The abnormal fluctuations of the mental network made Gawain feel a sense of vigilance.
Although the mental network was created by the Eternal Sleeper, one of the three dark cults, it was "evil" by general standards, and its construction was indeed stained with blood and taboo. But one fact was undeniable: Gwen still needed it.
A large number of Cecil's research projects were affected by it.
Of course, Gwen had been promoting the harmless and self-research of the mental network since a long time ago, and now he had some results.
On the one hand, experts such as Kamel had verified his initial conjecture through the combination of the immersion pod and the magic network. The operation of the mental network did not necessarily require the sacrifice of the "brain servant". It was essentially a "cloud network" supported by a large number of nodes. The so-called "brain servant" was most likely a product of the Eternal Sleeper's other plan. On the other hand, Cecil's own immersion pod and the magic network were also developing rapidly. Sooner or later, when Cecil had enough nodes, Gwen would be able to build his own mental network and create a space of origin that did not need to freeload traffic from the Eternal Sleeper.
But these all took time.
The immersion pod was the Empire's cutting-edge technology. At present, its manufacturing cost and mass production were still very difficult. The immersion pods in use were still limited to a few research departments in the capital of the Empire, and there were no more than a hundred of them. According to Kamel's calculations, at least two to three thousand "brain nodes" were connected to the network at the same time to form a more stable mental network. Only then could it form a "Spiritual World" similar to the Eternal Sleeper's City of Dreams. This goal was not so easy to achieve.
It was said that the biochemical technology found in the lair of the Everything-Endgame could help to break through the bottleneck of artificial nerve cord, but … could the mental network really be maintained until then?
Perhaps it was intuition, Gwen had always felt that the phenomenon of the mental network this time was extraordinary. Perhaps … something big was going to happen.
"My Lord," Daniel looked at Gwen for a long time without speaking, and could not help but ask with a hint of nervousness, "Have you thought of something?"
Gwen glanced at Daniel.
Yes, nothing must happen to the mental network for the time being. Other things aside, once the network collapses, how will Daniel contact him?
This old mage was a hidden hand that he had painstakingly cultivated. He was of great significance in his many arrangements for the Eternal Sleepers and the Typhon Empire. Since the Southern Border Unification War, the original 25th Production and Construction Brigade was disbanded and turned into a real production and construction brigade. However, the 25th Office of the Government Office was still in operation. This office was under the name of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and its current main task was to analyze the various intelligence sent back by Daniel and formulate various plans for the Typhon and the Eternal Sleepers. No matter how one looked at it, the core of this team was Daniel, and this line must not be harmed.
"In any case, the mental network can't disappear yet." Gwen looked at Daniel seriously. "I need it."
Daniel immediately accepted the order. "Yes, then I will do my best to ensure its survival."
After such a long time, the head of network security of the Eternal Sleepers finally decided to pay attention to network security seriously.
"If my guess is correct, the Pope and the Archbishops of the Eternal Sleepers should soon come to you for a discussion." Gwen nodded. "You are the head of security. Although I guess the network problem this time is a deeper reason, and most likely has nothing to do with external intrusion, your strength in the field of mental network technology has been recognized by the higher-ups of the church, and they may come to you to solve the problem. When the time comes, do your best, but remember to send the intelligence to me in time.
"Also, pay more attention to those believers who have shown abnormalities after connecting to the network for a long time. Although the inspection concluded that they are all normal, I always feel that things are not that simple. They … may have been seriously affected in the depths of their consciousness, but they have not shown it yet.
"Be careful when doing this. Don't show enthusiasm beyond your identity. Be careful not to be suspected."
"Please rest assured, my Lord." Daniel showed a confident smile, which was the confident smile of the uncrowned king of the 25th Office of the Military Intelligence Bureau. "I am already very proficient in this aspect."
…
The edge of the City of Dreams.
A translucent and blurry barrier shrouded the street where leaves were falling. From the outside, the area at the edge of the City of Dreams was still tranquil and peaceful. It was just blocked by a 'suspended access' barrier, and normal maintenance and reconstruction were going on inside.
But inside the barrier, the distorted and strange scenery was completely different from the normal street outside.
The clear sky was shrouded in a layer of turbid and chaotic light and shadow, as if the wrong water surface and clouds were floating above the city. The ground was covered with undulating hexagonal prisms, and the surface of the prisms had faded, showing a lifeless gray or a disturbing dark black. The originally magnificent palaces were stacked at the end of the street, and the balconies, corridors, and stairs were all twisted and entangled together, forming a structure like a mass. A large number of phantoms were staggering on the disordered street like ghosts.
A quiet woman in a white dress with golden edges stood at the edge of the chaotic street, quietly looking at the wrong geometry and distorted colors on the street. The air around her was stuffy and windless, but her hair fluttered gently in the air, as if a wind from another space was blowing on her forehead, or as if she was just a phantom standing there, and her real body was still in the same place.
Under her feet, a ring of noise was trembling and fluctuating as if the surrounding disordered space was trying to erode the woman's position, but it was blocked by a more powerful force.
An eternal sleeper in a black heavy robe and an owl mask came from the side, and a dull voice came from under the mask. "Grand Master Geerfen, the erosion area has been stabilized, but the boundary of the area has spread to about one-tenth of the outside of the City of Dreams. A very strange street has formed there, and we can't get close to sample it."
Selena Geerfen nodded slightly and looked into the distance.
She could see the strange street, which was at the end of the disordered street. It had a strange architectural style, and some figures were coming and going on the street. Outside the street was an endless gray void, but cars and people were coming and going on the boundary of the void as if the street led to an invisible but real world.
Selena knew where the 'street' came from — it came from Sandbox World No. 1.
Now, no one knew what was going on in Sandbox World No. 1, and no one knew what was brewing in that closed world. No one even knew how long time had passed in that world. Was it a thousand years? Or ten thousand years? Or even longer …
The archbishops only knew one thing.
"Sandbox World No. 1 is still overflowing," Selena Geerfen said softly. "The overflowing data is polluting the normal network … This area can no longer be repaired, and can only be completely reset."
"Yes, Grand Master."
The Eternal Sleeper in the owl mask took the order and retreated, preparing to reset the street. Another figure appeared out of thin air near Selena. It was a young man in a white robe. He was tall and thin, had black hair, and wore a refined monocle. He looked quiet and had a scholarly aura.
"Archbishop Selena," the black-haired man said. "Overflowing Street No. 2 has been reset."
"I am also about to do the reset here, Archbishop Yuri." Selena nodded. "It can't be repaired, so this is the only way."
"… With all due respect, Madam." The young archbishop named Yuri bowed his head slightly (at least that was how it looked on the network). Although his position in the church was the same, he seemed to be less senior than Selena, so there was a trace of respect in his words. "Just resetting these streets can only temporarily alleviate the problem. We should still find a way to stop Sandbox World No. 1."
"I know, and so does His Holiness the Pope. But almost all the emergency stops have failed. Sandbox World No. 1 is still running, and it is gradually merging with all the other sandbox worlds." Selena sighed slightly. "After increasing the time iteration to the limit, Sandbox World No. 1 closed itself in a few minutes. Perhaps in those few minutes, it has bred a 'thing' that is strong enough to fight against us, and that thing … doesn't want its history to end."
Archbishop Yuri hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "… Archbishop Magnum has proposed an emergency circuit breaker plan, and it has been submitted to His Holiness the Pope."
"I know, but His Holiness the Pope will not agree to this plan. This plan is essentially no different from the sandbox cutting plan. It has no other use except to increase the number of brain-dead victims." Selena Geerfen shook her head. "And … the situation is not at its worst yet."
"You mean … the 'hysteresis'?"
"Yes, the 'hysteresis' has taken effect. Through the reverse time iteration, the running speed of Sandbox World No. 1 has been reduced to the normal flow of time. We are now at the same level as that thing, and we still have time to continue to test a safer and more stable plan." Selena's tone was gentle, but there seemed to be some kind of indisputable and refutable power in her voice. "We have invested too much in Project Zero. Until the last step, His Holiness the Pope and I will not abandon it at will."
A strange buzzing suddenly sounded in the air, interrupting the conversation between the two archbishops.
Selena looked up and saw that all the buildings and ground in the block were quickly dyed with a layer of grid. Then, the distorted buildings were deleted in pieces, and the mutated ground was quickly reformed into a basic plane. The water and clouds in the sky were disintegrated into disordered light particles. A few seconds later, normal houses, streets, ground, and vegetation began to quickly regenerate in this space.
The reset of the block was complete.
In the blink of an eye, the chaotic city area became orderly again as if nothing had changed. The fatal overflow of data and network pollution were cleaned up.
The two archbishops, Selena and Yuri, stood at the edge of the block that had returned to normal. They were silent for a moment.
"I'm afraid that some of our compatriots' short-term memories will be deleted." Archbishop Yuri suddenly sighed. "There is always a price to pay for the reset."
Selena frowned. "I hope this is the last time."
"Archbishop Selena, about the security director I mentioned in the last meeting … What do you think?"
"Daniel …" Selena Geer thought for a moment and nodded. "I have been paying attention to him … He is a very talented mage and scholar. He has unique views on many technologies of the mental network and the concept of network operation … Unfortunately, before our network was officially put into use, his talent had been buried and almost wasted."
"The security system, network addressing, multiple databases, and other technologies he built have proven to be of great use." Archbishop Yuri nodded in agreement and continued. "Some of these technologies were even used in Project Zero. I and several other archbishops think that this person may be able to play a role in the crisis we are currently facing."
"He is currently a bishop, but he just completed the promotion not long ago …" Selena Geer thought. "But for talented people, we don't have to be too rigid about these rules. Archbishop Yuri, do you personally think that Daniel is reliable enough? "
"I think he is reliable," Yuri said without hesitation. "I have investigated his situation. He joined the church twenty years ago and is very qualified. His contact with the outside world in the real world is clean and reliable. He is a scholar-type compatriot who is loyal to the church and devoted to research. In fact, if he is not reliable, he would not have become the director of security. You know the importance of this position. Archbishop Selena, from my personal point of view, I think Bishop Daniel is very reliable. He is loyal to our cause and has outstanding ability. He is extremely concerned about the mental network. "
"Very well, then you'll be the one to contact him." Selina nodded. "But don't be too hasty. Let's observe for a while. After all … this involves Project Zero. We have to be prepared to promote Daniel to an archbishop."
"I understand."
(Recently, readers have encountered so-called fee-paying groups, internal groups, and VIP groups, claiming that they can read XX chapters in advance for a fee. I hereby declare that I do not have any fee-paying VIP groups under my name. Any fee-paying group is fake, and there is no internal group where you can read XX chapters in advance. I don't even have that many chapters in advance …)
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