Chapter 545: This Is the New Laboratory
The technicians began their final round of inspections and adjustments on the immersion pods. Heddy stood nervously beside the pod assigned to her, whispering, “I never thought… that one day I’d actually enter a world created by the Sleeper…”
“It’s a virtual world,” High Lord said from nearby, noticing his great-granddaughter’s unease. “What’s wrong? Feeling anxious?”
“A little,” Heddy admitted, “but more than that… conflicted. I know technology itself isn’t good or bad, but the Sleepers’ neural network is more than just ‘technology.’ You said it’s a projection and aggregation of countless Sleepers’ minds. Now that I’m about to enter that place… it just feels strange.”
High Lord smiled gently and nodded. “I understand how you feel. But don’t worry, this is only temporary. Our neural link technology is still in its infancy—we don’t yet have the capability to build our own mental network. So for now, we have to ‘borrow’ the Sleepers’ existing network. But once our technology matures, we’ll create our own virtual environment. Such an important technology can’t rely on others forever.”
Heddy’s expression softened with relief. High Lord then turned to Kamail, who was floating beside another immersion pod. “How’s it looking? Can you connect?”
Arcane energy shimmered around Kamail, crackling with controlled lightning that swept over the neural connection points inside the pod. A steady hum rose from the pod’s base. Kamail spoke with a hint of joy, “It should work… Even though I no longer have a nervous system, my arcane body lets me read and write the magical fluctuations in the neural nodes directly. I can enter the network just like you.”
“Incredible…” High Lord studied Kamail’s non-human form. “Magic… its mysteries grow ever more fascinating.”
Kamail bowed slightly. “One day, we’ll uncover them all.”
Nearby, a technician’s voice announced, “Network frequency calibration complete!” “Neural cable calibration complete!” “All immersion pods are ready for use, my lord.”
Pittman took a deep breath and approached his pod. “Let’s begin.”
One by one, those preparing to connect approached their assigned pods and lay down inside. Kamail floated beside the device, linking directly to the pod’s contact points with arcs of arcane energy. As the only one who didn’t need an external device to connect to the mental network, High Lord hadn’t prepared a pod for himself—mainly because he had a psychological aversion to those long, enclosed capsules with lids. Instead, he sat in a simple chair next to the connection platform and addressed the group already ready to connect.
“I’ll enter the network first. You’ll connect one minute later. This time, we’re bypassing the consciousness layer and going straight into the virtual space. If you find yourself in the wrong place or see fragmented images, don’t hesitate—disconnect immediately. Understood?”
“Understood!”
“Good,” High Lord nodded, then spoke to the air beside him. “Keep watch and wake me if anything happens.”
Amber’s voice echoed from the air, “Alright, alright—but next time, you have to take me to see that mental network thing!”
It was well known that if the air around High Lord was left undisturbed for long enough, Amber would appear.
High Lord squinted slightly. A familiar, mild dizziness washed over him as the light and shadows before his eyes shifted, morphed, and reassembled rapidly.
In an instant, he arrived in the virtual space he had “extracted” from the Sleepers’ mental network.
An endless, calm water surface stretched out before him. Huge, neatly arranged metal platforms floated atop the water. Above, a vast azure sky shimmered with complex, shifting symbols, formulas, runes, mechanical structures, and blueprints—constantly refreshing. At the center of this vast space was the “reference point” High Lord had set for this experimental zone.
On a small platform, a round table was set with chairs and refreshments. The venerable mage Daniel stood respectfully by the table. When High Lord appeared, Daniel immediately bowed, “Greetings, my lord.”
High Lord waved him up. “Is the environment stable on your end?”
“I’ve arranged for rest periods. No one will disturb us for the next half day.”
“Good. They’ll be here soon.”
After a brief wait, High Lord sensed several connection signals converging on this virtual space.
This space was carved out deep within the Sleepers’ mental network. To ensure security and concealment, it was heavily disguised with data camouflage and layered encryption. Only those who knew the specific network frequencies could locate it, and even then, connection required High Lord’s permission.
After verifying each signal’s identity, High Lord granted access. In the next moment, beams of light descended from the sky, runes refreshed rapidly, and one by one, figures materialized on the small platform.
Heddy and the others swayed slightly from the dizziness and weightlessness before their eyes adjusted.
Almost everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment. Rebecca couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!!!”
“This is truly… incredible,” Heddy said in awe, taking in the vast water-and-sky world, the orderly metal platforms, the formulas and blueprints floating overhead. These scenes, impossible to see in reality, were now vividly before her. So clear that even knowing it was virtual, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had somehow crossed time and space into a parallel world.
At that moment, she finally understood what the ancestors meant by “virtual reality.”
The calmest on site was probably Pittman. Having visited the Sleepers’ “consciousness layer” during the last test and glimpsed part of the Dream City, he was mentally prepared for the grandeur of the virtual world. He looked around and remarked with some emotion, “I never expected you’d built such a vast space.”
A middle-aged man, plain in appearance, build, clothes, hairstyle, and voice, nodded slightly. “Looks pretty empty.”
High Lord chuckled. “It’s meant for experiments, not living… Wait, who are you?”
Heddy and the others stared in surprise at the stranger standing among them. Jenny was the first to react. “You’re… Kamail?”
“It’s me,” Kamail looked down at his body, then raised his hands. “I wanted to restore my original form, but… I’ve forgotten what I looked like.”
He shook his head, as if trying to smile self-deprecatingly, but he’d forgotten how to make expressions. So with a wave of his hand, the middle-aged appearance faded away. In a flash of sparks, his arcane body reappeared, bound by rune-engraved armor plates.
“Better to stick with this body for now. I’m more used to it.”
“You’ll get better,” High Lord said, watching the two points of arcane light where Kamail’s head would be. “You can adapt and recover your memories slowly. Used properly, the mental network benefits memory and mental strength. Maybe it’ll help you too.”
“Let’s hope so,” Kamail buzzed, then turned to Daniel, who still stood nearby, nodding in greeting. “So, this is your other subordinate, Daniel.”
“Yes. Daniel is stationed in Typhon. The non-implant neural cable is his achievement,” High Lord nodded, then raised his hand to introduce everyone present. “This is Kamail, legendary mage of the ancient Gondor Empire, expert in classical spells and modern arcane technology; Heddy, my blood descendant and administrator of Cecil; Rebecca…”
High Lord introduced them one by one. Heddy and the others exchanged greetings with Daniel, a bit awkward since it was their first meeting. It was a special experience for both sides—Heddy and the others were meeting and cooperating with someone in a virtual reality network for the first time in their lives (or, as they joked, making online friends). For Daniel, it meant he had finally met the “core emissary” of the “Outer Wanderer,” entering the inner circle of this indescribable “god” from another realm. He had finally earned the Outer Wanderer’s true trust.
When High Lord introduced Jenny, Daniel’s face showed surprise. He looked at the white-haired girl in disbelief. “You’re Miss Jenny?”
Being addressed so formally by a mage old enough to be her grandfather made Jenny a little shy. “You can just call me Jenny.”
“Oh, right…” Daniel blinked. “I’m a bit excited—your rune logic impressed me. It almost changed my understanding of runes and magic circles.”
Seeing Jenny’s slight embarrassment, High Lord cleared his throat. “Ahem. Now that you’ve met, please take a seat.”
Daniel quickly composed himself and sat with the others around the round table. Compared to when it was just High Lord and Daniel, the table was much larger now, with more chairs. One dark red chair without any markings was High Lord’s. Above each of the other chairs floated the occupant’s name—clearly arranged by High Lord himself.
Daniel thought this “round table” reflected the Outer Wanderer’s preferences—He liked to be among His followers, communicating as equals. The seating order subtly reflected each follower’s closeness to Him.
In truth, High Lord had arranged the seats like a family dinner—Heddy closest, Rebecca second, and the rest further back in case any uninvited guests showed up.
Once seated, High Lord got straight to the point. “Everyone here is someone I trust deeply. You will work together and rely on each other. Aside from personal privacy and information I designate as special secrets, all other information should be shared openly. First, we need to understand the nature of this space—I consider it a laboratory.”
A laboratory built on virtual reality.
A place that can simulate over ninety-nine percent of real-world laws on a macro scale.
A place to test all kinds of technical ideas, instantly build experimental environments, and conduct trial and error at near-zero cost, unlimited times.
This was a place any researcher would be thrilled to work in!
As High Lord explained the nature and functions of the experimental space, the nearest metal platforms began demonstrations.
Huge components appeared out of thin air. Complex arcane cannons and magical engines assembled almost instantly. They powered up, undergoing tests under extreme conditions. Cannons fired, engines roared, gears and levers spun endlessly. Everything looked just like the real world—no, even better!
Rebecca’s eyes widened in shock. She watched as a massive engine on a platform suddenly malfunctioned during operation. Instantly, everything on the platform froze in place. The faulty engine was magnified, parts of its structure turning transparent, revealing misaligned and broken components suspended in this frozen moment. Every fracture and scattered fragment was visible in sharp detail to everyone present.
The demonstration ended. Gawain leaned back in his chair and said, “Its function is exactly as you’ve seen.”
Rebecca took a deep breath. This headstrong, carefree, and optimistic girl was struck by an overwhelming sense of awe for the first time.
She glanced at Kamail. Though she couldn’t read his expression, she was certain he was just as stunned.
The ancient archmage murmured softly, “Seven hundred years… It seems not all technology has declined.”
“We can use this to test the mana-powered trains!” Rebecca said excitedly to Kamail. “And we can run two tests at once! No more worrying about how many times they blow up!”
“There are new rune arrays too,” even shy Jenny perked up. “Hundreds, even thousands of rune arrays can be tested quickly! And we don’t have to worry about wear or safety issues!”
Hetty looked between Rebecca and Jenny, then blinked as realization dawned. “Wait a minute… does this mean I don’t have to approve your funding anymore?”
Her hand, which had been trembling over the budget paperwork, suddenly stilled.
(End of chapter)