Chapter 857: “The Sample”

Cecil City, Northern Shore Development Zone, Imperial Computing Center.

The majestic pyramid-shaped building stood quietly atop the open riverbank plateau. A shimmering flow of magical energy silently coursed through the arcane conduits embedded in its surface. Newly transplanted greenery framed the structure, while arcane network obelisks and signal amplifiers—dedicated solely to powering the facility—were positioned on either wing of the pyramid. Bathed in sunlight, the gleaming new complex was fully prepared for its official opening today.

A sleek black arcane vehicle bearing the Imperial Royal Crest came to a steady stop before the pyramid. The door opened, and High Lord Gawain and Lady Hetty stepped out.

Staff responsible for the computing center were already waiting at the entrance.

“It looks stunning—far more beautiful than I imagined,” Hetty couldn’t help but look up at the pyramid’s apex, watching the arcane radiance ripple across its slanted surfaces. She didn’t hold back her admiration. “Compared to traditional, austere research facilities, this definitely appeals more to the general public.”

“The ‘distributed stations’ we’ll open to the public later will follow a similar design philosophy,” Gawain smiled. “After all, these aren’t just imperial research centers—they’re integral parts of a broader series of social welfare initiatives.”

As they exchanged a few words, Yuri’s technical team arrived at Gawain’s side. These former Sleepless Priests approached with a reverence surpassing even that of ordinary Cecilians. Yuri bowed his head and spoke with meticulous respect: “We salute you, Your Majesty. The task you entrusted to us is complete. The Imperial Computing Center is ready.”

“Excellent,” Gawain nodded with a smile. “You’ve done well. Now, lift your heads—Cecil’s customs aren’t quite so strict.”

Only then did the former Sleepless Priests raise their eyes. Gawain and Hetty glanced over the group, who were clearly trying to say more, but suddenly all froze.

Gawain’s expression twisted in surprise as he looked at Yuri—and at the pronounced dark circles under nearly everyone’s eyes. “Are you all… alright?”

At first, Yuri didn’t catch the meaning. Standing there with bloodshot eyes and heavy dark rings, he was momentarily stunned. Then he understood Gawain’s concern and, surprised that an Outer Wanderer would care about their health, quickly shook his head. “No need to worry. For researchers, this is routine…”

A group of former bishops and archbishops nodded in agreement, the air around them almost ethereal. Gawain stared, dumbfounded, then muttered quietly to Hetty, “I think they’re a bit higher than your rank—they don’t look like they’re just pretending…”

Hetty: “…”

Her ancestor forbade her from picking up Gawain’s cheeky remarks, but what was she supposed to do when he kept making them?

Before she could respond, Gawain strode forward. “Let’s not waste time. Yuri, lead the way.”

Gawain’s urgency wasn’t because he was eager to inspect the computing center, but because the state of these Sleepless Priests made him uneasy. He genuinely feared they might collapse on the spot. Of all the three great dark cults, only this one dealt with network engineering—and how long had these people gone without sleep? They were doing a disservice to their name as “Sleepless”…

With that lingering thought, Gawain followed Yuri and the others into the building. The spacious, brightly lit Thought Hall and the faintly humming Mind Hub greeted them. Wendy, walking beside Yuri, was visibly excited as she spoke while moving forward.

“Your Majesty, we are all deeply captivated by this incredible technological concept. The deeper we delve, the more we realize its almost limitless potential. We once believed the Sleepless Order’s creation of the psychic network was enough to solve all computational problems in the world. But after seeing the data on the Origin Space, we understand that technological progress truly has no bounds…”

“This thing keeps everyone awake all night,” Semler said gravely. “We even want to spend entire days immersed in the pods. Our team has been building a new network ‘substrate’ from scratch—creating the foundational mind space, organizing consciousness layers, constructing the zero-level network… No one wants to rest; no one wants to miss this historic moment.”

Yuri nodded and took up the thread. “In fact, we’re already considering how to enable stronger supernaturals to stay connected longer. Archbishop Rutherford… Researcher Rutherford wants to improve the ‘artificial umbilical cord’ used previously on the brain thralls, which provides sustained life support. Your approach to modifying the psychic network inspired us. The brain thrall technology could actually be made harmless. Our initial plan is to analyze Researcher Magnum’s experiential memories for clues on improving the brain thrall tech—he’s currently the only person who underwent brain thrall conversion and returned conscious…”

A middle-aged man with thinning hair—Rutherford himself—smiled proudly. “The key lies in precisely extracting and analyzing that portion of Magnum’s memories. We’ve solved most of the preliminary issues; the only remaining challenge is getting Magnum to cooperate…”

Wendy sighed. “Once he became a network mind, physical force no longer works… And the only two who might help, Lady Selina and Lord Megor, don’t seem interested in our new ideas.”

Gawain: “…”

The former Sleepless Priests had donned researchers’ uniforms and, having left behind their dark, heavy pasts, were now fully immersed in pure technical work. The result? They seemed a bit overexcited, racing headlong toward an extreme obsession that made Gawain feel compelled to interrupt their heated discussion.

“Stop—everyone stop. Calm down.”

Only then did Yuri and the others realize they’d gotten carried away, almost forgetting the Outer Wanderer’s authority. They immediately fell silent, nervous. Gawain frowned at them. “Don’t forget the lessons we’ve learned.”

Semler inhaled deeply and bowed his head. “Yes, we won’t forget.”

Gawain’s expression softened slightly. “Cecil’s research work follows a thorough process of project initiation, evaluation, review, and approval. I believe you’ve all read the relevant documents. First, remember those well. Only then can you truly speak of Cecil’s future.”

He wanted to add that while excessive zeal can be harmful, the persecution of Magnum was oddly satisfying—but that would obviously undermine the Outer Wanderer’s dignity, so he kept it to himself.

…

The anti-gravity rune-powered lift silently docked in the crescent-shaped bay. Gawain and Hetty stepped off. Together with Yuri and the others, they passed through the isolation gates on the computing center’s top floor. With the soft click of mechanical locks, the lift descended beneath the floor, revealing a bright, pure white room.

This was the highest chamber in the entire computing center—and the main destination for Gawain’s inspection today.

Hetty looked around curiously at the room’s heightened security.

The layout was similar to other “connection rooms”: dozens of immersion pods neatly arranged on the floor, with rune devices and auxiliary equipment lining the walls. The only difference was the absence of the usual “pillar” connecting to the Mind Hub in the center. Instead, a strikingly prominent large chair occupied the middle of the room.

The chair sat atop a silvery metal platform, its base extending into numerous rune-inscribed cable chains and artificial neural cords. Arcane light and magical energy flowed continuously through these conduits, indicating the device was active. The chair reminded Hetty of the first immersion device she’d seen in the lab, but this was clearly a far more advanced apparatus.

Recalling the computing center’s layout, Hetty realized this “chair” was positioned exactly at the pyramid’s central focal point—directly above the Mind Hub!

“You noticed?” Gawain caught her gaze and smiled as he stepped forward. “This device connects to the ‘Narrator Neural Network.’ You can think of it as a special immersion pod, but it links directly to the Mind Hub—essentially part of it. Kamail personally built it. To give it stronger connection capabilities, the chair’s base is linked to seventeen artificial neural cords and numerous arcane network ports. It’s made for me.”

Hetty already knew about one of Gawain’s plans, so she wasn’t surprised. She simply looked on with innocent curiosity at the custom “connection device.” Yuri and the others exchanged glances, but before they could ask anything, the faint mechanical whirring of the lift’s return echoed from the gate.

The lift returned to the room, and Kamail and Veronica stepped off.

Veronica, holding a platinum scepter, gave a slight nod to Gawain. “Apologies for our delay.”

Kamail explained, “Coordinating the mid- and lower-level network tech teams and debugging remote devices took a bit longer than expected.”

“No, just in time,” Gawain smiled. “We’re about to begin.”

He then turned to Yuri and the others.

“All essential personnel are here,” he said gravely. “Now, everyone enter the network—we’re about to initiate the final step in activating the ‘Narrator Neural Network.’”

The archbishops looked somewhat bewildered, but Hetty, Kamail, and Veronica moved toward the immersion pods nearest the room’s center. Semler and the others quickly followed suit—no one questioned the Outer Wanderer’s command. One by one, they lay down inside the pods.

Gawain approached the central chair. After calming himself, he slowly sat down.

Normally, he wouldn’t need any device to connect to the network—but that was when it was the “psychic network.”

The current “Narrator Neural Network” had higher security and connection requirements. Pure mental signals were physically blocked by the terminal device, so he had to use this special connection apparatus to enter the new network.

All for safety.

A cool, tingling sensation spread from the chair’s contact points along the backrest. A trace of magical energy penetrated his not-so-thick clothing, interfacing with his nervous system. Gawain relaxed his mind and gradually entered the freshly established, still immature network space.

A sky-blue connection interface flashed rapidly across his vision. Chaotic light and shadow converged from all directions. After a brief sensation of spatial displacement and weightlessness, the scene before everyone’s eyes slowly stabilized.

A vast, boundless grassland stretched endlessly across the horizon, empty and serene. Above, a bright, clear sky blanketed the earth, while a gentle breeze—its origin unknown—stirred the soft blades of grass and delicate flower stems.

In the distance, flickering patches of color and twisting lines moved and curled, sketching out new forms of life and redrawing the boundaries of this emerging world. Massive luminous screens drifted across the sky, fine-tuning the details and contours of the landscape.

Back in the computing center’s other server rooms and the arcane technology research institute, technicians continued refining this world. Those shifting colors, lines, and glowing panels were the visible signs of their tireless work. Deeper still, within the network’s “national application layer,” a new origin space had taken shape, and a new origin laboratory was under construction.

Gawain gazed out over this beautiful yet still somewhat empty realm. He took a deep breath, a faint smile touching his lips. “Not bad at all.”

Then, slowly, he spread his hands and began extracting a piece of data from his “memory bank”—a recent save, carefully preserved.

To defy a god, one must first study the god. And to study a god, it’s best to have a sample.

A harmlessly processed sample was even better.

(End of chapter)