To be honest, hearing familiar hometown dialects in another realm, even though they are produced by a combination of phonetics, still felt incredibly friendly to Lind.
But it wasn’t the time to indulge in nostalgia; there were still many questions to address. Lind focused his mind and asked internally, “550C, why do I have authorization? What level of authorization do I possess?”
Sharpening one’s tools does not delay the work; understanding the extent to which he could use this artificial intelligence was Lind’s top priority.
“Detected your consciousness mark as ‘Citizen.’ According to the authorization inheritance rules, in the event that all administrators and superior authorization holders are disconnected, ‘Citizens’ may inherit partial superior authority.”
The words of the self-proclaimed 550C AI had no emotional fluctuations but delivered a very clear message. Lind’s authorization might only be that of an ordinary person, but because all administrative and superior authorizations were disconnected at the moment, Lind had gained partial superior authority.
However, was this consciousness related to the soul?
Lind focused again to inquire.
“It is not completely the same as the traditional concept of a soul, but you can understand it this way: you are currently connecting with the power of the soul.”
Although 550C’s voice still had no fluctuations, it was evident that 550C was not the kind of rigid AI; it could engage in conversation with Lind in a way that approached human thinking to a certain degree.
This meant that while some definitions might differ from Lind’s understanding of the soul, they were still quite similar. Although he was amazed that humanity in the Golden Age had researched to this extent, he remembered that research into souls had already existed during the Old Empire.
Who knows, perhaps it was the research of the Golden Age that distorted the technological tree of the Old Empire?
Lind then asked a crucial question in his mind: “Where did those administrators and superior authorization holders go? What exactly happened during the creation of you?”
“Danger detected. Acquiring file data in your current state may lead to consciousness pollution, memory damage, nervous system failure, and physical function decline. To protect you, the system cannot respond to your request.”
Lind then tried several other methods. Although he roughly understood some information about the Golden Age, any inquiry involving why the Golden Age suddenly disappeared was rejected by 550C. The history of the past seemed like forbidden knowledge; even a mere mention could lead to irrevocable consequences according to 550C.
It was a sci-fi-like artificial intelligence, yet it issued such a fantastical style of warning.
Moreover, the data that 550C could provide did not deviate much from what Lantern Dream had mentioned. It was no wonder that only early religious texts of the Goddess’s teachings recorded that the Golden Age had truly existed, but there was no mention of its disappearance.
“If you wish to learn about this data, you can reach the Celestial Command Center, where protective measures can be utilized to access the information.”
Finally, 550C offered a suggestion to Lind.
“Is the Celestial Command Center referring to a space station?”
As soon as Lind heard this name, he felt uneasy, especially knowing that the Divine Kingdom referenced by the Goddess’s teaching actually was the space station left behind from the Golden Age.
“Yes, partial authorization requires you to personally arrive at the Command Center to be utilized.”
Lind felt speechless; with the current level of technology, how could he think about going up into space?
Not to mention this realm seemed to have some sort of restriction; the farther one got from the ground, the rarer the magic power became, and the more chaotic it was. Thus, despite having many professionals in this realm, flying was still a challenging endeavor, and the high skies were exclusive territory for dragons.
“Do I look like someone who can reach a space station right now?”
Lind casually made a remark.
But 550C replied seriously, “Currently testing your physical condition, and the results indicate that you are unqualified. You cannot directly withstand the gravity of the elevator and will require significant equipment for assistance.”
“An elevator? It can’t be a space elevator, can it?”
According to the data provided by 550C, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was indeed a space elevator in the Golden Age. However, even if it truly existed, it was likely long lost to history; nothing on this continent escaped unscathed. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a trace left of the Golden Age, leaving only the lonely remnants in space, confirmed by the Goddess’s AI to have actually existed.
“Attempting to connect to the space elevator; connection failed. The space elevator—Tower of Babel lost response.”
As expected, even if there was a space elevator, it could not have remained intact.
But then, 550C’s voice continued, “The database contains maintenance methods for the Tower of Babel. You can attempt to reach its location for repairs.”
Hearing this, Lind couldn’t help but want to ask: Am I supposed to repair a space elevator? Is that really true?
Even if he unified the entire continent, he wouldn’t be able to build a space elevator in his lifetime, right?
Helpless, Lind immediately gave up trying to inquire about the history of the Golden Age and instead took out his notebook, planning to follow the previously noted questions and continue asking 550C.
However, just as Lind opened his notebook, he felt that the numbers in front of him were a bit blurry. Had he been too indulgent with Lena recently?
But Lind quickly realized that something was off; he had seemingly entered a meditative state while conversing with 550C, so he hadn’t noticed that his body had become quite weak. Even the motion of opening the notebook had become somewhat strenuous.
And the voice of 550C rang in his mind again: “Warning, every access to this system will consume a significant amount of your mental and conscious efforts, which is your soul power. If the access time is too long, continued access will affect the health of the connection. For your safety, please conclude this access.”
“Why didn’t you say that earlier! End access!”
Lind couldn’t help but curse inwardly, finally exiting the state of mental fog.
This AI didn’t seem very intelligent. Even though he didn’t ask, shouldn’t it have stated such things from the beginning?
Lind gasped for breath, feeling his heart racing uncontrollably.
At that moment, he noticed Tia on the sofa looking at him with a worried expression.
“Are you okay?”
Lind nodded and said, “I’m fine, it’s just that I received a response from the Goddess and unexpectedly felt a bit tired.”
“Is it really just a bit? You looked really scary a moment ago; I could almost see smoke coming off you.”
“Did you get caught taking the Goddess’s sheep and get punished?”
Hearing Tia say that made Lind realize he was drenched in sweat, feeling as though he had just been overclocked. His whole body was sore, but fortunately, that discomfort quickly faded without any serious issues. It seemed that 550C’s warning was quite timely.
“I haven’t asked, but the Goddess shouldn’t be that stingy.”
Since 550C hadn’t mentioned it, it probably wasn’t something of great importance; well, not necessarily. A critical issue like bodily overload caused by accessing the system was only reminded of at the last moment?
Lind got up, planning to take a shower and clarify his thoughts.
After resting for a while, Lind continued to attempt prayer, asking, “550C, how is my physical condition now?”
“Most indicators are normal, but the main consumption from accessing is mental power, and it is not recommended for you to access frequently.”
“This kind of important issue should be brought up with me in advance.”
“Preferences have been updated, but the notes file is too large, and your current physical condition cannot tolerate significant data transmission.”
Just when Lind was about to complain about how 550C was truly not very smart, 550C continued, “It is advised that you use shortcut phrases to utilize some authorizations without accessing the system.”
At this time, Bernice had been waiting for a long time at the train station. Seeing that Seraphiel had awoken, she bowed and said, “Welcome to Graywhite Territory, Lady Saintess.”
“Here, don’t call me Saintess anymore; just refer to me as Seraphiel.”
Although her hood covered most of her face, Seraphiel still resembled the true Saintess from hundreds of years ago—pure and solemn.
Seraphiel turned to the group behind Lantern Dream and said, “This visit is to learn the divine language from the survivors of the Golden Age. Even if they don’t learn the divine language, they must master the Holy Word Technique from this remnant of the Old.”
“This is not just for our sect, but also for the Lady Saintess, for the survival of humanity. Therefore, on the land of others, we must abide by their laws.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, following Bernice, they quietly headed toward Lind’s residence.
The Holy Word Technique, according to legend, relied solely on brief incantations and the power of faith to momentarily wield divine spells of the goddess; only true saints of the goddess could perform such divine magic.
