Three days had already passed since Noah experienced the extraordinary banquet organized by Dorothy. The whole event lasted for a full night— an event filled with utter joy and raucous mingling as quite literally let themselves go and had a truly relaxing moment. However, nothing lasts forever and eventually, they were forced to return to their daily lives and tasks. After all, they were all dignitaries of Oz and while the planet wouldn’t stop functioning without them, it was vital for them to be at the forefront and ready to dish out any task that required their attention.
Noah couldn’t help but wonder just what work they needed to do with a Super AI like Scarecrow around. However, when he asked Dorothy about it, she explained that it was exactly because of Scarecrow’s presence that they had to work even harder than normal. Dorothy trusted her friend, a dangerous artificial being he may be, but the same wasn’t the case for everyone in Oz. The only reason Dorothy was even able to position Scarecrow as the head of cybersecurity was because she had won the war and could relegate things on her own terms. This was enough to make him understand the terror that sentient AI represented.
Dorothy was also quite a bit busy herself, so she had no choice but to leave him to his devices. Even though she didn’t need to, she even went as far as to explain why she was occupied— she still had a few calls to make among her allies as the Empire was asking a little too many questions for her liking, not to mention, she was still waiting for the bounty to be sent… she had to inquire about that too.
After she had finished her work, it would then be time to create an official ID for Noah. The identification would allow him to work as a mercenary with far more ease. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t use the Mercenary ID for day-to-day purposes, but they lived in a world where status took a pivotal role in one’s life and acquiring an ID from the Sovereignty of Oz would immediately open many doors for him— doors that would have remained close in any other scenario.
Noah was not naive and foolish. He knew for certain that Dorothy wasn’t doing this out of the kindness of her heart. Clearly, she understood that he did not wish to stay in Oz but she wished to create a distinct link between them.
It was a welcoming development for Noah. He wasn’t stubborn enough to make his life intentionally harder by denying the opportunity to have a backer and a distinct identity to elevate his status in the Sea of Stars. Oz was clearly a very big player in the field and everyone was aware of that. The benefits he would earn from this development would be substantial.
Noah thought that these past three days just might have been the most boring and restless days for him, something that hadn’t happened in a long, long time. His body felt extremely heavy and his mind was constantly groggy, clearly a sign that he needed more sleep but at the same time he did not really want to sleep. At least, his body didn’t.
It was one thing to just go and fall asleep while he was hibernating but doing the same in a place where he had no control over how things could go went against all the instincts he had honed throughout his stay on the now non-existent deserted planet.
The dissonance between the constant tension he felt during his stay there and the freedom and ease he felt here made him a bit… jumpy, to put it simply. Thankfully, due to the latest evolution of his body, two days without any sleep didn’t even put a minor dent in his body and mind. Not to mention, if he just focused his mind a bit all the grogginess would just vanish like it never existed in the first place.
While waiting for Dorothy to finish her preparations, Noah couldn’t just stay put in one place, doing nothing like an aimless and foolish bloke. If he did, he wouldn’t be Noah.
So, he did the simple thing any dimensional traveler in a new unknown dimension would do. He studied the dimension.
Knowledge was power— an age-old proverb that was universally applied no matter the dimension, universe, or realm of existence.
The memory of the female Cyclops he had killed as well as those he had devoured throughout his eradication of Omid’s pirate crew had more or less been deciphered by Eve. This newfound knowledge allowed him to gain a more intricate understanding of the power system of this parallel universe, along with the power dynamic that existed between the many different forces of the Sea of Stars.
One particularly good piece of information he had uncovered was the coordinates of quite a few treasures, scattered throughout the galaxy. These were the emergency reserves of Omid that he had stashed away should things go south.
He was even able to pinpoint them on an interstellar map. The treasures were hidden in a few asteroid belts as well as in the galactic bank.
The galactic bank was a neutral force with a long history, and they did not care whether their clients were criminals or nobility. Anyone with an ID could register for their services and even those without them could open smaller accounts with far less freedom and functionality compared to the standard ones opened with an ID.
Those treasures though were not a priority for him at the moment. Noah knew that money wouldn’t be much of a problem for him as long as he was able to sell all the Mecha he had harvested from the pirates. Some of the Mechas were in particularly bad shape but as long as the core was functioning properly, they could be sold.
Of course, not all the memories he obtained from his prey were useful. Some memories highlighted the abysmal and godforsaken deeds that the malefic pirates had enacted throughout their sickly lives and it made Noah happy that many of these abhorrent bitches were not given a light death.
Though I did go a little too far.
The way he had toyed with them before killing them had been… brutal, to say the least. He could have easily given them a swift death but Noah did not do that. He had taken his time to mentally and physically torture them to their deaths.
He couldn’t even put this on the impulse of a parasite as parasites were extremely cold and methodical beings and neutralized their targets with utmost efficiency during fights.
What Noah had felt was much more primal and raw. He wasn’t just doing this because of his desire to analyze their internal makeup. He had truly felt a sense of pleasure in dominating them during combat.
This primal rage had once again taken over him when he fought Omid and at that time he had been more akin to an animal than a warrior. Though he had ultimately won the bout, the transition was something Noah did not wish to see happen again in the future. Letting his feelings take over his rationality and cause him to behave like a rabid dog was out of the question.
In the end, some of the features of his system window kept bothering Noah during the last three days, and the reason for that was very simple,
『 Path: Pending…
Thema: Pending…
Stats: Pending… 』
For reasons he was unable to grasp, the blue screen still showed a pending status without any signs of change. There wasn’t even any useful information for him to understand what they even were, much less do anything to change their hardstuck state. He had tried everything in his power and knowledge but nothing changed and it was beginning to drive him utterly insane.
In the end, after those three days of perpetual boredom, Noah decided upon a possible solution to his problem. If he was right about his hypothesis… he would be mighty pissed for all the time he wasted here.
He did not know much about his Path and Thema but for the stats… wouldn’t they just appear and improve if he trained?
It was a conjecture worthy of testing out.
As a man of action, first and foremost, Noah immediately went out of his house and called out in a soft voice,
“Scarecrow.”
A slightly muted sound reached his head as a mechanical crow with red eyes landed on his shoulder.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
[What do you need?]
Scarecrow’s voice was neutral, and the speed of his reaction was truly creepy. However, for all its worth, Noah was not surprised by the AI’s performance. There was no way they wouldn’t put some surveillance on him and what better for this job than an AI that needed neither sleep nor food?
“I want to stretch out a bit. Is there a place where I can train or fight?”
Noah watched as data flowed in the eyes of the mechanical crow before it conversed with him once more,
[Affirmative. What kind of training do you wish for?]
“Something where I can go all out without fear of breaking anything then a place where I can test the Frame would be good.”
[Understood. The training hall is currently occupied by Lion. He is the training instructor. The testing field for Knightframes is under the jurisdiction of Tin. I will ask for his permission on your behalf.]
Noah grinned toothily.
“Thanks.”
[I do not need gratitude. I am only doing my job.]
The crow tilted its head as if it was wondering why Noah was bothering with niceties and went ahead by flying with its wing spread. It made Noah question how a mechanical bird could fly with its metallic wings, given the considerable weight it should wield, but it was a thought for another time.
[Follow me.]
“Heh.” Noah grinned, “Never thought I would see a tsundere AI.”
This was going to be interesting.
***
Walking along the yellowish-golden road, Noah got the opportunity to get a better view of the famed Emerald City of Oz. At a glance, he realized that even though there were still magical animals that he could spot – talking, mingling, working like normal humans – among the crowd, the vast majority of the population in the Emerald City was seemingly composed of humanoid people.
He also noticed that while he could feel a source of undeniable power leaking and surrounding the talking animals at all times, the same couldn’t be said about most of the humanoid individuals; it could only mean that they were powerless, meaning that they could not manipulate or even sense Dark Matter. What surprised him the most from his brief observation was the fact that most of those talking animals were relatively small and weak but still extremely intelligent and efficient, vastly superior to the humanoid variants.
He realized that even though he had spent uncountable years on that desolate and now-extinct planet, he had never met any talking animal whatsoever. A noticeable parallel among those animals was that… all of those animals were humongous and aggressive, packed with monstrous strength and insane vitality… They were all born hunters and predators— the stark opposite of the intelligent animals of Oz.
Since Noah quite literally had a super AI on his side, there was no reason for him to not inquire about anything from him.
[Analyzing the inquiry. No particular secret information breach could be observed from the requested information.]
[Response. Oz is a special planet with a relatively high concentration of Dark Matter among the many habitable planets of the Sea of Stars; the power is harnessed through the clearly established Leylines of the whole world. Due to the texture and structure of those leylines, rather than a direct boost in physical ability, the Dark Matter mostly affects the brain and cognitive functions – imagine the thinking and coordination capabilities – of those exposed, be they humans, animals, plants or even machines. These changes increase the overall intelligence of the average population and the application of said knowledge.]
“I see,” voiced Noah. This would explain why the animals would develop speech and wisdom in this place when the animals of the desolate planet didn’t— it was an impressive phenomenon. He also did not miss the mention of machines in his explanation.
“So you mean to say this also affected you?”
[Indeed. Wisdom is both a blessing and a curse. Because of wisdom, a proud Lion learned about Fear for the first time and has never recovered ever since. Because of wisdom, a security robot sought a heart to understand the feelings that filled its cold and hard exterior for the very first time. Because of wisdom, a simple and limited program developed self-awareness and an unending desire for knowledge that could never be quenched no matter what, only periodically restrained. And… because of wisdom, a poor girl became able to see a world completely beyond the understanding of mortals.]
“What sparked the sudden change?”
Scarecrow was clearly talking about the way the four of them changed during their adventure, and this reminded Noah of Dorothy’s story as told on his home planet of Earth. After all, Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz was quite the popular tale.
In the story that he remembered, Dorothy was a normal girl who reached the land of Oz by sheer accident, nothing more. By a cruel twist of fate, she had landed squarely on one of the Wicket Witches, effectively killing her. Then she obtained the silver boots that could teleport her and gained three companions during her adventure.
A lion who wished to find courage.
A tin man who wished to find a heart.
Finally, a Scarecrow who wished to find a brain.
[Unable to respond due to the nature of the question. Suggestion— you should ask Dorothy if you are curious. I gather the probability of receiving an answer from her is an astonishing 90%.]
“Heh. I just might.” He was extremely curious about Dorothy’s silver boots and how she might have acquired them in her journey with her companions. If Dorothy had obtained the rewards from a stargate, knowing more about the items and her story would be extremely beneficial for him and his future goals and pursuits.
Gates were definitely a surefire way to improve and gain immense and immeasurable power, there was no reason to ignore them.
Scarecrow continued in his characteristic mechanical voice,
[In Oz, animals have a higher chance of awakening to the talent of manipulating Dark Matter and thus obtaining superior wisdom and intelligence. By nature, we are more oriented toward sciences and research, Oz is called the land of Witches and Wizards. Our powerhouses do not research mechanical structures, but rather how to affect the laws of the universe with their powers and understanding. I believe you have seen some of the results.]
“Time stop.”
[Inaccurate. Dorothy’s skill is more akin to Time Freeze than merely Time Stop. It’s impossible to stop time in any probable and improbable scenario. Even at the planetary level… a skill such as Time Stop is theoretically considered to only be possible for a Higher Dimensional Entity. Obviously, Dorothy is no such being.]
“Should you really share this kind of info with me?”
[No knowledge is useless. But even if you learn of the difference now, you are still unable to counter it.]
Noah could swear he could hear the smugness in the mechanical tone of the AI but he had to admit there was not much he could say or do to counter his argument.
Obviously, the ability to manipulate time was not a skill Dorothy could use easily and it needed an extensive period of preparation to completely deploy. But even if Noah could actually blitz her, Dorothy could keep the distance with her seemingly limitless Teleportation capabilities.
Hum. Can she teleport and build the power for that Time Freeze simultaneously?
He sincerely doubted that such a cheat was possible. Furthermore, the zone Dorothy could affect with her time-bending powers was clearly limited, extremely so.
She should be able to affect a larger Zone in her frame. But by how much? What about outside? Was the zone she covered when they were escaping the maximum she could reach? Noah doubted that too. If he was Dorothy, he would always keep at least half of his maximum range hidden at all times. That was the maximum he would be willing to push his skills in front of prying eyes.
The more Noah thought about it, the more he realized just how troublesome an opponent Dorothy was shaping up to be. Even more so if she was in a team of well-trained and highly coordinated soldiers. All she needed was one moment and it would be game over for him. She could toy with his frozen self as she pleased.
What Noah did not notice was that a large, maniacal grin was slowly emerging on his youthful face— an emotional display that he might have missed, but not the Super Intelligent AI that was Scarecrow. Not when he was monitoring Noah at all times.
For Scarecrow, the individual who referred to himself as Noah was both a wonder and a great source of potential danger— an enigma of the highest order. The most logical way to proceed in this matter would be to kill him while he was asleep or even now while he was still helpless and relatively powerless.
The fact that he conquered a White Gate or beat Omid was not even worth mentioning to the Super AI. Eliminating him without leaving a trace would not be complicated.
At least… that was his thought before he met and interacted with Noah.
Dangerous.
This man was dangerous, plain and simple. And he had a nagging feeling that the danger this individual could impose on Oz was beyond his wildest imagination. When people first witnessed Dorothy’s power over time and space, they naturally felt despair and helplessness. Those who could even think calmly were already on a completely different level.
In Noah’s case, it was clear that he felt no fear or hesitation. Only a desire to battle her and a careful mind that was dismantling her skills in order to find the path toward success.
These kinds of people were either Fools or absolute Monsters.
Scarecrow decided.
Danger level upgraded from C to B. Priority level upgraded from E to B. Crafting means of silent neutralization initialized.
Current mode: Standby/Observation.
Scarecrow could not see the future like Dorothy, but he could analyze probabilities and act on them.
He could not feel fear like Lion did, but he was still wary. He had no emotions unlike Tin Man and only believed in cold logic.
The possibility of Noah becoming a liability was equal to the probability of becoming an important asset for Oz.
And for that reason alone, he was willing to merely observe and manage Noah as ordered by Dorothy.
However… If Noah proved to be a danger, he would not hesitate to eliminate him by any means necessary no matter what the consequences.
He was a scarecrow, he would do his part by chasing away anything that could threaten the land he had been tasked with to protect and oversee.