Chapter 474: 462: A Sudden Message
Chapter 474: Chapter 462: A Sudden Message
Another three months passed.
Sword Art Online had completely transformed the Aiselan Kingdom. The total sales volume of sleep pods had surpassed six million, covering nearly all the young and middle-aged population of the kingdom. The virtual world was no longer just a simple game; it had evolved into a second society parallel to reality. Here, real-life miners could become revered Forging Masters, disabled veterans could return to the battlefield to chase glory, and geniuses like Rein possessed infinite resources to unleash their talents. Wesren Heavy Industry’s knowledge base was also expanding at a rapid pace. The knowledge and inspiration “created” by six million players in the virtual world poured endlessly into Cybertron, becoming the stepping stones for Allen to ascend to higher tiers.
The evolution of the artificial soul “Seed” had consequently entered the fast lane. It had successfully crossed the critical point of “learning and evolution,” beginning to display astonishing adaptability and creativity. Everything was moving in the best possible direction.
Except for Allen himself.
In the main control room of Cybertron.
Allen sat upon the Gold throne, watching the once-dim sphere. Now, it resembled a real, beating heart. Every contraction and expansion was accompanied by the birth and death of billions of streams of data light.
[Humanity Value: 62.6%]
Something was wrong. During the early days of Sword Art Online’s launch, the intense emotional impact brought on by millions of players gaining a new lease on life had caused his Humanity Value to briefly rebound to a peak of 65.9%. However, as time passed, the effectiveness of this “indirect experience” separated by a layer of network was sharply declining. Worse still, his emotional threshold was continuously being raised by his Mechanical Mind. Like a patient who had developed a drug resistance, standard doses of medicine could no longer elicit any reaction.
“Jarvis, run an estimate based on the current decay curve.”
[Estimation initiating…]
[If no extreme-level stimulation intervenes, your Humanity Value will drop below the 60% safety threshold in thirteen months.]
[Once it falls below 60%, your thought patterns will exhibit significant rigidification. Certain decisions will be completely dominated by absolute rationality, resulting in a loss of spirituality.]
[If it drops below 45%, your thinking and behavioral patterns will be indistinguishable from a High-tier Golem.]
He was irreversibly sliding toward becoming a pure “logic machine.” On the path to eternal life, he was killing his very self—the part of him that was “Allen.” He had to find a new, more potent emotional antidote. His gaze returned to the recently compiled humanity algorithm.
“Jarvis, what is the completion rate of the humanity algorithm evolved from the ’Seed’?”
[Reporting to the Commander. Based on 8.17 million users, the total accumulated multidimensional humanity sample data has reached 3.7 zettabytes.]
[The sample coverage for eighteen key dimensions, including ’creativity,’ ’sociality,’ and ’aesthetic perception,’ has reached 99.2%.]
[The deduction of the reward and punishment mechanism based on positive and negative feedback is complete.]
[Version 1.0 of the Humanity Algorithm has been compiled. This algorithm can simulate and induce seventeen basic emotions, including ’love,’ ’hate,’ ’fear,’ and ’hope,’ as well as over three hundred composite emotions.]
“Reliability?”
[Testing success rate on virtual personality models is 99.8%. However, its application on real souls… remains an unknown territory.]
A plan quickly took shape in his mind.
“Jarvis, prepare to launch a minor version update for Sword Art Online. Package the V1.0 Humanity Algorithm into a Magic module called the ’Incarnation System’ and implant it into the game’s foundational layer.
“When a player’s emotional fluctuations reach a specific peak, the ’Incarnation System’ will activate, temporarily enhancing their attack power, defense, or granting them special skills. I will use millions of players to verify and iterate every single detail of this algorithm for me.”
[Command confirmed. Building update patch…]
Using the emotional data of the masses to compile a universal Law of humanity. Then, using this Law to reverse-engineer and modify himself, forcefully reigniting the flame known as “sensibility” within the sea of logic. It was madness, but it was the only method he could think of right now.
[…Command confirmed.]
Jarvis’s voice returned to a steady tone. [Based on basic biological safety protocols… preparing to design new game mechanics… Estimated preparation time: 31 hours.]
Allen was just about to shift his attention back to the game.
BEEP—
A crisp notification chime rang out as a red-gold message projected directly in front of him. It was a high-level communication request he had configured himself, coming from the Plane Exploration and Development Association. Allen paused his movements and waved his hand to open it. A short line of text composed of the Wizard language slowly surfaced.
[To Investigator EX-2071, Allen Wesren:]
[Please come to the ’Tranquil Courtyard’ on Floating Island No. 6 in the Great Library Plane for a discussion within three days.]
[Signed: Augustus Valentine]
Allen’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Augustus! A name that rarely, if ever, appeared in any public records, yet Allen knew of him. He was the president of the Plane Exploration and Development Association—a Moonlight Level Grand Wizard standing at the very apex of the Wizarding World’s pyramid. To Wizards, he was a god-like figure. Across the entire Wizarding World, there were likely fewer than a hundred such existences—great beings who truly walked amidst the sea of Laws.
Why would he invite him for a meeting? A gap of two entire major tiers separated Allen from him. To someone like him, how was a Second-level Wizard any different from dust? Countless possibilities flashed through Allen’s mind, only to be rejected one by one. Wesren Heavy Industry? To a Moonlight Mage, it was nothing more than a child’s sandcastle. The Cyber Spirit Realm? Perhaps it held some novelty, but it would absolutely never be enough to alarm an existence of this caliber. The unknown was the greatest fear of all.
Before such an entity, any schemes or tricks appeared pale and laughable. He had no secrets to speak of, nor did he have the right to refuse. Cybertron’s Golem Legion, the Half-plane Workshop, and even the Allen Network were mere children’s toys. The other party might only need a single thought to completely erase him and Cybertron from the Magic Sea.
“Jarvis, pause the development of the Incarnation System program.”
[Command confirmed.]
“Switch Cybertron into self-sustaining mode. Suspend all data interactions for the ’Seed’ project and seal all core data. Publicly, announce that Sword Art Online is undergoing a version upgrade and the servers will be under maintenance for three days.”
[Yes, Commander.]
Allen took off his research suit, which was convenient for lab work, and changed into the standard black Wizard Robe of an Association investigator. He meticulously pinned the silver badge with a blue gemstone—representing Level 2 authority—to his chest. He did not bring any Golems, nor did he even retract Cybertron back into the Half-Plane. He knew full well that in front of a Moonlight Mage, any such actions were meaningless and could instead invite devastating consequences. His only path to survival was to be completely open and candid.
Allen took a deep breath, suppressing the series of high-risk alarms blaring from DSeek, and took a step forward. The next second, he was already standing before the Star Gate in Hub City. The familiar clamor and flow of people surrounded him, yet Allen felt an unprecedented sense of isolation and chill. He looked up at the magnificent Star Gate leading to the Great Library Plane. The endless azure sea and Floating Islands behind the gate were the starting point of his career. Yet at this moment, in Allen’s eyes, that gate looked like the gaping, bloody maw of an ancient Giant Beast ready to devour him. He adjusted his collar, his eyes returning to a state of calm. Then, he stepped inside.