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Zangyin/Profile
| Zangyin | Profile | Quotes |
Career[edit]
The EF-55 model Doll known as "Zangyin" was a folklore research Doll that was specially commissioned from Cyber Media. Its primary purpose was the exploration and protection of cultural heritage. This Doll was not intended for mass production and was instead designed to meet a client's specifications, though its development costs far overran its original projected budget. The EF-55 utilizes the highest-spec internal memory and data-processing modules available on the market in keeping with its high production costs. As a result, the EF-55 completely fulfilled every aspect of its commissioner's requirements, be it in terms of data screening, selection, classification, preservation, or even the fact that it only ate grilled fish.
Not long after entering service, Zangyin and her owner Teng Jianxing traveled to the war-torn Mizune Village together, after which they collaboratively wrote the book "The Riddle of Mizune Village". Shortly afterward, Zangyin voluntarily applied for and joined Project Neural Cloud.
Doll Profile 1[edit]
As one of the rare few folklore research Dolls, Zangyin was every bit as persistent as she is professional, and possessed outstanding academic philosophy as well as being keenly familiar with history.
After WW3, the field of folklore studies was practically stagnant. The upheavals in the international situation plunged it into an unprecedented dark winter. Under these harsh conditions, Professor Teng Jianxing's insistence on exploration and recording in the field marked him as a breed apart. That said, this determination which was incomprehensible to outsiders led to Professor Teng and Zangyin obtaining extraordinary academic results.
Zangyin followed Professor Teng in observing various things about which most people were either completely ignorant or which they would have trouble even imagining, and then she recorded them and compiled them into book form for publication. At times, Zangyin would publish research theses under his name. However, the field of folklore studies was a small one, so most of her works remained on the shelves of university libraries, only to be perused by researchers in the same field or amateur enthusiasts.
Among Zangyin's works, the most prominent would be the one which brought her to fame – "The Riddle of Mizune Village". It was easily read and understood, with an exciting plot that maintained the academic rigor of the subject matter. Upon publication, fans of the book recommended it to their family and friends and it triggered a wave of interest in folklore research. Even readers who were leery of suspense novels could easily enjoy it.
Doll Profile 2[edit]
Apart from her academic professionalism, the most common opinion about Zangyin among the people who met her could be summarized into two words: "a weirdo". Zangyin enjoyed acting mysterious without regard for whether or not those around her could understand her. However, she was not bothered by their complaints and didn't even get angry when criticized to her face. All that was closely linked to how Professor Teng spoiled his granddaughter rotten.
"Old Teng, your Zangyin is quite a character."
"Thank you, thank you, I was so happy with her that I took her in like a granddaughter. Come, Zangyin, say hi to Uncle."
"Hello, Uncle Hao, I am Zangyin. Is your student alright after that competition? He seemed to be as droopy as a dried vegetable when he left."
"Old Teng, teach your granddaughter to show some respect!"
"But it was well-said, wasn't it? Little Gao was too cocky and deserved to be taken down a peg."
– From the trivia of Professor Teng and Zangyin, in the afterword of "The Riddle of Mizune Village"
Zangyin was as free-spirited as ever after coming to the Oasis. However, Zangyin's shallow resistance to things she liked was in stark contrast to the depth of her knowledge. That fact became public knowledge after Aki managed to enlist her help in renovating the dorms.
"I just gave her what she wanted. She liked fish, especially grilled mackerels," Aki said.
After that, many Dolls attempted to enlist her aid. Whether it was in the creation of sweets, the brewing of drinks, cloud server TRPGs, construction planning, or even astronomical prognostication... She seemed to have knowledge on just about any topic and was able to provide valuable insights.
Doll Profile 3[edit]
Zangyin's lifestyle was also quite out of place in the Oasis. Unless she was on dispatch, she would eat the same thing for every meal– grilled fish seasoned with only salt and pepper. The rest of her energy needs were met by charging.
Meanwhile, her pet snake "Si" was a colorful viper whose bright red scales and emerald eyes were quite frightening. Although its appearance in the cloud server was quite different from how it looked in real life, many Dolls were caught unawares and startled by it. According to Zangyin, Si had a hard time getting past various security inspections in the city, but it was a bosom companion when trekking outdoors, whose animal instincts had gotten Zangyin out of tight spots many times.
Zangyin has visited many places thanks to Professor Teng's assignments and her curiosity, from isolated, ancient mountain villages, abandoned religious buildings, as well as mysterious forbidden zones which are seldom traveled and which often gave rise to strange tales. The only way to keep her senses amidst such seclusion was with external items.
Since she often found herself running around in places without internet access, the Professor gave her an old gaming console as well as Si, and she often played Tetris, Snake, and other games on it to pass the time. While Professor Teng was still capable of field expeditions, she would always compare her scores with his, which were one of the few forms of amusement they had other than work. Eventually, Zangyin became an expert in these games, and after coming to the Oasis her name often topped the minigame high scores.
Doll Profile 4[edit]
Outside of her work, Zangyin's main hobby is reading ghost and horror-themed stories, which was how she came to know about, interact, and butt heads with Nora. Their ideals were fundamentally opposed to each other; Zangyin believed in building the mood through the background, while Nora was more inclined to use sensory narration to create a sense of horror.
Their differences led to Nora writing Zangyin into her stories as a character on several occasions and then killing her off, usually the first character to do so, and in the most horrific fashion. Unwilling to simply let that slide, Zangyin would haunt the comment section wherever Nora's works were released and nitpick each and every flaw in Nora's stories.
Their poor relationship is by no means a secret in the Oasis. After Puzzle lost to Zangyin several times in the "Marvelous Mash-Up" game, she recruited Nora into her ranks and tried to get Zangyin and the Professor to play a tabletop RPG with her in order to teach Zangyin a lesson. However, during the game, Zangyin and Nora joined forces to torment Puzzle. If not for the Professor's help, Puzzle's character sheet, a veteran of many campaigns, might have ended up shredded to bits on the spot.
...Despite this farcical turn of events, the incident did give Puzzle some inspiration. Shortly afterward, Puzzle, Zangyin, Nora, and Imhotep – who had sensed what was about to happen and joined up – came together to form the Oasis Tabletop Roleplaying Game Group, which brought much joy to everyone in their spare time.
Doll Profile 5[edit]
When Zangyin first joined the Oasis, she expressed a strong desire to return to the real world. She told the Professor about her worries regarding the state of folklore studies in the real world and hoped that she could return ASAP to continue her work. In addition, her familial bond and her desire to see Professor Teng again appeared to be another major reason Zangyin wanted to go back.
A Doll's personality is often affected by their owner and their designer. Zangyin inherited a strong sense of homesickness and desire to be with her loved ones from Professor Teng, and as such, she indicated her willingness to devote all her efforts to the Oasis' operations in order to find a way to return to reality ASAP.
At Zangyin's request, we have appended one last audio clip to the end of her file.
"China is a country that values its heritage, but we should not confine ourselves within its borders. When I was still a young man, I heard of the concept of the 'global village'. No country should lose its history to warfare. After all, it's all part of the beautiful history of the world."
– Excerpt from a speech given by Professor Teng in 2050, taken from Zangyin's rollout memory data.
Perhaps this was the underlying reason for everything Zangyin and Professor Teng have done.