Chapter 341 Virtuality and Reality
In the shell ship, a large number of mind flayers and goblin, orc, and jackal slaves were busy setting up some psychic devices.
With the unfolding of the Fourth Natural Disaster Plan, this semi-living magic ship driven by psychic energy needs to be transformed into a huge mobile signal transmitter so that it can transmit signals in different planes and crystal walls. , and even move between universes.
What these guys are currently doing is to carry out a series of complex and bold modifications to the shell ship, temporarily abandoning all speed, defense and attack capabilities, and only pursuing signal stability and coverage.
Of course, it's not easy.
Because although the mind flayers' psychic technology is the most advanced and powerful in the universe, not every mind flayer community has mastered all the technology of the entire race.
Especially this shell ship that was captured by the mad mage and taken into Leyline Maze, its original mastermind had already been destroyed once under a crazy attack by the Githyanki.
Although the mind-destroying demon Eth Amidon recovered most of the knowledge and technology afterwards, a lot of it was still inevitably lost.
In order to make up for the poor performance of some psychic equipment caused by the loss of this part of knowledge and technology, the only thing that can be done at present is to enlarge the size of the equipment, and then use quantity to make up for the lack of quality.
At a glance, the interior corridors of the ship are almost covered by densely packed energy transmission lines and signal amplifiers like octopus tentacles.
On the top of the huge conch-shaped shell outside, there is a biological antenna with automatic telescopic function, which is specially used to amplify psychic signals.
However, Zuo Si obviously did not come here today to check the progress of the entire plan, so he just took a quick glance, and then walked directly into the room where Nao Chi was.
The moment he crossed the threshold and entered the interior, several mind flayers who were busy one second immediately knelt down on one knee in unison and issued greetings in an extremely respectful tone.
“Master!”
Isadora, who became the mastermind, also wanted to say something through the spiritual connection.
But before she could speak, Zuo Si raised his head and revealed a pair of cold eyes. He slowly walked up to one of the mind flayers, stretched out his hand and grabbed the guy's neck. With a strength of thirty-one points, attribute, forcibly lifted it up from the ground, and asked with a cold face: "Do you remember what I told you before?"
"No... you are not allowed to reveal the fourth natural disaster to anyone. Information about the plan." The mind flayer who had his neck stuck stammered.
He is not a fool. He can feel the anger of his master hidden under the calm and cold appearance, and he does not dare to make even the slightest move of struggle or resistance.
"Very good! Then tell me, have you obeyed the orders I gave?" Zuo Si narrowed his eyes and continued to ask.
The Mind Flayer was obviously frightened by this attitude and hurriedly defended himself: "Master, please calm down and listen to my explanation. Because the new mastermind had too much uncontrollability, I Only then did I think of letting the most rational and calm Isadora replace him as the new mastermind. Only in this way can the entire plan smoothly transition to the next stage..."
"That's enough! I'm not interested in hearing your explanation, let alone your motives and reasons for doing this. I just need to confirm that you violated my order."
With the last one As the words blurted out, Zuo Si suddenly raised his right index finger and shot a dazzling green light at the Mind Flayer's head.
In an instant!
This unlucky guy turned into a puddle of useless green dust and didn't even have time to scream.
Six-ring magic [dissociation]!
A truly terrifying magic that can kill a person's body.
Once a creature whose magic resistance is not high enough and its vitality is not strong enough is hit, it will become what it is now in minutes.
If calculated solely in terms of lethality, the sixth-ring [Dissociation Technique] is even more amazing than the seventh-ring [Finger of Death].
After killing this self-inflicted guy, Zuo Si glanced at the other mind flayers with murderous eyes, and said in a cold voice without any fluctuation: "Listen to me! Although I do not exclude you from using your subjective initiative to solve some problems on your own, but this does not mean that you can violate the orders I gave. There can only be one voice here, and that is my voice. There can only be one absolute master, and it is also me. Do you understand now?”
“I understand!”
The remaining mind flayers immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look into those eyes as deep as black holes.
At this moment, they finally realized how strong their young master was. He was like a tyrant who would never allow his subordinates to obey him.
Any self-righteous little actions and calculations may be severely punished.
"From now on, you will take over the plan for the fourth natural disaster."
Zuo Si randomly designated a mind flayer to replace the previous one who was beaten to dust by the dissociation technique. Guy.
He obviously knew very well that behind Isadora's action of replacing the mastermind, the last mind flayer responsible for the fourth natural disaster plan must be secretly fueling the fire.
"As you wish, Master."
The designated mind flayer responded quickly, and then took several others of his kind and turned around to leave the room where Brain Pool was located.
After they all walked away, Zuo Si turned his attention to the enlarged version of the human brain in the brain pool, and after a full minute he asked: "Do you know what it means to be the master brain? ”
“Of course! I will be your assistant, the core and most important tool in your hand. I can help you achieve and complete countless miracles that are impossible in the eyes of outsiders, and help you start from scratch. It is enough to create a new civilization and build a powerful army for you that can never be truly destroyed. From now on, I will become the most important thing around you and be able to be by your side forever."
Isadora, who became the mastermind, gave the answer through spiritual connection.
Obviously, she knew all about the Fourth Natural Disaster plan and the horrific effects that this plan would bring if it advanced to the final stage, so she chose to actively integrate with the mastermind.
In this way, you can prevent this part of your personality from being swallowed up by the other three Isadoras, and ensure that your status will never be shaken.
As for the "little thing" of giving up human identity, it is simply insignificant.
After figuring out what the other party was thinking, Zuo Si held his forehead and sighed speechlessly: "Alas - your seriously distorted personality and outlook on life make me don't know what to say."
Isadora responded nonchalantly: "You don't need to say anything. These are all decisions and choices I made myself. And after becoming the mastermind, I have no matter whether it is my psychic ability or my talent for learning arcane magic. All have been greatly improved. And... I already have some ideas about the spiritual master you mentioned before."
"Oh? What is your current level of arcane magician? How much is it again?" Zuo Si asked in an uncertain tone.
“I now have a LV17 psion level, a LV20 warlock level, and a LV11 mage level.
When the first phase of the fourth natural disaster plan is completed, 50,000 new students will be absorbed. With the Heart Demon Brain, I can raise the level of the psychic to above LV25 and become a veritable legendary mastermind.
That’s not all!
As my intelligence level increases significantly, my learning speed in arcane magic will also become very fast.
And it can also become more and more powerful through the thoughts, memories, experiences of those souls and the information transmitted back by their control of the body's external activities. ”
When she said these words, Isadora’s originally calm tone was obviously filled with excitement and excitement.
Because after so long, she could finally help Zuo Si. .
“The total career level has reached forty-eight? "Zuo Si was obviously surprised.
Isadora replied without thinking: "That's right. The LV15 Psion level and the LV11 Mage level were both obtained after the previous clones devoured each other. After replacing the master brain's consciousness, my Psion level The level was increased by two levels, and he also obtained the LV20 warlock level."
"That's it!"
Zuo Si instantly realized that the LV20 warlock level was actually owned by the mastermind. One of many powerful abilities.
In addition, this legendary creature can also perform a series of psychic powers at will, such as astral projection, charming monsters, detecting thoughts, controlling humans, group suggestion, plane teleportation, psychic blasting, etc. .
It can be said that when ordinary adventurers or adventure teams encounter the mastermind, they will not even have a chance to resist. They will be charmed and controlled in minutes, and eventually become slaves or mind flayers. food.
This is also the reason why Zuo Si has been unable to make up his mind to strengthen the new mastermind.
Without him, this thing is really too powerful. If it is not controlled well, it will create a powerful enemy out of thin air.
Of course, with Isadora becoming the mastermind's consciousness, this hidden danger has now been eliminated.
After realizing this, Zuo Si quickly took out the box full of outstanding talents from his pocket and gently threw it into the cage built with tentacles and granules next to it.
In an instant!
A tentacle reached in and opened the sealed box, and thirty souls from the earth's elites from all walks of life were released.
But before they could react to what was happening, they were immediately pulled into an extremely real illusion by the powerful spiritual power of the mastermind.
......
"This...this looks like a medieval tavern?"
Dr. White stared blankly at the unfamiliar environment around him, his face full of shock and confusion. An expression of disbelief.
Not only him, but the other twenty-nine people had similar reactions.
Because they all remember very clearly that they are 100% dead, but their souls are retained.
But now, not only can they be seen by others just like when they were alive, but they can also touch things with their hands, and even smell the weird mixture of food, wine, tobacco and sweat. smell.
The most important thing is that this tavern does not look like it is on earth.
The guests on the first, second and third floors are not only dressed at the medieval level, but there are also dwarves, elves, halflings, gnomes, half-orcs, etc. that are only seen in myths and legends. species that will appear.
There was a bear larger than an ox lying at the feet of one of the druids.
All of this made thirty souls from the earth fall into deep thinking.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Is everything I see in front of me an illusion or real?
Fortunately, Zuo Si did not confuse these people for too long. He soon appeared next to the bar out of thin air, raised a cup filled with drinks and asked with a smile: "Does any of you want to have a drink?"
< br>"Oh - damn! You finally showed up! Where on earth is this place? Why do we still look like we are alive even though we are all dead?"
Dr. White was the first to approach, He quickly expressed the doubts and confusion in his heart.
Zuo Si did not answer immediately, but made a gesture to Isadora, who was standing at the bar and regained her human form.
The latter understood instantly, raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, thirty experts, including Dr. White, instantly had a glass in their hands, filled with dark red wine, and a plate stacked in a pyramid shape. Flavored BBQ. Since the time of death is relatively short, many people immediately try to take a bite or drink after seeing the wine and food.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t touch it. Once you touch it, your subconscious desire for food and alcoholic beverages will be aroused, and they will sit around the bar and immerse themselves in eating.
One by one, they were devouring themselves like hungry ghosts reincarnated.
Dr. White ate the fastest, finishing all the barbecue on the plate in just a few minutes. Then while tasting the wine, he said with emotion: "I can't believe that I can still taste the taste of food and wine after death. If This is the world you mentioned, then I am beginning to look forward to my future.”
“That’s right! Eating and drinking are the most basic needs of human beings, and they also produce a lot of happy emotions. If all this is true, then I think there will be many dying people on the earth rushing to sign that contract and continue their lives in another identity and form." Chris, a sociologist with no hair on his head, nodded in agreement. .
"Haha, what is your definition of true and false? If a computer or magic could perfectly simulate everything in the real world, including gravity, physical rules, smell, taste, touch, and visual effects , or even create people with independent personalities, memories, and logical thinking from scratch. What is the difference between such a virtual world and reality? "
Zuo Si put forward a hypothesis with a half-smile. .
The experts and scholars present fell silent when they heard this.
Because regarding virtual reality technology, someone on earth has proposed it a long time ago. The earliest embryonic stage can be traced back to 1963, which is the eighteenth year after the invention of the first electronic computer.
After 1990, virtual reality is no longer a vague concept on paper, but has entered the stage of practice, improvement and application.
Since everyone here is an elite in the field of scientific research, they are no strangers to the concept of virtual reality. They also know that with the current level of technology, there is no such thing as virtual reality. Even those in the aerospace field are manufactured regardless of cost. Nothing can deceive human eyes.
Not to mention taste, touch, physical rules, gravity and the difficulty of creating virtual characters.
Especially as a physicist, McCas has been observing every move of other guests around him. From time to time, he will pick up the empty plates and move them around, or gently lift and throw them away. Go to the table and look for physical phenomena that may not conform to common sense.
But unfortunately, after trying it several times, he could not see even the slightest flaw.
In the end, sociologist Chris took a deep breath and said: "You are right. If you can perfectly simulate everything in the real world, then there will be no difference between reality and illusion. There is no need to even consume The virtual world with too many resources is more attractive than the real world. But I am still curious, is this the real world or the virtual world? "
"This is a virtual world, a place called Deep Water. The city's illusion magic. Please stay here for a while before the clones prepared for you mature."
With that said, Zuo Si stood up and walked to the door, pushing open the closed door. 's door.
The next second...
A complete waterdeep city was displayed in front of everyone.
Obviously, compared to Eth Amidon, who has never been to the real Waterdeep City, Isadora has not only been there, but also lived in Waterdeep City for a period of time, so she can simulate the entire What Waterdeep looks like.
Although there may be some flaws in some places, the problem is that these experts and professors are not natives of Waterdeep, and they cannot see anything wrong at all.
"You...you actually created a virtual city that is almost the same as the real world?"
Dr. White slowly walked out of the tavern and onto the street, looking at the bustling crowds around him, and There are various shops on both sides of the road, and the whole body is trembling slightly with excitement.
But Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, this place was not created by me. Please allow me to introduce to you the creator and controller of this virtual city, and Isadora, who is also responsible for keeping your souls. ”
In an instant!
Thirty pairs of eyes followed the direction of Zuo Si's finger and focused on the girl.
Isadora was not afraid of the stage. She walked straight out of the bar and gave an elegant lady's salute: "Welcome to the virtual world I created.
As the one chosen by Soth, Talents, you can enjoy fine wine, delicious food, and even some special services that satisfy your desires in Waterdeep City.
If you are interested in magic, you can also go to the Mage Tower to read relevant books. I have instilled the relevant language into your memory.
But please note one thing, that is, never leave the scope of Waterdeep City, otherwise you will be responsible for the consequences. "
"Replicate Waterdeep? In other words... is there really a place called Waterdeep? "Dr. White's eyes shone slightly.
Zuo Si smiled and replied: "Yes. Waterdeep is a famous city in the world we currently live in. But never mind, because it doesn't matter. After a few hours at most, we will leave and go to another world. That's where your talents are needed. "
"Two worlds? Have you mastered some kind of time-space teleportation technology that allows you to teleport between two different planets regardless of distance? ”
McCuston, a physicist, became excited.
Since the physics community proposed the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, also known as a "wormhole", many scientists have been trying to find evidence of its existence.
But unfortunately, so far this kind of space-time tunnel is still in the stage of hypothesis and conjecture.
At best, it provides material for some science fiction movies or novels and comics.
But now, McCas saw a living example right in front of him, how could he not be excited.
Perhaps the dead man would not be able to win the Nobel Prize even if he understood the knowledge and principles contained in it, but it would be good to be able to satisfy his curiosity and solve a problem that has plagued human civilization on earth for decades.
“No, Professor. Strictly speaking, the magical universe we live in is a little different from the universe you understand. Although there are also concepts of space and planets here, they are different from each other. They are not physically in the same space. Can you understand what I mean?" Zuo Si tried to explain.
“In the same universe, but not in the same space in a physical sense?” Physicist McCas was stunned.
Zuo Si nodded slightly and responded in a very positive tone: "That's it.
There are additional concepts of planes and crystal walls here.
You can understand that the crystal wall is equivalent to an independent star system.
Some of them are large and some are small, and the outside is wrapped by a huge spherical shell.
The concept of planes is even more complicated.
The most typical one is the material plane, which is the planets and galaxies formed mainly of matter.
In addition, there are the elemental planes formed by elements as the main body, the star realm formed by the spirit as the main body, and Baator Hell, the Bottomless Abyss, and the Seventh Layer that are divided by the order of good and evil and the tendency of chaos. There are a series of outer planes such as Paradise Mountain, Sea of Chaos, Mechanical Realm, Elysian Realm, Unrestrained Wilderness, Gray Wilderness and so on.
Planes and planes, crystal walls and crystal walls are actually completely isolated. Only some powerful magic, portals and special magic ships can pass through.
Of course, these are all conclusions drawn from a magical perspective.
If you are interested in conducting research from a scientific perspective, I will be more than happy to provide support.
In fact, I am also very curious about these specious things described in books. ”
There is no doubt that the structure of the universe where the world of Toril is located is not only complex, but also has as many as seventeen outer planes, many of which are kingdoms established by gods.
Even Zuo Si couldn't explain it well and could only do some general science popularization.
As for whether the other party can understand and understand, it is none of his business.
But fortunately, McCas was mentally prepared and immediately joked with a smile: "It sounds like I won't be short of research topics for a long time."
" It is more appropriate to replace "you" with "you", because what you are about to face is a world that has just experienced a catastrophe, and the entire human race is struggling on the verge of extinction. This also means that your mission is. It is to shoulder the responsibility of rekindling the fire of civilization," Zuo Si said meaningfully.
"No problem! We are all dead anyway and have nearly infinite time to complete this goal."
Monte, an expert in geology and materials science, shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
Sociologist Chris added: "If humans in that world are really on the verge of extinction, then our manpower alone will definitely not be enough. If nothing else, just restore the population and avoid close relatives. The possible harm caused by childbirth will require a lot of time and energy. We need more people, at least tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands or millions of immigrants."
Zuo Sishen agreed. Nodding: "You are right. I have thought of this for a long time. In fact, the reason why I recruited you is that I hope you can help me consult on the demographic structure of immigrants, the gender ratio of men and women, and the requirements for various professional skills. The specific number."
"You don't want to get millions of souls directly from the earth and stuff them into clones, do you? It is recommended that you do not do this.
Because these souls from the earth are very likely to have conflicts due to reasons such as country, ethnicity, religious beliefs, historical hatred, etc., or even directly tear the entire society apart.
After all, you don’t have enough population base to assimilate them, and the result will only be chaos. "
Chris warned with a serious expression.
To be precise, this is also a challenge that many immigration countries have been facing.
"Don't worry, what you just mentioned This won't happen.
First of all, I will eliminate racial discrimination and religious fanatics during the selection stage, and only retain those who have received higher education or have certain professional skills and skills.
Secondly, their memories will be tampered with, and most of them will not know the truth throughout their lives. Instead, they will be affected by illusion magic and think that they are still alive and just playing an extremely real virtual game.
Finally, and most importantly, the clones prepared for these people are not limited to humans.
There will also be elves, dwarves, orcs, half-orcs, gnolls, kobolds, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, trolls and other creatures, as well as hybrids born from the union between them.
I will even delete the words and languages they originally mastered and re-instill a new language and writing system.
In this way, it is impossible for them to know who the other person is, which country and ethnicity they come from, and whether the color of their skin is white or dark.
I will only think that the other party is a so-called player like myself.
In this way, complex national, racial, religious and historical conflicts will evolve into the simplest conflicts of interest, which will be much simpler to deal with. ”
When he said these words, the corners of Zuo Si’s mouth rose slightly, revealing an enigmatic smile.
Obviously, the reason why he told these personally selected high-end talents the truth was Because the other party needs to form a team to assist him in conducting a series of research
As for the rest, let's just work hard on the promising job of "The Fourth Natural Disaster".
(End of this chapter)