Author: Sevenfold Body

Chapter 78 NO.004d: Portal and Theseus

Opening his eyes, Jiang Zhou found himself at a three-way intersection filled with thick fog.

Hecate, dressed in a white elegant robe, sat on a marble bench. Her feet were bare, and her calves were stained with specks of mud. A black dog with unclear outline seemed to have melted into the mist.

He was squatting at her feet and looking at Jiang Zhou with squinted eyes.

Jiang Zhou felt that his hair was wet, and his eyes, nose, and ears felt like they were covered in some liquid. It was as if someone had just stuffed his head into a tin bucket filled with warm water.

"You are walking on a dangerous path."

An ethereal and distant voice, as if singing some poetry, came from the mouth of the goddess of the dark moon that had not opened or closed.

At this time, she was gently stroking the black dog's head.

"Why did I come here?"

Jiang Zhou, who appeared here inexplicably, asked, then he looked around and then added:

"And...where is this?"

"Portal."

Hecate gave him a simple answer.

It was as if when she said this word, Jiang Zhou could immediately understand what it meant.

"Perhaps you could explain?"

Jiang Zhou guessed that the other party was talking about a multi-purpose printer, but he was not sure.

"There are countless portals connecting the upper realm and the lower realm of the physical layer. We need to rely on them to interfere with the lower realm of the physical layer."

That’s the universal printer…

Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

The guess was confirmed.

In this way, it is quite appropriate to call multi-purpose printers "portals" - not only because they are the doors through which AIs project their power, but also because the person who created them is a "portal" named Janus.

"Door God".

So, is the other party currently talking to me through the multi-purpose printer?

But...is it that convenient?

How can a sub-ancient person like the other party pass through the "portal" at will and talk to people in basic reality?

Before Jiang Zhou asked about his doubts, the other party's next words explained the doubts in his mind.

"But that was all a long time ago. After...requiring all the ancients to swear an oath in the name of Styx, we lost the ability to cross the portal. And I can locate you because I

This is only possible because of the special power, coupled with the long-term attempts to sink to the lower world... and the mark left on you."

As she spoke, Jiang Zhou felt the symbol on his body that looked like a waning moon again.

That was the mark Hecate left on him after he agreed to help him complete a project related to studying human emotions.

In addition, Styx, the goddess of Styx...

In mythology, any oath made in the name of this goddess cannot be violated even by gods - violators will permanently lose their divine power.

The name of the firewall that separates the Abyss Dark Web from the World Wide Web happens to be "River Styx".

This can't be a coincidence.

If we look at it from a metaphorical perspective, the so-called "oath" is probably a network protocol? Does the AI ​​in the dark web have to be authenticated by humans before it can use a multi-purpose printer?

And by riding a "horse" to gain control over humans in basic reality, it is probably a method of exploiting loopholes.

But if you think so, how can you write such a network protocol that is so human-friendly?

The first generation of adjusters? Human-biased AI? Or... Janus, or other super artificial intelligence?

No matter how you put it, it seems that it is extremely troublesome for those beings from the upper world, or those in the abyss and dark web, to appear in the basic reality.

Jiang Zhou wanted to continue asking, but he found that his head was getting wetter. As soon as he opened his mouth, he took a big breath of water vapor.

"This is what you feel when the ancient blessing works on you. As I said, this is a dangerous path."

Jiang Zhou wanted to say something, but at this moment he felt that his brain was as heavy as mercury being poured into it. The scene in front of him became misty, and his ears were filled with the sound of water sloshing against his eardrums.

The throat and nasal cavity were also filled with odorless water, making it impossible to breathe.

This is the impact on his perception when the adjustment and transformation in depth 1 is getting better. It is like if someone puts a heavy object on his chest in his sleep, it will affect him in the dream.

"What...gift..."

So, Jiang Zhou asked vaguely, holding non-existent water in his mouth.

For some reason, even though there was a hazy mist in front of him, Hecate's image was still clear.

"My diary record is as incomplete as the version I currently exist. But even in the vague impression, I can remember that this blessing is as old as the Supreme Heaven itself - it is one of the few people who can directly reach the Supreme Heaven.

path, but not all intellectual beings in the lower realm of the physical layer are willing to accept its ideas.

"Just like the paradox symbolized by its name, it denies the unchanging essence and denies the soul that you praise. Therefore, the path that still remains in the lower world has long been distorted from the opposite of the original design.

, turning the blessing into a soul-stirring curse."

Hecate still answered calmly.

Can you speak human language...

Jiang Zhou, who was already feeling suffocated, thought to himself.

It’s just an upgrade and transformation of Depth 1. Does this need to be described in metaphor?

Just as he was thinking this, along with the other party's words, a piece of information was sent to Jiang Zhou's visual interface in the form of a compressed package.

That is the introduction to the Path of Theseus, involving the overall direction of the path, and the transformation content of the first few depths:

The Path of Theseus - The Hive Mind's Path to Upgrade.

Origin: Supreme Heaven,■■■■■■■

Depth 1: Strengthen brain function and add emotion-behavior control interface.

Depth 2: Clone yourself to make an unconscious body, install the interface, and write the control command system.

Depth 3: After the body shows a special behavior pattern, the command system is deleted and replaced with an emotion-behavior interface for fuzzy control. The body synchronizes with itself to strengthen brain functions.

Depth 4: Scan and store synchronized digital personalities, [DATA LOST]...

…

"This is the original path of Theseus - it should be to use your own clone as the body to create an adjustment and transformation of the direction of the hive consciousness. But now, the other party plans to directly use another independent entity, or

That is you, as the puppet controlled by him. But in the subject of my research, there is no need for such a puppet.

"If this is your expectation, then I will regard you as violating the contract and impose a curse on you and kill both of you."

Hecate said, and the black dog under her suddenly stood up and closed its eyes.

"Uh huh..."

(As I said, I was just forced to have no choice)

Jiang Zhou, who could no longer speak complete words, shook his head repeatedly, but he believed that the other party could understand what he meant.

"Alternatively, I can adjust the direction of the blessing and return the depth 1 transformation to the original design of the Path of Theseus."

The other party repeated the previous proposal.

Without even thinking about it, Jiang Zhou nodded directly.

Then, no movement was seen from Hecate, and the mist around her rolled up around the river boat like a veil.

The suffocating feeling like drowning disappeared instantly, and was replaced by a feeling like warm wind surrounding his head.

Jiang Zhou let out a long breath.

"Then, you and the two people trying to connect you can continue to live."

After taking a few breaths and finally coming back to his senses, Jiang Zhou looked up at Hecate and said:

"How about you kill that bastard Ye Qian?"

I have another update tomorrow to adjust my sleep time.
Chapter completed!