Volume 8: The Fourth Impact Chapter 38 Bullying the Metal Spirit is stupid, right? Go! Sell melon seeds to the Metal Spirit
Just as the green of all things represents nature, the red of all living things represents life, and the black of decay represents death, the metal spirit that was split and born in the new era also has its symbolic domain.
According to the research results of Zhakang and the Dark Justice League on the root power in recent times, Metal Spirit is the last of the six root powers to be born.
It only emerged after the Earth's civilization entered the Industrial Revolution, and only gathered its strength after the advent of the scientific and technological age.
This fully demonstrates the close connection between the root power and world change. The two interact and influence each other. If humans cannot enter the technological age, there will naturally be no new symbolism emerging.
In fact, it's not just metal spirits.
The other two new root forces, the Split Fungus and the Withered Ashes, are also gradually showing their true power in the new era as the civilization subjects deepen their research on microorganisms and fungi.
However, these two are not quite the same as the Metal Spirit.
Because fungi and microorganisms have always existed in the world, but they have not been discovered and studied before. Their power is obscure and hard to find, but they are not closely related to human society. They are only interpreted through the research results of the scientific and technological age.
But the Metal Spirit is a conceptual force that is completely based on the development of human civilization.
In short, Mason believed that this most "young" root force was the representative force that truly belonged to the human group. Facts proved that Mason's guess was not wrong, but the concept of the country that appeared before him at this time was a bit too "young".
“It’s gradually taking shape.”
On the plains of Pixel Land, Batmos, who was carried by Mason, looked around excitedly and said to Mason:
"Look, it's replicating! It's using Brother's Eye to monitor the world and collect all kinds of data, just like a kid playing with plasticine to mold itself into what it sees.
It has no samples to refer to, so it can only learn from the material world from which it was born.
If we hadn't appeared, the final form of this place would be the original appearance of another Gotham world. If I'm not mistaken, the simulation of the environment and the world is only the first step.
After completing the shaping of the world, it will start to 'create people'."
"I understand the reason."
Mason trudged forward carrying the useless Data God, who had regained his physical form but had been away from human life for so long that he could no longer remember how to walk on his own legs.
He didn't feel tired at all, and was still complaining:
"But why pixels? Although pixel people are cute, I still want to get my handsome appearance back."
“Why not pixels?”
Bartmos laughed as if he had finally found the ultimate secret of life and said:
"This is a mechanical world, Mason. Think carefully about the gradual process of simulating things in the data field. All the characters and even the environmental elements in all video games are made up of pixels!
It has obviously taken several iterations to grow to this point where the pixels are so subtle. If we had entered here earlier, your image would have been made up of three large pixel blocks.
What a clever kid. "
The God of Data exclaimed:
"It is constantly learning and mastering the iterative method of pushing the world into reality. Did you know that the Night City in the world of the God's Carriage is already extremely realistic, but it was also built by me with one pixel after another.
But it went the wrong way.
It is the spirit of metal.
It is the root force born from the consciousness of machinery and data. It is completely different from the structure of humans and even the material world. It should not be so persistent in imitating a world that does not belong to it.
However, considering that metal spirits have no self-awareness, we cannot be too harsh on them in this regard.
It needs a mentor, it needs a brain, it needs a spokesperson.
Yes!
Just like the Green of All Things and the Red of All Life, the Metal Spirit also needs a spokesperson to better complete the shaping of the Mechanical Kingdom at this conceptual level.
I know why it wants to imprison Yamozhuo, and Yamozhuo is about to escape."
Bartmos pushed his black-framed glasses in pixel form and said to Mason seriously:
"That guy is the spokesperson chosen by the Metal Spirit for itself. In your world, there is indeed no mechanical life form more suitable than Yamozhuo.
The reason why Yamozhuo failed to guide the Metal Spirit was not because he was not strong enough, but because he was also created, and he was just as incompetent as the Metal Spirit in terms of creation. "
“We can ask about this issue.”
Mason jumped to the high point of the pixelated mountain range with Batmos on his back, looking down at the reflection of Gotham City.
This scene looks very much like a city built with Lego bricks. Except for the absence of people, the city is simulated vividly, even the Batcave and Wayne Manor are simulated.
"Gather the others to meet you here first. I'll take a look at the situation outside."
The captain placed Batmos on a pixel stone and then activated the cross-world communication, but embarrassingly, it could not be connected at all, probably because this place did not belong to the category of "another world".
This is a mysterious dimension built on the data world. Although the consciousness called Metal Spirit that comes from machines and data seems scientific, if you think about it carefully, it is not scientific that machines can give birth to consciousness.
This is a mysterious place.
It was normal that Mason's communication system was unusable, but he still had a way. He silently recited Hei Qiyi's name in his heart. After a few seconds, Hei Qiyi's impatient voice sounded in Mason's mind:
"What's going on? I'm writing a story about Christine and I... Wait! Where are you now? Why does the magic power consumption of Heart Speech reach such a high level?
You threw yourself into a black hole?"
"The conceptual plane of the Metal Spirit, the realm of the root power, the mysterious area above the material world. In short, it is difficult to explain all of this."
Mason sighed and said:
"My communication is not working, but I need to talk to Perfect Ultron right now. He is still in the material world, so I can only ask you for help."
"Mason Cooper! You need to clarify the relationship between us!"
Hei Qiyi said coldly:
"I am your partner who can take your life at any time, not your servant! If you dare to waste my energy in such a terrible way next time, I will throw you into the Lightless Sea to feed the Soul-Eating Squids!"
Although the words were indeed very impolite, a few seconds later, Mason still managed to regain contact with Perfect Ultron through magic.
"Got it! This guy is quite good at fighting."
Ultron reports:
"I transferred it to an uninhabited planet 300 light years away and practiced with it. This thing's ability to copy everything is quite tricky, but how can I put it?
The combined power of the six Infinity Stones probably exceeds the limit of its replication, so I will take it back to Watu and let Watu make some small modifications to it so that it can become one of ours. "
"fine."
Mason glanced at the team members who were gradually gathering behind him, and asked in a low voice:
“Please help me ask, why is it that even though Golden Amozhuo was chosen by Metal Spirit to be the spokesperson, he is unwilling to help Metal Spirit complete the shaping of the conceptual plane and only wants to run away?
I think there must be some important information in this matter.”
"Wait a moment, I'll browse its memory database and politely ask it if it can tell me the truth. This is a new questioning technique I learned, and it has been very effective before.
Please give me some time. "
Ultron replied, and then Amajro's screams could be heard in the communication as a stimulating background sound. This sound did not sound like an inquiry but rather like torture.
This made Mason wonder what Perfect Ultron's growth trajectory would be like after he gained his freedom?
For example, who did he learn this “effective questioning technique” from?
Hey, asshole, don't teach this kind of thing to a naive artificial intelligence!
"I found out."
After a moment, Ultron replied in a gentle tone:
"Yamozhuo cooperated well and told me all the truth. The first time it came into contact with the Metal Spirit was on its way back to Earth from Apocalypse.
At that time, it had just crossed a certain limitation of mechanical life, allowing it to sense the existence of the metal spirit.
At that time, Amajro had already learned from Darkseid that the universe was about to die. It did not want to perish, so it wanted to use the metal spirit to create a sanctuary that was not affected by the material world.
However, after its mechanical consciousness truly entered the conceptual world of Metal Spirit, it realized a cruel truth: the root power is based on the existence of the material world.
Once the material world perishes, the refuge it has created for itself will also perish.
Yamozhuo's plan failed and he wanted to leave.
However, the power of Metal Spirit instinctively wants to complete its self-growth after its birth. It must have a spokesperson so that it can use its wisdom to self-build and iteratively upgrade.
This is where the contradiction between the two arises.
Yamozhu was trapped in that conceptual plane. It was unwilling to waste time helping the Metal Spirit to grow because it knew it was meaningless.
In the context of the impact event, even if the Kingdom of Metal Spirit completes the most perfect upgrade and iteration, it cannot escape the fate of destruction. "
Mason nodded. The truth was not complicated.
He then asked:
"Then could you please tell us, Mr. Yamozhuo, where is the origin of the Metal Spirit concept plane?"
"What are you going to do, Mason?"
Ultron asked. Mason looked at the rough pixel world in front of him and said:
"I have seen this with my own eyes, and I can feel the world's instinct to upgrade, just like a baby crying for food. As a good person, how can I just sit back and watch?
Even in the apocalyptic age, the pursuit of perfection is not an unforgivable mistake.
So I’m going to help it.”
"Hold on."
Ultron was silent for a moment, and then Amajro's scream mixed with mechanical sounds was heard again. After Mason waited patiently for a few minutes, Ultron gave the answer.
"The origin of the self-shaping of the Metal Spirit Plane is at the center of the Pixel World. It shapes its own world environment completely according to the birth process of the Earth.
Yamozhuo called that place the 'Platform of the Creator'. It requires special permissions to open and enter, but the trouble is that that permission must be granted by the concept of Metal Spirit.
One of you must become a Metal Spirit Speaker to enter.
But you know the risks.
Yamozhuo’s thinking cannot be said to be wrong. In the current environment, you can no longer waste time binding yourself to a new conceptual world.
There is no time to deal with the troubles of the real world."
"I know. I didn't plan to come in person. Thanks, Ultron. I have a super recipe. I'll treat you to a white peach-flavored crude oil cocktail when we get back."
Mason replied, then turned to look at the people behind him.
He told him the information from Amojo truthfully. When he heard that Metal Spirit currently had no spokesperson, Bartomos' eyes suddenly lit up.
But then, the captain told them the hidden dangers of this operation.
"Once you become spokespersons, you will be bound to this conceptual world. I don't know how big it will have to grow before you can enter and exit freely, but what is certain is that this is definitely a terrifying project."
Mason pointed to the rough pixelated scenery around him and said to them:
“It wants to upgrade and grow, but it is tragic to be born in a dying universe, just like a baby born on the day of the end of the world, saying goodbye to life before enjoying all the beauty of the world.
You all know the pressure we are under right now.
There are only nineteen days left for the Fourth Impact. To be honest, I really don’t think anyone can create a world from scratch in nineteen days…”
"We can!"
Bartmos stood up with the help of V and Rogge. The God of Data said very seriously:
“I can’t do it alone, but if we include the entire Mikoshi world in this, and unite the power of the exiles of one world, we can reshape this world just like we wrote a simulation program for the Mikoshi world.
Nineteen days...
Maybe that's enough!
I know a man who created the world in six days and left one day for himself to rest."
“Are you kidding me?”
Mason complained:
"Be serious, asshole! I'm talking about a serious situation. Once you are tied up here, it means..."
"We will no longer be able to participate in the resistance that we have all been pushing forward, and our absence is likely to cause problems in an important link. The only reward we get for taking such a risk is a new plane that cannot survive the impact independently. It cannot even create a real entity for us in the material world."
Bartmos shook his head and said:
"The effort and reward are totally disproportionate. It looks like we are going crazy, but what is the reality ? Mason, look at this world that wants to grow.
Look at us again.
The moment we complete uploading our consciousness when the world is destroyed means that our world has entered a trajectory that is completely different from other worlds.
Even if the new era you have shown us really comes, we will not be able to return to our previous lives in a normal way.
Night City is decaying.
That is the decay that cannot be erased no matter how many times I restart the data. That is the despair that comes from the fact that my unreal hands cannot support the real future!
We are already perished.
Now all you see are ghosts wandering a world that is not ours.
But now, we have a chance.
We can grow with the conceptual plane of Metal Spirit, we can shape it with our own abilities and creativity , it has not yet been truly born, just like a hatching egg.
It needs us and we need it.
This is mutual achievement.
I can't predict what kind of gift we will get when this conceptual plane is truly completed, but I can be sure that even if the result can be any worse, it won't be worse than it is now.
We want to be its spokesperson!
Mason, not me, not Roger and Morgan, not V and Panam and Judy, it's all of us!
The consciousness of all living things in the world of Shinto!
We as a whole will become the voice of the Metal Spirit, we choose to be reborn, and the way is to help a world that wants to grow to immortality.
The moment this 'world egg' that longs for new life is hatched, we, the world weavers, will also become immortal."
Bartomos's shout silenced Mason and Barbara, while the mercenaries behind him clenched their fists.
"Damn it! It's on fire!"
V hugged his long-legged girlfriend and shouted:
"Let's do it! Bartmos, let's do it! It would be great to achieve immortality."
"Assholes, what's the point of having a bunch of you who only know how to fight and destroy? This is about construction, not destruction."
Bartmos yelled:
"You all go back honestly. From today on, the commander of all military forces in the Shenyu World will be handed over to Mason Cooper! Except for you bastards who play with guns, all data must be transferred to the plane of the Metal Spirit to help me weave the world.
Nineteen days!
We only have nineteen days and we must give 300 percent of our energy to complete this nearly impossible task.
Mason, I need you to help me get spokesperson authority, I need you... huh?
Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because your impassioned declaration just now has earned you the recognition of this conceptual plane. You are already a spokesperson, you bastard who speaks sweet words."
The captain shrugged his shoulders, winked at Bartomos, whose entire body was glowing, and said, with an attitude of concealing his merits and fame:
"Although I don't know if you are deliberately cooperating with me, the classic strategy of playing the good cop and the bad cop is really timeless, right?"
