Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.27]
“And if I contract you to solve certain problems as a payment?” he asked with hope.
That… is not a safe path... It would put your life in serious danger.
So you are not against it? Zeph thought snarkily. “I have my backup,” he said confidently, thinking about the Guild and his friends. Aisha, at the very least, deserved to be called his friend after all that happened, which was a reassuring thought. And he wasn’t calling people his friends lightly, not at all.
We can prolong your access period in exchange for favors. It will never become truly permanent, and you will have to visit our [Shrine] to report back. [Deep memory scan] will be required each time you report back.
“Hey, hey, hey! I know well that my memories can be used to pay for Skill donations and other things. Especially because you have paid me over 18 million UP for them during my first scan. Aren’t you scamming me, again?”
Again with the Earthling mindset? Any additional knowledge will be evaluated and paid for, of course.
“Did I just hear a condescending undertone? No. Sorry, but it won’t be possible,” he said with conviction, shaking his head. “Even if you are able to evaluate my memories properly, I would rather have my privacy. Some data is better left for future dealings.”
As Zeph progressed in his experimentation, applying his knowledge to the physicality on Corora, he was becoming more possessive of his ideas. Setting aside his prideful and stubborn attitude caused by the acting-up Will, it was probably his deepest desire – to be able to invent freely and to advance on his own in peace. Having his thought process revealed and monitored regularly sounded like anathema to those values, and a bad idea overall. Also, it oozed with strong ‘Dark Imperium’ vibes.
He didn’t have full faith in the System, and that probably would not change in the future. Their blunders aside, Zeph knew they were always looking at the bigger picture, their mindset closer to that of a ruler. And it was a picture where he was but a speck of dust on the canvas. The war with the Nether spammed over entire worlds, presumably. Humans weren’t the only species with intelligence or rare Traits. It was only a logical conclusion that the times may come when sacrifices would have to be made. Times, when not even his good standing with the Gods nor his usefulness would be enough to save him. He needed to look after himself first and foremost, to secure his own future, but it would be that much more difficult if his every thought was exposed and recorded, readily accessible in the Soul memory bank of the System.
Besides, he didn’t want to depend on the System too much, as strange as that sounded taking into account their role in this world. But the System was using Mana primarily, while he was a being compatible with at least one other ‘energy’ type, namely the Prana. That ability was his trump card, and he won’t be parting so easily with the advantages it had the potential to generate. Any experimentation and data related to other ‘energy’ types were sure to be extremely valuable for the System, and any techniques he would develop would be his and his alone – beyond the System’s ability to intervene, control, or upgrade. At least until they would pay him enough for the knowledge and tried to adapt them. Not having his mind scanned periodically would also limit the scope of manipulation the System could exert on him. Exposing all of his desires was asking for trouble.
But that was not all. If he managed to travel beyond ‘System-infected’ worlds—as Jorge liked to call them—he would have to do without direct help from the System. It was better to learn how to do that early on, even if all of his upgrades not related to the connection with the System should work on any world, especially if there was Mana.
Of course, he couldn’t be sure the System didn’t have underhanded methods for getting the information out of his memory, but they should know well that he would break any ties with them after finding out about it.
It’s not like they would have problems with forcing the information out of me, he thought, reminiscing on the worst-case scenario he had come up with. But I don’t really understand the principles on which they operate, nor the current power balance they are a part of. It may as well be impossible for them to force me without losing too much…
He wasn’t going to put his guard down. Especially when dealing with ‘Gods’. There was too much to lose.
Without periodical memory scans, this arrangement isn’t workable.
Indeed, he admitted, nodding. We want the same thing from each other. An assurance. It’s almost time for plan B. But first, I have some questions…
“Why don’t we play it differently, then? Don’t you have commissions that don’t require the ‘deep memory scan’? I can accompany someone who will be scanned or something. Why do you even need those Soul memories?”
It’s
The value of your assistance isn’t enough to meaningfully increase your access to the esoteric entries at the [Exchange].
As if. Aisha doesn’t seem to be doing them regularly, and I am sure she has a deal with you, he thought in irritation. “You are sure our Soul and Will expertise aren’t worth much?”
Not if we won’t be able to assess the data directly. A mistake on your part can cause a lot of problems. We will need to make sure.
Bullshit! I call bullshit! “I have a feeling you are not exactly honest with me. Are you trying to say that you don’t have missions of the ‘needs to be done’ kind, instead of the ‘seeing through your eyes’ type? Also, if you forgot, I have learned how to send Soul memories. I can do so even through the current connection, in fact.”
You can WHA———[Error]… Recalculating… Finished.
[Tabu] [T1][L52] confirmed.
[Interface] [T1][L37] confirmed.
Scanning… no visible changes in the [Soul]…
Oho, did I just hit the bull’s eye?
Let’s assume you didn’t confuse the terminology. We are opening a [Bandwidth]. Try sending/sharing the last [Earth’s minute] of our discussion.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Very clever.” He shook his head at the audacity. “I will send you a minute from my ride here.”
The System didn’t comment in any way, partially confirming that they were trying to extort information.
It took a while to concentrate on his Memory PE to recall a complete minute of travel, and then locate the parts of his Soul that recorded it. It was an intuitional process for him, especially at the beginning, but the longer he exercised, the more he learned about the inner workings of the method. In the past, he was surprised the System didn’t give him a Skill for it, despite rewarding him randomly with something as obscure as ‘Will manipulation’, but it seemed that they didn’t know about this functionality of his Soul-bond.
After forming the Soul memory the best he could, he allowed the information to flow through the pseudo-bond.
Immediately, he felt a strain on his Will as it depleted; something that wasn’t happening when speaking with Gru. At least, not at that scale. He bared his teeth and continued, fighting against an invisible obstacle.
The little bugger also uses Will contamination after he stole it from me, so that’s probably the reason... Ah, yes… he recalled a small detail from that accident, months ago. My ‘Will manipulation’ had to do with our communication all along. The Skill stopped raising from our communications alone after it reached level 50, but… He had forgotten about it. It was also around that time when he learned to share Soul memories with Gru without triggering the Interface and Tabu Skills, but he couldn’t recall that clearly. It happened when he deliriously waddled through the caves infested by Myconids, after all. I feel like it happened years ago, instead of months…
Finally, the last part of the memory was ‘pushed’—for lack of a better word—through the pseudo-bond. He sighed with relief, falling back on the couch. The statistical summary of his Will was absent still, but he knew the System would have informed him if he depleted his Will too much. This meant the fatigue he felt was mostly just a mental strain, something he hadn’t encountered yet when sharing his Soul memories.
[Transfer] finalized. Closing the [Bandwidth].
Calculating…
…
Zeph waited for a minute before his patience run out. “You finished yet?”
We are sorry, but this… Well, it definitely can be classified as a [Soul memory]. But the method…
“It seems to me that unknowingly I have given you another piece of information…” he trailed off, smiling greedily.
Let us finish [Calculating] first, would you?
But for your convenience: it was neither a [Sharing] nor [Transferring]. It depends purely on [Will] usage, a new method. [Simulation] results aren’t ready, but we suspect the connection between two individuals with [Will, type: H1] [Soul contamination] is naturally shielded. As so, it escaped our detection systems.
Zeph looked at the notification incredulously. “Are you telling me that all this time, not only we were doing it wrong, but we ‘invented’,” he made quotation marks with his fingers, “a new Skill? And you didn’t notice?!”
In our defense – we suggested the [Advanced scan] long before you learned how to do it.
Calculations finished.
The results are satisfactory. We can work with that method if you agree to send a full memory of the mission. The records from diminished [Shrine Seed] can work as a timeline reference.
That was good news, but one thing bothered Zeph quite a bit. “Where is my new Skill, tho?” he asked curiously, looking around in search of the missing notification as if it was trying to hide from him.
Well… we cannot see the process, so…
Huh? “You can’t create one even now?!” he asked incredulously.
…We need to know which part of your Soul recorded the act. If we aren’t aware of the process when it happens, the only other option is [Deep memory scan].
The value of the above information will be deducted from the reward of bringing this new knowledge to us. To evaluate it properly, we will wait for after the [Advanced scan] as it will be focused on your [Soul-bond]. It should be enough even without the [Deep memory scan].
Stingy as always… he thought, disgruntled. “Ye ye. I would be happy to have another million UP, or something,” he said, theatrically raising his arms to his sides and shrugging. “But knowing you, you will just give me more random info to cut off my points short, am I right?”
There was no answer, except for a confusing, barely perceivable emotion behind the pseudo-bond. It was so weak that Zeph wasn’t even sure if it wasn’t just his imagination but took it as a signal to push forward. “Instead of giving me the reward, why don’t you share openly more important information when I specifically ask for it? And balance out our standing a little for negotiation purposes? For example, by taking away things like that pesky compensation for the changes in your Emergency Protocols. Anyway, you still didn’t tell me if you have any ‘commissions’ not requiring the deep memory scan.”
Agreed.
Jobs like that exist. But at this point, it will be a waste of time for you.
Now I feel offended! “Why are you still dodging the topic?”
“Gre!” his companion spit to the side.
“Yes, they are doing us as they like.”
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… You are aware that we have never lied to you?
“It’s helping a hell in your case. I can respect that you have some principles—even if they are only an effect of the reality enforcing your life choices—but they only emphasize your slimy nature. Anyway, I can do both types of missions. But there may be cases where I won’t show you a full memory.”
You know how suspicious that sounds, right?
I have a feeling you are not exactly honest with us.
The mirth in the message was almost palpable.
Zeph’s face scrunched. Having his own words thrown back at him stung slightly. “I do it for my benefit, something you should understand well enough. I am not going to jeopardize your goals, as long as I know what they are. But some details will stay with me.” He crossed his arms.
Even then, that will limit possible commissions. It may not be enough to prolong your access indefinitely, even if you work full-time with us.
In the first place, two contracted people doing one job contradicts their usefulness. One for each site is enough for most situations. You cannot expect us to double our spending only to be allowed to [Deep scan] one participant.
“Oh, so you did take into account the possibility of indefinite prolonging?” Zeph said, shaking his head in disapproval. Even as he did so, he analyzed his position. The negotiations weren’t going as badly as he had expected they would. The main problem with the System doing a deep scan was resolved, so the only thing left for consideration was his future advancements in non-Mana fields of study. “Before we continue, I need more information. You have ways to monitor what everyone possessing Interface are doing,” he stated. “Case in point, the raising levels of all Skills after we prove our proficiency in action or test our crafts. But what I don’t know is how much can you see… I mean, are you seeing and monitoring our body and Mana flow at all times in detail, and leave your ‘automation’ to decide on that alone? Or are you using the memories in our Souls you have access to? Or read our ‘surface thoughts’? Can you see our surroundings?”
No, no. There is no such thing as ‘surface thoughts’.
Zeph squinted his eyes. “I am quite sure you have reacted pretty on-point to my thoughts in the past… Like at the time I wanted your notification to shut up, for example.”
It’s called ‘reading the mood’, my child. We believe every intelligent species can use this wonderful ability, and think you should strive to learn to use it too.
Like we have told you at the very beginning, we do not possess any means for immediate, noninvasive, harmless [Mindreading].
To be more specific (you.are.welcome), we can only estimate what you are thinking about by observing your brain activity, bodily signs, and [Soul] reactions. They can be quite telltale, but it’s not even close to [Mindreading]. The resolution of the observables depends on the resources available, and the quality of estimation depends on the computational power available.
The former depends on the Soul resources of the individual, what resources we had allocated, and the proximity to other [Users]. The latter isn’t much until we intervene directly.
The scope of our ability to perceive physicality and an individual’s surroundings is
Ah, yes~ Finally some answers! Hmmm… I almost forgot that first talk of ours. So, no casual mindreading, huh? The memory scan after our talk in the ‘mental space’ was easily perceivable, let’s hope other forced methods are as well, for my sanity cause. As for the other thing... The resolution depends on proximity to others? Heh, look at that. My old half-joke, half-theory of us being just computing units in their global network is becoming more plausible day by day… He smiled wryly, returning to the discussion at hand.
“So… Let us be clear,”—you stingy bastard—“To summarize all you have said – you don’t want to use a method of restricting knowledge sharing and donations because it’s a high-maintenance, costly business that is impossible to automate? And you need those Soul memories because you can’t see what’s happening good enough?”
In short, yes.
Before judging us, you should think about the global scale. How many people would want this special treatment to expand their [Exchange] access, you think? We are no God of Law nor God of Trade. You are a rare exception to even hear from us directly, not to mention negotiating those terms…
“Okay, okay, I get it…” he said, sympathizing slightly with their unwillingness to take such attentive care of so many people. “No exception for only me?” he asked, making big, puppy eyes.
Not earned. Far from it.
Tch. I have no choice, it seems. Engage Plan B! He sighed dramatically. “Then, just throw all my entries to Gru after I lose access to them,” he said indifferently. “It should at least give us some safeguard…”
That will change nothing. Is your [Brain] malfunctioning? Should we check it too?
Zeph snorted. “Check your own protocols first, jerk. Gru can’t send a proper Soul memory to anyone besides me, and he can’t speak. I think this situation won’t change in the near future, at least until he bonds with someone else or gains a new body. And he doesn’t have enough intelligence to explain how even the easiest machine works.”
“Greaau!” Gru vibrated pitifully, hurt by the comment.
You are not helping! Zeph sent before explaining further. “Whatever the future holds for him, you can easily limit his ability to share knowledge down to nothingness. That way, he should be able to share the entries only with me, right? We won’t be able to donate anything if you leave him officially attached only to me, which I am sure you are already doing. The chances of him re-inventing anything are also close to zero. And, let’s be honest, even if that happens, ‘negotiating’ with him will bring you not only pleasure but more data about his race. I will do periodic missions for you. We can break the agreement the moment I stop doing them.”
…
Why do we have a feeling it’s a horrible set-up?
Not seeing a direct refusal, Zeph smiled impishly. “A deal, then?”
Yes. One full mission per year and at least two less important tasks. The more you do before surpassing the access threshold, the longer you will have direct access.
Reminder: the moment you lose your access, you will gain official [Affiliation].
“Great!” He clapped his hands happily. “But don’t forget to inform me before limiting my Exchange entries.”
Very well. We will send information when a risk of losing [Modules] arises.
Zeph nodded in satisfaction. He still had a lot of questions, but they could wait for now.
“I think I should scan the Exchange before we will continue the discussion. I don’t have all day, so let’s finish my main reasons for visiting you today.”
As you wish.
Biological Upgrades Genetic Upgrades Biological Implants Mechanical Implants
He immediately started to use the advanced search function. He was glad that he decided to pay for permanent access to the functionality from the start. Especially because its price was 23 000 UP higher right now, for some reason. Those 150 000 UP were slowly paying back.
After filling out the lengthy survey, he configured the search to show a comparison between standard upgrades and the ones strengthened by the new materials produced by Ghrughah. He also asked the System to help with searching results a little – mainly to summarize the less important entries that didn’t show up.
To his surprise, there was one implant rivaling the efficiency of the Fullerene version, and one implant using both the Fullerene and Obsidian at the same time. After trimming the list a little, he was left with two best implants in their material category, too.
Because the UP cost of modified implants was dependent on the materials and pre-implementation body modifications he already had, he decided they weren’t essential for the summary. If he did well enough on those two fronts, the UP price should be similar to their ‘standard’ option or lower, and he definitely had enough UP for at least one implant of this class.
STANDARD
Planaria Ferrium Fullerene
Ferrum Obsidian
Type: eye implant.
Specification: wavelength spectrum.
Details: UV, infrared, night vision.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 2.02%.
Cost: 350 000 UP.
Type: retina/neural implant.
Specification: wavelength spectrum.
Details: Photonic Spell compatibility, light sensibility 10%-1000% [modifiable].
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 4.11%.
Type: cornea implant.
Specification: wavelength spectrum.
Details: Photonic Spell compatibility, zoom 0.01-400, retina shielding.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 1.92%.
Type: bone strengthening [Mechanical implant].
Specification: robustness increase (x1.67).
Details: wolfram alloy framework compatible with [Mammalia] bone structure.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 18.37%.
Cost: 1 050 000 UP.
Type: bone strengthening [Mechanical implant].
Specification: robustness increase (x5.02).
Details: MIXED implant. [PFF] plating and [FO] structural modification.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 20.57%.
Type: bone strengthening [Mechanical implant].
Specification: robustness increase (x5.02).
Details: MIXED implant. [PFF] plating and [FO] structural modification.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 20.57%.
Type: neural [Biological] implant.
Specification: shielding (+24%); regeneration (+0.4%); functionality (+158%).
Details: carbon-based add-on.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 9.51%.
Cost: 1 960 000 UP.
Type: Neural [Mechanical] implant.
Specification: shielding (+136%); regeneration (+29.8%); functionality (+492%).
Details: Carbon/Iron-based add-on. [Willforce Morphon] compatibility detected!
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 9.95%.
NONE
Type: skin/hair replacement. [Mechanical] implant.
Specification: natural armor (Mana +92%; physical +292%).
Details: Titanium-based covering.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 36.21%.
Cost: 985 000 UP.
NONE
Type: skin/hair replacement. [Mechanical] implant.
Specification: natural armor (Mana +1598%; physical +368%).
Details: strands of the material implemented into natural keratin chains.
Maximal resulting Body-related contamination: 31.19%.
The rest of the results of the search were mediocre. Except for some very specific, much weaker, or problematic applications, like fat cells microstructural modification or changing his body hair for scales, nothing was standing out. He checked the list of the ‘Biological Upgrades’ and the two categories of ‘Implants’ a few times, but he quickly learned why most of them were excluded from the search results.
In the survey, he mentioned specifically that he wanted them to be compatible with either energy types other than the Mana, or not be impaired by the lack of Ambient Mana. Those two restrictions shortened the list to a dozen entries.
The full catalog was so big that he started to doubt his life choices. A mutagen prolonging human’s lifespan to around half a millennium (before adding the Regeneration effects) was available for ‘cheap’. Sensory replacement, of a mechanical kind, could easily increase the sensitivity of his senses by an order of magnitude at least. The list was long.
He stopped himself before falling into this traphole, though. Implants meant Soul contamination. It was a guaranteed side effect. Mutagens were even worse, able to change his racial Traits. He had much more options than the locals, if he were to choose poorly, he would break his ‘build’ entirely.
Also, looking at the UP costs, he knew that his limited budget didn’t amount to much. Two million points was a drop in the ocean of his needs – two serious implants were all he could do for now. Maybe a few cheap, supplementary ones, too, but nothing that extravagant. Supposedly, his UP balance should skyrocket after level 100, but he was a long way away from that.
He shook his head and decided to use the best assistant available on the whole Corora.
“Sir System Onji, I have a question.”
Oh, now we are a ‘sir’?
“Which of those options are optimal for me?” he asked innocently.
… Optimal… Are you asking seriously?
“Indeed,” he nodded vehemently, knowing he already had them. The OCPD was strong within the System, after all.
Well, if you insist... If we take into account your situation, affinities, past problems, material properties, production possibilities…
And so, he provoked the creation of the longest notification he was ever to read. All of it supplemented by vast statistical data and free research references.
All of it as complete as it was exhaustive.
The notification ‘window’ bloated in his field of view until it took it all and could grow no more.
The System was unresponsive, lost in its own world as it was overflowing the pseudo-bond with a one-directional information stream and giddy emotions.
As the text started to scroll down, faster than he could hope to read, Zeph made the only reasonable decision. He started copying everything directly into his Notebook.
Bless you, Library Goddess!