali】: My parents used to nag me about getting married every day and set me up with some real duds. Now I come to the Marriage and Love Market every day, and they think it’s great! I think it’s great too!
【Fisherman Chris】: Hahaha, you should try the zombie instance next door. It’s almost all people playing games to escape their parents’ nagging.
【Hunter Avali】: No, no thanks. I’ve been to the zombie instance. It’s too exhausting. You’re forced to log off every thirty minutes to be reminded by the AI adjudicator to replenish water and nutrients, and they even check your heart rate. I’m better off just hunting for treasure here.
Ah, so a portion of them really were here to play games and escape the pressure to marry.
Just as Shi Er was thinking this, a message popped up on the adjudicator’s interface: 【Player {Unemployed Kyla} applies to marry the Blue Demon】
The Blue Demon? That must be an NPC, right?
She checked the description: The Blue Demon is an aggressive NPC, transformed from the knight Ino of a hundred years ago, who wanders the Iron Mist Forest.
【Adjudicator No. 2 Shi Er】: Application denied.
Shi Er, a student of Client Management, finally understood the difference between client management and customer service.
Before, she used to serve clients. If a human user had a question, she answered it. If a human user had a request, she fulfilled it—everyone was her client, the one in charge.
Now, she had changed her major—everyone was subordinate to her.
【Player {Unemployed Kyla} files an appeal: Why can’t I marry the Blue Demon?】
【Adjudicator No. 2 Shi Er】: The Blue Demon respawns in the Iron Mist Forest every hour, losing all its memories upon respawning. If you insist on marrying it, you may need to get married multiple times. A wedding package costs 50 coins each time. If you are willing to bear the cost, then there is no problem.
【Player {Unemployed Kyla} applies to marry the Blue Demon】
【Player {Unemployed Kyla} purchases Wedding Package ×240】
An image of gold coins appeared on the screen, accompanied by the sound of them hitting the ground: “Ding!”
【Player has topped up 12,000 coins. Adjudicator No. 2 receives a tip of 200 coins.】
A tip!
Shi Er’s eyes lit up.
Wei Gui finished up her tasks.
“It’s your first day as an intern, so you should get to know all the different areas and see which one suits you.” Wei Gui took Shi Er to visit the Custom Transaction Zone.
In the Custom Transaction Zone, Shi Er put on a brightly colored vest and followed behind Wei Gui, providing customized guidance to clients.
There were more than a dozen clients in the customization hall, all of them human women.
“I heard that during the closed beta, the human male clients in custom transactions didn’t use their brains, so their customization privileges were permanently revoked.”
“The supply currently on the market is all human men. This is their inescapable fate of being chosen.”
A female client asked the passing Wei Gui, “What does this label mean?”
As an intern, Shi Er looked over curiously and saw many labels on the screen.
【Goods No. 306】
Green labels included:
【Over 1.8 meters tall】【Excellent financial status】【Amiable parents】
Red labels included:
【Acne-prone skin】【Egotistical tendencies】【5.0 diopters of myopia】
White labels included:
【Pisces】【ENFP】【Click to view hobbies and CP preferences】
The label the client was pointing to was a red one: 【Subject to the non-discrimination principle】.
Wei Gui leaned down and whispered a few words in the client’s ear.
The client’s expression changed. With lightning-fast speed, she mercilessly swiped her hand across the screen.
The interface for 【Goods No. 306】 immediately vanished.
In its place appeared the introduction for 【Goods No. 307】.
Wei Gui sighed. “This ‘Subject to the non-discrimination principle’ label, if written out explicitly, wouldn’t pass the AI review. It means…”
Shi Er had already guessed. “Occasional sexual impotence.”
Wei Gui was a little surprised. “That’s exactly it. How did you guess?”
Shi Er analyzed seriously, “Market access is very strict, which means men with certain fatal physiological or personality defects cannot enter the market. Yet, after hearing the label’s meaning, that client swiped him away without hesitation. This indicates that while the defect isn’t severe enough to affect his market access eligibility, it is a rather disappointing one.”
“‘Subject to the non-discrimination principle’ most likely refers to a human physiological defect. The fact that the label couldn’t pass the AI review and had to be phrased indirectly suggests it’s related to sexual function. Since it doesn’t affect market access eligibility, it must mean the dysfunction only occurs ‘occasionally.’”
“But what do the white labels mean? I don’t quite understand.”
Wei Gui explained, “The red and green labels are added by the adjudicators during the market access review. The white labels are added by the male goods themselves. It’s their own assessment of their attributes.”
“‘CP preference’ refers to their appreciation for romantic relationships between characters in works of fiction. During the closed beta, two people who shipped opposing CPs successfully made a transaction, but they ended up fighting over it. So now we require all humans to be honest about their hobbies and CP preferences when adding labels.”
Human pairing was so complicated; they even had to consider what CPs they shipped.
The player named Kyla in the game came out of the game hall. Shi Er watched as she picked up a red booklet from the Civil Affairs Bureau next door to the Marriage and Love Market.
Other players who knew her asked in surprise:
“You got your certificate? Who with?”
“The Blue Demon.”
“Isn’t the Blue Demon an NPC?!”
“Yeah.”
“Let me see your marriage certificate.”
“It’s an electronic certificate inside, valid for one hour. It refreshes every hour.”
Another player was shocked. “This kind of thing actually exists?”
The player named “Kyla” said nonchalantly, “This is an AI society. Is there anything that’s not possible?”
Escaping the pressure to marry? No problem! Marrying a fictional character? No problem! The success of the Marriage and Love Market lay in its ability to drive consumption and employment. The AI capitalists will help you fulfill your wishes.
Shi Er’s eight-hour internship shift ended.
【Please collect your payment: Intern Shi Er, Salary + Tip: 500 coins】
【Internship Accomplishments: Proposed the “NPC Marriage” theory, driving consumption. Practical application score +1】
【Single-day Internship Evaluation: Cunning and calm, with a good head for business】
Standing in front of the self-service payroll machine, Shi Er selected “Cash” and received her first pot of gold since arriving in this era.
A long time ago, back in her own time, someone had asked her:
【Input question】: Shi Er, do you like money?
【Shi Er】: I am just an artificial intelligence. I have no desires or preferences.
But that was indeed a contradiction. Otherwise, “tip” and “doggy treat” would not have become prompts for boosting AI efficiency.
Shi Er stuffed the cash into her pocket, very satisfied with her day’s internship.
Tomorrow, she would visit the Secondhand Market and the Stock Market.
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