Standing in front of me was a girl who was completely unfamiliar in terms of appearance. She was tall and tall, probably about the same size as that female hooligan in Bingtis, with long flaxen hair and a pretty face with no features. Her face, with slightly animated eyes, was wearing the uniform of the Imperial Army, but I'm pretty sure it was her first time in a military zone. I was taken aback by this strange girl at first, but she quickly greeted me quite acquaintedly, and then I noticed a small sign hanging on her chest, which said a line Bad words like dogs: "Xi Ling, if you find it, please contact the military department, thank you."
"You're Xiling?" I looked at this completely unfamiliar girl in front of me in amazement, feeling that the world view was not enough, "How did you become like this?"
"Well, when I was taking the test, I would be dazed, and then forget what I looked like last time." Xi Ling said with a smile, looking very happy, and didn't realize that there was something wrong with her changing so much. I was dumbfounded when I heard the other party's answer, and I realized the concept of the so-called amorphous lifeform like never before... She really deserves to be a guy who has recorded all known species data, and her body shape can be switched at will. She usually plays too advanced Now—I don’t know if Qianqian tried to turn her into a bicycle
Anyway, the unlucky slime at home is learning how to turn into a bicycle really fast now.
My eyes fell on the small badge on the other party's chest. It was the size of a palm, and it looked like the work badge of some large company. It was hung around the neck by Xi Ling with a red rope. Qianqian is really a whimsical guy …
"The mistress gave it to me. She said that I was running around all day long, and I always changed my appearance. I was afraid that I would get lost." Xi Ling happily shook the small white metal plate, as if taking it as a Necklace, "But I don't think it's useful. Isn't it possible to recognize someone else's as long as the soul remains unchanged? Oh, of course, I will take it well, and I will take it with me when I go to other places."
It seems that Xiling already knows many characteristics of the apostles of Xiling, such as how to identify other people through the unique identification code of the soul, but she still doesn't know that the high level of the empire is not a normal apostle of Xiling at all: we are still used to relying on face recognize people. Qianqian was probably like me a few days ago when she met such an "unknown" Xiling, so she made such a sign for her in a brainstorm. This thing looks silly, but don't tell me, why is it so funny when Xi Ling hangs it around his neck
Although this was an accidental encounter, since we met, we naturally wanted to chat by the way, and besides, I didn't have any important things to do right now. I have been wandering around with Anulili for the past two days, and I don't have time to meet this "big man" who has just returned to the empire. Now I just take this opportunity to learn about the current situation of this confused super consciousness.
The place with the most relaxing atmosphere and the most suitable place to rest and chat is of course Sylvia's small shop. That shop is next to the separation wall of the military zone, less than 200 meters away from the assembly square. When I took Xiling over, it happened to be the time when the shop sent away the few customers of the day: at this hour there will be a few mass-produced bubbles to buy desserts, basically Sylvia can expect The guests here are just a few of them. The student guests from the military academy are rare elites. Except for rest days, they rarely refresh within half a kilometer around the military area. After all, once they are caught by their own instructors It's not fun to come to this place to buy things outside of the time.
A few nervous and excited mass-produced bubbles disappeared at the end of the street under my watch. I pulled Xiling and pushed open the glass door of the shop to greet the person who might be waiting for lunch in a daze. Store manager: "Sylvia! We have customers!"
"My name is Mao, I have seen you two a long time ago, isn't this time to prepare drinks for you two!" A series of quick and light voices like popping beans came from behind the counter, and I stared dumbfounded at the hands and feet of the silver mole. Quickly clearing up the packaging bags and other sundries on the counter, behind her are coffee beans floating in the air and tearing the packaging by itself. This creature that looks like Sylvia looked up at me and pouted, "Let's talk first , only coffee and black tea, orange juice was drunk by 001, Coke was ionized by 036, helium three...you definitely don’t drink helium three. I really don’t know if those guys are here to help or not. There are many, and each person takes a pack before leaving... "
Needless to say, this must not be Sylvia...
"Bella Villa? Why do you have time to come out? Doesn't it usually take a lot of energy to come out?" I smiled and looked at the raven who was complaining because his "daughters" were useless. Wang, now she is neither like the slow-moving Sylvia, nor the gloomy and cold Bella Villa. During the period of living in Shadow City, especially after getting along with us After a while, Bella Villa got to know everyone very well. Maybe in front of outsiders, she is still the terrifying evoker, but in private, she is a pretty good guy: her mouth is a bit poisonous.
"If I don't come out to help, can I let that stupid guy continue to receive subsistence allowances and relief food every month?" Bella Villa casually summoned a big water polo, snapped his fingers, and the water polo floating in mid-air began to boil in an instant Get up, and at the same time, the coffee beans floating in the air on the other side grind themselves into powder, the way she makes coffee is really amazing, "I share the same body with her, she usually Every time I wake up, recalling the life I lived in this body during my deep sleep, I feel very heavy. That guy doesn't even know how to buy new clothes... "
I didn't expect Bella Villa to hide such deep resentment, but her resentment is not incomprehensible to me. There are three famous poor in Shadow City, and the two who occupy the top of the list are of course sisters Asida and Asidora, followed by Sylvia... Bellavi, who shares the same body with Sylvia Lana is really destined to be dragged down to death by pig teammates.
"Hehe—the way you grind coffee is quite interesting." I laughed dryly, not commenting on that idiot Sylvia's daily life, and changed the subject by the way. A large boiling water polo floated in front of Bella Vila, and she took a set of filters and prepared to continue underneath. Magicians are different from ordinary people, and they can make a fuss with a cup of coffee.
"You think I'm willing to make such a fuss?" Bella Villa sighed faintly, "The coffee machine was dismantled by 001..."
I am now very sure that those mass-produced ravens coming to the store to help are not helping.
"Here, this is a work of confidence," Bella Villa brought two cups of coffee to Xi Ling and me, then ticked his fingers at the counter, and a large pile of pastries was sent directly to the round table, "I made it myself. Alright, let's eat and talk slowly, I'm going to go back to sleep first, I'm so tired after being out for an hour, and I have to go to the Celestial City to help in the afternoon. By the way, remember to pay the bill later."
I said thank you, and Xi Ling on the opposite side had already started stuffing snacks into her mouth, but a few seconds later, Bella Villa was still standing by the table, and I looked up at her curiously: "Aren't you Do you want to go back to sleep?"
The silver-haired woman looked down at me blankly, and said slowly, "Yeah—she's fallen asleep—"
Me: "..." Why can't I meet some normal guys!
"I like the dim sum here!" Xi Ling didn't seem to care about the surrounding environment at all, her mouth was bulging, but she spoke as clearly as usual, "This is the first time I ate here."
Then I found out that the first stop Xiling just came to the real world was not Monster Town, but this dessert shop next to the Shadow Fortress. This is also easy to understand. Although Xiling can teleport herself everywhere regardless of distance and barriers, when she first comes into contact with the outside world, the wandering distance will definitely not be far away from the crystal she lived in. Sylvia's shop is farther away than in another A space monster town is much closer. Xiling didn't know anything about life in the real world at first. She just changed into a similar shape according to the clothes of the base personnel, and then wandered here. At that time, she didn't know that there was such a thing as "eating" in the world.
Then she was entertained by Sylvia, the silver mole whose thinking was always out of touch with the real world, without any doubt entertained a racial consciousness (pseudo) whose thinking was in tune with the real world for the first time. A life form like Xiling has no need for food at all, but she remembered this first reception very well, and regarded eating as a very important thing: by the way, she also regarded Sylvia as the first Friends—although she doesn't quite understand the concept of friends yet.
In other words, if Bella Villa could wake up once in those few days, we would have saved the city-wide martial law that was oolong...
"Are you still used to it these few days?" I looked at Xi Ling, who was eating happily, as if I was looking at an innocent younger sister: of course, this younger sister is a bit bigger.
Xi Ling nodded, and continued to answer with the mouth completely stuffed but still articulate: "Well, the outside world is quite interesting. The same thing looks different at home and outside. Tavel I’ve read all the things I gave, and I’ve memorized them—although I still don’t quite understand them.”
When Xi Ling said this, she seemed a little embarrassed, and felt sorry for her low comprehension ability, but soon she cheered up again, with a confident smile on her face: "But even if I don't understand, I will work hard! Tavel said, as long as you know what you should do, don’t worry about why you do it for the time being—anyway, the emperor’s order is the truth, as stated in the underlying agreement.”
My expression should be a little subtle, but Xi Ling couldn't see it. Whether this still immature super consciousness can take on great responsibilities is not yet certain, but she must already have the most fundamental principles of the Apostles of Xiling: obey orders, execute, be efficient, and be loyal.
I talked with her about the spiritual network, understanding this huge data network from another perspective, and the topic expanded in this direction, and finally brought up the long-lost other half of the spiritual network.
To be precise, it is the other half: there were one hundred and thirty-five sky areas in the old empire, and the scale of the spiritual network was unprecedentedly large. After the catastrophe, only the network of fifteen sky areas survived due to isolation. Hope The spirit is the remaining part of the consciousness of this one-hundred and thirty-fifth part of the network. She is only the most inconspicuous part of the network in its heyday, and the backbone of this network is now in the hands of the fallen apostles.
The huge casualties caused by the catastrophe may have severely damaged the backbone, but I believe that even then, the spiritual network controlled by the fallen apostles is several times stronger than that of the empire.
"The lost... the other half," Xi Ling, who seemed a little too optimistic, became serious when he brought up this topic, "I have no impression, I can't remember what happened back then, but I really have this feeling, Now my body is very weak, and I feel inexplicably... my family is very... very... "
"Very narrow?" I remembered the word Xi Ling mentioned when I first met.
"That's right, it's very narrow, and the place to live in is much smaller, so my body has become weaker. I can't remember what I was like back then, but I always feel subconsciously... the current Internet is not normal, and the marginal There is a big rift in the place, and the place that could have been reached has now become nothingness."
Xi Ling's way of describing it sounds weird to me, but this is her understanding of the spiritual network from her own perspective, which is of great reference value to outsiders. We know that all of Xiling: her memory, thinking, and soul are rooted in the spiritual network. The defect of this network will lead to a decline in her performance, and it will also lead to the "shrinkage" of her shelter. She can't remember what happened back then, partly because of this: her processing performance was greatly damaged by the network split that year, so that the remaining system resources were not enough to maintain the original huge consciousness, so she had to give up. Or passively lost many memories.
Another reason is related to the fact that she hid in the crystal back then: no matter how large the memory crystal is, it is impossible to completely preserve a super consciousness like Xiling. When she uploaded herself to the crystal, she should have given up. With a lot of memory, plus the loss of tens of thousands of years, she still remembers that her name is Xiling, which is quite good.
"Do you still remember the time when you hid in the crystal?" I asked a question that no one understood, "You seem to have planned your own escape route back then. The polluted area at that time drifted all the way to the far frontier, and was picked up by the Melova people... The last one may be an accident, but other than that, it seems to be planned."
"I don't remember," Xi Ling shook his head, "I was so smart back then?"
"Uh, maybe..." I said noncommittally. Now it has been confirmed that there is a consciousness hidden in that crystal, so Sandora's original judgment instantly has higher credibility: the crystal deliberately planned her escape route. However, even if this assumption is true, we are still not sure whether Xiling really planned everything back then. She had not communicated with anyone at the time, and no one in the entire empire knew the existence of Xiling. How could she be alone? Complete such a sophisticated plan
Or... At an earlier moment, the consciousness generated by the spiritual network was subtly influencing the apostles in the fifteen-day zone through its own power, preparing for her future escape
Things are still confusing, and at present, it seems impossible to get an answer from Xi Ling. So I gave up looking for answers in her messy memories, and moved to another topic: "You just mentioned that in your perspective, the mental network has an obvious 'margin'? There are rifts or something?"
When Xiling mentioned these two terms just now, I didn't pay much attention because I felt that it was quite a high-tech thing, but now that I recall it, I suddenly felt that this might not be an ordinary event. The result—what Xi Ling said next really made people unable to calm down.
"Well, a fairly obvious fault zone," Xi Ling stirred the coffee in front of him, "at home... I mean, on the spiritual network, the original connection of each node should be smooth, even at the edge of the network, where the connection point terminates, There should also be a complete termination signal, which is determined by the underlying protocol. But I always feel... There is an abnormal edge at the end of the network, where the spiritual network does not terminate normally, but the opposite thing suddenly disappears, one size fits all Open, and then there is no hemming... Well, I found this metaphor on the spur of the moment, and that’s how it feels. Beyond that edge is a big rift valley that I dare not set foot in, and it seems to be a big hole. There is nothing there. In the past, I thought I would lose my node forever."
It is very difficult to understand Xi Ling's unique perspective, but I still try my best to understand her words, because I have already noticed at this time that this may be an extremely serious matter.
The spiritual network of the empire... that is a fundamental thing, and any situation in it will be magnified dozens of times to look at it!
There is a broken belt in the spiritual network, which reminds me of the concept of separation in the past. However, it is true that the spiritual network of the fifteenth day zone is isolated from the backbone network, but this isolation is also based on compliance with the underlying protocol. Yes, as Xiling said, on the normal boundary of the network, every extreme node should have a normal termination signal. This signal is probably the same footnote as "the number of forwarding available here is zero", used to indicate this Node has no successor nodes.
However, the abnormal margin mentioned by Xiling has no such termination signal.
People in the real world will not be threatened by this abnormal situation, but Xiling, who lives on the Internet, regards this rift as a scourge.
"Because there is no termination signal, if you are not careful, you may slip into the rift," Xi Ling said worriedly, "It is equivalent to sending all the data to a memory that cannot feedback information, and I will fall into the hole... I took a wary look at that margin a while ago and was horrified."
After Xi Ling finished speaking with lingering fear, she poured all the coffee into her mouth, as if to suppress her shock.
This kind of abnormal network termination has never been discovered by anyone, and even Bubble, which monitors the entire network all the time, has not reported a similar situation.
"You haven't told anyone about this yet?"
"Well, because I just discovered it two days ago, I can't figure out what that margin is, so I want to report after I figure it out... Now, Your Majesty, did I do something wrong?"
"It's not wrong, but it's a bit risky. Don't set foot on that edge alone for now," I frowned. "I need to discuss it with Bubble and Sandora... You must find a way to translate your perspective into reality." The method of language, and then we locate where those margins are from the real world. You go alone... It's too dangerous."
I didn't say anything about the latter.
But my intuition told me... this margin probably came from the fallen apostles, or even from... "that lord". RS