'First I'd like to ask about those other humans. Where are they from? Are they related to my own race? If so, how?
'I can answer those questions for 500 tokens.'
He quirked an eyebrow. 'That seems low.'
She shrugged. 'You could get answers by simply leaving here and asking one of them—assuming they were willing to share. It isn't uncommon knowledge to any but your people. They come from another planet, one far from yours. Yours is in a dark area, lacking in spiritual energy and distant from Heaven. Theirs is, relatively speaking, much closer to Heaven. As are the vast majority of those enrolled in this latest Iteration of Heaven's Great Game.'
That prompted some more questions from him. 'How come they seem to be linked up? One group I encountered were speaking of returning to their Clan. They gave me the impression they were an organisation which existed before this Game, and now they have formed up. But my people were all split up when we came here. Why not them?'
'Information advantage. Your people had no knowledge of the Great Game and Heaven. Their planet was located closer to Heaven, within its Influence, and within the borders of Imperial holdings. They are part of a culture that is shared amongst much of the nearby universe. Thus, when they are were chosen to take part in the Great Game, they were ready. There are certain methods to influence spawning. For example, if an entire Sect were to accept their invitation to the Great Game while standing very close to one another, and at the same time, they would most likely spawn quite near to one another. Aware of the general setup, they would prioritise meeting one another. I imagine that is what they have been doing these past months.'
'Quite an advantage,' he reflected. 'Who and what are the Imperials?'
She took a moment to answer, sitting back, face distant. 'That is a very big question. It has a lot of answers. I can give you a basic overview cheaply, just a few thousand. More detailed knowledge is much more expensive.'
'An overview is fine.'
'The Imperial races are the most ancient sentient Cultivating races in the universe. They hold sway over Imperial Space, which clusters near to Heaven, where spiritual energy is strongest. They are both allies with one another, and enemies. Imperial Space is composed of many fiefdoms, each owned and controlled by a different Imperial Race and their leading Sovereign. Typically they compete with one another. When threatened by others, they work together.'
'The other race here are Imperials?'
She snorted. 'Not truly. They are a tiny subject race from some area within Imperial Space. They owe fealty to an Imperial Race. It is unlikely you will see any true Imperials for some time. Those they send to take part in the Game typically spawn deeper in, at stronger levels. Were an Imperial to spawn here, they would be hugely powerful compared to your people and these others, almost godlike.'
Nicolai nodded. He'd asked Kleos about all this, long ago, but the head's answers had been somewhat lacking. He was filling in the details now.
'And these Cultivators here, who are Imperial subjects, what if any is their relation to my race? They look just like us.'
'You are one and the same. You are human, they are also human. Slightly different due to changes over time, I suppose, but only in minor ways.'
Nicolai shook his head. 'How can that be possible? We evolved from a melting pot of different species native to our planet over billions of year. There is a great deal of evidence. We have bones. Did someone come and abduct a bunch of my people in the last few thousand years and spread them around the galaxy?'
She smirked. 'You have bones, do you?' She chuckled. 'I'm sure you do. No one came to abduct anyone, it's not that. But humans are common, and have been for a long, long time. Though becoming less common in more recent centuries, what with… popular opinion being what it is. As to why humans can be found in so many places, and how it is that you are largely identical despite apparently evolving through random chance… that information cannot be purchased.'
'Cannot be purchased?'
'Some information cannot be bought for mere Tokens.' She leaned forward. 'If you wish answers to questions like that, you'll have to provide something special in trade. Occasionally we have some jobs that need doing. Perhaps you could make yourself available… one day. At the moment you aren't strong enough.'
'Okay.' Nicolai shrugged, doing his best to move past the existential itch her words had generated in his mind. Becoming less common? Cannot be purchased? What's so funny?! We have the bones, you bitch! His eyes briefly widened as he felt the dark stirring, feeding into his momentary anger. It shocked him. He wasn't sure he could remember it trying to rise over something that was quite so minor. Something that, though strange and concerning, had no real bearing on his situation. This was the first time he'd felt the dark rise of its own accord in quite some time.
The Modules and the Mask helped him calm himself, and he pushed it back down after a moment. Because you are without the sword, put in the Mask, and he understood. The Angelic Blade kept him in easy balance, but he had left it in the cave. Now that it was gone, the dark was giving him a push, testing his barriers.
No matter. It the Blade was only a portal away. But that reminded him of the need to ask about the Dark. Not yet, not yet. That was one of the Dangerous Questions. It would have to wait until a little later.
'How much to learn about the Nightmare?' asked Nicolai, having gone through his mental list and settled on his next question. 'I'd like to know its entire layout and what I can expect from it, most especially the jungle area I'm currently in, and this Phantom City.'
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
'No more than 80,000 points, including additional related questions.'
'That works.'
'Nightmare is divided into several sections. The outer sections are the weakest, in terms of the beings living there and the opportunities available. These are where Players are generally being spawned as of now. As time passes, Players will begin spawning in more central sections, too.'
'You are currently in the outermost section, the Jungles. After that comes the Caverns, then there is the Endless Castles, Dead Cities, and Gaping Ruins, and finally the Gate. If you wish to leave this Level, Nightmare, you must reach the most central area, the Gate. But getting there is not easy. There are barriers between each area, and they are successively more difficult to pass through. If you want to know in detail about how to pass the barriers, I can sell you that for an additional price.' She waved a hand and the floating box on the right altered, displaying prices.
Red Barrier (Jungle to Caverns): 100,000
Blue Barrier (Caverns to Endless Castles, Dead Cities…): 500,000
White Barrier (Endless Castles, Dead Cities… to Gate): 1,000,000
'I'll take the first, Jungle to Caverns.'
'Would you like me to tell you here and now via voice, or provide you… to your people, it could be considered a data packet, only spiritual in nature.'
He raised his eyebrows. 'You seem to already understand how Earth tech works very well,' he observed, surprised. He hadn't told her any details about data packets. Had she, and presumably the other servants of this Guild, somehow already integrated and understood the information about Earth?
She smiled. 'It is our purpose, to learn and to understand. We are the information Guild.'
'Why do you call yourself "we"?'
'That will cost you 10,000 Tokens.'
Nicolai shrugged. 'Fine.' He was curious and rich.
'We are what you would call a hive mind. I am merely one part of a greater whole. Information is shared across all of us.'
He blinked at her, surprised, while within the Modules buzzed with excitement.
She's like us! cried Cyberwarfare.
Nicolai snorted. We're a composite, not a hive mind.
Still, it's similar, said Cyberwarfare. Maybe she has tips…
What's the difference? asked the Mask, curious.
A hive mind is governed by an overarching consciousness, which can overwrite any individual piece at a moment's notice, speaking through them, and acting as a unified whole. A composite mind is formed of numerous individuals which maintain their separate identities and agencies, answered Threat Analysis.
Hive minds were possible on Earth, in a way, but they were typically just copies. A lot of super AI's were actually formed from thousands of copies all running in parallel. This individual sounded like she was the more "sci-fi" type of hivemind. At least that was how Cyberwarfare, a fan of these things, referred to it. It was busy referencing some show it had watched once on stolen media, where there had been a race of aliens that infected individuals to make them a part of the hive mind, and how this was probably the same setup. There was a brief argument as Simulations declared she was probably just some piece of Heaven, and any "individuality" was just a front to reassure them.
Nicolai, also curious, and personally agreeing with Cyberwarfare, opted to see if he could find the answer to their debate. 'You mentioned earning commission, earlier. What's the point in that if you're a part of a hive mind? I would have thought each part of the mind to be the same as any other.
Her expression shifted, the politeness fading, her eyes glimmering. Nicolai reckoned this meant she was being more "herself" and less a voice of the hive mind. 'There's a kind of pecking order, and benefits.' She winked. 'With what you've shared, I'll be able to get something I've wanted for a while.'
He smiled back. 'I'm glad I could help.' From that, it sounded like she was in fact some kind of middle ground between a composite mind and a hive mind. While Cyberwarfare crowed with victory and Simulations sulked, Nicolai considered asking what it was that she wanted, but opted not to. She had been very helpful and seemed happy to keep on being helpful. He didn't want to accidentally offend her. Another question occurred, one that needed to be asked regardless of possible offence.
'Can you lie?'
'I'll tell you that for 1 Token. No. We do not lie. We are bound within Heaven, as Denizens within the Great Game. Thus we are bound by its strictest Rules. Please tell me the method by which you would like to receive your requested information regarding the barrier.'
He chewed his lip, considering. He wanted to hear about the barrier from her, right now, but he also wanted to ask a dozen other questions. He felt like a cat surrounded by a small army of mice, struggling to decide which to eat.
The barrier wouldn't be of immediate relevance, it was something to study later. 'I'll take the datapack.'
A small metal disc, similar to a coin but coloured electric blue, appeared on the table. She put a finger on it. 'This is a Memory Disc. It is a creation of our Guild. It may be used only a single time but allows for a smooth and rapid Soul-based integration of knowledge. Much easier to digest than a Memory Tome.' She slid it to one side of the table. 'Due to how they are designed this disc, and any others you purchase, will fit into the Big Mouth Symbiote you possess without issue, despite being spiritual in nature.'
'Why are there People here? I thought the People were all dead, killed by Heaven when it launched some kind of crusade on this world. I didn't anticipate a whole city full of People.'
She shrugged. 'Mostly. There are remnants here and there. As to this City, Heaven likes putting interesting things in the Great Game. Like a city full of ancient beings, still somehow existing and competing in the modern day. It is not wasteful, nor particular vengeful. It makes use of what it takes… thus my role.' Cyberwarfare wanted him to ask if an already hive-minded individual had vomited into her mouth to infect her and make her a part of this Heavenly hive mind, but Nicolai, along with Threat Analysis, did not consider that wise. After a moment she spoke again. 'Continuing on the subject of the Jungle, it is a very large area.' She waved and a new board of light appeared, showing a map.
Nicolai understood it immediately. It was a map of this world, and he drank it in hungrily. The map showed one gigantic continent, roughly circular. She flicked her fingers and a series of circles appeared, each a different colour, nested within each other.
The outermost circle, green in colour, was labelled Jungle. The next circle, similar in overall size, was blue and labelled Caverns. The next, which was a large sphere, was red and labelled Endless Castle. Finally, there was a yellow dot in the middle of the ocean of red labelled Gate.
'Would you like me to connect to your UI map and provide our Fill Out service? This will cause your map to populate and be filled in with what you see on the map above, no more empty space, though we cannot provide absolutely everything. Roughly 90% of the map will then be available for your viewing at anytime, and main landmarks will be noted. The cost is 150,000 Tokens.'
Nicolai smiled. 'I'll take it.' Immediately he felt his hand buzzing, and looking down saw his Mark had lit up, the golden shape shifting and squirming.
'The download should complete in a few minutes,' she told him. 'Once done, you'll have a better idea of how the world looks. Still, I can explain now so you have a full understanding.'
'Go ahead,' he said with a magnanimous wave, smiling lazily. After his endless struggles resulting from lack of info, this was all so easy he could hardly believe it. 'Tell me all the details.'
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.