Chapter 846 — A Plan of Massive Scale

The Narrator Neural Network—this was the name Gao Yang had chosen for the future Cecil mental network. It would be a project of tremendous scale and far-reaching influence, and the fields it touched upon were naturally not limited to merely providing research assistance.

According to Gao Yang's plan, the Narrator Neural Network would encompass research, communications, education, public entertainment, and numerous other domains. It could supply computing power to a vast number of research projects, become an indispensable part of the people's daily lives, and one day in the future, this immense Narrator Neural Network would, through the tens of thousands of human brain nodes it kept constantly connected, become a... colossal wetware mainframe shrouding the entire Cecil Empire.

Each distributed device linked to the Narrator Neural Network would serve as an interface terminal for the wetware mainframe. The surplus computing power of countless human brains would ignite an unprecedented line of information technology; ordinary people in enormous numbers could, in complete safety, contribute computing power to the Empire—and in the process, their spiritual lives would be enriched as well. And all of this would begin here, at the Empire's computing center.

This was the method Gao Yang had conceived on a world whose physical laws differed vastly from Earth's—a way to unlock the next tier of the technological tree, and a crucial component of his effort to render the techniques of the Sleepers harmless.

Wendy was describing, with a trace of excitement, what she had seen within the "Illusory Realm," and the Mystic Axis Cultists nearby were clearly quite interested in her account. To be fair, Cecil's current "Narrator Neural Network" was still extremely primitive, and the "entertainment" it could offer was hardly impressive to these Sleepers—they had once created the Phantom Pivot City, indistinguishable from reality, a "perfect sanctuary" like a hidden paradise. In Gao Yang's estimation, that thing was no less alluring than a few magic-film clips or some "entertainment scenes"—perhaps even more so.

But what the Narrator Neural Network presented was fundamentally different from Phantom Pivot City: it possessed a development ceiling the latter could never approach, and it could be flexibly adjusted at any time, customized into countless "new contents." Once the neural-thorn technology was realized, this "customization" process could even be carried out by ordinary people—whereas Phantom Pivot City...

The Sleepers had created Phantom Pivot City chiefly to make it a "psychic vessel" to house computing nodes, a convenient means of collecting computing power. Its exceedingly high arcane threshold meant that only bishops or even higher-ranking clerics had the ability to modify its contents—and in truth, bishops and Radiant Pole Cultists had no inclination whatsoever to modify it in their daily lives.

Thus, however perfect Phantom Pivot City might be, it was nothing but a rigid bonsai. From the very day of its birth, it had already assumed its final form; the limitations of traditional arcane arts dictated that even if it underwent reshaping, it could only become a new bonsai—one that remained in the hands of a select few powerful clerics.

The Mystic Axis Cultists present were no fools. They could see the difference at a glance, and they could naturally appreciate what kind of impact this thing would bring once it entered the lives of "ordinary people."

To bring the transcendent down to mortals... From the moment they set foot on Cecil's soil until now, this was the first time they had truly grasped the intent of that "slogan" within a field they knew well.

"This thing is essentially harmless to ordinary people—of course, prolonged connection will cause fatigue, and excessive immersion may give rise to some psychological issues, but compared with the old neural modification or even 'brain servant' technology, these harms are utterly negligible," Gao Yang said with a faint smile, patting the lid of the immersion pod beside him. "What limits it right now is mainly the difficulty of manufacturing the immersion pods, and the extremely stringent craftsmanship required to build the mental hubs. At present, only a few factories in the Empire can produce qualified components, and training workers is a slow process."

The immersion pod and the Narrator Neural Network were undoubtedly epoch-making creations; their advantages over traditional communications, entertainment, and media were obvious. But this did not mean Cecil would enter the information age tomorrow, nor that the nation's newspapers and arcane-net broadcasts would soon be replaced by new technology—all of that would take time.

Experts from the Mechanical Manufacturing Bureau and the Arcane Technology Research Institute had labored for a long time before barely solving the mass-production problem of the immersion pods, making it possible to produce them in factories rather than hammering them out one by one in laboratories. Now they had to tackle the mass production of mental hubs as well—and beyond that, skilled workers capable of assembly and personnel capable of maintaining the computing center were even scarcer. How long it would take to train them on a meaningful scale was anyone's guess—so for a long foreseeable period, the Narrator Neural Network would remain in its development phase, and traditional communications, entertainment, and media would coexist with it for a long time to come.

Gao Yang shared some knowledge about industrialized production and social promotion with Yuri and the others. He did not say much—just a few concepts explained in plain, accessible terms—yet that was already enough to plunge them into long contemplation.

These were matters they had never once considered over the many years past.

"...We really did bury ourselves underground for too long," Magnum said with a self-mocking smile, shaking his head. "Earth clogged our eyes and ears."

A lanky, rather youthful-looking Mystic Axis Cultist glanced at Magnum. "But at least we still have a chance to make amends..."

"You're right—at least you still have a chance to make amends," Gao Yang said, gazing deeply at the people before him. "I am glad to see that all the Radiant Pole Cultists and a considerable number of bishop-level clerics have chosen Cecil. What gladdens me even more is that the person in charge over at White Sand Hills reported to me that you brought a large number of brain servants along as best you could—throughout that long, arduous flight, you kept every brain servant alive. That proves your resolve."

"Those brain servants will receive proper care, and the Druidic Research Association will spare no effort in seeking a way to heal and awaken them. As for you—you will become members of the Empire's technical departments, doing the work you are relatively good at."

"I have already prepared a project for you."

"A project?" Yuri unconsciously repeated the word.

"I hope the name of the project won't frighten you," Gao Yang said with a smile. "This computing center you stand in is part of it—it is called the 'Narrator Neural Network.' Yes, precisely the 'Upper Narrator' you are familiar with..."

The moment the words left Gao Yang's mouth, the faces of the Radiant Pole Cultists visibly paled. Wendy, standing at the very front, even instinctively took half a step back, and rubbed her neck with lingering dread, as though someone might stick a needle into her the very next second.

"Forgive me for asking, Your Majesty," Semler said after much hesitation, finally unable to hold back, "this name... it is merely a name, isn't it..."

"Regrettably, it will of course have a certain connection to the 'Upper Narrator,'" Gao Yang said, slowly wiping the smile from his face and speaking with solemn seriousness. "Prepare yourselves—we have a long road ahead in dealing with 'gods.'"