All the mortal kingdoms working together to fight against the apocalypse and counterattack on the wasteland was, of course, an epic event. The successful purification of Gondor, which had fallen for 700 years, would certainly leave a glorious page in the history books. Countless historians, playwrights, and bards would record and sing about all this. But as the leader of the empire, Gwen had to start thinking about some more realistic issues at this time.
A land that was vaster than any other Empire, recovering and waiting to be colonized, an energy vent that originated from the core of the planet, incalculable long-term benefits, and an inexplicable problem of ownership — if these things were not considered now, the united nations of the Alliance might fall into chaos tomorrow.
He looked up at the sensors hanging from the ceiling. Although he knew that Alfalia's real body was not these 'cameras,' and these 'cameras' were not the only channel for Alfalia to perceive the outside world, at least this way he could have a face-to-face conversation with her. "In fact, I was a little worried about whether you would support this decision. After all … this is your territory. You don't have to listen to my arrangements here."
"This is the best arrangement for now," Alfalia said calmly. "I need a place to stay and not be disturbed. You need the stability of the Alliance not to be destroyed. And from a rational point of view, the Ironmen and this underground base obviously can't use up the massive magic power of the Deep Blue Well. Such a large amount of energy should be used in the right place. Whether it is rebuilding the wasteland or recuperating after the war, this energy can come in handy. And in this process, the Alliance must have a relatively fair and coercive 'distribution plan.' Similarly, my Ironmen and I also need a 'backup'. "
"In addition to the support of the Cecil Empire, the existence of the Ironmen will also be an important guarantee to maintain the neutrality of the Deep Blue Well after the war. The massive energy output from the Deep Blue Well is the source of the voice and influence of a small 'neutral city-state' in the Alliance." Gwen nodded gently. "Neutrality requires neutral capital. There is no paradise without a reason, especially when there is an endless gold mine in this paradise."
"I know this very well," Alfalia said.
"Speaking of which …" Gwen stroked his chin and asked, "How's the Ironmen Army doing now?"
"The damage rate has reached three-quarters. At the end of the battle, the mental cores in the warehouse were exhausted. A large number of soldiers are still lying in the warehouse," Alfalia said calmly. "But fortunately, the production facilities of the base itself are not too damaged. I am gradually restarting the various production lines and making new mental cores. With enough time, the Ironmen Army will be able to recover."
"That's good." Gwen was relieved to hear this. Then, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. "There are so many problems to consider … I didn't come here to discuss these serious and depressing issues with you. I just wanted to say hello … and see what you really look like."
"Capable people do more work, Your Majesty." Alfalia's voice seemed to have a hint of a smile. "And I think we have done a good job of 'greeting'."
Gwen nodded gently, and then his eyes fell on the platform in front of him again. He looked at the real Princess Alfalia Norton sleeping in the container and did not speak for a long time. The Alfalia Matrix obviously noticed this. After a few minutes of silence in the hall, her voice once again came into Gwen's ears. "Unfortunately, I am not the real her, and I can't 'come out' to greet you. Although I have considered creating a special iron body to serve as an 'interface' to communicate with you in this base, in the end … I chose to let you come here."
"No, I don't feel sorry at all." Gawain shook his head and retracted his gaze from Ophelia Norton. "I actually don't care if you're the so-called 'real' Ophelia Norton. I don't know her at all. I've never talked to her, and I don't understand her life and temperament. Although I know that she must be a great and admirable person, to me … she's still a stranger.
"And you, you are the only Alfalia Norton I know. We have been working together for a long time, and we will continue to work together in the future. Under this premise, I don't care if my ally is a human or an artificial intelligence."
"A statement in line with your personality," the Alfalia Matrix calmly judged, but then she sighed helplessly. "Unfortunately, I still don't know if I am … her. My personality data and starting memory are 100% replicated from Alfalia Norton herself. My mental model even includes her brain scan. The moment I woke up, I thought I was Alfalia, but there was another clear voice in the matrix reminding me … I am just the 'Alfalia Matrix' … "
"Why can't you be both? You can be the Alfalia Matrix, or you can be Alfalia Norton herself. "Gwen shook his head with a smile." Maybe it's easy for me to say that, but I don't think you need to worry too much about this issue. Do you still remember the life you mentioned just now? Those are not data that has been inputted into this matrix in advance, but your real experience. You are an individual with flesh and blood, and no one has dictated who you must 'become'. "
The Alfalia Matrix was silent for a moment. "… Your opinion has a certain reference value."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Gwen said with a smile. "Let's put this topic aside for now. Next, I want to know more about the Deep Blue Well and your observation records of the surrounding area over the years …"
…
The elevator moved at high speed in the shaft. Gwen and Amber stood in the elevator, looking at the protective barrier made of reinforced concrete and alloy dome moving down quickly. Two silent iron men stood beside them, as quiet as statues.
"I really didn't expect you to be able to counsel an ancient AI," Amber turned to look at Gwen and said in a strange tone. "Of course, I also didn't expect an ancient AI to be struggling with the question of 'Am I or am I' every day … To be honest, this has risen to the realm of philosophy. It turns out that Veronica has such a deep psychological activity under her usual neurotic appearance."
"If a few words of mine can solve the problem that the Alfalia Matrix has been pondering for hundreds of years, then I really have to admire myself." Gwen shrugged. "I guess she will continue to struggle with it. Even if you find a group of psychologists and philosophers to analyze it with her, it will be useless. She will have to slowly figure it out by herself. Maybe one day she will suddenly figure it out …"
"That's true." Amber scratched her head. "Ordinary people can't help her analyze it. Her situation is so special, unparalleled …"
"… That's not how you use the term 'unparalleled'," Gwen said.
"Ah? How do you use it then? "
Gwen ignored her. At the same time, the elevator suddenly vibrated. They had arrived at the top of the shaft.
They went back the way they came. Under the guidance of the two Ironmen soldiers, the two once again walked into the long crystal-wrapped ramp that led to the surface. Along the way, the scenery was like a world of ice crystals, which calmed Gwen down. What was more rare was that Amber, who was next to him, was quiet this time. In the rare silence, Gwen could not help but look up.
His gaze seemed to penetrate the thick layer of crystal "mountain" and see the depths of the distant space.
Some strange thoughts suddenly came to his mind. After experiencing the time travel, fusion, and resurrection, after inheriting the data from the satellite and Gwen's memory, after having this long and incredible "life", who was he?
Was he the soul of a time traveler from Earth? Was it a malfunctioning satellite? Was it Gwen Cecil who had come back from the dead? Or was it a combination of these three …
He was no longer the "self" he thought he was, but perhaps, he had always been "himself" from the beginning to the end …
Gawain slapped himself on the head, trying to push these random thoughts to the back of his mind. Hu Po, who was beside him, jumped in fright when he heard the commotion. "Hey! Why did you slap yourself all of a sudden? There are no mosquitoes here … "
"… It's okay. I was almost led astray by an ancient artificial intelligence." Gwen's mouth twitched. He did not know how to explain his thoughts to Amber. At the same time, he also found that the ramp was approaching the end.
The gate leading to the outside world was flickering with a faint light. Outside the gate, the curtain of night was hanging low, and the sky was filled with stars. Further away, a pillar of light could be vaguely seen piercing the sky, extending into the distance in the darkness.
"Let's stop here." In front of the door, Gwen looked at the two Ironmen soldiers who led the way with a smile on his face. "Thank you for leading the way."
However, one of the Ironmen soldiers did not respond. Her body seemed to be stiff for a moment, and then a slight buzzing sound came from her body. Her eyes lost focus for a moment, and then her eyes fell on Gwen and Amber. She spoke, and the voice of the Alfalia Matrix came from the speaker. "Please wait a moment."
Gwen was a little surprised. "What's wrong?"
"Please tell the Ironman soldier named Diana that the repair slot for her is ready."
Gwen froze for a moment, and then a smile appeared on his face. "… She will be happy to hear the news."
…
The night was low, and the stars were bright. Today, seven hundred years later, the brilliant starry sky finally appeared over the Tarash Plains again. Under the long-awaited starlight, the wilderness had returned to silence.
A large number of mortal troops were still gathered on the plains. It was obviously not a simple matter to evacuate such a large army from the battlefield in an orderly manner. The commanders of the legions and the leaders behind them were having preliminary discussions on the follow-up evacuation, stationing, handover, and other follow-up issues. The tired frontline soldiers were resting under the night sky, while the sentries and patrols were still at their posts. The sensors of the war machines were constantly scanning the battlefield, and the spellcasters summoned the Mage Eye slowly flew across the sky.
The war was over, and the horror created by the dark priests had disappeared in the force field released by the barrier. The wasteland had been healed, but even so, no one dared to let down their guard.
After all, this was a wasteland that had sunk in darkness for seven hundred years. The barrier could not instantly eliminate all the dangerous factors in this land.
The behemoth that was the Alliance prostrated itself on this first peaceful night, licking its wounds like a vigilant behemoth in the wilderness.
In the northeast of the Deep Blue Well, where the Reverse Tide had last landed, a large quarantine zone had been set up. The patrolling sentries and automatic sensors had sealed off the entire area.
In the center of the sealed area, the trench was still steaming with smoke and dust. A pungent smell mixed with the night wind. A large amount of dark debris extended deep into the trench, and at the end of this flesh scar, two tall figures were standing in front of the huge pile of debris that made people shudder.
One was the Dominator of Magic, as tall as a bell tower, shrouded in mysterious clouds, and the other was a white giant deer surrounded by a faint white light, with a holy figure.
After a long observation, Mirmina, the Dominator of Magic, made an important judgment. "… To be honest, I have seen many tragic deaths when I was in the divine kingdom, but this is still the most tragic I have ever seen."
"Indeed, the amount of blood loss is huge," Amoun said in a low voice. "Ah, the amount of blood loss is really huge …"
"… You can't get along with the amount of blood loss, can you?" Mirmina could not help but turn to look at her 'roommate'. "You have said this more than ten times along the way."
"I have been bleeding for the past half a month. Now there is nothing else in my mind." Amoun shook his head. The white light around him was slightly dimmer than before, but the two white flowers twined around his antlers looked much more energetic than before. "And you have to do it yourself … Do you know how much courage that takes?"
"Nonsense, isn't that for the purpose of stuffing the signal on the sentries? And what can you do if you don't do it yourself? Your skin is tough, and the 'blood harvester' sent by the council used an industrial-grade laser beam to cut a hole the size of a palm on your body for two hours. They didn't even have time to put a bottle on your body before you grew back. We can't really let them use the Creation of Annihilation on you, can we? " Mirmina's words were full of resentment. "And you didn't have to do it yourself … I asked you to help, but you didn't let me. If I really did it, I would have prepared the blood sample in a few hits …"
Amoun's neck shrank. "Do I dare you to do it? You just made a 140-metre-long light spear and stabbed me. I might as well let the Creation of Annihilation hit me a few times …"
Hearing this, Milmina seemed a little embarrassed and quickly waved her hand. "Alright, alright. We're not here to discuss this kind of thing. Let's get down to business first … Such a big thing, I'm afraid it's enough to give us a headache."
Amoun grunted and turned to look at the 'corpse of the tide' that had crashed deep into the ground. A third of its structure had been buried.
"… Let's fill in the death report first."
(End of Chapter)
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