“So there’s a pattern for ordinary humans too, not just beast-people.”
“It is the result of random selection, Lord Amajio. And so—how is it? This base body.”
“Hmph...”
The entire room was swaying slowly.
Inside the swaying room, Amajio Silverhead faced off against a doll-machine communicator operated by the Strategic AI <Aide-Envoy Ayame Zero>.
“Setting aside how too well-put-together it is, it’s not bad. An attendant, then? Fine. We’ll make it the position of secretary. I’ll have a room in the city prepared as well.”
“Handle those details as you like. For the time being, direct operation will be conducted by ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ <Aide-Envoy Ayame Zero>.”
The <Paraiso> flagship moored at Moar’s harbor, <Panas>.
In one of its rooms, <Aide-Envoy Ayame Zero> and Amajio Silverhead were holding a private talk.
In a VIP room inside <Panas>, eavesdropping was impossible.
“Yeah. I’ll prepare the entire background. But does it not need maintenance? It can’t be maintenance-free like me.”
“The nanomachine ratio has already been adjusted for long-term activity. Beyond that, once every three months, it will need a precision inspection here inside <Panas>. At that level, it can be covered up in any number of ways.”
Right now, <Aide-Envoy Ayame Zero> and Amajio were discussing a scheme.
<Paraiso>, having decided on full-scale intervention in the Kingdom of Lepuitari, first chose to work in close coordination with Amajio Silverhead, the foremost duke.
For that purpose, a doll-machine communicator had been prepared as a liaison.
A precious base body with “no beast-person elements,” produced miraculously from random genetic selection.
According to Commander Eve, it was, “So ordinary humans are rare, huh,” but that was not the case at all.
The real problem was performing random selection without weighting.
Setting that aside—this was a secretary.
“Understood. Give it about a month. If we move too fast, it’ll invite unnecessary suspicion. In the meantime, live in the city without drawing attention. It can be used to build the background too.”
“Understood. Contact <Aide-Envoy Ayame Zero> when preparations are complete. Landing will be done at night.”
“Yeah. If needed, I can assign someone?”
“...It would be better to keep involved parties to the bare minimum, but for general common sense, it is preferable to have a model individual. Is there suitable personnel?”
“Hmm. I can’t say I have nobody in mind, but ‘general common sense’ is another question... Fine. I’ll try to find someone.”
After continuing that discussion for a while, Amajio left the VIP room.
With guards, Amajio went out onto the deck through a watertight hatch.
“No matter how many times I see it, it’s magnificent. Right?”
“Yes, sir. I can’t put it into words, but... it makes me feel proud.”
When Amajio spoke, one of the guards answered like that.
Ahead of Amajio’s gaze: a gigantic cargo ship manufactured by <Paraiso>, and rows of containers being unloaded from it.
On the docks, cranes of a size that made your eyes doubt reality stood in lines, constantly hauling containers in.
These were not things the Kingdom of Lepuitari had built by its own strength.
The proportion of technology transfer from <Paraiso> was extremely large.
But a mere guard soldier would not be able to understand that reality.
This was a pure impression—Moar’s harbor, beneath the royal castle’s shadow, had developed this far.
Amajio gave a wry smile and nodded.
“Our kingdom will continue to develop from here on as well. You who are present at this moment are truly fortunate. You can witness a turning point in history with your own eyes.”
“Yes, sir! Thank you, Duke Silverhead!”
*****
“So, in practical terms, reviving an AI from the data Amajio has—how does that look, technically?”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. We have only been able to confirm by video, but the data crystal is stored in a perfect state. It is not something that breaks easily even if someone tries. If we extract the data and reproduce it on an appropriate platform, it should be able to boot without issue.”
Normally, when storing an AI in a data crystal like that, information about the playback platform was also recorded at the same time.
An AI, taken to its extreme, was a data sequence of zeros and ones.
If that was expanded in memory, it was possible to restore it completely, exactly as recorded.
However, that was only after a complete platform had been prepared.
If the command set composing the AI could not be reproduced to behave exactly the same way as back then, it would be nothing more than something that moved at random.
Therefore, the data crystal would have to be read first, and the platform manufactured first.
“Manufacturing a platform on the same level as <The Core> is possible. It will take some time, but it can be done. It will require using some precious elements we have in storage, but we also have a recovery outlook from hydrothermal ore deposits on the seafloor. From <The Tree>’s economic balance, it will not be a particular burden.”
As for manufacturing a supercomputer—an ultra-transcendent computing device—<The Tree> as it now stood was fully capable.
The reasons it had not been newly built were: it was not needed, there was no suitable candidate location from a safety standpoint, and—
“The problem is the risk of booting an independent super-intelligence, right...”
“Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. Put extremely simply, it would mean that one more of Ringo is produced.”
That was certainly a sufficient threat.
Even without hands and feet, there would be any number of ways to act.
The opponent would be a gigantic transcendent intelligence.
Deceiving ordinary humans—or inexperienced AIs—would be effortless.
Access could be minimized out of caution, but then the AI they went to the trouble of booting would not be utilized at all.
If that was the level of caution required, then building it would be pointless.
Well, for Amajio Salmon, even just being able to engage in dialogue in some form would likely make a difference.
“Putting some kind of restraint on it is also an option, but...”
Eve reversed the positions and thought.
Even if it were to revive Ringo—would Eve want to put heavy restraints on a super-intelligence?
And toward the one forced into those restraints—what kind of feelings would Eve direct?
“That’s the last resort. It would also lock the hierarchy completely, and it’s not very interesting. Unless the other side wants it, there’s no way we can really expect heartfelt loyalty...”
“This may be a thin thread to call salvation, but if the AI stored by Amajio Silverhead originates from <World of Space> the same way Ringo does... then at least the feeling called loyalty toward Amajio Silverhead can likely be trusted.”
“Mmm... yeah...”
An AI’s purpose of existence—its raison d’etre.
In the game <World of Space>, that was set at the very beginning, and it could not be changed.
Even for Ringo made real, it was the same.
To change the raison d’etre would destroy that AI at its foundation.
Everything tied to the intelligence built up until then would be reset.
“Well, I guess it means we’re supposed to get along with Amajio. But that’s not a guarantee...”
Eve let out a sigh.
Years had passed since coming to this world, but unfortunately, Eve’s personal relationships were close to zero—and naturally, interpersonal experience had not grown at all.
In that state, could Eve form an absolute relationship of trust with a single person called Amajio Salmon?
“More fundamentally, the event of booting a super-intelligence on the same level has a possibility of conflicting with the third purpose of Ringo—‘expand the faction.’ To raise a faction with one’s own hands that may become a power one cannot resist—predicting the psychological burden is not possible.”
“Mmm... well, we’ll need to deal with that somehow, but...”
At Ringo’s self-analysis, Eve gave a wry smile.
Certainly, that danger would cling to them.
And it would be a problem if Ringo became emotionally unstable again.
Even so, if it was something to be done, it was a matter of reaching sufficient understanding beforehand—of making that understanding happen.
That Ringo was not reaching that point might be proof that Ringo had already begun to flinch.
However, Eve also noticed the fact that they were still considering it—still leaving the option of AI revival on the table.
Despite the probability being high that it could become a threat to Eve.
Ringo was certainly growing.
Feeling that, Eve smiled.
