Chapter 329: Doubts

Of course, Gawain only entertained such a wonderful notion in his mind—he knew full well that the fantasy of “grooming a subordinate to infiltrate a hostile organization, only for that subordinate to spend three years undercover and suddenly discover he’s become a secret shareholder behind the enemy” was never going to happen to him. Judging from his assessment of Daniel, the old mage’s deepest infiltration could reach no further than the bishops within the Sleepless Order—and that was already pushing the limits.

And even then, only to the level of an ordinary Nightmare Bishop. The Nightmare Archbishops? Forget it.

From what he understood, the Sleepless remained “human” up to the bishop level. But once they ascended to Nightmare Archbishops or even the Pope’s rank, they had established some kind of connection with an indescribable entity—perhaps remnants of divine knowledge, or maybe the remains of a godlike corpse, like the giant stag Amorn. Whatever it was, it was something best avoided at all costs.

If his guess was correct, the other two dark cults were probably in the same boat—their archbishops and popes (or equivalent high-ranking leaders) must also be linked to some fragment of divine residue.

After all, these cultists had fallen from grace upon learning the truth that “the gods are dead.” How could they claim to be true practitioners of the dark arts without possessing some relic of the divine?

Gawain carefully reviewed Daniel’s report on his actions and confirmed that everything had proceeded roughly according to plan. If there was any deviation, it was that the old mage’s progress had been even smoother than expected.

Clearly, a veteran Sleepless cultist who had quietly toiled for nearly a decade was considered utterly reliable by his peers. No one would suspect that such a distant, unremarkable believer—far away in Typhon, with no ties to the “Outer Wanderers” and a spotless record—could suddenly be “awakened” in a dream and turn into a 25th-level agent overnight…

“The bishopric has established a new task force specifically to handle the issues I reported,” Daniel respectfully reported. “They are currently investigating and simulating the vulnerabilities. Naturally, the more they uncover, the more they trust me. All the vulnerabilities are genuine—I have concealed nothing. Once these flaws are confirmed, I will lead the team in reconstructing the psychic network.”

He paused, then added, “As per your instructions, I will gradually reveal the knowledge you have bestowed upon me, disguising it carefully so that it appears as if I discovered it myself.”

Gawain nodded with satisfaction. “Good. But be cautious—careful and prudent. Do not rush. They trust you now because the sudden discovery of countless network flaws threw the bishops into panic. But if you stand out too much, their attention will shift from the vulnerabilities to you. You’ve been a quiet presence in the order for ten years. Even if you suddenly display exceptional talent in the psychic network, don’t make it too spectacular.”

Daniel bowed deeply. “Rest assured, my lord. I will not let your grand plan suffer even the slightest setback.”

Gawain inclined his head slightly. “And the other task I assigned you?”

“I have constructed the first magic web unit and the first composite rotary repulsion device in the lab. I am diligently mastering the great knowledge you granted me,” Daniel said, his face glowing with sincere reverence and a hint of excitement. Originally, the old mage had pledged loyalty out of fear, but now his researcher’s passion was ablaze, invigorated by the new knowledge. “I have also tested my apprentice—her name is Mary. She has a strong talent in mathematics and physics. I believe she can serve as my assistant.”

“Excellent. The work I’m asking you to do in the real world is no small matter. You’ll need help,” Gawain nodded. “Lead your apprentice to thoroughly study the knowledge I’ve given you. Prepare all the research materials during the development phase—but do not disclose anything yet. Only reveal your work to the world when I say so. By the way, is your apprentice trustworthy?”

“Absolutely. They would never betray me—and I won’t let them know any unnecessary secrets.”

“Good.” As he spoke, Gawain casually gestured, and a large chair materialized out of thin air. He sat down comfortably, locking eyes with Daniel. “How is the data collection I asked you to do progressing?”

“I’ve compiled a batch of materials under the pretext of building a test database—without raising suspicion,” Daniel said, conjuring an ancient scroll sealed with arcane runes in his hands. He handed it over respectfully. “I’ve done a preliminary organization. You can access it directly.”

Gawain showed a hint of approval as he took the scroll and opened it before his eyes.

The scroll emitted only a faint, misty white glow, but a torrent of data began streaming into Gawain’s mind.

This was one of the ways individuals exchanged information within the psychic network—in a brain-to-brain linked network, data transfer could take many forms. It could manifest as readable scrolls or compress data into specific “media.” Clearly, Daniel, as a traditional and elderly mage, had a fondness for the scroll format.

What Gawain had Daniel collect was the most fundamental knowledge of the psychic network: its physical architecture, the basic functions of brain neurons, and the corresponding effects of dream magic in the process.

After absorbing the unfortunate Sleepless’s knowledge, Gawain had gained much, but some knowledge had fragmented and vanished with the Sleepless’s death. This left him with many Sleepless “skills” but no systematic, researchable knowledge base. Now, he needed to fill in those gaps.

Starting from the basics, he wanted to see exactly what was missing.

This knowledge wasn’t highly classified within the Sleepless Order, but unless one caught the “experts” responsible for building the network, it was hard to gather it all. For this era, the psychic network created by the Sleepless was a massive, systematic engineering feat—an overwhelmingly complex project requiring vast knowledge and manpower. Most cultists only knew how to implement parts of the network, rarely the whole picture.

Yet Daniel had managed to obtain the entire dataset—because he was now in charge of the Sleepless’s first experimental database. He could fabricate any practical testing excuse to pull in low-security network data and tinker with it at will…

Of course, Gawain and Daniel knew the test database didn’t need real data, but the Sleepless didn’t…

Gawain’s “reading” speed in the psychic network was lightning fast. More accurately, he wasn’t reading in detail but rapidly scanning and indexing all the information to build a rough mental framework—one of the network’s uses.

But as he constructed this framework, his brow furrowed deeper.

Daniel immediately sensed it. “My lord, is there a problem?”

Gawain slowly absorbed the last portion of the data, then looked seriously into Daniel’s eyes. “Do you know what a ‘brain thrall’ is?”

“Yes,” Daniel nodded promptly. “It’s a permanently fixed computational node. Brain thralls are living humans kept in a state of anesthesia—their bodily functions nearly halted, but their brains remain connected to the network and operational. This allows them to process psychic network computations at maximum efficiency. Even ordinary people without magic can qualify as brain thralls.”

Yes—the living dead in the Kant territory’s dungeons…

“If my understanding of this data is correct, and I haven’t missed any key points,” Gawain waved the scroll, “brain thralls are not actually necessary components of the psychic network!”

Daniel blinked in confusion, seemingly not grasping the full implication.

“The psychic network is built on living brain neurons, the computational power of active brains, and the extraordinary effects of dream and psychic magic. Any functioning living brain can provide sufficient, even surplus, computational power. If the network only needed to operate, the surplus power contributed by the lucid Sleepless during network connection would be more than enough!”

“You mean, even without brain thralls, the psychic network can function normally?” Daniel finally understood. “The Sleepless cultists themselves, as nodes, can sustain the entire network?”

“Exactly. As long as there are enough active living nodes—and there are already more than enough. The number of active Sleepless in Dream City could support two such psychic networks!” Gawain said gravely. “And this is the normal situation—the computational power provided by connected Sleepless must exceed their consumption. Otherwise, the network is fundamentally contradictory. If the nodes consumed more power than they contributed, why would the bishopric issue calls to recruit more Sleepless to ‘join the network’? The very existence of such recruitment implies that each Sleepless node contributes far more computational power than it uses!”

Daniel was both surprised and puzzled. “Then… what are those brain thralls for?”

“I said I’m not omniscient, which is why I need servants,” Gawain said, locking eyes with Daniel. “Investigate this—discreetly. I suspect the brain thralls’ purpose isn’t to maintain the psychic network. The massive computational power they provide is for something else… a project even grander and more mysterious than the psychic network!”

“Yes, my lord.”

Seeing Daniel nod in obedience, a sudden flash of insight struck Gawain. He recalled a piece of information he had stumbled upon earlier.

“Keep an eye on something called the ‘Project Zero.’ I suspect it’s related to those unaccounted-for computational resources,” Gawain immediately instructed. “But be careful—this project seems highly classified. Perhaps only those above bishop rank are authorized to know. Use your judgment on how to proceed.”

“Your loyal servant will not disappoint you!”

(End of chapter)